Engineering alums share field tips

One hundred juniors and seniors in the School of Engineering and Applied Science gathered in the Towne Building's Alumni Hall last night to receive "words of wisdom" from Penn graduates as part of the Engineering School's second annual Alumni Board Career Night. The presentation-- co-sponsored by the Engineering Alumni Society and the Office of Academic Programs -- was an opportunity for students to hear from alumni who went through the same programs that they are currently a part of, said Engineering Career Counselor Rosette Pyne. "They've got good lessons to teach," she added. The panel -- consisting of 11 alumni who have or are currently working in engineering -- fielded questions concerning topics ranging from interviews to graduate school. Engineering senior Sameer Merchant noted that the panelists were not embarrassed to share their mishaps with students. "Everyone was really open," he said. "They weren't only telling us the good things." Moderator Carol Reich -- a 1984 Engineering graduate who now works for Day & Zimmerman International as a civil engineer -- admitted to being so happy to actually get paid that she didn't concentrate on how high her salary was. And Eric Bentshetler-- a 1984 Engineering graduate and software engineer for UNISYS -- regretted not taking courses in the University's other undergraduate schools. "Don't just focus on engineering and science courses," he urged the crowd. Panelists gave interviewing tips as well, advising students to prepare answers to commonly asked questions They also stressed the importance of interview questions, regardless of how irrelevant they may seem at the time. "A lot of the questions may seem awkward but there is always something behind them," Reich said. And Al Stella, a chemical engineer for AlliedSignal and a 1989 Engineering graduate, said questions are often geared toward finding the person who best fits the job description. "We look for a certain set of core skills and our interviews are centered around getting at those skills," he said. Most of the graduates agreed that students should work, rather than going to graduate school immediately after leaving Penn. "There are some things that you will learn from working that you will never learn as an undergraduate," said Donna D'Stefan, a 1981 Engineering graduate and Senior Director of Operations at Ostoteotech. Reich said the graduates were excited to return to the Penn campus. "The alumni want to be able to provide a connection between students and the world out there," she said. "There are many different programs where alumni can interact with the students but this is one that we would definitely like to keep." Engineering students will have an additional opportunity to speak with members of the field at the annual Engineering Career Day October 7.