Congrats and Advice to Systems Engineers from SERC Researchers

Researchers from the multi-university Systems Engineering Research Center are elated to congratulate the thousands of systems engineers who earned undergrad, graduate, and doctoral degrees in 2023. Dr. Nicole Hutchison (Stevens Institute of Technology), David Long (Stevens), Dr. Azad Madni (University of Southern California), Dr. Roshi Rose Nilchiani (Stevens), Dr. Donna Rhodes (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Dr. Alejandro Salado (University of Arizona) and Dr. Payuna Uday (Stevens) offered encouraging thoughts on how emerging systems engineers can succeed in their careers:

Hutchison said: "In a decade of research about what makes a good systems engineer, one of the themes that has stood out to me is that most great systems engineers got where they are through a circuitous route. There is no one right path for a systems engineer; rather the best of us tend to take advantage of opportunities as they come up, demonstrating flexibility not only in their work but in themselves. So the biggest piece of advice I can give to new graduates is to be open to new experiences. We all have an “ideal” path – but don’t be afraid to stray from it. The ability to bring together diverse experiences is a core strength for systems engineers. Embracing differences requires humility, active listening, and openness – don’t ignore those “soft” skills which are often harder than the technical ones. One final piece of advice: your work is important, but not more important than your health and family. We will all sacrifice for our work, pulling late nights to meet a deadline or working weekends to overcome a major technical challenge. This is good in the short term. But at the end of the day, don’t ignore yourself or your family. They will be with you long after retirement."

Long said: "As you complete your studies, you are equipped with knowledge on the latest approaches, processes, methods, and tools for systems engineering. Now what? With systems engineering (and the greater engineering lifecycle) changing as we leverage the power of digital transformation, you bring much needed insight and knowledge to the organizations and projects you serve. To maximize this value, seek out and partner with systems engineers and subject matter experts who know “how things are done around here.” Learn as much as you can about the problem domain and current approaches because without this knowledge, it’s very difficult to help a team and an organization navigate the transformation ahead. A pairwise mindset leveraging your fresh insights and a partner’s legacy knowledge can rapidly accelerate the project and your journey forward."

Madni said: "Learning doesn't stop with your degree. Technology is moving too fast...you need to keep up. Take short courses periodically to stay abreast. Affiliate yourself with a professional society in your field and continue to network with professionals in your field. Spend time on self-reflection so you know your strengths and limitations. Then act in a way that capitalizes on your strengths."

Nilchiani said: "Ph.D. graduates play a critical role in the future of research and education in systems engineering. The success of Ph.D. students is a function of multiple factors including the student’s motivation, creativity, and effort, and equally important is the mentorship and guidance by the faculty advisor. Advisor/ advisee mentorship, regular positive communication, collaborative progress on research and navigating through obstacles, constructive criticism as well as cheering for the success of the advisee are essential. Nominating Ph.D. students for awards and recognition for their accomplishments, supporting their career advancement, and opening opportunities and doors for their future replacements in academia and industry is the essential role of the Ph.D. faculty advisor. Without support and guidance for job placement in academia and industry, the progress for the next generation in systems engineering will be challenging."

Rhodes said: "Completing a graduate program in systems engineering is a time for moving on in your career. At the same time, this should be a time to pause and reflect on your education experience and think about where you want to go in the coming years. Take time to think about how your new knowledge shapes your thinking about systems and what this means for your work. Many of you will have accomplished research that could benefit the systems engineering community. Although it may be the last thing you feel like doing at the end of your studies, taking time to outline a paper for a conference will be so much easier now than waiting until an opportunity to submit a paper comes along. This is also a great time to expand your professional network. Think about all the people that you have worked with in your studies and research. Reflect on who you most want to keep in touch with and what opportunities there may be for connecting in the near future."??

Salado said: "Be patient and relentless. In your degree, you have probably learnt how to practice good SE, state-of-the-art methods and tools, etc., and you are likely eager to bring all of that into an organization. But the SE that you will find in your actual job will look very different, in some cases it may even seem pre-historical! You need to realize that, even though you have that wealth of knowledge now, your colleagues, customers, and alike do not; they are lagging in SE despite their probably well-intended efforts. And injecting SE change in an organization is hard: strong inertia, fires everywhere, and sometimes disbelief that change is necessary. While this may be frustrating at the beginning, you must not surrender! You are now an agent of change, so it is your job to slowly, constructively, and one step at a time at one project at a time move the discipline forward. Start small, just with your tasks. Don’t push other people to adopt what you know. Instead, just make them aware that some of the things you learn HAVE actually worked. Build your tribe around those small wins, and keep pushing and learning."

Uday said: "Systems engineering has played an instrumental role in my career.?It has enabled me to work in different contexts and on a range of multi-disciplinary problems through key transferable skills – critical thinking, asking the right questions, the ability to see connections and relationships, etc. Understand the true value of being a systems engineer and why what you bring to the table is significant. Systems engineering is essentially a toolbox, and a good systems engineer knows which tool (or tools) to reach for based on the problem at hand. The skills and competencies you acquire as a systems engineer equip you to tackle a wide spectrum of challenges. Don’t be afraid to say yes to new roles and possibilities. Take the leap!"

Learn more about the research of these seven systems engineers on the SERC website, and follow SERC on LinkedIn for regular updates.