Click on a role below to reveal a dropdown with the technical skills, success skills, and knowledge areas employers value, along with ways you can develop them through online learning, certifications, and hands-on experiences. These are just a few examples to get you started, but there are many other ways to build skills and explore careers that align with your interests.
Skills Employers Seek - Engineering and Emerging Tech
Top Technical Skills
- Computer-aided-design (CAD)
- Technical writing
- Computer numerical control (CNC)
- Finite element analysis (FEA)
- Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) standards
Ideas to Gain These Technical Skills
- Self-learning through online courses
- Coursera course on Finite element analysis, such as “Finite Element Analysis Convergence and Mesh Independence,” “FEM-Linear, Nonlinear, Analysis & Post-Processing”
- Join a University of Rochester club, such as UR Baja SAE or UR Solar Splash
- Complete an academic or independent project
- Complete a senior design day project (depending on major), or
- Complete an independent project that incorporates an area or element you’re passionate about.
- Take an intro-level engineering course
- Complete a course like ME 104, ME 102, ECE 101, and more
Top Success Skills & Knowledge
- Oral & written communication
- Knowledge of systems and design
- Complex problem solving
- Knowledge of Thermodynamics
- Project Management
Ideas to Gain These Success Skills
- Join student clubs and organizations (also non-engineering clubs)
- Gain practical experience through on or off campus positions and events
- JobLink for University of Rochester positions
- Signature Events, Employer Road Trips
- Check out internships highlighted on the Engineering Community page, as a part of the Schwartz Community Based Internships Program, or the Bond Family Scholars Program
- University of Rochester Courses
- WRTG 27X
- ME 123, CHEM 150, EESC 263, BME 262, etc
- ME 120, ECE 112, BME 210, ME 232, etc
- Connect with a mechanical engineering alumnus through Meliora Collective
- Get a research assistant role in a physical engineering related topic
Top Technical Skills
- MATLAB
- SKM Systems Analysis Power Tools
- MathWorks Simulink
- AutoCAD
- Autodesk Revit
Ideas to Gain These Technical Skills
- Self-learning online
- Coursera course on Finite element analysis, such as “Introduction to Computer-Aided Design (CAD),” “Introduction to 3D Modeling”
- Join a University of Rochester club, such as UR Baja SAE or UR Solar Splash
- Complete an academic or independent project
- Complete a senior design day project (depending on major), or
- Complete an independent project that incorporates an area or element you’re passionate about.
- Take an intro-level engineering course
- Complete a course like ME 104, ME 102, ECE 101, and more
Top Success Skills & Knowledge
- Oral & written communication
- Critical thinking & complex problem solving
- Knowledge of systems analysis and evaluation mathematics
- Reading comprehension
Ideas to Gain These Success Skills
- Join student clubs and organizations (also non-engineering clubs)
- Gain practical experience through on or off campus positions and events
- JobLink for University of Rochester positions
- Signature Events, Employer Road Trips
- Check out internships highlighted on the Engineering Community page, as a part of the Bond Family Scholars Program
- Complete a forage experience
- “Explore Electrical Engineering” from GE Aerospace
- Rochester Courses:
- WRTG 27X, ECE 112, ECE 200, ME 231
- Connect with electrical and computer engineering alumni through the Meliora Collective
- Get a research assistant role in a physical engineering related topic
Top Technical Skills
- Computer-aided-design (CAD)
- MATLAB
- Zemax OpticStudio
- Photon Design PICWave and Coding Languages (C, C#, C+)
- SAS
Ideas to Gain These Technical Skills
- Self-learning through online courses
- Take the University of Colorado Boulder “First Order Optical System Design” Coursera course”
- Complete an academic or independent project
- Complete a senior design day project (depending on major), or
- Complete an independent project that incorporates an area or element you’re passionate about.
