What more should I be doing? 3

[dingoPSU]

Hey all,

This May signified my first year out of college and this coming August will end my first year at my first full-time job. I graduated with a degree in engineering science and earned a minor in biomedical engineering. My job is titled “validation engineer” which basically put me on a project where I’m helping develop testing and user requirements for manufacturing systems (in the pharmaceutical industry). Throughout my experience I’ve developed a keen interest both outside of work and (marginally) at work with systems engineering. I’ve discovered that I enjoy working with people of specific yet diverse expertise, combining their knowledge, and pushing through projects. I also want to strive towards a career that is budding in the industry.

Basically I need some advice. My undergraduate university offers a pretty rigorous but obtainable masters degree in systems engineering – but I really don’t know if that would be necessary to achieve my goals. I am also actively working towards earning my EIT in mechanical engineering, mostly to keep my mind fresh for a possible run at graduate school. I enjoy working in pharma, but really my passion lies in the machines and processes that I’ve been working with – not really to industry itself.

Is there any hope for me? Anyone have a similar story or advice?

Thanks

 

[SLTA]

Why get a masters in something you're only marginally interested in? Do you really know what your goals are yet? Decide that first, get your EIT, then you'll know what to focus on for your masters.

Good luck!

 

[dingoPSU]

Although I agree with you, I am concerned that soon I will be too long out of school to get academic references from past professors...is this a real concern or should I ask regardless of how long its been?

Thanks!

 

[SLTA]

references for what? for the masters - no worries. I went back 3 years after undergrad. for the FE - I flat don't remember that process, since I took it senior year, and I won't say how many years ago that was.

 

[tickle]

Dingo
I would think that validation engineer puts you in a very good position to do systems engineering. The various different aspects of design, installation, operation and performance qualification (DQ, IQ, OQ and PQ) means that you have to get into the nitty gritty of all of the requirements, without having to know the answer directly. The ongoing verification, operating procedures and computer system validation, along with the qualifications, should give you a whole of project view.
I am assuming that you are working for a manufacturing company, and I am throwing lots of words around that I have learnt from the past. Generally, the validation engineer was often a junior level job that allows you to go in a variety of different directions.
I apologise because I do not think I have helped answer the original post, but the machines in the pharma industry still do the same as in other industries, (pumps, vessels, pipework) just usually made of stainless and are shinier / cleaner.

 

[GregLocock]

In my opinion, get your EIT/PE out the way before considering going back to school.

I'm not convinced that a masters in systems is really all that worthwhile unless you have the experience to make use of it.

You will always be able to get into a masters, universities like the feel of your wallet.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[dingoPSU]

@Tickle

That was my thinking. In the past few months I've worked on tablet presses, control systems, and industrial washers and I love diving into the manuals of these things and learning about how they work having almost no prior experience. It's this kind of stuff that really interests me for systems, because I feel as though I can really get involved in any project and still contribute to the goals. Thanks for the advice!

@GregLocock
I think I'm going to take this approach - grad school is at least a year away for me, and the FE exam will give me plenty of time to hone my skills for the academic rigor.

Universities like the feel of your wallet

Haha, yes but hopefully I'll have an employer take care of that! Thanks

 

[Ron]

Greg...well stated with your usual eloquence.

 

[rotw]

One of my teacher of Physics told us in one of his lecture long time ago that when you are lost always try to go back to the foundations. He meant try to write down the fundamentals which you can "take for granted" and construct your reasoning upon it.

So from my own perspective one may happen to get a little bit lost at some point in time especially after a long journey in the Industry. we may ask our self : do I really understand or put enough efforts to understand how things really work ? If I could simply break down complex problems to simple pieces that I understand well ; So that when I design something at least I don't miss the key principles. For instance, many things like competition between peers, business need for results, desire to shine in front of a Boss etc. are all reasons which might have impact on clarity of ideas.

There comes the need to go back to school! School is where I need to go to after a long and exhausting journey ;
It is where I have learned the foundations; It the place where I go back again to strengthen my analytical thinking and even remind myself why I have embraced my career. I would pick up a Master cycle as a convenient mean to achieve this objective.

 

[MikeHalloran]

I get the impression that the systems to which you've been exposed so far are mostly working fairly well.

I think you'll get more out of a SE masters program after you've struggled with a few dozen systems that were somewhat less than perfectly engineered, from a systems perspective.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA