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There's An Engineer in You! |
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What does it take to be an engineer? The answer may be simpler
than you think. Some basic aptitudes combined with interest
and a willingness to work at it… and you're there.
Photo Courtesy
of GTEC
The
Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation has conducted a number
of studies on engineers going back as early as 1938. Engineering,
like other fields, tends to attract people with similar aptitude
patterns. People who enjoy engineering and are successful
in it tend to share common traits. The dominant engineering
aptitude is structural visualization - the ability to visualize
3D objects in your mind. Analytical reasoning, mathematical
ability, and to a lesser extent, memory for design are the
other aptitudes that correlate with satisfaction and success
in engineering.
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This
article reports findings from the Johnson O'Connor Research
Foundation, a nonprofit scientific research and educational
organization. Russell Burke, director of the foundation's
Washington, D.C. office, provided much of the background
and analytical content. The foundation has been studying aptitudes
and testing individuals since 1922. Its goal is to study human
abilities and to provide people with a knowledge of their aptitudes
that will help them in making decisions about school and work.
The foundation is the outgrowth of a testing program begun by
Johnson O'Connor, an engineer with the General Electric Company.
The program was so successful that the families and friends
of the employees asked to be tested. In 1939, Mr. O'Connor incorporated
as an independent, nonprofit scientific research and educational
organization. Since Mr. O'Connor was himself an engineer, some
of the foundation's earliest work focused on engineering aptitudes.
For more information, please visit, www.jocrf.org. |
Structural
Visualization
Can
you visualize 3D objects in your head?
The
aptitude that allows you to visualize 3D objects in your mind's
eye is called structural visualization. Over the years, structural
visualization has proven to be the most consistent aptitude found
among engineers. Virtually all engineering specialties draw upon
this core aptitude. People with structural visualization can envision
how pieces of a 3D puzzle fit together or how something drawn as
a blueprint will look when it's finished. Structural visualization
is not in your hand's ability to fit the pieces together, but rather
in your mind's ability to visualize objects from different perspectives,
rotate them in your mind, and envision how the pieces fit together.
Don't assume that you have structural visualization because you're
good at making models though. You may find that, given good directions
to follow, your manual dexterity is what you are using rather than
structural visualization.
This
aptitude also provides the ability to classify pieces and understand
how they relate to the whole, which is useful in many engineering
tasks. Johnson O'Connor uses two tests to assess structural visualization.
In the first test, subjects put together 3D blocks that have been
jigsawed into wiggly-shaped pieces (hence, "Wiggly Blocks")
to solve a puzzle. In the second test, subjects are shown a diagram
of holes punched in a folded piece of paper and are asked to predict
where the holes will be when the paper is opened. Of interest, Johnson
O'Connor also notes that a high score in this aptitude correlates
with a high score on the mathematics portion of the Scholastic Assessment
Test (SAT).
Analytical Reasoning
Are
you good at organizing information and at word problems?
This
aptitude is all about understanding processes and how they
work - a critical skill needed by engineers. Analytical reasoning
allows individuals to organize concepts, arrange ideas in a logical
sequence, and classify things. It also helps you organize information
to solve word problems in math, set up a science experiment, and
plan work.
 Memory for Design
Memory
for design is helpful in architecture and the design aspects
of engineering. Memory for design is tested by looking for 12
seconds at a collection of straight lines running at different angles
- some running parallel and some connecting. The design is abstract,
resembling no identifiable shape. On a sheet of paper, subjects
then try to connect the dots to form the same design from memory.
This aptitude is valuable in designing structures and other facilities
or products such as engines, machinery, and equipment.
Mathematical Ability
Success
in geometry, trigonometry, and calculus is a key to success in an
engineering education. Some students who score low in math because
of their inability to "do the math" – the computation
portion of the task – get discouraged and think engineering is not
for them. Because of the heavy dependence on computers, computational
ability/speed is not as important to a working engineer as it used
to be. Today, engineers use computer models and other resources
to do the actual number crunching. What's critical is the ability
to understand and apply the core math principles to engineering
problems. Understanding the concepts behind the math and being able
to set up the problems are actually more critical to success in
the field. This ability depends more on structural visualization
and analytical reasoning than the ability to perform the actual
calculations. Students who don't score as high in math may still
find engineering a good career fit, they will just have to work
harder in this area of academic study. Conversely, students who
have good grades in math, but don't have structural visualization
and analytical reasoning, may be better suited to applying their
math skills to fields such as financial analysis, economics, marketing
research, social or physical sciences, or computer programming.
