Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Having a diverse set of interests allows you to look at the world in different ways. Pick up a weird hobby, or a new craft. If nothing else, it’ll help you do your job better.

From mad-scientist to Problem-Solver

Picture a software engineer. Does the mental image include large vats with strange gloop floating? Does it include paintbrushes or a planter pot at all? I am a software engineer, and I happen to have many diverse hobbies. One of them is fermentation.

I have had an unexpected realization through my journey with fermenting different foods and drinks. Most human skills and interests are ‘cross-related’. By excelling in one field, we’re cross-training for something entirely different. Diverse hobbies can widen perspectives for everyone, and are specially useful for engineers. They can help us tackle complex challenges. I want to expand on how seemingly unrelated interests can help us cultivate useful skills. We’ll see how those skills align with improved creativity and innovation.

Technical expertise is, of course, an essential skill-set for engineers. But engineers who explore interests beyond their field find multiple benefits. First, they expand their ‘toolset’ for problem-solving thanks to the diverse interests. For example, imagine an engineer with a background in music approaching an interface design challenge. Their understanding of sound and rhythm can translate into user-friendly interfaces for individuals with auditory issues. Such “cross-pollination” of knowledge lets engineers make unexpected connections, leading to novel solutions.

Folks with diverse interests tend to have a stronger sense of empathy. It’s an important and underrated quality in engineers. By looking through unrelated ‘problem-solving’ lenses, they understand diverse needs and perspectives. An engineer who’s a woodworker might approach design with a keen eye for user experience. This could ensure their creations are functional as well as aesthetically, like a furniture. This empathy would create better user relationships and eventually lead to more ‘customer-oriented’ solutions.

There are a few areas where fermentation has helped ‘cross-train’ me. As I experiment with different ferments I have learned to be adaptable, better at problem-solving, and have more grit. These lessons were useful when I worked on an internal project. It involved building the first internal-facing GPU Kubernetes cluster at Solaria Labs. The project was rife with unpredictable pauses and accelerations, as often happens with fermentation. Just as weather and local micro-ecosystem is beyond my control, organizational politics and technical advances hindered my progress. I had to be flexible and ready to improvise, there was no other way. And just as I blend two brews if one doesn’t meet my expectations, I learned to make the best of less-dieal situations. The cross-training from fermenting things definitely proved useful in the Kubernetes project.

Broader Implications

Good engineers tend to be laser-focused on their projects. That might make them more efficient, but a singular focus can create a tunnel vision. Going in with a narrow perspective, limited to established solutions, can overlook important concerns. Issues like actual user needs, ethical considerations, and changing technology needs can become afterthoughts when going for the perfect technical solution. By diversifying our interests, we create an antidote to restricted understanding. A multi-dimensional perspective and flexible problem solving often leads to better solutions.

Consider the fatal example of the Ford Pinto. Cost-cutting measures prioritized over safety resulted in deadly design flaws. That’s the danger of tunnel vision. Engineers too fixated on technical specifications fail to anticipate the broader implications of their work. An engineer with a greater awareness of user behavior could have foreseen the human cost of the decisions. They would have advocated for a user-centric design approach.

A limited perspective can also hinder innovation. Sticking to established methods stifles exploration of alternative approaches. This could lead to to inefficient solutions. History is rife with examples where breakthroughs emerged from seemingly unrelated fields. The Wright brothers, inspired by birdwatching, revolutionized transportation with their airplanes. Velcro, originally designed to capture burrs on animals, has found myriad applications in multiple industries. Diverse personal interests can similarly inspire unexpected connections. We should support our engineers to view problems from different angles, and arrive at fully-considered solutions.

Beyond Technical Jargon

Successful engineering projects depend on good communication and strong team-work. A lack of diverse perspectives can undermine clear communication and hinder partnerships. Imagine a team of engineers with identical backgrounds trying to explain a complex technical concept to a diverse group of stakeholders. Their limited understanding of the audience perspective could lead to miscommunication and frustration. An engineer who enjoys theater might leverage their experience in storytelling and audience engagement to communicate complex ideas effectively. This would get an easier cooperation and buy-in from stakeholders than even the best technical message.

Imagine an engineer who focuses only on well-trodden traditional construction methods. At the face of rising 3D printing technology, their ability to adapt and embrace innovation could hinder their technical output. Conversely, imagine an engineer with a passion for tinkering and experimenting. Due to hobbies like robotics or woodworking, they might readily embrace new technologies. This would help them upskill and adapt to changing circumstances.

Conclusion

Diverse interests cam encourage innovation in different ways. An engineer who’s an artist, is a better UI designer, than an engineer who experiments with something else. Imagine a musician optimizing data processing, drawing from his musical composition interest to optimize algorithms. Think of the soccer player leading joint projects, using collaboration skills to encourage innovation.

These are a few examples of how engineers can leverage their interests to achieve positive results at work. By exploring diverse interests, engineers can become more creative, adaptable, and better at problem-solving. Employers should be more encouraging towards their engineers to explore such interests.