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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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”

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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