Even
within the engineering field, there is a range of mathematical ability
required for success. Software engineers as a group have the highest
scores on mathematical tests, achieving particularly high scores
on number series. Electrical engineers also tend to score higher
in math. Number series tests ask subjects to find the pattern in
a string of numbers in order to complete the sequence. This aptitude
is useful to engineers in statistical analysis tasks.
Number
memory, the ability to remember numbers, can be useful in certain
fields of engineering. Electrical engineers and civil engineers
tend to test high in number memory. Most other fields of engineering
show no real difference in this test from the general population,
with one-third scoring below average.
 In
one study of a group of engineers, half of the group tested in the
top 25 percent for math aptitude. Two-thirds of the group tested
in the top half.
For
insight into your current level of readiness for the mathematical
and other analytical components of an engineering program consider
taking the JETS ASSESS academic survey. This self-administered evaluation
enables students to determine their current level of preparation
in engineering basic skills subjects-applied mathematics, science,
and reasoning. For more information on the JETS ASSESS test, click
here.
Other Aptitudes to Consider
To
date, Johnson O'Connor has identified more than two dozen aptitudes.
Here are a few additional aptitudes that may be worth taking into
account when considering a career in engineering.
- Idea
Flow. Some people are full of ideas, thoughts, plans, and
projects. This aptitude, called ideaphoria, is valuable in such
fields as sales, advertising, journalism, and teaching. Engineering,
on the other hand, demands concentration - the ability to do complicated
tasks without being distracted. This doesn't mean that engineers
aren't creative; however, a constant flow of ideas may be distracting.
People with structural visualization who have a high idea flow
may find a better fit in engineering sales, writing about engineering
topics, marketing to engineers, or teaching engineering.
- Clerical
Skills. Electrical engineers tested much higher in visual
perception/clerical skills than engineers as a whole. It may be
an advantage in the proofreading and computation they have to
do.
- Auditory
aptitudes. Aptitudes such as pitch discrimination are valuable
for sound or acoustic engineering.
- Observation,
the ability to spot and remember details, small changes, or irregularities,
can be valuable in engineering. Civil engineers tend to test high
in observation.
 Do
you prefer work of an individual nature or
working as part of a team?
Engineering
has shifted from a profession of individuals working independently
to one requiring teams of individuals with special expertise working
together on complex tasks. Just think of the movie "Apollo
13" and Gene Kranz' engineering team who had to create an air
filter out of random items already in the module and determine which
systems to shut down and in which order to have enough power left
to return the module safely to earth. Today most engineering projects
are so complicated that they require specialists from multiple disciplines
to achieve the desired result.
The
Johnson O'Connor test for this attribute determines if a person
has an objective or subjective personality. Subjective personalities
are more likely to achieve satisfaction through their own individual
efforts. The objective person achieves by working with and through
other people.
 The
JETS TEAMS competition can provide experience in solving problems
in teams. For more information on the JETS TEAMS competition, click
here.
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What's
an aptitude?
Courtesy of the Johnson O'Connor Web site.
Aptitudes are natural talents, special abilities for doing,
or learning to do, certain kinds of things. Manual dexterity,
musical ability, structural visualization, and memory for
numbers are examples of such aptitudes. In a comprehensive
battery of proprietary tests the foundation measures these
and many other aptitudes. These measured traits are highly
stable over long-term periods.
Every
occupation – whether it is engineering, medicine, law, or
management – uses certain aptitudes. The work you are most
likely to enjoy and be successful in is work that uses your
aptitudes. For example, if you are an engineer but possess
aptitudes not used in engineering, your work might seem
unrewarding. If you lack the engineering aptitudes, your
work may be difficult or unpleasant.
Aptitude testing is one tool for career selection. It can
help you find where your aptitudes lie, what type of work
uses those aptitudes, and why certain occupations may be
more rewarding for you than others.
For
more information about Johnson O'Connor and aptitude testing,
visit their web site at www.jocrf.org.
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What if?
What
if you don't have structural visualization? While Johnson O'Connor
studies clearly show that this is the most important aptitude for
engineering, like many fields today, engineering has become so broad
that there are areas where structural visualization may not be essential.
