Career and Professional Development

Communication skills constitute a key component in the education of computing science and engineering students, not just to facilitate their education but to prepare them for the workplace. It is well-established that companies want graduates with strong communication skills. Technical skills aside, employers see the benefit of bringing on board engineers who can communicate complex ideas in a clear and productive manner, who make positive role models, and who can interact, cooperate and collaborate effectively with others in today’s work environment. 

This module aims to help you develop useful career and professional skills to meet the demands of today’s workplace. The module comprises two main components: career search skills and professional communication skills. The career search component covers the entire job search process, from planning your career to drafting a cover letter and resume and finally, to attending the job interview. The second component focuses on written and oral communication at the workplace, to help you communicate competently and ethically. Communication tasks in this component are wide-ranging, including email correspondence and writing of technical minutes, as well as meeting and oral presentation skills.

Throughout the module, you will be directed to reflect on key concepts of professional identity, professional ethics and interpersonal effectiveness. Individual assignments and team projects in the module provide opportunities for you to apply these concepts and work towards the goal of cultivating personal and interpersonal effectiveness.