Top 3 Reasons Why Engineers Don't Get Involved in Extracurriculars

By Thien Van Tran

Where the grub at?

The college life of an engineer is very similar to that of a caterpillar. We enjoy a relatively stress-free life consisting of stuffing our faces exclusively with whatever we want and unadulterated amounts of doing absolutely nothing, prior to college. Upon entering college, we are content with temporarily giving up all that previous nonsensical frolicking in order to focus on becoming engineers. However, while a caterpillar spends approximately two weeks inside the cocoon, we spend four years.

Nowhere is it written that you can only have a single passion in life. Now unless you’re Squidward, there’s a good chance that you don't completely hate having fun. So why don’t we actually devote some time to these things that make us happy? I know that some of you are reading this and thinking, “But I am involved!” Well the only thing I have to say to that is, Cool story bro “Keep up the good work!” Anyway, here are the top three reasons.

3. “My Major is Too Difficult”

We’ve all heard this one before. Engineers seem to think their major is the toughest, and that they can’t be as active as everyone else since they need to devote more time to studying. For the most part this is, without a doubt, absolutely false. Difficulty is relative, and something that one individual may find difficult may in fact seem very simple to another individual. Sure some of our classes may require a bit more work, but it is definitely possible to make time for activities outside of school. You just need to manage your time wisely. Some helpful tips regarding time management can be found in a previous Toppel blog post, imaginatively titled, Time Management by Oleg Ignatenko.

2. "I’m an Engineer, so People Expect Me to be Anti-Social"

Engineers are known to be weird, quirky, photogenic, awkward, and often difficult to connect with on any sort of level. Trying to talk to an engineer can be a socially unpleasant experience, like walking over hot coals or any type of butt surgery. Listening to someone use big and possibly made-up words like “derivative” and “zirconium” is like trying to understand someone with a thick southern accent layer of peanut butter stuck to the roof of his/her mouth. It's an entirely different language. I'M TALKIN' STRAIGHT UP JAPANESE HERE FOLKS. But it’s okay, since all engineers are expected to act this way, right? Well first of all, it’s okay to be peculiar, but one should still be able to communicate effectively. Second of all, no.

Networking is the best way to land a job. There is a statistic somewhere from a highly trusted source (read: the internet) that says most candidates are hired through networking rather than online job postings. And in order to network, you need to have the soft skills that are not taught in the classrooms. Recently, companies are moving towards more behavioral-based interviews. These operate on the premise that an individual’s past performance indicates future performance. Therefore, having good social and interpersonal skills are necessary to communicate your experiences to your interviewer, or potential employers.

1. "I Should Focus All My Attention on Academics, Since That’s All Employers Care About"

Yes academics and grades are important, but so are the things you are passionate about. Employers will consider your academic performance, but what really sets you apart from the pack is your involvement. It doesn’t matter if the clubs or sports you participate in are unrelated to your desired career field. There are specific qualities that are transferable to almost any situation, like teamwork, leadership, and communication skills.

So if you’ve read this and decided to make an effort to becoming more involved, what’s next? Well, if you happen to be an engineer, then I would suggest you start with the multitude of engineering organizations on campus, such as Society of Women Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, etc. These organizations attend annual conferences where you can meet and network with professional engineers and companies, as well as fellow students across the country. In addition to these professional groups, make an effort to try a new club or sport, like wakeboarding, beach volleyball, or fencing. You never know where it may take you.

Toppel Stars: Marlo Wyant

Written By: Priyanka Surio

An Engineer with a Bright Future

Marlo Wyant, originally from Newport, Rhode Island, is on a fast track towards accomplishment, astounding us with her achievement much like a shooting star. She obtained a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and recently graduated in December 2011.

She aspires to be a practicing engineer with a technical career path. She is well on her way with the 4 internships she held throughout her undergraduate career. BMW Manufacturing, GE Engineering, and the Naval Research Laboratory are a few of the big names she has worked for. Currently, she work for Solar Turbines, a company where she started as an intern with. She employed all of the techniques that lead to success upon the culmination of one's undergraduate years:

• Networking
• Gaining professional experience
• Holding more than 1 internship
• Attending professional conferences that can lead to further opportunities
• Applying to various opportunities
• Keeping a handful of options
• Visiting the Toppel Career Center

But don't just take my word for it. She is also a dazzling star among engineering students, especially when she worked as a Toppel Peer Advisor, reaching out to her fellow engineering peers. Watch the video below to witness how she utilized her years here at UM and how she plans on continuing the pathway towards her blazing future!

