Great Return on Investment

Vivian Fan, T&M scholar and industrial engineering major, sees a great ROI on the time and energy she has devoted to the T&M Program.

Fan came to Georgia Tech for an interdisciplinary education and the T&M Program has given her that and much more.

Shaping Career Goals

T&M classes are giving management student Ben Dewberry invaluable insights and helping to shape his career goals.

Since entering the program, Dewberry has developed a passion for technology and market forecasting, which he hopes will open doors to a technology consulting position or a market research job at a company like T&M Corporate Affiliate Siemens.  

Dewberry also credits the program with helping to improve his ability to effectively network and communicate.  “When I started the program, I was very nervous talking to the corporate executives,” he explains, “but as the year progressed I became much more comfortable discussing business situations with industry executives." He believes this increase in confidence may be one of the most important things he has gained from the program thus far.

He is developing strong relationships with his fellow T&M classmates and considers these bonds just as rewarding as the curriculum. “I have thoroughly enjoyed both of my T&M classes and appreciate the relationships I have built with my classmates,” he says.  

A Dramatically Different Program

Analysis of Emerging Technologies is chemical and biomolecular engineering major Conrad Grajczak’s favorite Georgia Tech class to date. In fact, because of its “real world business feel,” the structure and content is dramatically different from other courses he has completed at Tech.

“The class provided an open forum for discussions of emerging technologies, and instead of using a textbook written years ago, we studied recent periodicals from sources such as the Harvard Business Review, MIT Technology Review, etc."

More importantly, he says, he and his classmates were able to apply the knowledge they gained to develop forecasting skills, such as decrypting and analyzing information to predict a product’s future.

Grajczak wants to use his engineering skills in the business world and originally planned to patch together a variety of certificates to gain the necessary skills. He was quickly enticed by what the T&M Program could provide in terms of leadership, project management, marketing, accounting and investment knowledge and skills.

He likes the fact that T&M students will earn a minor in Engineering and Management. With these added skills, he believes the transition into the management field will be much smoother and he will be better prepared to eventually pursue an MBA.

“I am pleasantly surprised by my own personal adaptation to the program,” he explains. “When we had our first T&M reception, I had trouble approaching executives let alone carrying on a conversation with them. I have since developed the ability to easily approach anyone in a business setting, as well as use my 'small talk' abilities to have a productive conversation.” 

A Smooth Transition into the Workforce

Wanting to avoid being typecast as a “typical engineer” once he enters the workforce, the career goals of chemical and biomolecular engineering student Brian Meier are perfectly aligned with the aim of the T&M Program. In the program, Brian is learning how to effectively interpret technical data and communicate business needs for future employers.

“The T&M Program has already helped me feel more comfortable in business environments. I believe these skills will lead to a more fulfilling career and make me a more valuable asset throughout my career.”

Opportunities to interact with top business executives have provided Meier with a training ground to exercise his networking muscles. The high level of personal attention he receives in the program has made him more comfortable in professional situations.

“The chance to interact with business executives has been enlightening and rewarding. Being able to ask executives questions in a non-threatening environment is great and really helps the learning process.” Meier believes that his new level of comfort in business situations will be a competitive advantage in an increasingly challenging job market.

“Working on real life business case studies with other T&M students has been enjoyable and is something that one would normally expect only in a MBA program,” he says.

This graduate-style level of education at the undergrad level gives him the confidence that his transition from college learning to application in the business community will go more smoothly than he originally anticipated.

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