In today’s team-based and distributed workplaces, engineers who work together to solve complex technical challenges require technical competencies but also require other engineering professional skills, e.g., the ability to work in multidisciplinary teams, the ability to deal with social issues, and self-awareness. Therefore, engineering educational programs need to prepare students for the demands of their future workplaces. The COVID-19 pandemic required changes in education, one of which was to switch to a distance-learning mode. Teaching professional skills for engineering students was already challenging, and it became even harder during the COVID-19 pandemic with the demand for distance-based learning through online courses. Transitioning to an online delivery format typically requires substantial re-tooling of traditional courses. Our study is based on converting an eight-week on-campus professional skills course, where the physical meeting had been a central component of the pedagogy, to an online course during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four professional skill topics were taught in the course. 74 students signed up for the course and 87% completed the course. In the paper we discuss both positive and potentially problematic aspects of online courses for teaching professional skills in engineering education.