Jaime Hualde: Analytical thinking, attention to detail help ensure an engineer’s success
The goal of National Engineers Week is to increase the understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers, ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce. We asked some of our engineers about the skills that help an engineer be successful, the best career advice they’ve ever received and what type of person is successful in an engineering role.
A project engineer with maximatecc/AST in Spain, Jaime Hualde talked about the best career advice he’s ever received. “I often recall the advice of an old colleague who insisted on the importance of documenting your work thoroughly. Sometimes it’s easy to let go of when you are working with tight deadlines, but it always pays off in the end,” he said. “Either when you have to reuse your designs, or if you have to fix things or make improvements. Above all, when you work with teams, consistent documentation and effective communication is essential.”
Of all the skills that help an engineer be successful, Hualde called out several. “I believe analytical thinking, attention to detail and the ability to think outside the box help engineers find innovative ideas to solve problems or improve products and processes,” he said. “You should also have good technical skills and be eager to learn new technologies, methodologies and processes to stay current with the industry. It also helps if you’re not afraid to make mistakes, because you can learn a lot from them.”
Hualde had advice for individuals considering a career in engineering. “Being an engineer is great for people who are curious about how things work and for creative people who like building things,” he said. “It can be a very diverse job, so it helps to have a broad range of knowledge to develop products and solve issues that might occur. In my role, I can be part of the whole design process, from my main area of expertise, hardware design, to software development and even participate in the mechanical design aspects of the product launch.”