What is the value of Necessary Engineering Skills?
Mastery Experiences (Valuing Engineering necessary skills) is a significant contributor of self-efficacy (your belief you can succeed in your career). As engineers, we work on difficult and complex problems, typically with the impression that most of the world cannot comprehend what we are talking about or working through on a day to day basis. The ability to conquer a specific skill set in the field of engineering is quite a feat, and as expected, can influence one’s confidence in themselves. But before you can head out to be the next Einstien, one must understand the value of engineering related skills in general.
Typically, if you were to ask 10 random people on your college campus, what skills do you need to have to be a good engineer? Most of them would probably answer with “math and science.”Although the Perceived Importance of Math and Science that you experience quantifies your beliefs about the “hard” skills necessary to be successful in many types of engineering careers, it is not the only quality you need to have a fulfilling and successful engineering career. The tool has provided you with a score in this variable (0-100%) to quantify your awareness of other professional skills you need to be the best engineer you can be.
What skills do I need to be successful in engineering?
We all understand at this point that to be an engineer you need some level of ability in Math and Science. However, as previously stated, there are a series of “Professional skills” an engineer must possess to reach their full potential. These professional and interpersonal skills are listed below.
Professional and Interpersonal Skills:
- Social Self-Confidence
- Leadership Ability
- Public Speaking
- Communication
- Business Awareness
- Teamwork
The Perceived Importance of Professional and Interpersonal Skills are contributing significantly to your engineering self-efficacy. What separates an engineer from a mathematician or a scientist is the ability to translate complex concepts into real-world solutions. A successful engineer must be able to communicate with team members (non-engineers) not only about what needs to be done, but also why something needs to be done. A successful engineer is a well-rounded engineer.
As you go through your scores in each of these categories, try to see areas where you could improve. Then, take a small step towards improving in that area each day.
Necessary Engineering Skills
What do these percentages mean? (click the arrow for details)
Very low necessary engineering skills score: 0-19%
The student may have little to no confidence in engineering related skills and could have very negative feelings toward professional skills.
Low necessary engineering skills score: 20-39%
The student may lack confidence in engineering related skills and may have negative feelings toward professional skills.
Neither high nor low necessary engineering skills score: 40-59%
The student has some confidence in engineering related skills and has neutral feelings toward professional skills.
High necessary engineering skills score: 60-79%
The student is proficient with math and science skills and has strong professional skills.
Very high necessary engineering skills score: 80-100%
The student is strong in math and science skills and professional skills. The student may also be highly confident utilizing these skills to solve engineering problems.
What aspects effect my feelings around necessary engineering skills?
The graphics below show the scoring scales for each mastery experiences aspect. Each graphic highlights possible reasons why a student may have scored high or low in that particular aspect. Beneath each graphic are suggested actions for students to take if they wish to improve their score in that aspect to increase their overall mastery experiences score.
I Feel Math and Science Skills are Essential to Becoming an Engineer
(Perceived Importance of Math and Science)
What do these percentages mean? (click the arrow for details)
Very low perceived importance of math and science: 0-25%
The student believes that math and science skills are not important in becoming a successful engineer.
Low perceived importance of math and science: 25-50%
The student believes that math and science skills are somewhat unimportant in becoming a successful engineer.
High perceived importance of math and science: 50-75%
The student believes that math and science skills are somewhat important in becoming a successful engineer.
Very high perceived importance of math and science: 75-100%
The student believes that math and science skills are very important in becoming a successful engineer.
Ways to improve this score:
I feel Professional and Interpersonal Skills are Essential to Becoming an Engineer
(Perceived Importance of Professional and Interpersonal Skills)
What do these percentages mean? (click the arrow for details)
Very low perceived importance of professional and interpersonal skills: 0-24%
The student believes that professional and interpersonal engineering knowledge and skills are of no importance to becoming a successful engineer. Students with this score may be unaware of the importance of these skills in the workplace.
Low perceived importance of professional and interpersonal skills: 25-49%
The student does things that professional and interpersonal skills are somewhat unimportant in becoming a successful engineer.
High perceived importance of professional and interpersonal skills: 50-74%
The student believes that professional and interpersonal skills are important in being a successful engineer.
Very high perceived importance of professional and interpersonal skills: 75-100%
The student believes that professional and interpersonal skills are required to become a successful engineer. Students with this score may value the importance of soft skills in the workplace.