Industry Expert / Executive Interview Exploring Career Paths and Industry Trends

Introduction

    For my industry expert I chose to interview my Robert Wieler. He has an interesting story as he managed to obtain a managerial position at a Fortune top 500 company with no formal education other than a GED. His position is a Product Integrity Lab Engineering Manager at Amazon Lab 126. His social skills, knowledge, and expertise have helped him climb the ranks which was so interesting to learn more about.

Summary

    One of my initial key takeaways is that it is vital for your career to get hands-on experience. From smaller jobs to even internships. My uncle with no formal education was able to get experience at small companies that eventually got acquired and microprocessor startups. He then transitioned toward construction and home remodeling which enabled him to learn crucial skills such as project management and client relationships. These jobs may not seem related to the technical field he ended up joining but the social and team skills he developed greatly helped him lead his engineering team. He already had the managerial position but he is such a firm believer that hands-on expertise and academic knowledge are crucial so he went back to community college to achieve a business associate's degree.

    Like my industry analysis paper, my uncle stated that artificial intelligence is an emerging technology that is shaping the industry. Stating that many companies are exploring how to leverage large language models and homebrewed models to make their companies more productive. He said that companies that can effectively utilize AI and those that don't will determine who will have high growth and who will stagnate. He believes that AI can uncover subtle patterns in complex data sets that data analysts might miss, optimize travel logistics, streamline document creation, and enhance recruitment processes. 

    Another trend mentioned from a hardware perspective is a trend of finding contract manufactures outside of the Asia Pacific region to develop/build products. There have been several challenges in his field from only sourcing from one region. Companies are trying to be more geographically diverse to mitigate risk and expand access to diverse engineering talent pools worldwide. 

    The top attribute that is valuable for any field is key communication. For hardware specifically, my uncle stated that mastering fundamental engineering principles is crucial. Having hands-on experience with tools and equipment is invaluable and establishes a practical foundation that will allow engineers to quickly grasp new concepts in the field.

Reflection
    This conversation helped me understand not only the importance of getting the degree but having social skills. Having social skills was emphasized several times throughout the conversation and I hadn't really thought of it. I don't consider myself a social person so it is imperative that I get better at communicating and being social. I also asked about pursuing a master's or even a doctorate degree. It was stated that it's crucial for a bachelor's degree but for the former, it is important to evaluate the impact on your career advancement and earning potential the degrees will have. It seems like something more for after you achieve your job than to help you get it. My uncle states that internships are imperative for practical insights into corporate environments, exploring various roles, and building real-world experience. He also mentioned the importance of relevant certifications to stay up to date with current industry developments and to know all about what your field entails.

Future Steps

    For future plans I plan to focus more on the social aspect, I believe the CSUMB curriculum does this well as we have to be social and communicative with our groupmates. Luckily my group is great and is already doing so well. I plan on getting a bachelor's degree and I now know how important it is for a computer science student to get some internships under their belt. I also never really considered how important certifications were, but relevant certifications will help you stay up to date on your field and will only help you grow as a computer science student. This conversation was very eye-opening and I will definitely apply the knowledge I gained to my own life.