I still remember the first day of orientation at Purdue University. While everyone was introducing themselves, I noticed a stark difference compared to my previous experience. In my undergraduate program, the vast majority of my batch mates shared the same academic backgrounds and career interests. At Purdue MEM, my fellow students joined from a wide range of engineering disciplines and held an array of career aspirations. The commonality that brought us together was our zeal to build a career in the corporate world. Pursuing a Master's in Engineering Management was our stepping stone to growing a leadership-focused career in our chosen technical field that incorporated a closer look towards management.

When I started my first job at Ford after graduating from the Master of Engineering Management program at Purdue, I actually had no idea what exactly it was that I wanted to do. Luckily, thanks to the variety of skills that I obtained through the MEM program, I was given the opportunity to explore many different roles within Ford ranging from Software Engineer to White Hat Hacker. It was not until my fourth role as a Technical Product Manager that I felt I had found something that really clicked.

When sharing my background, I always start with the facts. “I have over 5 years of material science research experience in school, and I graduated from Northwestern University with a master’s degree.” You might subconsciously think that’s the end of the story - that my career path is outlined already. Nevertheless, it has been amazing to see people’s reactions when I proudly tell them that I left the engineering life in order to succeed in B2B/B2C sales and that I now devote my full passion to the startup industry. Yes, I made the risky decision to let go of my years of persistence in R&D and took a new journey to discover my potential. However, great things never come from the comfort zone.

I knew that wanted to pursue a master’s degree after undergrad. I originally thought about continuing my education with a MBA degree. However, I also wanted to be able to broaden my knowledge in engineering. It was not until my friend introduced me to Purdue’s Master of Engineering Management Program that I found the degree I was seeking.

As a graduate student in Purdue MEM, I have been able to take a wide range of courses from the Krannert School of Management (e.g. Marketing Management, Strategic Management) and the College of Engineering (e.g. Safety Engineering, Applied Ergonomics). However, one of the most important aspects of my learning came in the form of leadership opportunities available to me because I was a Purdue MEM student.

“Excellence is not a milestone, it is a lifelong journey. The slope of our learning curve must remain positive and sharp throughout.” These invaluable words of my late father have always fueled my quest for continuous learning and will continue to do so in the future.

My journey as a professional started in core Electrical Engineering, moved to Technical Sales Analyst, then Quality to Program Manager at 3 of the Fortune 500 companies. With over 5 years of industrial experience in varied roles, I had tirelessly prepared myself to be a successful leader and had achieved an ideal position in my career. I then realized that with the world turning global, I needed a challenging global perspective and leadership guidance before jumping into a management role.

As I head towards the finishing line, marked by the end of my final semester at Purdue, a ringing question goes through my mind- What was my biggest learning in graduate school?

Being a part of the Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program at Purdue, I’ve been presented with a wide range of opportunities to hone in on my engineering and business management skills. However, I believe that my biggest take away from these last two years has been understanding the value of collaboration. In this fast-paced, technology driven world, there is an exigent need to work together to continuously add value to each other’s lives.

A unique advantage that the Purdue's Master of Engineering Management program provides is the flexibility and customization of its curriculum. I have been extremely satisfied with the program throughout my first year because it checks all the boxes. Purdue MEM has allowed me to continue working full time in my engineering career, while presenting me with opportunities to learn valuable skills that are directly applicable to my current role as well as skills that will help me achieve my professional goals. Not to mention, the curriculum is a very realistic price.

During the second semester of my senior year in undergrad, I was absolutely focused on finding a job. A graduate degree, at the time, seemed unnecessary as I was set on joining industry. I also knew academic research was definitely not for me. As someone who discovered her niche in electrical engineering late in undergrad, there were some graduate classes I wished I had space for during my senior year, but delaying my entry into industry for a few programming classes did not seem to be worth the time. I threw myself into applying for jobs, near and far, and for some of them, I got called in to interview. It was during one interview early on that I realized my engineering education might not be complete, and that I might not be the engineer I wanted to be, yet.

I joined the MEM program at Purdue University with the hope to gain in-depth knowledge about a field that I am passionate about, while at the same time getting a broader understanding of a field that I feel is extremely critical for growth in the industry. The former being Mechanical Engineering (Focus: Product Development) and latter being Business Management (Focus: Strategy).

A frequently advertised benefit of Purdue’s Masters in Engineering Management is its flexible structure and holistic approach to developing students both personally and professionally, and I’m happy to speak to its truth during my two years in the program. As early as orientation week, we were treated to a session on dining etiquette in the context of business lunches, led by Dr. Annmarie Nicely, and introductory golf lessons, two skills of which I had not had much opportunity to develop beforehand (as it stands, I will need many more golf lessons before I’m capable of competently participating in a company outing).