Good Things Come to Those Who Apply

Written By Marlo Wyant

Everyone has been discouraged by an application at some point in their lives. Often times it is far too easy to fall into the mindset of “I’ll never get it anyway, so why should I bother taking the time to apply?” It is true that many applications may seem daunting and that the prospect of being selected seems almost far-fetched. However, the odds of the application coming to fruition may not be as unlikely as you think. This past year, I have learned, first-hand, the value of taking the time to apply for unlikely awards and contests.

It started when one of the career advisers at the University of Miami Toppel Career Center sent me an encouraging e-mail to apply to be the next “Mechanical Engineering Student of the Year,” sponsored by Vestas, and Universum. I thought that, while flattering to be considered to apply, I would never win an award like that on a national scale. I was not yet convinced that I should apply. However, after quite a bit of nagging from my adviser, I gave in and submitted the requisite 600-word cover letter accompanied by my resume. Upon application, I got an automatically-generated confirmation e-mail and assumed I would never hear back.





Before I get into what happened in the months following the student of the year application, I will now segue into what turned into unlikely application number two.

Approximately three weeks after I submitted the Student of the Year application, I received another e-mail from a Universum employee encouraging me to enter a new contest called Go Green in the City. Upon further reading, I learned that Go Green in the City is an international business case competition for engineering and business university students to present energy efficient implementation plans for their respective cities. The participating countries were Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Russia, Turkey, and the United States. The prize: an all-expenses paid trip to Paris, France.

The application seemed simple enough: the team members’ resumes paired with either a 300-word summary or a 60-second video of what the green idea is. The top 100 teams would be selected to work in greater detail on the project and write a longer paper. Finally, if the team made it to the top 25 in the final round of the competition, they would be sent to Paris, France to present the ideas to upper management of Schneider Electric. The only catch with the application was that the deadline was just one week away from notification e-mail. Despite, the short time frame, I managed to secure a teammate and the two of us filmed our 60-second video on Key Biscayne and edited it in a single day.

One month later, my teammate and I learned that we had been selected as one of the top 100 teams internationally. I was ecstatic. This meant that my teammate and I were one step closer to making it to Paris! As part of the second round of the competition, we were assigned a Schneider Electric mentor in the United Arab Emirates to assist us in the preparation of the report. Our mentor met with us via teleconferencing and sometimes stayed up as late as midnight in her time zone to give us guidance on improving our application.

After several weeks of continuous improvement, my teammate and I had our polished version of the report and submitted it to the online application.

The spring semester progressed into its end with the advent of finals week. I had just walked out of my last final exam for the semester and saw that I had missed a call from an unknown New York number and had a voicemail. When I listened to what the mysterious caller had to say, I found out that I had been selected to be the Mechanical Engineering Student of the Year. Universum wanted to fly me to New York in two days time to personally accept the award at the Universum Awards hosted at the New York Times building in Manhattan. The news left me in absolute shock. I had never won any sort of award before, unless you count the certificate they give you for making Dean’s list every year. I then thought about it and realized that I had not exactly applied for too much before, either. The award taught me, first-hand, the benefits of applying for contests and awards.

As if the day could not get any better, I received another e-mail later that afternoon informing my Go Green in the City teammate and I that we had been chosen to present our green idea to the Schneider Electric executives in Paris, France as one of the top 25 teams in the world! It was a surreal day for me. I could not believe that I (and my teammate) had won two contests in a single day.

The award for the student of the year resulted in additional traveling opportunities. Not only did I get to receive the award in front of dozens of human resources professionals from companies from around the country, but there was an additional perk to be awarded. The prize was a trip to Denmark to visit the Research and Development Technology Center for Vestas Wind. This center is the largest wind turbine test facility in the world. I traveled in August 2011 and was able to meet with wind turbine engineers and tour the facility. In addition to the visit to the technology center, I was able to have a great time touring the cities of Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark and Oslo, Norway.

Marlo Wyant with her parents after accepting the Vestas Mechanical Engineering Student of the Year Award

The trip to Paris, France also went very well. The Go Green in the City event allowed my teammate and I to network with students and professionals from 12 different countries, present our ideas to a formal executive panel, interview on an international level for an internship at Schneider Electric, and attend informative workshops on innovation, diversity, and globalization. Additionally, my teammate and I were also able to sightsee in Paris and visit several iconic attractions, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Seine River. The trip did not cost us a cent.

Daniel Castillo and Marlo Wyant after presenting at Go Green in the City to Schneider Electric in Paris, France

What can you learn from my experiences? If you see an award or competition that you may qualify for, you should always take the time to apply for it. You never know—it may result in two free trips to Europe or, at least, something worthwhile.

Marlo Wyant enjoying the scenery of Paris, France

For more information on go Green in the City Click Here.

For more information on the Student of the Year Click Here