p1xar's Mech Eng Journey

Dear Professor Brad, I hope this email finds you well. My name is Gerald, and I am a first-year student in Mechanical Engineering. I am thrilled to be part of your S20 tutorial group for the Critical Thinking and Communication Module. Allow me to provide some context: I previously studied Aviation Management at Temasek Polytechnic. While my background lacks engineering experience, my decision to join this course stems from a desire to merge hardware technical knowledge with an aviation perspective. My ultimate goal is to become an aviator who possesses both analytical and engineering skills. During my military service, I developed a valuable skill—the ability to extract clarity from complex information. We emphasized understanding the mission, stakeholders’ capabilities, and limitations. This mindset has shaped me into someone who always considers the broader context (akin to understanding the Field of View) before communicating. However, I recognize that my military experience may som

  “ Developing   excellent communication skills   is absolutely   essential to effective  leadership . The leader must be able to  share knowledge and ideas  transmit  a sense of urgency and enthusiasm  to others. If a leader can’t get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn’t even matter.” The first sentence resonates highly with me, as effective leadership require excellent communication skills to drive the idea across. As future engineers to be, it is important to drive our point of view across to the table effectively and organize out the chaos from what a person says into order when listening in. Even if we have all of the data, ideas, and/or solutions, if we do not communicate them in a clear, engaging, and compelling manner, we are not true leaders who can excel in engineering. The second sentence, having the ability to share knowledge and ideas in clear, engaging and captivating manner is important to drive the message and lead a