By Thinesh Kumar, Relationship Manager, BAC College

From solving everyday problems to making smarter decisions, discover why the skills gained through engineering can stay valuable long after graduation.

Remember sitting in class, staring at a complicated equation or a computer screen filled with code, wondering, “Am I actually going to use this in real life?”

If you’ve ever studied engineering, chances are that thought has crossed your mind at least once.

Whether it’s calculating forces, understanding how machines work or trying to figure out why a computer programme keeps showing an error, some assignments can feel disconnected from the real world.

But here’s something you might not realise until years later.

The greatest value of engineering education isn’t always about remembering every formula or mastering every technical concept.

Sometimes, it’s about how those lessons quietly change the way you think, make decisions and approach everyday challenges.

And those skills? They can stay with you for life.

The Mechanical Engineering mindset follows you everywhere
During my Mechanical Engineering studies, I learned about mechanics, materials, thermodynamics and how different systems behave under certain conditions.

I spent time understanding why components fail, how forces affect structures and why one design performs better than another.

But what happens when you leave the classroom?

Picture this.

Your washing machine suddenly starts vibrating more than usual.

Most people might assume it’s broken and immediately call a technician.

Someone with an engineering background might approach the situation differently.

Is the load uneven? Is the machine sitting on a level surface? Does the vibration happen during every cycle or only when spinning?

Instead of jumping to conclusions, you begin narrowing down the possible causes.

You might still need professional help, but you’ve learned something valuable: how to investigate a problem before deciding what to do next.

And that way of thinking doesn’t stop with household appliances.

I still remember my days working in construction. Every day came with its own set of problems, without fail. With contractors working on different systems, deadlines approaching and everyone trying to get their part of the job done, things didn’t always go according to plan. Sometimes, an installation didn’t match the drawings, or two teams needed to work in the same space at the same time.

In situations like these, simply knowing the technical answer wasn’t always enough. You had to understand what went wrong, listen to the people involved and figure out how to move forward without creating another problem.

Those experiences taught me something no textbook could fully prepare me for: sometimes, solving a problem isn’t about having all the answers, but knowing how to ask the right questions.

Little did I know, that lesson would follow me into a completely different career.

Engineering doesn’t just teach you how things work. It teaches you to ask why they work the way they do.

Programming: A skill that goes beyond writing code
One subject I remember studying during my Mechanical Engineering degree was C++ programming.

At the time, I couldn’t help wondering what writing lines of code had to do with the machines and mechanical systems I was learning about.

But looking back, programming taught me something that went beyond the computer screen.

Every instruction had to follow a logical sequence. Miss a step, enter something incorrectly or make the wrong assumption, and the programme might not work as expected.

It was a different kind of problem-solving from what I encountered in mechanics or thermodynamics, but the thinking behind it was surprisingly familiar.

Whether you’re trying to understand why a machine isn’t functioning properly, developing an application or figuring out how different components of a computer system work together, you need to understand the problem before you can solve it.

And that’s something I’ve continued to appreciate long after leaving university.

You don’t have to become a professional programmer to benefit from that mindset.

Even understanding basic programming concepts can help you recognise opportunities to improve the way you work.

You might be using engineering skills without realising it
Think about how you organise your daily responsibilities.

Maybe you’re planning a family holiday, comparing different purchases or trying to manage your monthly expenses.

These activities might not seem related to engineering, but the thinking process can be surprisingly similar.

Take planning a holiday, for example.

You have a budget, a limited number of days and several places you want to visit.

You need to consider travel time, accommodation costs, transportation and everyone’s preferences.

Sounds familiar?

In engineering, this is similar to working within constraints.

You rarely have unlimited resources, time or money. Instead, you learn to balance different requirements and identify a practical solution.

The same applies when buying a laptop.

Rather than simply choosing the most expensive model, you might compare performance, battery life, reliability and cost based on what you actually need.

That’s an engineering mindset in action: evaluating options based on requirements rather than assumptions.

Sometimes, the skills that matter most are the ones you use so naturally that you forget where you learned them.

The unexpected lessons hidden in programming mistakes
Anyone who has tried programming knows one thing.

Your code doesn’t always work the first time.

Sometimes, you spend hours searching for a problem, only to discover that one missing character caused everything to fail.

Frustrating? Definitely.

But those moments teach lessons that go beyond computers.

You learn to be patient.

You learn that making assumptions without checking them can lead to mistakes.

And perhaps most importantly, you learn that finding the cause of a problem is often more useful than simply trying random solutions.

This process is called debugging.

In software development, debugging helps identify and correct errors in a programme.

But the same principle can apply to everyday situations.

Imagine a project at work isn’t progressing as expected.

Instead of immediately blaming the people involved, you examine the process.

