What makes a good engineer?

I asked this question around the office and overwhelmingly the one word that kept coming up was "curiosity".  Curiosity, tenacity, a tidy mind and the ability to identify weak areas and challenge them by finding solutions.

This pretty much sums up a review I'd write up of how truly excellent the current BBC2 series of Big Life Fix (with Simon Reeve) is. This programme showcases engineering and inventions and mixes those skills with kindness and empathy. Initially the challenges of everyday life are sought out - and curiosity prompts these to be overcome by seeking out solutions. Of course, having a technical background is integral to the solution, but it's imagination and the ability to think differently that greatly assists and frees these wonderful people.

Watch it, enjoy it and marvel at how clever and compassionate people are. This will and should inspire the next generation of would be engineers and inventors - the world needs these skills and enquiring minds to be used as a force for good.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084ztrw