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The ability of multitasking is a highly sought after quality by an employer in today’s diversified working environment. Multitasking in general means that one is capable of handling different job simultaneously or task that was not one specialised for. Consequently, engineers as part of the workforce inevitably have to step out of their comfort zone in order to keep abreast with the latest trend by acquiring new skills for instance in management and finance. In Professor Ramakrishna’s article, it is heartening to read that the demand of engineers is increasing owing to the ability of “systematically analyse complex information and apply a holistic approach in designing solutions”. How an engineer possesses such distinct quality is a question to ponder about.

One of the reasons that instill this particular quality in engineers would be the curricular structure of the engineering courses offered by educational institution. Due to the complexity of the questions encountered by engineers that involve substantially large amount of variables and figures, a solution could not be produce immediately through arbitrary methods. In fact a step by step problem solving methodology is emphasized when dealing with complex problems. A systematic approach requires thorough understanding of the particular problem in hand by listing out all the available information before deducing the appropriate solution. Furthermore the techniques of solving problem used usually have to be applied sequentially according to rules and regulations to avoid undesirable results.

Often engineers will have a complete plan written or at least in their mind before engaging in any activities to minimize wastage due to failure. Along the process, reports are made to keep track of the current progress so that when difficulties arise, engineers could detect and eradicate the flaws immediately. In reality, planning is essential in designing consumer products that are practical yet satisfy the safety requirement. Therefore it is evident that engineers are familiar with a systematic approach in designing solution through continuous practice in their native working environment.

Although systematic approach is imperative in solving many daily problems, creativity is yet another quality that should be developed as well. Sometimes thinking out of the box would produce a much better solution than conventional way. In addition an engineer should not be confined within their specialised field solely without exploring other potential talent on themselves.