What is the most useful technical or soft skills for any mechanical engineer to have where you work? I’m curious to know what really matters for everyone and what makes a big impact on the team and business.
Specifics if you can; CAD tools, simulation, CAD speed or proficiency, industry or standards knowledge, GD&T, certifications, Microsoft Excel, presentation skills, technical writing, project management, self organization, great communication, teaching ability, relationship building, etc.
Is that even possible? 😅
Organization is key. I always try to put a barrier between work and my social/family life. After 6 PM, no one in the office can count on me.
There are a few things that I do. One is to make sure that I take some time for me every day, even if it's just for a half hour. I'll usually use that time to read, relax, or take a walk. I also communicate to my team that I'm unavailable on the weekends. If something is really urgent, we will work on it on Friday, and if not, it can wait until Monday
WAIT YOU CAN DO THAT??
If i'm clocked out, I'm not picking up the phone or opening my email. I've made that pretty clear from that start and I'm not budging
I take my days off seriously. That's my time for myself and my family and work has no place in them.
I'm fortunate enough to be in a position that requires me to spend a fair amount of time outdoors, and being out there in the elements helps me feel like I'm connected to the earth if that makes any sense.
I deal with it by allowing myself 5 minutes at the end of every day to face ALL of the stress that has accumulated (and sometimes it's quite a bit!) Kind of an induced panic attack I suppose? ...but only for 5 minutes. That way I'm not ignoring or bottling up my feelings, but I'm also not letting myself be controlled by anxiety. It works for me. Don't know if this helps or not
I spend a lot of time in the lab so while it's very stressful, it's also fairly quiet a lot of the time. I've found that listening to music helps me to keep moving and get my work done. And if I know that I am making measurable progress, I can take it one step at a time. When I only think in terms of The Big Picture it really gets me down because that's such an abstract concept. So I break it down into little pieces that will eventually come together as a completed project.