One successful environmental engineer, who tested high in clerical
ability (graphoria) and low in structural visualization, went to
work for a regulatory agency. Here his efficiency and skill at paperwork
combined with his engineering knowledge provided for success. Another
example of an engineer without the need for structural visualization
is a software engineer manning a help desk. Structural visualization
isn't required here either.
What
it if you have high structural visualization and low clerical skills?
This combination is typically seen in the mechanical whiz that has
difficulty in school. Clerical ability is measured by rapidly checking
columns of figures, indicating the speed of eye movements and eye
focusing. It measures visual perceptual speed. A strong aptitude
in this area leads to clerical efficiency and is the most important
aptitude for professions like accounting. Because schooling requires
a large amount of paperwork, students with low clerical ability
are at a disadvantage. However, if they knuckle down and persevere
through the formal education, they will find they are over the hurdle
and may function very well in the engineering field. Students with
low graphoria will find they do better in schools with small classroom
sizes and a higher ratio of boys to girls. Since girls average higher
in clerical aptitude than boys, attending a school with a high ratio
of boys to girls would also be advantageous for the low graphoria
student.
Other Clues…
Taking
the time to think about things you love to do most will provide
important clues about the best career fit for you. You may find
that while you enjoy lots of different activities, many utilize
the same underlying aptitudes. Ask yourself what is it about the
activities you enjoy that make them interesting or fun for you.
For example, if you like drawing things in 3D or building structures,
an underlying commonality is structural visualization. If you like
solving puzzles, or organizing collections of things, this may indicate
analytical reasoning.
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Designing
Computer Games
Think
designing computer games is all about fun? Guess again. Designing
computer games requires complicated mathematical algorithms
to make them work. It's a lot like playing a mental game of
3D chess. Computer game designers share with electrical engineers
and software engineers a use of number memory, computational
speed, and number series.
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Are
you a Scientist or Engineer?
One
brother always liked taking things apart. He wanted to understand
what made them work. The other brother liked putting them
back together. He wanted to see if he could make them work
better. The first brother is an example of a true scientist
– engaged in basic research about what makes things tick.
The second brother exemplifies the engineer. His tinkering
is aimed at finding better ways to do things. Both science
and engineering are important. Which are you?
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Interests vs. Aptitudes
Just because you have strong structural visualization doesn't necessarily
mean you have to be an engineer. What's most important is using
your aptitudes in a career that will be satisfying for you. If you'd
rather spend time on a guitar, look to see if you have aptitudes
that support a career in music and see if that works for you.
The Bottom Line – Aptitudes vs. Knowledge
During
the past 80 years, Johnson O'Connor has learned a great deal about
aptitudes. In addition to knowledge of what specific aptitudes are
and patterns of aptitudes and the careers they best fit, the foundation
has learned that having aptitudes alone can never make you successful.
Only knowledge coupled with aptitudes can lead to career success.
Perhaps even more importantly, they have learned that idle aptitudes
cause more trouble than ones you lack. Put another way, finding
yourself in a career that does not utilize the aptitudes you have
may make that career choice unsatisfying for you. The idle aptitudes
may distract from your ability to do the job or be satisfied in
that line of work. People often find an outlet for aptitudes not
used in their work in hobbies. One of the most difficult challenges
is for people who have more aptitudes than any single kind of work
can provide. These people often wind up jumping from job to job
in search of satisfaction. One way to handle this dilemma is to
work for a small company where you will have to "wear many
hats" or dedicate yourself to a cause which requires you to
work on many aspects of an issue.
If
you choose a field that uses the aptitudes you have but also seems
to call for others you don't have, you might have to work harder
to compensate for the missing or lower aptitudes, but may find it
worth the effort because the activities that challenge the aptitudes
you do have are so rewarding.
Keep
in mind that career success is built on finding the right field
based on your pattern of aptitudes, then adding specific knowledge.
To be successful in your chosen field requires building your knowledge
base in that field. To rise to the top of your company or profession
requires one more thing - general knowledge. This manifests itself
in the extent of your vocabulary. A large vocabulary not only enhances
your ability to communicate clearly and precisely, it expands your
understanding of the world by adding concepts represented by the
new words. Johnson O'Connor has found a direct correlation between
vocabulary and how far an individual rises within an organization.
Presidents of companies score among the highest in vocabulary of
those who have been tested.
For
maximum career success, choose a career that fits your aptitude
pattern and your interests, get the best education you can to build
your knowledge base, and supplement this specialized knowledge with
general knowledge and a strong English vocabulary.
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