Are you thinking of majoring in engineering but stuck wondering, what do engineers do?
On the other hand, maybe you are already majoring in engineering and questioning how will all of the equations be used.
Choosing a major is a daunting task. The thought of deciding what to do for the rest of your life is stressful. However, when you don’t really comprehend what you are getting into, it can be overwhelming.
But don’t worry, you are not alone. So many engineering students have these same concerns, I know I did. Each year of school I was hoping for some clarity. Unfortunately, I really didn’t have an understanding of what engineers did until I started working. Spoiler alert- they do not just sit at a desk by themselves all day doing calculations!
My Background
In high school I knew I liked and excelled at math and science. Further, I despised english so I knew I was going to go into a STEM field. However, I was wondering how much more math could I learn beyond calculus. What was the application of it in engineering?
I took a leap of faith and decided to major in biomedical engineering, even though I really didn’t grasp what engineers did besides design and manufacture products. However, I knew I wanted to design devices that helped people.
Then, I got to college. I realized there were math classes beyond calculus 1, such as calculus 3, calculus 4, and differential equations. Each year I learned more equations. However, I was left missing the larger picture. How would I use all of this theory after college?
Unfortunately, college mainly focuses on the theoretical aspect of engineering and design. As a result, many students think they are only going to design and create drawings in Solidworks all day. It is amazing the number of co-ops I have interviewed that want to just design, and they do not want to test! If you want your design to get to the consumer, testing is critical.
So what is beyond the endless equations and late night studying? How does it all come together? Luckily for you, I am here to help!
I want to use the years of experience I’ve gained from working as a Research and Development (R&D) engineer with you so you can make the best decision for your future. Throughout the post I will include tips that I wish an engineer would have shared with me so I could’ve been more prepared for the real world.
There are so many different types of engineers. However, there are universal tasks all engineers do, which will be the focus of this article. The different types of engineers usually vary based on the end product, for instance civil engineers create roads and mechanical engineers create automobiles. But, the skills both utilize are similar they just have a different technical focus.
Table of Contents
The 3 P's Of Engineering
At a very high level, what engineers do can be broken down into the three P’s of Engineering: People, Process, Product.
The diagram below depicts the 3 P’s of Engineering. Under each section are some of the common tasks that engineers do. In order to accomplish these tasks, engineers rely on their technical and soft skills.
The People category refers to all of the tasks engineers perform that involve working with people. Next, the Process category refers to all of the procedures and logistics engineers follow to carry out their job. Finally, the Product category refers to all tasks engineers conduct in order to create and maintain products.
People
- Solve problems
- Complete training
- Attend and lead meetings
- Present to others
- Travel
- Conduct technical reviews
- Review and provide feedback to others
- Work and collaborate with others
Process
- Solve problems
- Complete training
- Follow company procedures
- Plan projects
- Improve inefficiencies
- Perform continuous improvement
- Participate in continuous learning
- Maintain document management system
Product
- Solve problems
- Complete Training
- Define requirements
- Perform data analysis and research
- Create drawings and reports
- Design, prototype, build, and test
- Perform root cause investigations
- Sustain products and processes
These three P’s of Engineering categorizes the who, how, what and why for the work performed by engineers.
The People are who engineers work with, the Processes are how work gets done, the Products are what engineers are working on, and the problems those Products are solving are the why.
You will notice that problem solving and training are listed in each category. This is because these are the core functions of engineering. Engineers are constantly solving problems and are continuously training.
What does this tell you? You are not going to be the expert on everything and no one expects you to be! Moreover, there are going to be many problems you have no idea how to solve. In addition, you will receive a lot of on the job training to help you. Therefore, get used to putting your pride aside and ask questions. Asking questions shows you are motivated and interested, which is the type of employee everyone wants to hire!
Engineers often do not want to ask questions because they do not want to look dumb. The faster you can get over this fear, the more you will learn and you will be a better engineer for it.
1. People
Engineers interact with a number of different people on a daily basis.
Some of these people are internal or work at the same company. For instance, this may include engineering peers, the cross functional team (i.e. regulatory, marketing, finance, supply chain), management, operators, and technicians. Others work externally or at different companies, like customers and vendors.
Soft Skills
Soft skills are critical because engineering is so collaborative. They are also called interpersonal skills because they are the skills that help you work with individuals effectively.
Some of these include:
- Leadership
- Oral and written communication
- Resourcefulness
- Negotiating
- Influence
- Presentation skills
- Attitude
- Ability to work in a team
- Collaboration
- Ability to defend your logic
Soft skills are often not directly taught in school and often forgotten about. However, working on group projects will help you hone these skills.