- Take an intro-level or 200-level engineering course
Top Success Skills & Knowledge
- Oral & written communication
- Critical thinking & complex problem solving
- Knowledge of systems analysis and evaluation mathematics
- Reading comprehension
Ideas to Gain These Success Skills
- Join student clubs and organizations (also non-engineering clubs)
- Join SPIE or Optical Society of America (OSA)
- UR Robotics
- Gain practical experience through on or off campus positions and events
- Get an on-campus job in the optics department
- Signature Events, Employer Road Trips
- Get an optical engineering or optics internship by utilizing the Bond Family Scholars Internships opportunity
- Rochester Courses:
- WRTG 27X, ECE 112, ECE 200, ME 231
- Connect with optics and optical engineering alumni through the Meliora Collective
- Get a research assistant role in a physical engineering related topic
Top Technical Skills
- Data analysis tools and programming languages (e.g., SQL, Excel, R, Python)
- Data visualization tools (e.g. Tableau)
- Data mining and analysis techniques
- Scripting and automation
- Data models and profiling
- Clean and manipulate raw data
Ideas to Gain These Technical Skills
- Self-learning through online courses
- Forage: Explore courses such as “Introduction to Data Science” “Machine Learning for Data Scientists” “Data Analysis with Python/R” and try out data simulations with companies to tackle real-world data problems, such as with Commonwealth Bank, Accenture, JPMorgan Chase, etc.
- Coursera: Take a course such as DeepLearning.AI, Google Data Analytics, IBM Data Science, Google Advanced Data Analytics Professional Certificate.
- LinkedIn Learning: Data Analysis courses
- Apply for a research experience or independent study
- Apply to an REU program (10-week summer research) at UR or another institution
- Connect with faculty in the Goergen Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence about serving as a research assistant (volunteer or paid)
- Undertake an independent study or independent research. Speak with a faculty member at GIDS.
- Secure an internship
- Search for an internship on Handshake: navigate to the Job Postings tab and use the filters for Job Type (internship) and Job Roles (data scientist, data engineer, data analyst) to browse opportunities with top companies like Lockheed Martin, EY, Golman Sachs, and BlackRock.
- Attend the fall career expo explore internship and full-time opportunities with tech, engineering, big data, and finance firms
- Apply to the Bond Family Foundation Student Scholar program
- Participate in a case competition
- Participate in a case study involving a relevant challenge a company or organization faces. Examples include fraud detection, marketing campaign optimization, etc.
- Explore case competitions through the Undergraduate Business Program or the Simon Business School, or online through Kaggle and DrivenData
Top Success Skills & Knowledge
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Attention to detail and accuracy
- Ability to review, interpret, and evaluate complex documents
- Capacity to manage multiple priorities
Ideas to Gain These Success Skills
- Employer Road Trips
- Join the Greene Center on an industry trip to a local organization
- Network with Alumni through the Meliora Collective
- Connect with almost 400 data science alumni
- Join the mentorship program
- Join the Engineering, Tech, and Data Science career community group
- Student Organizations
- Participate in a Hackathon
- Register for DandyHacks 2025! Taking place in November.
- Look for other hackathons that may be of interest by searching the event tab on Handshake or Devpost
- Acquire an On-Campus Job
- Search the opportunities onJobLink
- The Teaching Center
- Serve as a TA for a data science course, such as DSCC 240 (Data Mining), DSCC 261 (Database Systems), or DSCC 242 (Artificial Intelligence)
Top Technical Skills
- Siemens NX
- AutoCad
- SolidWorks
- Mathworks MATLAB
- PTC Creo Parametric
Ideas to Gain These Technical Skills
- Self-learning through online courses
- Coursera course on Finite element analysis, such as “Finite Element Analysis Convergence and Mesh Independence,” “FEM-Linear, Nonlinear, Analysis & Post-Processing”
- Join a University of Rochester club, such as UR Baja SAE or UR Solar Splash
- Participate in ASME’s pumpkin launch competition
- Complete an academic or independent project
- Complete a senior design day project (depending on major), or
- Complete an independent project that incorporates an area or element you’re passionate about.