Where did things start going wrong? Was there a communication gap? Were the instructions unclear? Was an important step overlooked?

By identifying the actual cause, you have a better chance of preventing the problem from happening again.

That’s debugging, just without the computer.

Why understanding technology gives you an advantage
We use technology constantly, but there’s a difference between knowing how to use a tool and understanding how it works.

Think about spreadsheets.

Almost anyone can enter numbers into a spreadsheet.

But someone familiar with programming concepts may be more comfortable creating formulas, organising large amounts of information or automating repetitive calculations.

Imagine having to prepare the same weekly report every Friday.

Instead of copying information manually each time, you could develop a reusable template or a simple automated process.

The task still gets done, but with less repetitive effort.

This is where engineering knowledge and Information Technology (IT) naturally complement each other.

Understanding how a process works helps you identify what needs improving. Programming and digital tools can then help you turn those improvements into practical solutions.

Whether you’re working with physical equipment, software applications or computer-based systems, the ability to think logically and understand how different parts work together remains valuable.

And these skills can be useful in almost any workplace, even outside a traditional engineering role.

Learning to use AI without switching off your brain
Today, there’s another tool changing how people approach their work: Artificial Intelligence.

AI can help draft documents, summarise information, explain unfamiliar concepts and generate programming suggestions.

But here’s where engineering education becomes especially useful.

When you’re trained to solve problems systematically, you’re less likely to accept an answer simply because it looks convincing.

Imagine using AI to help calculate the amount of material needed for a small home improvement project.

The result might look reasonable.

But did you provide the correct measurements? Did the calculation account for wastage? Are the assumptions appropriate?

Someone with an engineering mindset understands the importance of checking those details.

The same applies when using AI to generate computer code.

A programme might look correct, but you still need to test whether it produces the intended results.

AI can make tasks easier, but the ability to evaluate its output remains important.

Knowing how to ask the right questions, recognise limitations and verify information is becoming just as useful as knowing how to use the technology itself.

Your degree doesn’t decide everything about your future
Here’s something students sometimes forget.

The subject you study at university doesn’t necessarily determine every job you’ll have throughout your career.

Someone who studied mechanical systems might eventually work in project management, operations or technology-related roles.

Someone who started out developing software might move into product development, business analysis or digital transformation.

Their career paths may look different, but both can benefit from the analytical and problem-solving abilities developed during their studies.

If someone had told me during my Mechanical Engineering days that I’d eventually work in education, I probably wouldn’t have believed them.

After spending around a decade in construction, becoming a Relationship Manager was quite a change.

Instead of coordinating contractors and reviewing technical drawings, I now guide students and parents through important decisions about their future.

But surprisingly, the way I approach challenges hasn’t changed much.

I still ask questions, understand the situation and work towards practical solutions.

Even managing enrolments and coordinating with different teams feels familiar.

That’s when I realised I hadn’t left engineering behind. I’d simply found a different way to apply what it taught me.

The tools may change, but the underlying thinking remains useful.

This is why learning shouldn’t stop once you receive your degree.

New technologies will continue to emerge, and the ability to adapt can be more valuable than relying only on what you learned years ago.

The real value of engineering becomes clearer over time
When you’re a student, it’s easy to focus on assignments, examinations and getting the right answers.

But years later, you may realise that some of the most useful lessons were never about the answers themselves.

They were about learning how to find them.

Mechanical Engineering may have taught you to understand how physical systems behave and why things fail.

Learning programming may have introduced you to logical instructions, patience and the importance of testing solutions carefully.

And understanding technology can help you recognise opportunities to make everyday tasks more efficient.

These lessons can influence far more than your professional life.

They can shape how you manage your time, evaluate decisions, solve everyday problems and respond when things don’t go according to plan.

So, the next time you find yourself wondering whether that difficult engineering assignment will ever be useful, consider this:

You may not remember every calculation you performed or every programme you wrote.

But you might remember how to approach a challenge when there isn’t an obvious solution.

Because the greatest thing engineering teaches you isn’t simply how to build machines or write code. It’s how to think clearly, solve problems and carry those skills into whatever life brings next.

About the Writer
Thinesh Kumar is a Mechanical Engineering graduate from Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) and a registered Graduate Engineer and Inspector of Works with the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM). Over the course of his engineering career, he was involved in major infrastructure and commercial developments, including the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) project and TRX Lifestyle Mall, gaining hands-on experience in M&E systems, technical coordination and the challenges of delivering complex projects.

Now a Relationship Manager at Brickfields Asia College (BAC), Thinesh brings together his engineering background and experience in education to explore the growing relationship between engineering and information technology. He is particularly interested in how programming, automation and digital solutions can complement engineering expertise, reshape traditional workflows and create new opportunities for the next generation of professionals.