These skills often separate great engineers from everyone else. In my experience, the engineers with superior soft skills are promoted the quickest. They will also help you get hired. Most companies are using the interview process to find an individual that is the “right fit”. In other words, will you fit into their organization and get along with the other employees. This is usually determined by how you present your soft skills during the interview.
Pro tip #1: When working on group projects, notice what role you gravitate towards. Is it the project lead or is it the technical role? If you are naturally taking the leadership roles, chances are the soft skills listed above are your strengths. Therefore, it is important to note your role in group projects on your resume so you can highlight your soft skills.
People Related Tasks
Below are some common People related tasks an engineer may need to conduct.
1. Solve People Problems
- Work with challenging and unmotivated team members
- Resolve differences in opinions between co-workers
- Determine resources for a project
2. Complete Training
- Attend training in a large group or one on one
- Network with attendees and instructor
- Identify subject matter experts to reach out to for help in the future
3. Attend, lead, and present at meetings, such as:
- Weekly team project meeting
- Staff meeting with your boss and others that work for them
- Technical review meeting
- Upper management meeting
- Meeting with customers or vendors
- One on one meetings
Pro tip #2: Take a public speaking class in college. Engineers are required to give many presentations to various audiences. This can be intimidating, especially for new engineers. Therefore, I highly recommend practicing your public speaking by taking a course.
4. Travel to various locations including but not limited to:
- Visit a different site within the company
- Meet with a supplier
- Attend a trade show or conference
- Complete off site training
- Collaborate with customers
5. Review others’ work and provide feedback
2. Process
Engineers must follow processes for all of the tasks that they carry out. In other words, these are instructions for everyone to abide by that is completing a particular assignment. Most importantly, this helps ensure quality, safety, and consistency for how the company conducts business.
Some of the processes that engineers follow include:
- Standard Operating Procedures
- New Product Development Process
- Test Methods
- Work Instructions
- Contracts
- Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S)
- Purchasing
Part of the on-boarding procedure for a new engineer is learning how a company operates. In order to get anything done, you must be aware of the relevant processes. As you gain more experience, the more guidance documents you’ll be exposed to. Learning new processes is continuous, but the majority you will learn when you first start at a company.
Some critical processes, require you to be trained on the process before you can execute your work. For example, if you want to use a lab you will need to complete training before you are granted access. On the other hand, if you want to order a new material or chemical, you will need to follow the EH&S procedures. These procedures will educate you on how to handle and store the material safely.
Furthermore, some processes will tell you exactly what to do step by step, such as a test method. Others, like the New Product Development process, will be more of a high level overview of the steps to follow. After that, you will need to determine how to get to the next step.
Soft Skills
Below are some of the soft skills critical to using processes:
- Attention to detail
- Ability to follow directions
Attention to detail and the ability to follow directions are critical to ensure you are doing tasks in accordance with the company’s policies. If not, you will need to re-do the work, which wastes time and money. It is best practice to review a procedure in full and comprehend it before taking any action. Subsequently, when you are performing a task, refer to the procedure as you complete each step.
Following directions and attention to detail may seem obvious and easy. However, you would be amazed by how many engineers lack this. Like the time my husband (also an engineer) had to pull an all nighter at work.
One of the newer engineers at his company created a drawing package for a new client. When he sent the package to the internal reviewer they said it was completely wrong. You see, the new client had their own set of standards that the engineer did not follow.
My husband’s boss said they could not afford to lose the client. Therefore, he asked my husband and another engineer to fix this other engineer’s mistake. It took my husband and the other engineer all day and night to finish the drawing package. All their work paid off because the client accepted their proposal.
Above all, this could have been avoid, had the engineer taken the time in the beginning to pay attention to details. In addition, he should have understood what the client’s standards were and then follow their directions.
This is why soft skills are so important. You could be the most technically sound engineer, but if you lack soft skills, you are going to have a challenging time advancing in industry.
Overwhelmed by all the different skills engineers use? The good news is that we’ve built a quick summary list that covers all the skills so you can quickly identify your strengths to highlight on your resume and next interview, this will definitely pay off! Get your free list now while supplies last!
Process Related Tasks
Below are some common Process related tasks an engineer may need to conduct.
1. Solve Process Problems
- Managing logistics of a project
- Planning a project and understanding what processes can run in parallel or series
- Creating a timeline to account for procedures that need to be followed
2. Complete Training
- Train on all relevant procedures before performing the task
- Write procedures to train others
3. Improve Inefficiencies
- Review process guidance documents and identify improvements
4. Maintain Document Management Systems
- Complete the documentation required to support the project
- Store documents in the correct location (both soft and hard copies)
- Maintain a lab notebook in accordance with the company’s policies
3. Product
The final P is for Product. This is the most obvious P and the one most people think of when they think about engineering.
