The Importance of Soft Skills for Engineering Students

Projects, assignments, tests, quizzes, and internships, pretty much sum up the life of an engineering student. Most students are purely focused on acquiring hard skills as soon as B.Tech admission opens the door to the world of engineering. However, as they move on to the completion, of course, they are faced with a rather challenging situation. We are referring to communication and soft skills which are an auxiliary need for engineering students. Whether you are planning to enroll in a B. Tech program or already enrolled in one, acquiring soft skills is essential for personal and professional growth. And the best time to acquire them is while you are in college. Engineering college like BMU has a very vibrant campus life. We have students from different parts of the country and world who bring with them their unique culture which facilitates an exchange of ideas and development of communication. Secondly, our pedagogical philosophy which is proactive and symphony between classroom learning and practical training provides the opportunity to speak, interact and share. For further understanding, we have identified the following reasons why soft skill is important for all engineering students –

Presentation of Ideas

Engineering is all about offering a solution to the problem at hand. It is also about sharing new ideas for product development and research. In either of the cases, communication is vital for effective communication. How well you can articulate your ideas to others is an outcome of good soft skill training. Most often than now, your clients or users will not be able to understand the complex mathematical calculation or code that you have worked out. They would rather want a straightforward and easy-to-understand solution for their problems. Therefore, you should acquire people’s skills where you should relatable and less complex examples to explain the ideas.

Effective Communication

As an engineer, you will be required to communicate with your peers, superiors, and subordinates on various matters related to work. Today, communication is not just restricted to a face-to-face meeting as correspondence can be established through email, web conference, phone/video calls, text messages. Different etiquettes are required to be followed with each of these mediums. For instance, during email and text communication, the use of bold letters is considered rude. Secondly, while on phone and video call exchange of pleasantries like thank you, welcome, hello is imperative. These are small yet significant protocols that need to be followed for effective internal and external communication.

Enhance Teamwork

There is no denying the fact that B.Tech admission opens the door to success and you are primarily focused on individual growth. However, in the long run, showing team spirit and the ability to work in a group is paramount. And this can only be done if you have a healthy working relationship with all the team members. You might be very good at your job, but are you able to communicate your ideas or share valuable input with other team members? It is important to feel and think like a team. In a professional environment, you will be collaborating with various teams across different locations. To ensure that all the work is processed efficiently and timely, you will be required to showcase proactive team effort.

Open to Feedback

This is a very integral part of soft skill communication. No one is immune from making mistakes. Sometimes, you are directly responsible for an error, other times you may be not. Irrespective of that be open to feedback and criticism. Remember that the ability to listen is also part of effective communication. Hard skills help you develop a core competency towards a discipline or specialization. Having said that soft skill helps in the development of interpersonal skills, maturity, and organization. To excel in a professional environment, you need to rely on both.