You’re struggling to improve your Facilities Engineering technical skills. What can you do to get better?

1 Identify your skill gaps

The first step to improving your technical skills is to assess your current level of competence and identify the areas where you need to improve. You can use various tools and methods to evaluate your skills, such as self-assessment questionnaires, feedback from your peers and managers, performance reviews, online tests, or portfolio reviews. You should also consider the requirements and expectations of your current or desired role, project, or organization, and compare them with your skills. This will help you prioritize the most relevant and urgent skill gaps that you need to address.

2 Find suitable learning resources

Once you have identified your skill gaps, you need to find the appropriate learning resources that can help you fill them. There are many options available for facilities engineers, such as online courses, webinars, podcasts, or videos from reputable sources like professional associations and universities. You can also access books, journals, magazines, or blogs from libraries, bookstores, or online platforms. Mentors, coaches, or tutors are available from your network, organization, or online platforms and can offer personalized guidance. Additionally, workshops, seminars, conferences, or events offer opportunities to learn from experts and network with peers in facilities engineering; these can be attended in person or online.

3 Apply your learning to practice

Learning new technical skills is not enough if you do not apply them to your work or projects. Practicing and reinforcing your learning by using your skills in real or simulated situations will help consolidate your knowledge, improve performance, and demonstrate value as a facilities engineer. To apply learning to practice, consider taking on challenging assignments or tasks that require new skills, volunteering for projects or initiatives involving facilities engineering in your organization or community, participating in competitions or hackathons that challenge you to design, build, or improve facilities engineering systems or solutions, creating a portfolio or blog to showcase skills and projects in facilities engineering, and seeking feedback from managers, peers, clients, or mentors on work or projects.

4 Keep track of your progress and achievements

The last step to improving your technical skills is to monitor your progress and celebrate your achievements. You need to set realistic and measurable goals for your learning and track your performance and outcomes. You can use tools such as spreadsheets, apps, or journals to record your activities, results, and feedback. You should also review your goals and adjust them as needed, depending on your changing needs and opportunities. Moreover, you should acknowledge and reward yourself for your efforts and accomplishments, and share them with your network, organization, or community. This will help you maintain your motivation, confidence, and credibility as a facilities engineer.