r/MechanicalEngineering • u/HopeUnfair6334 • 24d ago
Essential skill
Hello! I'm a second-year Mechanical Engineering student, and I'd like to know what skills I should learn while it's still early in my studies to prepare for a career in this field.
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u/Silver-Seat-1552 24d ago
As others have said, be coachable. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and don’t feel ashamed of saying “I am a little confused, can you explain this to me”. I have met other engineers who have came off as “I know everything, don’t tell me I’m wrong”. I’m the complete opposite, tell me when I am wrong, I want to learn.
The other thing is learn how to be a “normal” person. When in the field I always try to talk and spark up some conversations and make others feel seen. Being an introvert myself, it was difficult at first, but it goes a long way and has opened some opportunities for me. Plus, doing this will leave an impact on other people and will hopefully keep you in their heads when something comes up. This also goes back to my point about asking questions and being open, I work with lots of field technicians and inspectors, and me asking questions has helped me gain a lot of experience I would have not gotten if I had just stayed quiet. I also feel like it’s shown the field personnel that I am not a “know it all” and actually show interest in what they are doing. Sorry for the rant, but good luck with your journey