You definitely need math skills. I use math, especially trigonometry, every day. It’s also good to know how to read blueprints and to know about computer aided drafting. Good communication skills are also helpful. Many of the graduate students we work with speak English as their second language, so you need to be able to communicate well one-on-one. Normally though, we are not giving speeches in front of a crowd, but we do have to explain things clearly to small groups of people.

You also need good problem-solving skills. That’s what we do everyday—try to come up with a solution to help these people in their research. You also need good team skills. If we need to make something unfamiliar, we usually get together as a group and come up with a solution.