I attended SDSU from 2010 – 2015, majoring in Industrial Management.  At the time, this major was manufacturing engineering based and I truly enjoyed my major-focused classes.  To create opportunities for internships, co-ops, and even full-time employment, I would attend as many engineering career fairs as possible. During these career fairs, I would talk to many different companies in different industries to gauge my interest and understand expectations of a manufacturing engineer.  It was during one of these career fairs I interviewed for a co-op position with Bobcat.

I am a now New Product Development Senior Engineer for Bobcat Company in Gwinner, North Dakota.  I specialize in automated manufacturing systems, primarily in weld and material handling processes.  I earned a management position where I have a small team of engineers reporting to me, working through upcoming projects and processes. 

Over the last 8 years, I have still been attending SDSU Engineering Career Fairs, but as a Bobcat Company representative.  This has been a great experience to give students opportunities to grow and learn with Bobcat co-op/intern positions.  It has also been a great way to network with the SDSU career development office and stay involved with the college. 

I have two pieces of advice I’d like to share.  Do not be afraid to fail, but willing to learn from mistakes.  There have been many times in my college and professional career that I experienced a challenge, but willingness to face the challenge created success.

Second, try to build a network within your industry.  Having the ability to call upon an expert to help work through problems not only gets you through the issue, but also creates another learning experience to further your growth.