for what ever kind of engineer you wish to become,, you should have a functional working knowledge of the physical art.. a mechanical engineer should know how to make things and to know how things are made to go together.. an electrical engineer should have skill in wiring &how proper soldering is critical especially in modern transistor assembles LEARN ALL THE SKILLS OF YOUR PATH,,,YOU WILL BE A BETTER STUDENT OF ENGINEERING AND A BETTER ENGINEER >>> i spent 60 years in industry, i met many engineers that did not understand how to make a birdhouse much less a skateboard .. go learn how to solder, how to run a lath,, shape a piece of metal, get away from the computer , it only knows what some one taught it,, become an engineer that KNOWS ! ! GOOD LUCK

An electrical engineer needs this skill, or else he is at the mercy of finding a tech or another engineer to do it for him. It is like a life guard who can't swim.

When I was taught, one of the first tasks given me was a piece of 1" dia brass rod that I was required to file to an 0.5" square rod. It was really an exercise in demonstrating how bad I was! Oh me-Oh my!

I would think it depends on the type of engineer; but it is a good general purpose hands-on skill, especially for electrical and electronic work.

So he can teach someone else to do it for him.