Front Faced

Why it is important to create and ‘train the well-rounded engineer’

The demands of most engineering jobs can be met from the deep dark cave of wherever you may find to be productive. There is a divide between “front end” engineers, those who deal with consumer based, human interactive, work. The stigma of the back end folks lies along the lines of socially inept lab nerds that run our media based lives. With the ability to work remotely and virtually like never before, the need for ‘full-stack’ engineers stems from more than abolishing nerdy stereotypes. Taking time and energy, in any field, to refresh on what many work environments call ‘soft-skills’ is key to the care, keeping and longevity of your craft.

Check-in with these key points:

• Communication skills-

• Active listening – are you?
• Explaining technical concepts to those who aren’t tech savvy – can you?

• Intrapersonal skills-

• Adept at looking inward and figuring out our own feelings and motivations
• Introspective and seeks understanding

• Interpersonal skills / teamwork-

• Ability to work in teams
• Managing conflict efficiently and constructively

• Adaptability-

• Never underestimate the ability to adapt to changes and multiple tasks
• Keep up with a changing and constantly updating field

• Project management skills-

• Organization, planning, effectively implementing projects and tasks for self and others

• Problem-solving skills-

• Ability to use creativity, reasoning, past experience, info and resources to resolve issues

• Strong work ethic and good attitude-

• A choice!

• Emotional intelligence-

• Social skills, awareness, self-management
• Revealed through interactions with others

• Self-discovery-

• Personality type – Myers-Briggs’
• 5 big personality traits
• Know yourself!

• Personality type-

• Mind
  • Introverts prefer solitary activities
    • exhausted by social interaction
  • Extroverts prefer group activities
    • gain energy from social interactions
• Energy- determines how we see the world and process info
  • Intuitive individuals are imaginative, rely on intuition, focus on what might happen
  • Observant- down to earth, rely on senses, practical, focused on what has happened
• Nature- how we make decisions/cope with emotions
  • Thinking individuals are tough, follow their minds, focus on objectivity and rationality
  • Feeling individuals are sensitive, follow their hearts, focus on harmony and cooperation
• Tactics- reflects approach to work, planning and decision-making
  • Judging individuals are decisive, prefer clear rules and guidelines see deadlines as sacred, seek closure
  • Prospecting individuals are good at improvising

A well-rounded person makes time for themselves. Check in with these key points and think about which areas you many need to devote more time or attention to getting in tune with! What sounds most like you? Where does that fit into how you feel and perform?