- Take an intro-level engineering course
- Complete a course like ME 104, ME 102, ECE 101, and more
Top Success Skills & Knowledge
- Knowledge of Productions and Processing
- Oral & written communication
- Critical thinking & complex problem solving
- Mathematics
- Reading comprehension
Ideas to Gain These Success Skills
- Join student clubs and organizations (also non-engineering clubs)
- Join a physical engineering organization like ASME or IEEE
- Gain practical experience through on or off campus positions and events
- Get an on-campus job in the optics department
- Signature Events, Employer Road Trips
- Get an optical engineering or optics internship by utilizing the Bond Family Scholars Internships opportunity
- Rochester Courses:
- WRTG 27X, ECE 112, ECE 200, ME 231
- “Siemens Mobility Operations Engineer” Forage experience
- Join a physical engineering organization (like ASME or IEEE)
- Get an on-campus job in a physical engineering department like mechE or ECE
- Get a physical engineering internship like mechE ECE by utilizing the Bond Family Scholars Internships opportunity
- Connect with a physical engineering alumni (like mechE or ECE) through Meliora Collective
- Get a research assistant role in a physical engineering department like mechE or ECE
- Attend an employer road trip with an engineering-related company
Top Technical Skills
- Adobe audition
- Avid technology pro tools
- Musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) software
- Microsoft office suite
- Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) system software
Ideas to Gain These Technical Skills
- Self-learning online
- Coursera course on MIDI software and , such as “Exploring MIDI and Software Instruments,” “Introduction to 3D Modeling”
- Join an on-campus music, musical, or theatre group such as “No jackets required,” “Off Broadway On Campus,” or “ROC Players.”
- Complete an academic or independent project
- Complete a senior design day project (depending on major), or complete an independent project that incorporates an area or element you’re passionate about.
- University of Rochester courses
- Complete a course like AME 191, AME 196, AME 193, and more
Top Success Skills & Knowledge
- Knowledge of system evaluation and analysis
- Active listening
- Complex problem solving
- Oral & written communication
- Knowledge of computers and electronics
Ideas to Gain These Success Skills
- Join student clubs and organizations (also non-engineering clubs)
- Gain practical experience through on or off campus positions and events
- JobLink for University of Rochester positions
- Signature Events, Employer Road Trips
- Check out internships highlighted on the Engineering Community page, as a part of the Bond Family Scholars Program
- Complete a forage experience
- “Explore Electrical Engineering” from GE Aerospace
- Connect with audio & music engineering (AME) or electrical & computer engineering (ECE) alumni through the Meliora Collective
- Get a research assistant role in the AME or ECE departments.
Top Technical Skills
- Variety of programming languages (Java, C++, C#)
- Oracle database
- Operating systems (Mac, PC, Linux)
- Air table
Ideas to Gain These Technical Skills
- Enhance Computer Science Skills by trying Online Course Platforms:
- Improve software engineering skills by taking courses in Code AcademyLearn programming languages by exploring courses in CourseraLearn coding skills for free with Free Code CampImprove JavaScript & web development by trying Khan AcademyGrow your knowledge through the Oracle Technology Learning Subscriptions offered by OracleImprove web design skills by creating your own portfolio programs such as WIX and Squarespace offer platforms to create websites.
Top Success Skills & Knowledge
- Knowledge of software development life cycle
- Testing and debugging
- Complex problem solving & critical thinking
- Data analysis
- Oral & written communication
Ideas to Gain These Success Skills
- Join the Computer Science Undergraduate Council (CSUG)
- Join WiC-MiC
- Join UR Robotics club
- Join Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
- Join National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
- Look for On-Campus Jobs in engineering dept. using Joblink start by Logging in to Blackboard: learn.rochester.edu.
- Explore Computer Science Research opportunities with the Computer Science Dept.
- Attend Computer Science research group meetings on campus
- Plan a trip to attend a Computer Science engineering conferences such as:
- INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTERS, DATA MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS
- INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RECENT ADVANCE IN ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
- Seek a mentor from Meliora Collective
Top Technical Skills
- HTML
- CSS
- Github
- Javascript
- Design tools (Bootstrap)
Ideas to Gain These Technical Skills
- Take a Microsoft Back-End Developer Course in Coursera
- Take a course and learn HTML, CSS, Java, and more at Code Academy
- Take CSC 170: Intro to Web Development course at U of R
- Create personal projects/portfolios by using Git Hub
- Hackathons such as DandyHacks at U of R
Top Success Skills & Knowledge
- Knowledge of frameworks (React, Anuglar, Vue.js)
- Adaptability
- Oral & written communication
- Knowledge of design principles
- Knowledge of database management
Ideas to Gain These Success Skills
- Join the Google Developer Student Club (GDSC)
- Employment both on campus or off campus within web development industry via Joblink start by Logging in to Blackboard: learn.rochester.edu or Handshake
- Seek a mentor from Meliora Collective, or connect with a CS alum URCS Alumni
- Join the Computer Science Undergraduate Council (CSUG) to connect and network
