Engineering and entrepreneurship at first seems like very different paths without natural crossovers, but looking closely, you find that engineering and entrepreneurship share many of the same skills. In fact, many great entrepreneurs and business leaders do in fact have education and training in engineering. Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Carlos Slim are just a few of the famous entrepreneurs who all started their careers in Engineering. Being a competent engineer requires you to solve complex problems and navigate around difficult situations when they arise, a useful skill for any entrepreneur. There is little structure and lots of complexity that you need to navigate daily as someone who is running a startup. One needs to assess risks and challenges wisely, and pivot when required.
Both engineers and entrepreneurs take on tremendous amounts of risk in their work. To succeed in both fields you need dedication, commitment and simply put, hustle. When it comes to pursuing a career in engineering, whether it’s resources engineering, sustainable materials or even innovative recycling, specialist skills and knowledge are vital in order to stand out compared to other job candidates. Similar to the other industries in the world, the engineering landscape is evolving at a rapid rate, and so the demand for engineers with an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset has never been greater.
Both engineers and entrepreneurs take on tremendous amounts of risk in their work. To succeed in both fields one needs dedication, commitment and simply put, hustle. No way can a business venture or any project start from nothing and grow if one doesn’t acknowledge the fact that you have strengths and weaknesses and realize the need to branch out and get people on your team that will help you with your weaknesses. You need a team as an engineer and an entrepreneur to help you move forward towards a common goal. Communication is paramount. It is critical to be able to have excellent communication skills in projects to make sure your product is exactly what was planned and perhaps even better.
For both engineers and entrepreneurs, reflection and self-conscious analysis are essential. Both need to examine their projects to prototype better solutions, make changes quickly and persevere even if challenges seem great. Engineers make great entrepreneurs because they bring a skillset to the startups that’s been developed over years of managing projects and solving big problems.
Engineers work to improve society, and not just for the benefit of the local community, but the planet as a whole. Over the last few years, there’s been a rise in developing sustainable innovative solutions, from e-mobility and new battery technology for greener, more sustainable cities, to alternative energy sources and robotics for sustainable mining technology. Without innovation in these areas, modern life wouldn’t be possible.
Although there’s still a long way to go in developing and implementing these innovative technologies and processes in order to overcome societal challenges, such as the recycling and substitution of raw materials, it’s important that the next generation of engineers are trained in innovation and are able to use their entrepreneurial mindset to design, create and implement a favorable future – economically, socially and, especially, environmentally.
Innovation and entrepreneurship are key drivers in today’s engineering world, and the push for sustainable products, services and technologies is needed now more than ever. From global corporations to small businesses, national governments to local governments, many are avidly searching for ways to come up with sustainable solutions to combat pressing environmental challenges.
So, when it comes to innovation in engineering, it’s never been more critical. You’d be mistaken for thinking engineering is all about working with a rational and logical process with no room for creativity, when in fact engineering and innovation go hand in hand.
Innovation is a great influence on the growth and survival of today’s engineering world, which is why it’s important higher education institutions are committed to the teaching of innovation and entrepreneurship.
