Mark Massman
Civil Engineering, Class of 1982 (MS)
Deputy Executive Director, Los Angeles World Airports; Project and Facilities Development

"Find a way in your career to provide or create value - this can be in functionality, time savings, saving dollars, increasing quality, etc.

This can be done:

•  In the design process - designing something better;

•  In the procurement and construction processes - building something faster, higher quality, or at lower cost; or

•  Through management - lowering risk, eliminating miscommunication, streamlining processes, or raising reliability of information."

Brian Thomas
Civil Engineering, Class of 1994
Managing Engineer, Engineering Resources of Southern California

“Learn critical thinking skills and master them. Life is not going to give you textbook solutions.”

"Networking even with your classmates can pay off

"Even if you are not initially offered the job, you may still be asked to fill the position.swallow your pride."

"You must emphasize the talents you have for the specific job for which you have applied."

"Honesty, integrity and the ability to get along with both subordinate and supervisory staff is a key factor in building trust among project teams; without all three, budgets and schedules mean very little, and the client does not care."

"There are two types of students; those who train to be engineers, and those who train to think like engineers. Be the second student. If you can think like an engineer, you will be able to solve almost any problem. If you work like an engineer, textbook solutions are all you will be able to resolve."

"Take the Fundamentals of Engineering (F.E.) of Engineer-In-Training (E.I.T.) as soon as you can in your Junior Year; it only gets harder the longer you are out of school - take it while the information is still fresh in your mind."

James Conniff
Computer Science, Class of 1985 and 1988
Software Engineer, Boeing Anaheim

"Be comfortable speaking in front of groups."

Barbara Glassman
Computer Science, Class of 2003 (MS)
Embedded Software Engineer, Boeing

"Expose yourself to as many aspects of your major as you can."

"Don't underestimate the importance of networking."

"Learning to work in a team and being able to speak in public are qualities employers look for.  Give yourself every opportunity to learn these skills in your academic career."

Lynn Greene
Computer Science, Class of 1989 (MS)
Program Manager, Battlefield Radar Systems; ThalesRaytheon Systems Company LLC

"By demonstrating a willingness to assist your team in any way, you will rapidly become indispensable."

"Whenever you meet someone new, note their name and expertise in your planner.  Your network of contacts will multiply your value many fold."

"Establish a relationship with a willing mentor, and your knowledge (and value) will grow very rapidly."

Waqas Shahid
Computer Science, Class of 2004, MSE 2006
Project Manager, MAS Systems, MTX & Development at PacifiCare

"Listen to the valuable advice that your faculty provide through out your schooling career.  They are very useful!!"

"Always network, it can take you really far."

"Communicate effectively and clearly with your customers, colleagues, etc.  Good communication is a key to success."

"Don't agree on something that you can't deliver."

"Learning is a life long experience, keep on educating yourself with new tools, so that you don't fall behind with the new technologies that are out there."

"Always set up high goals and try to shoot for them. You might not see immediate results, but keep striving towards them and sooner or later you will achieve them."

Cesar Corona
Electrical Engineering, Class of 2003
Electrical Engineer at Raytheon

"Engineering takes a lot of imagination, sometimes the highest grade point average is not enough; simple "Life-Smarts" are needed to completely succeed in this field."

Ray Hemann
Systems Engineering, Class of 1970
President and CEO, Advanced Systems Research

"The thing that separates you from the pack is knowing more than engineering"

"Write well."

"Understand the financial system. Get along with customers & management."

"In the corporate world, be presentable to the customers."

"Never stop learning or everyone will pass you up."

"Remember this quote from Yogi Berra, 'When you come to a fork in the road, take it.'"

Henry Martinez
Electrical Engineering, Class of 1975
Chief Operating Officer - Power System; L.A. Department of Water & Power

“Don’t be afraid to take on something you’re not familiar with.”
“The engineering diploma gives you the starting point. You must also desire and get the right tools. Take risks – without risk, there is no reward.”

Felix Vigil
Electrical Engineering, Class of 1997
Network Engineer - Customer Access Facilities Planner; Verizon Network Engineering & Planning

“Don’t be afraid to talk to your instructors. They are human beings and were students at one time.”

“Never be afraid to take on new responsibilities and challenges.”

“Always try to please your boss.”

Caecilia Gotama
Mechanical Engineering, Class of 1982 and 1986
Principal, Gotama Building Engineers, Inc.

"Engineering education provides me with methodical thinking skill that helps me in my job and my everyday life.

With that said, once I graduated with an engineering degree, I found out quickly that I need to learn others skills to excel in my career such as:

•  People skills

•  Networking

•  Communication skills

•  Negotiating skills

•  The importance of money

•  Marketing skills

•  The importance of a win-win situation"

Mona Simpson
Mechanical Engineering, Class of 1987
Director, El Segundo Site Services; The Boeing Company

"Since joining Boeing 20 years ago, my career has taken many turns from the traditional aspects of a career in Engineering.  Although I have spent half of these years in engineering, the second half of my career has been diverse.   The keys to these changes in career growth and satisfaction boil down to evaluating opportunities and looking inward for some self introspection.  These are the questions I ask myself when looking for a new job:

1. Who's the leader? What to emulate and what not to emulate?    You can tell the difference between a good leader and a lesser leader.  Does the leader execute?  Can they move the project, program or product ahead?  Do they have a good track record for performance?  After all, we are here to deliver quality products on time and cost that meet customer expectations.  This does not vary no matter what product you are delivering.

2. Will this be a challenge? Does a challenge cause you to stretch yourself and further the growth process?  Or is change hard and disruptive to you?  Do you need a challenge to develop you in an area that will help you in future career aspirations?  Ask yourself.   Determine if this position will challenge and give you skills to further develop yourself.

3. Continue to learn.   Will this new knowledge help me grow in areas I aspire to be in the future?  How will this knowledge I'm going to learn fit into your big career picture?  It's okay to make lateral moves where you learn adjacent knowledge that is complementary to your last position.  It will deepen your core of knowledge in a given area. 

4. Am I going to contribute? Can I bring some of my past tools, experiences and learning to this position?  Is there an opportunity for knowledge transfer?  Is there enough job/domain knowledge linkage to bridge to the next position?  How do my leadership principles align with the expectations of this new position?  Know what skills you have developed and bring to the next position.  This is your personal toolbox.

5. How can I have balance? Professionally, personally, family . We can easily become caught up with work and spend endless hours in something we love. It's a delicate balance to remember that we work to live not live to work.   Because there are so many conflicting priorities, try to blend some activities together.  Take a walk to the store if you need milk.  You get the milk you need, have time to clear your mind and also get in a little exercise. Am I involved in a hobby, community service project, and kid's activities or with my church?  How I do take care of myself?  One must remain physically fit, mentally fit and socially fit to be able to sustain the long term.