Personal and Professional Skills & Attributes

Engineers of all types use approximately the same set of personal and interpersonal skills, and follow approximately the same generalized processes.

Engineers must possess the ability to use three major modes of thought:

  • Engineering thinking
  • Scientific thinking
  • System thinking

In addition to this fundamental technical knowledge, engineers must possess and manifest attributes such as professional integrity and professional behavior, as well as the skills and attitudes necessary to plan for one’s career and to stay current in our dynamic world of engineering.

Engineers should also have the character traits of initiative and perseverance, the more generic modes of creative and critical thinking, and the skills of personal inventory (knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses), curiosity and lifelong learning, and time management.

2.1 ENGINEERING REASONING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

    2.1.1 Problem Identification and Formulation
    2.1.2 Modeling
    2.1.3 Estimation and Qualitative Analysis
    2.1.4 Analysis With Uncertainty
    2.1.5 Solution and Recommendation

2.2 EXPERIMENTATION AND KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY

    2.2.1 Hypothesis Formulation
    2.2.2 Survey of Print and Electronic Literature
    2.2.3 Experimental Inquiry
    2.2.4 Hypothesis Test, and Defense

2.3 SYSTEM THINKING

    2.3.1 Thinking Holistically
    2.3.2 Emergence and Interactions in Systems
    2.3.3 Prioritization and Focus
    2.3.4 Trade-offs, Judgment and Balance in Resolution

2.4 PERSONAL SKILLS AND ATTITUDES

    2.4.1 Initiative and Willingness to Take Risks
    2.4.2 Perseverance and Flexibility
    2.4.3 Creative Thinking
    2.4.4 Critical Thinking
    2.4.5 Awareness of One’s Personal Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes
    2.4.6 Curiosity and Lifelong Learning
    2.4.7 Time and Resource Management

2.5 PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ATTITUDES

    2.5.1 Professional Ethics, Integrity, Responsibility and Accountability
    2.5.2 Professional Behavior
    2.5.3 Proactively Planning for One’s Career
    2.5.4 Staying Current on World of Engineer
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