What Skills Make Up A Future Engineer? VP of Curriculum Dee McDonald
Does your child build with blocks, design creative inventions or solve problems? Chances are the skills they are developing translate to what’s needed in today’s engineering jobs. These skills, along with other important 21st century learning skills, are what FasTracKids programs focus on.
In the article What are the Traits Necessary to be an Engineer, Clayton Brown includes the following engineering skills:
Desire to Figure Things Out
An engineer’s desire to figure things out is a close cousin to curiosity, but more focused on the how than the what. Future engineers are seen in the kid who takes apart his dad’s watch to see how it works or the teenager who can fix mom’s kitchen blender.
FasTracKids Bogota, Colombia
Applied Creativity
Applied creativity is a big part of a successful engineer’s tool set. Engineers turn theoretical concepts into real-world applications. This process requires creativity, whether you are designing complex pieces of equipment for industrial processes or a new higher-capacity computer memory chip.
Listening and Problem-Solving Skills
The relationship between being a good listener and effective problem-solver is more direct than you may think. Really listening and fully comprehending what your interlocutors are saying is truly an art. But the more you know about a problem, the more likely you are to be able to solve the problem, and most top-notch engineers have developed strong listening skills to learn as much as they can from the “owner” of the problem.
Interpersonal and Leadership Skills
Engineers also need good interpersonal skills as they typically spend a lot of time working on teams as part of a project. Engineers need to be able to get along with colleagues and work together to effectively participate in meetings as well as iron out schedules and the like. Senior engineers — especially in civil and architectural engineering — need to develop leadership skills to serve in project-management capacities.
It is amazing the compatibility between these essential skills for engineers and the traits developed in the FasTracKids classroom. FasTracKids is a laboratory where future engineers begin their work.
This year, Engineering Week is February 19 – 25. Sara Bolha, a Mechanical Engineer at TE Connectivity, says this about why girls should be interested in engineering:
“Technology is in all of our lives but as an engineer you get to determine what that technology will be. You get to design something you care about. Something you want. If you are the type of girl who asks a ton of questions, I think engineering will be right for you. There’s a little bit of engineering in every girl.”
In March, FasTrack® Fundamentals will be conducting the Technology subject which allows all students the opportunity to gain or express those skills that future engineers will have. Also, FasTrack® Science Bytes and Bots give future engineers and scientists the opportunity to explore the world of computer science, coding and technology all around us. These classes are filled with future engineers having fun.
Please contact your local center for more information about what programs are offered and what events are scheduled for Engineering Week!
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