Can Technical Knowledge without Social Skills make successful Engineers?
Category : Education | Sub Category : Engineering & Technology Posted on 2020-07-09 02:57:29
Old business models and ways of hiring are becoming obsolete. Businesses are not only focusing on hiring people with good grades but ones who have an overall development in all areas to be the face of their company. Thus, now is the time when preparedness becomes more crucial than ever to gain employment after finishing studies in any field.
Engineering is
all around us, it is in our smartphone, the internet, our cars and the roads it
drives on and plays a vital role in literally everything our lives depend on -
in our buildings, food, water, energy, transport, communication, medicines –
everything! The study of Engineering uses knowledge of science (particularly
physics) and mathematics, to find new solutions to everyday problems and is
considered as the one of the most stable and sought after jobs in our country
today.
However, Engineers
today do not solely rely on grades and degrees to make it big in the industry
but understand that their technical skills need to be backed up with a good set
of social and soft skills. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics) professionals who have not yet developed key soft skills should
start thinking about to get ready for the change. A good dynamic set of both
technical and soft skills may be what is going to make a difference when
employers consider candidates for joining their team.
Technical skills can only get one so far up the ladder, while social skills give you the extra edge that can take you a step higher and stand out from the crowd. According to a research conducted by Harvard University, The Carnegie Foundation, and Stanford Research Institute, technical skills and knowledge account for 15% of the reason you get a job, keep a job, or advance in a job. In contrast, social skills account for the other 85% of your job success!
Thus, one should
understand that in todays times soft skills prove to be essential to develop
career success. Yet, those skills are often neglected and underestimated by
professionals in the engineering field since these professionals quite often
focus much on the hard skills only. In times of career change or advancing in
the career ladder, learning or improving soft skills becomes paramount.
Important
non-technical skills an Engineer should possess include:
·
Adequate speaking, listening
and planning capacity to develop an understanding for successful teamwork
projects.
·
Be flexible and open to accepting
of unexpected or alternative ways of doing things
·
Be an effective communicator to
interact with stakeholders, partners, and clients clearly
It should, however,
not be mistaken that grades and theoretical knowledge should take a back seat.
One needs to have solid technical skills to be an expert in their engineering
field but should brush up on social skills to effectively use the learned
technical knowledge. Being able to publicly convey your ideas is one of the
most powerful ways to gain positive outcomes and flourish in your career. One
type of skill is not necessarily more important than the other, but what is
imperative is to have a balance of the two.
