The 4 Key Traits our Next Generation of Engineers Will Require

The way we do business is changing rapidly. We are seeing technology rip holes in existing business models. Over the weekend my two eldest boys were fascinated to see an old video rental store and the rows of DVD’s - something that was common place only 4 or 5 years ago but today has all but disappeared.

Next week Engineers Australia have invited me to FNQ to speak to school kids about pathways into engineering. For some time now I have been considering what I should talk about, and whether encouraging students into engineering (at least my area of civil engineering consultancy) is the right thing to do. Technology is creating change at an ever increasing rate, and it is completely feasible machines could be doing the work of young engineers in the next 10 years.

I personally believe that there is an exciting future in engineering for the next generation of school leavers, but unless they want to share the same fate as the cab driver who bought his own Taxi Licence the year before Uber arrived, they will need to carefully consider their path going forward.

Below are four key areas that I will be suggesting students focus on to give themselves best chance of success in a changing workplace. Thoughts and comments on these idea would be greatly appreciated and are welcomed.

A Problem Solving Based Way of Thinking

To me this should be the core skill of any engineer. It is how we express our creativity, what makes us unique and a critical life skill no matter what path our career takes us. This is a skill that we start to develop before our formal education begins but needs to be fostered carefully throughout our education and career if we are to be truly successful.

As technology advances and the tools at our disposal increase, it will be our ability to break a problem down, understand the core issues and then select the most appropriate tool to solve the problem that will enable our future engineers to add the most value to society.

A deep understanding of core engineering theory and site experience

This is something I personally grapple with. As technology improves our reliance on hand calculations and first principal problem solving decreases. This is great for those who have had the fortune of learning and understanding core theory - but no so great for those who may miss the opportunity to “learn our trade” as times change. Learning of our trade was typically achieved through a hard slog of first principal engineering, design calculations, site experience and mentoring from seniors who had been there and done it all before. As time advances, the opportunity to go through this learning process seems to diminish. The concern is that we lose our “gut feel”, one of the most valuable assets of any engineer.

There is a very valid argument to counter this that the experience our up and coming engineers will get from being able to do complex calculations in a short timeframe will quickly give them the experience they need to develop their own “gut feel” (so long as their work is well checked). This is true, but surely there is no replacement from an early career spent learning the fundamental theories behind our designs and how they operate in the field. As engineers we should hold ourselves in the same esteem as doctors. I certainly hope my Doctor is doing more than feeding my symptoms into WebMD and telling me what the computer says. I trust she has been to university, gained practical experience and worked with an experienced mentor before giving me my diagnosis.

New engineers who have an understanding of core engineering theory will be sought after and highly valued.

An ability to work with Machines

The next generation’s ability to work with machines is what will set them apart from all those that came before. A 17 year old today was 5 when the first IPhone came out. Technology that we as the current work generation have had to adapt to have been with this generation their whole tertiary life. They have an ability to network remotely and communicate with others that will break down barriers between offices, different departments, clients and stakeholders. They will have confidence with emerging design tools and the ability to manipulate software to increase productivity in ways we have not yet seen. The internet of things and artificial intelligence provide limitless opportunities .

Encouraging this in the next generation is absolutely critical. It is important that they gain a core understanding of the profession, but equally as important that they bring to our industry the disruption that it is ripe for.

Emotional Intelligence

As machines become faster and better at what they do, it is completely feasible to think that in the not too distance future there will be no task that a machine is not “smarter” at than a human. Machine Learning will enable programs to develop an answer to a problem faster and more accurately than any person can. Automation will make a number of jobs, particularly around documentation and process, completely redundant.

Emotional intelligence however is a trait that I believe will always be valuable. To be able to tell by how someone is holding themselves that they have had a bad weekend and to be sensitive with them will not be a trait that is easy to replicate. Nor will it be easy to replicate the sensitivity required to tell a senior team members that what they have been doing is wrong, and that a better solution exists – without offending that person and creating an even bigger issue to deal with.

It is a given that machines will displace engineers carrying out repeatable, process driven tasks. It is also a given that as technology increases our ability to communicate over vast distances greatly improves. Developing the Emotional Intelligence of our future engineers so that they can communicate and collaborate effectively, be inspiring leaders and understand the needs and sensitivities of those around them will prove to be the skills required to set them apart from the pack and enable them to contribute to the process in a meaningful and valuable way.

Closing

In closing I think our next generation of engineers have a bright future ahead of them, but we must accept that it likely won’t look the same as the professional has for at least the last 15 – 20 years. I am very interested to hear any thoughts on the ideas presented and any areas I have missed in lead up to school visits next week.