Are you curious about what skills are required or recommended for mechanical engineering? In this article, we discuss in-demand skills, how to build relevant skills, and what opportunities are available to strengthen these skills.
Technical Skills
- Research Software: MATLAB
- Computer Aided Design (CAD) Software: Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D, Autodesk Revit, Bentley MicroStation, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
- Programming Languages: C++, Microsoft Visual Basic, Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBA, Perl, Python, R
Employability Skills
- Active Listening
- Creativity
- Critical thinking
- Problem Solving – using Mathematics and Scientific Rules and Methods
- Reading Comprehension
Building Skills
Alongside pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, you can build skills outside of your academic courses and projects. To get started, identify which technical and employability skills you would like to build upon. You might consider your proficiency and interest for each skill as well as how much time you have in your schedule to build the skill. Ideally, you would like the number of skills you choose to focus on to be manageable in time and comfortability. You might begin by choosing 2-3 skills to build upon, having a combination of technical and employability skills.
Now that you have identified your skills, here are a few ways you can expand them.
Both internships and co-ops provide you hands-on experience in a short timeframe where you can develop transferrable skills and technical skills by interacting with industry professionals and by putting your knowledge and understanding into practice. These opportunities allow you to explore your options and expand your network within your industry of interest. You can search for opportunities on Handshake, directly via company websites, or via networking with industry professionals.
You might peruse Duke Groups to identify which student groups center on the skills you are seeking to build. You can get recommendations for groups by chatting with faculty and peers in the department as well as alumni in the field. You might also review departmental pages for student group recommendations (i.e., Pratt School of Engineering Organizations and Clubs). Whether it be a summer program, year-long project, or a team-based course, Bass Connections offers great opportunities for projects. When in doubt, you can meet with a career advisor to talk through student group and project options.
Research projects are another way to gain experience working alongside a team and key skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity. You might be involved in research as a requirement of your degree program. If not, you can reach out to faculty members directly whose research interests you or review the Undergraduate Research Support Office or your equivalent research office for resources and opportunities for pursuing research.
You have access to Coursera and LinkedIn Learning courses by being a Duke student. Courses are available on a wide range of topics and skills to meet your skills goals. Self-learning through online courses reflects your willingness to learn and initiative to employers, which are attributes are demonstrating alongside the skills you are focusing on. The Innovation Co-Lab offers workshops through its Roots Program that are both self-paced and live on topics related to technology and interactive experiences such as making your own tote bag.
If you would like to discuss how to incorporate skill development in your Duke journey and career, you can make a Career Center appointment via Handshake.
This article references information that can be found on O*Net OnLine and LinkedIn.
