What Engineers Need to Be Great (And Not Perfect)

Engineers need to be perfect at what we do.

But in reality, we make mistakes. The road to success requires overcoming challenges. If you learn to leverage the skills you have, you can overcome any challenge you face.

Unfortunately, we think we success comes easy.

We are taught in school that we need to be 100% accurate.

We also:

• Are afraid to collaborate with others because they could take our jobs.
• Don’t understand the importance of collaboration early on.
• Think all we need to succeed is technical knowledge.

Thankfully, it is still early for you.

Here’s how to step by step:

Step 1: Start Sharing What You Are Learning

The best way to learn something is by teaching others.

When I started my journey as an engineer, I taught others through mentoring. Now, I have multiple outlets like the podcast and this newsletter to share what I am learning. It is never too late to start.

Step 2: Practice Your Communication Skills

This doesn’t mean going out and giving presentations to thousands of people at a time.

The easiest way is to pay close attention when you interact with others. Are you stumbling or not communicating your ideas clearly?

Another great way is to verbally share what you are working on. Create a podcast or quick videos.

Step 3: Network, Network, Network

I know networking as engineers is hard.

But the more you do it, the easier it gets. We are not in a zero-sum industry. If we develop technologies to save money and time, everyone benefits.

Read this post and more on my Typeshare Social Blog