Interestingly enough I have had experience on both sides of the spectrum within engineering in terms of what skills were needed to succeed. In my time on the supply chain side, having interpersonal skills were crucial to doing well, as you would always be having constant communication with several different functional groups. While technical skills could help, they didn’t help nearly as much as being able to relate to others and understand what they are saying/where they are coming from. In my time in my current position in R&D, it has been rather the opposite, where technical skills have come more into play than interpersonal skills. While the IP skills are still very important, the day to day tasks I had did not hinge on those skills. Depending on where you end up, different mixes of skills may come into play (e.g. Project management may require equal tech and IP skills.)