Engineering specialist skills for your resume and career

As far as soft skills, the ability to communicate verbally and via writing, work together with people from different backgrounds, and brainstorm and critical thinking are all important soft skills, such as networking.

Hard/technical skills needed for a position may be dependent upon the position itself. It is hard to say exactly what hard/technical skills are the most important without knowing the exact job description, but knowing how to find information to solve problems can be as important as knowing how to do the required work. Knowledge of engineering will be important for our graduates, but sometimes having experience or knowledge in other fields can be just as valuable, as is the ability to read technical papers and patents and understand them.

It has always been my philosophy that it doesn't matter how long it takes to finish your education; the important thing is to finish it. Because of the reduced opportunities for funding as mentioned in Question 1, this will cause a delay in finishing for many. It may impact some non-STEM majors to the point that their enrollment will decline as they see there are few jobs and the cost of education is too high for so few jobs. I believe many high school graduates will be going to community colleges to continue their education inexpensively (enrollment increasing, maybe more distance learning since space may be limited). There will be a significant number entering the "crafts" and take on apprenticeships in the construction and other industries (auto repair, for example, requiring high skills). The water industry is always looking for entry-level staff. This is one industry where you can start out as a meter reader and make it to general manager given enough "drive." Many have succeeded in this way.

In terms of skills to learn or pick up during a "gap" year or two would be to improve communication and writing skills; learn new software and possibly even network management. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Building Information Modeling (BIM), and Remote Sensing are major areas in civil engineering where new, skilled employees are needed. Obtain certification in "Green Buldings" LEED, "Envision," and forms of "sustainability." These skills are going to be very important and will allow a student to find temporary or part-time employment to provide funding once the skills are learned.

-Ability to function in groups and effective group management/communication skills
-Ability to quickly grasp and apply emerging technological and scientific advances
-Willingness to stay open and learn continuously
-Willingness to adjust and accommodate keeping larger interests in mind