University at Buffalo (UB)
Being an engineer is fun - just having the mindset to think through how to solve challenging issues makes the job a lot of fun. UB gave me the tools for the toolbox to start with as an engineer and encouraged me to continue to grow and learn. These skills have opened lots of doors within the organization I work in - from being pulled to special issues to presenting to senior executives and customers. I really enjoy talking about what I get to do, the people I get to work with, and the issues my team gets to solve."
What types of work have you performed? What projects have you worked on?
I have worked on several interesting systems hardware projects that impact systems of infrastructure. Mainframe computers are the backbone of several businesses and transaction processing systems. Being a part of the architecture, design, and test of these massively complex systems is very much enjoyable.
What have been some favorite aspects of your work?
The variety of work is key. I work in a hardware lab environment - so that means I get to touch the hardware on a daily basis and work on creative solutions to the complex problems that are encountered. The breath of disciplines that I interact with is also very interesting.
What was one of your most satisfying days as an engineer?
Every day as an engineer is a great day! I would say one of the more interesting issues was a mechanical one - as an electrical and computer engineer I was definitely outside of my comfort zone. Needless to say I got to drive the experiments and earthquake shake table to debug the problem. There is something satisfying about testing a large, earthquake resilient computer to failure. As a bonus, the fire department only had to come once.
Was it worth it? What has your engineering background made possible for you? What value has it added to your overall life?
It is most certainly worth it. Being an engineer is fun - just having the mindset to think through how to solve challenging issues makes the job a lot of fun. UB gave me the tools for the toolbox to start with as an engineer and encouraged me to continue to grow and learn. These skills have opened lots of doors within the organization I work in - from being pulled to special issues to presenting to senior executives and customers. I really enjoy talking about what I get to do, the people I get to work with, and the issues my team gets to solve.
What would you say to the first-year students currently sitting in your shoes?
I remember sitting in several small groups sessions thinking to myself "why are you doing this?" It is a question most of us will have at some point - but driving through and remembering that the end-result is very much worth it is key. Being an engineer is very rewarding in that we get to take on the challenges of the world and fix them. Looking back, being an engineer has opened several doors for me and allowed me to continue to grow as an individual.