Champions of Innovation

In late October, over 30 students gathered to learn from recent ETIM alumni working in industry. Students sought advice on getting a job, changing careers, finding the best career path, and getting comfortable with uncertainty. Graduates emphasized that they have to be willing to take risks and draw from various experiences to solve problems they’ve never encountered before.

ETIM alumni panel, from left to right: Travis Miller (ETIM ’16), EUV Product Line Manager at II-VI Incorporated; Aakash Pathak (ETIM ’16), VP, Product Commercialization at CleanRobotics; Maddie Gioffre (ETIM ’15 Dual Degree M.S. with Civil and Environmental Engineering), RF Design Engineer II at Northrop Grumman, Technology Strategist at Strategy& (part of the PwCnetwork); Charles (Jonathan) Tanner (ETIM ’15) Senior Business Analyst, A.T. Kearney; and Fridtjof Melle (ETIM ’15 Dual Degree M.S. with Electrical and Computer Engineering).

“My biggest takeaway from ETIM was interacting with people from different cultures and different nationalities. Having that exposure to other cultures allowed me to know what I can offer as a black man in America, and how my skills can serve the rest of the world.” – Jonathan Tanner (ETIM ’15)

Another common theme among graduates was the importance of developing interviewing skills beyond a technical skillset. As Fridtjof Melle explained, “Don’t underestimate how much to prepare for an interview – from the case side, but also with everyone you meet. What gets you in the room is your skillset and your experience, but the interview itself is more focused on your personality and how you interact.”