Choosing a career in Industrial Engineering: four things to consider

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Industrial Engineering is at the heart of the systems that are essential to our society. As a Professional in Industrial engineering, you will be at the forefront of finding simple solutions to complex challenges, from infrastructural construction to telecommunications, hospitals, airlines, etc. Your core duties will not only be limited to planning and executions of projects, but you will also be involved in management, financial planning, information management, and control design processes.

List of possible area of specialization in Industrial and System Engineering

The following are possible areas of specialization in Industrial and System engineering:

  • Quality and Reliability Engineering.
  • Cost Engineering.
  • Operations Research and Decision Sciences.
  • Human Factors/Ergonomics.
  • Production and Manufacturing Systems.
  • Service Systems.
  • Systems Analysis
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management

The field of industrial engineering has long been recognized as a prime source of management talent. Today’s competitive world needs managers and decision-makers who can apply mathematical concepts and scientific management techniques to the technical problems that arise. An industrial engineer not only understands these problems but is able to devise and implement methods to solve them.

Some variety of Problem solved by Industrial engineers

  • Determining the best location of machines in a factory, or ambulance stations in a metropolitan area, or a new factory based on economic and operational considerations; designing a computer-aided process.
  • Determining which types of jobs are most suitable for special populations of workers, such as the elderly and the handicapped.
  • Designing a mission management plan for payload specialists on space shuttles.
  • Designing computer-integrated manufacturing systems and decision support systems for integrating information and control between manufacturing systems, automated guided vehicles, automated warehouse facilities, and management personnel.
  • Determining the optimal routing of ambulances through a city, or material handling vehicles in a factory, to minimize travel time.
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Some Important qualities you must possess before planing to become an industrial and system engineer

You must be Creative.

The field centers mostly on finding solutions to complex challenges, most of these challenges can be real-time. Maybe a system breakdown that needs urgent attention or product modification. To succeed in the field you have to be creative, think fast and provide scalable solutions to real-time challenges

Critical-thinking skill is a must

Logic and reasoning play an important role in the core decision of engineering. From defining ways to approach problems to identify the strengths and weaknesses of possible alternatives to already known solutions.

Listening skills.

The ability to listen attentively will make you a good engineer. Clients or companies will present a challenge it is your duty to listen, give advice and provide lasting solutions to the challenges

Communication skills

Both in written or oral form, communicating effectively is very essential in engineering. You have to reach out to clients and company, source for help and support from your team members to carry out projects that are tasking

Mathematical skills.

Most of the problems we solve are mathematically related if you are not in love with mathematics, you won’t succeed as an engineer.


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