Enhancing Your Communication Skill   Taking a course in circuit analysis is one step in preparing yourself for a career in electrical engineering. Enhancing your communication skill while in school should also be part of that preparation, as a large part of your time will be spent communicating.

People in industry have complained again and again that graduating engineers are ill-prepared in written and oral communication. An engineer who communicates effectively becomes a valuable asset.

You can probably speak or write easily and quickly. But howeffectively do you communicate? The art of effective communication is of the utmost importance to your success as an engineer.

For engineers in industry, communication is key to promotability. Consider the result of a survey of U.S. corporations that asked what factors influence managerial promotion. The survey includes a listing of 22 personal qualities and their importance in advancement. You may be surprised to note that "technical skill based on experience" placed fourth from the bottom. Attributes such as self-confidence, ambition, flexibility, maturity, ability to make sound decisions, getting things done with and through people, and capacity for hard work all ranked higher. At the top of the list was "ability to communicate." The higher your professional career progresses, the more you will need to communicate. Therefore, you should regard effective communication as an important tool in your engineering tool chest.

Learning to communicate effectively is a lifelong task you should always work toward. The best time to begin is while still in school. Continually look for opportunities to develop and strengthen your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. You can do this through classroom presentations, team projects, active participation in student organizations, and enrollment in communication courses. The risks are less now than later in the workplace.