Undergraduate Systems Engineering – How it Did and Did Not Prepare Me Kevin Weinstein, CSEP-Acq November 13, 2018

Agenda About Me Why I developed this Presentation Curriculum How I was prepared How I was not prepared Case for Undergraduate SE degrees Working as a recent SE grad Hiring a recent SE grad

About me B.S., Systems Engineering (Second Major: Economics) President of Student INCOSE Division M.S. Systems Architecture and Engineering Past President, INCOSE Washington Metro Area

Why I developed this presentation Many within INCOSE do not see the value of an Undergraduate SE degree Many employers do not know what they’re getting when they hire a recent graduate Many recent graduates have misconceptions about the professional world and how an SE degree prepared them I was one of them

Curriculum Calculus, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Probability and Statistics 1 semester Chemistry, 2 semesters physics, another science General Engineering, Technical electives Humanities (thesis required) Systems Engineering classes

How I was prepared Understood the importance of SE from the beginning Performed trade studies and helped manage requirements Technically rigorous curriculum Calculus, Differential Equations, Engineering courses, etc Prepared to systematically solve problems SE basics apply to a wide range of problems Valued education – was consistently impressed when I heard about academic achievements Education was largely domain-independent Lifelong dedication to learning Courses taught leadership and management Prepared me well for when I was leading and managing

How I was not prepared The value of systems engineering is not self-evident in industry Never had to defend the discipline as an undergraduate Need to be able to make the case to experienced engineers Spent almost no time on the “Vee” model or DoD 5000 series guidance Would not recommend spending more time on it; undergrad degree in SE prepares you to pick this up pretty quickly if it applies to your work Did not understand the value of: Experience – lessons hard learned are hard forgotten Networking – seemed like nepotism when friends would get jobs because of who they knew It takes work to build and maintain professional networks Start now! Unclear how others perceived recent graduates Tendency to rattle off resume when you meet colleagues Difficult to admit when you don’t know answers Ask questions at the wrong time Focus on leadership and management No class for “how to be an effective subordinate”

Case for Undergrad SE Degrees Takes students who may otherwise study business and provides technical rigor to curriculum Among highest paying undergraduate majors Demand signal Not every 18 year old knows exactly what they want to do with their life; Systems Engineering prepares you for a wide variety of professions

Working as a Recent SE Grad Know your limits and work to improve If you run into problems outside of your expertise, don’t be afraid to consult colleagues or even get an answer wrong once in awhile Learn from mistakes and don’t be so afraid that you don’t make any Learn domain that you work in professionally “I’m a recent graduate and have never done this before” does not work as an excuse for long “I’ll find out” is a powerful phrase when asked questions that you don’t have answers to Capstone projects are a great taste of the real world but be sure to respect the lessons that others have to teach Real world experience comes at a price Don’t be discouraged by having to wait on professional certifications Consider INCOSE ASEP – no experience required and it shows initiative Never too early to start building your professional network Join local INCOSE chapter, come to meetings Seasoned professionals who come to INCOSE meetings LOVE to provide advice and mentoring to recent graduates

Hiring a Recent SE Grad Limitless curiosity Hard worker – always want to learn more May have limited domain expertise Can train them to do anything Big-Picture thinker Will see the job that you give them in context of bigger problem Understand cascading impacts Likely rough around the edges, be patient No less polished than other technical degrees