Whatever your chosen career path, regularly updating your skillset is a must if you want to succeed. This golden rule especially holds true for professional engineers, whether they are veterans or new to the field. As with other technically-focused job roles, possessing the latest and greatest skills – both technical and soft – is essential.
With a rewarding engineering career in mind, here are a few opportunities to upskill your engineering abilities. Leverage these insights and ideas to keep your career on an upwards path. Perhaps a chance at a promotion or a managerial position awaits you?
Why do More Engineers Want to Improve Their Skills?
More engineers now realize keeping their skill set fresh remains an important part of any successful career. According to a recent study, 57 percent aren’t updating their skills to find a new position somewhere else. In fact, they hope to gain a promotion and/or additional responsibilities with their current employer.
Additionally, with employer loyalty relatively high as noted by this survey, 70 percent of the surveyed engineers preferred on-the-job training as their upskilling opportunity of choice. This places the onuses on companies employing engineers to provide a robust training program to keep the skills of their staff fresh. Expect a higher retention rate as an extra benefit.
Soft Skills are Also Important For Engineering Professionals
Sure, staying abreast of the latest technical engineering skills is critical for anyone working in the field. But don’t forget those vital soft skills that employers increasingly value. For example, excellent verbal and written communication skills are important for any engineer, but especially those who interact with clients and the public on a regular basis.
Other soft skills currently in demand include leadership acumen and strong problem-solving abilities. Anthony Fasano, the founder of the Institute for Engineering Career Development, commented on the importance of soft skills for engineers.
“If you’re in a room with 100 engineers, 95 to 99 of them can solve a problem for you technically. But how many of them can communicate the answer to a layperson, or get up there and present the problem or solution to people, or lead a team of engineers to solve a problem?” said Fasano.
Ultimately, taking advantage of any opportunities to improve your engineering and soft skills bodes well for your career growth.
Ready to improve your career?
If you need more advice on building a great engineering career, speak with the expert recruiters at Synerfac. As one of the top technical staffing agencies in the country, we know the companies looking for talented engineers. Connect with us soon!