Engineers develop and sustain products, which include to components, systems, final products, and processes to help society. Product refers to the item that the customer is going to use.
For example, if you are an industrial engineer it might be a system to make a process more efficient. If you are a civil engineer it might be a bridge. For a mechanical engineer it could be part of an engine. If you are a biomedical engineer it could be a prosthetic limb.
Even though the end products are very different, the way engineers get to that end goal is pretty similar.
This is where some of what you learn in school will be used. College makes engineers aware of all the different types of equations and theory. In practice, engineers use this to create hypotheses and make judgements. However, most of the time engineers still need data to back up the theory. The data portion is what is often not stressed enough in college.
In addition to the technical skills learned in college, engineers use soft skills as well to launch products.
Soft Skills
Below are some of the soft skills critical to creating, manufacturing, and sustaining products:
- Time management
- Critical thinking
- Ability to prioritize tasks and multitask
- Organization
- Resourcefulness
- Decision making
- Ability to justify and defend your logic
- Perseverance
- Attitude (enthusiasm, commitment, and motivation)
- Ability to work independently
Pro tip #3: Soft skills play a significant role in engineering. If these are areas you struggle in, try to practice them in your group project work. Do not get overwhelmed and try to do all of them. Only pick a few and work on those. If these are your strengths, make sure to highlight them on your resume and interviews.
Product Related Tasks
A large portion of an engineer’s job is dedicated to creating or maintaining a product. The process most companies follow to do this is the New Product Development process.
Below are some of the higher level tasks associated with this process:
- Estimating the cost to make the product
- Conducting background research and completing competitor analysis
- Creating a timeline for all of the engineering deliverables that fits into the overall timeline
- Translating the user needs into technical requirements
- Brainstorming solutions and choosing the most viable options to prototype
- Building, testing, and redesigning prototypes
- Maintaining a design notebook
- Finding vendors to source materials and components for the prototypes
- Using relevant software for tasks such as analysis, statistics, and computer aided design (CAD)
- Creating drawings and Bill Of Materials (BOM)
- Writing test methods, test procedures, work instructions, and technical reports
- Executing all test methods for the final design and recording the data
- Performing statistical analysis
- Documenting any failures that occur and investigating what happened
- Finding solutions to failures, potentially re-build and re-testing when necessary
- Reviewing and approving all relevant documentation needed to launch the product
- Sustaining the product after launch
Pro tip #4: Understanding what type of test equipment to use for the type of data you want to collect is critical. This is something that is typically not stressed in college. To gain exposure to test equipment pay attention to the lab courses you take and what instruments are being used. In addition, you could ask a professor to show you the equipment being used for research in their labs.
Pro tip #5: Data analysis is a large part of what engineers do. One of the most common tools used for data analysis is Minitab. If you want to get ahead of your peers, invest time (if it is not included in your coursework) to completing Minitab tutorials. These tutorials are really helpful to understanding the basics of statistics and what types of analysis you can use Minitab for. In addition, try to take a statistics class if it is not already included in your undergraduate education.
Summary
To sum up, I think N.W. Dougherty described what engineers do best when he said, “The ideal engineer is a composite… He is not a scientist, he is not a mathematician, he is not a sociologist or a writer, but he may use the knowledge and techniques of any or all of these disciplines in solving engineering problems.” The key take away is the breadth of tasks engineers are responsible for and the numerous skills they possess.
I know majoring in engineering is really challenging. Hopefully this post reassured you that engineering is so much more than just solving equations. It is a very rewarding career, which is much more enjoyable than school. Therefore, try your best to get through the courses because there is a great job waiting for you!
If you want to get ahead of your peers and make yourself more marketable to employers, implement the tips discussed above. Here is a summary of the tips:
- Note your role in group projects on your resume to highlight your soft skills.
- Take a public speaking course.
- Practice your soft skills when working on group projects.
- Get experience with test equipment by taking note of what you use during your lab courses or by asking a professor to work in their lab.
- Take a statistics class and teach yourself Minitab by completing the tutorials.
If you enjoyed this article on what does an engineer do or have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below!
Overwhelmed by all the different skills engineers use? The good news is that we’ve built a quick summary list that covers all the skills so you can quickly identify your strengths to highlight on your resume and next interview, this will definitely pay off! Get your free list now while supplies last!