“Great question. I will answer this by saying that I will assume that anyone that has graduated from a good engineering school has the fundamentals of engineering down. What I have seen separate people in terms of career success are attitudes and professional skills.

By attitudes I am referring to a positive, problem-solving mindset. Someone who is willing to put the effort in and work as a team member to get results that help the entire team, not just themselves. Hard work, preparation, and a positive team-based attitude wins out over someone who is more selfish, is not willing to work hard, and only enjoys personal success. I also think this approach leads to greater happiness and satisfaction on the job as well, so it’s a win-win.

By professional skills, I am referring to an ability to negotiate, read body language, leadership skills, management skills, emotional IQ and maturity, communication skills, team building, an awareness of aspects of business such as finance, and other similar aspects of professional development. Engineers typically have a deficit of training upon graduation in these areas, and additional self-studied attention to these critical skills can set them apart for tremendous early-career success. The world’s challenges have many facets, and an ability to see the challenges from angles beyond engineering will be increasingly valuable as we move forward.”