International Systems Engineer Day: Career Path, Required Skills, and More.
System Engineers are at the heart of every innovation, behind the success of each well-functioning and well-coordinated system, and the smooth workings of any company. System Engineering is one of the most versatile fields in technology, and well suited for people who are seeking a challenging role with high income.
Celebrated worldwide on November 25, International Systems Engineer Day aims to celebrate and show appreciation toward Systems Engineers, Architects, and Analysts. This Systems Engineer Day, let’s take a look at what it takes to be a great Systems Engineer, what is the scope of their work, and what kind of skills one requires to become a successful system engineer.
What is a Systems Engineer?
Simply put, a systems engineer develops, designs, implements, and oversees the smooth functioning of a composite system. Anything involving a “system”, a combination of many moving parts, processes, products, services, people, information, and/or elements, comes under the prerogative of a systems engineer.
As a system engineer, the scope of your job includes the oversight and smooth functioning of various systems. You will be responsible for troubleshooting and communicating with the stakeholders of each system to assure its functionality and usability.
The scope of your work will include the entire life cycle of a system- from its initial ideation, planning, validation, and development, to implementation, and the system’s smooth running.
Responsibilities of a systems engineer may vary from industry to industry and company to company; however, some common day-to-day tasks of a systems engineer can include:
- Ideating, formulating, and designing new systems and tools
- Implementing validated systems and processes
- Monitoring and managing existing systems
- Troubleshooting the company’s systems and network issues
- Planning and automating tasks for efficiency
- Maintaining OS, application software, and system management tools.
- Evaluation and quality control of existing systems for newer technical innovations
- Managing servers, planning for capacity, backup, and recovery
- Developing system security and risk management standards
- Assessing resources to meet organizational needs
Career Path: Road to becoming a successful Systems Engineer
Many systems engineers start out in other entry-level roles, including software engineering, systems administrator, or network administrator. Systems engineers need to be versatile in their portfolio and skill set since their work expands and encompasses all aspects of the business- technical or managerial.
So if you’re looking to start your career as a systems engineer or want to make the switch to system engineering, here are two options you can consider:
1. Get a systems engineering degree
Although a great many systems engineers start with entry-level jobs in IT, you can decide to focus your training within the field. The first step is to get a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering and then you can choose your area of expertise in the desired industry when pursuing a master’s degree.
Systems Engineering is a vast field with varied specializations, including, but not limited to software, a system of systems, products, logistics, communication, biosystems, and more.
2. Get a systems engineer certification
Another way to break into the systems engineering field and showcase relevant skills to a prospective employer is by earning a certification in systems engineering. Professional certifications in systems engineering can give you a competitive edge over your contemporaries. A few common systems engineering certifications include:
- Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
- CompTIA A +
- CompTIA Network+
- Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma)
- Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP)
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
Since systems engineers who possess versatile on-the-job experience have a better chance of attaining success in the field.
Required Skills: What do you need to become a Systems Engineer?
Systems engineers require a multi-faceted portfolio, as a degree alone, does not make for a good systems engineer. So if you are looking for a career in systems engineering, here’s a list of required skills and abilities:
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are necessary for a good systems engineer. Since SEs have to collaborate with other teams, project managers, and engineers, effective communication is critical for smooth functioning.
- Systems Engineers often have to bring in new technology and improvise old systems, an innovative mind and experimental streak are a must-have.
- Another skill a systems engineer must possess is conflict resolution. SEs work with a variety of teams and departments, all of whom possibly have a different approach toward the end goals. SEs should be quick on their feet to resolve conflicts and put-out fires as they arise.
- Almost every systems engineer has to face managerial roadblocks on a daily basis while acting as a liaison between management, customers, suppliers, and specialty engineers. Possessing project management skills hence is a huge benefit.
- SEs should also be adept at analyzing processes, and systems and conducting regular quality assessments on all resources, hence they require keen problem-solving abilities and an eye for detail.
- In addition to soft skills that would benefit the organization, SEs should be skilled in network handling, information security, integration, data architecture, and programming.
- SEs also need experience in a large variety of popular tech stacks, including (but not limited to) LAMP, MEAN, MERN, MEVN, Asp.net, Python, Javascript, React/Node, Django, Ruby on Rails, Elixir, and others.
- They should also be well-versed in working with cloud platforms such as AWS (Amazon Web Service), Azure, and GCP (Google Cloud Platform).
- Sound experience in mathematics, application development, and systems software is also a must for any successful SE.
Since systems contain a lot of moving parts, SEs often need to focus on the outcome and “big picture”. Hence a good systems engineer works on every aspect of a system from design to development and implementation to fine-tuning.
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