This disconnect doesn’t really surprise me. It’s very easy for someone who didn’t spend much time working on a specific project (usually upper management) to take a quick look at some metrics they might have available (hours worked, number of lines coded, etc.) and quickly but inaccurately award people that may not have deserved it if they asked…[Read more]

After becoming more familiar with managerial roles over this past semester, I can say that I don’t particularly want to become a manager anytime soon. I have a newfound understanding and appreciation for what managers do, but I think I’ll use that knowledge to be a better employee rather than become a manager. I think once I have more…[Read more]

I think my biggest potential motivator is good coworkers. I’ve made some real lasting friendships through work that have carried on even after parting jobs. It’s interesting for me to learn more about people and it goes a long way towards building a stronger team for the job at hand. I also feel like strong social interactions help out in…[Read more]

I think these reasons will definitely vary based on the kind of work people do. I think these numbers are pretty reasonable for a private sector engineering job, and generally within my expectations. When you get down to more part-time service or retail industry work however, that’s when I think money is the main motivator. That isn’t to say that…[Read more]

The first capstone project I was assigned to suffered from scope creep, or rather a lack of scope definition. When the professor was describing the project at first, it was rather vague and only described the subject that the project would be about; in this case, it was based around the 3D imaging software MIMICS. After our group had decided to…[Read more]

I could consider my one summer internship an integration of sorts. I was in charge of designing a website with Google Maps API, and eventually we would have to integrate it with external data coming in through another website. The biggest issue at the time was finding a programming language that would allow for both the processing of the external…[Read more]

Although I haven’t had any direct experience with procurement myself, I’ve caught glimpses of the processes in some previous jobs. When I worked in a restaurant, I often had to go back into storage to refill our supply of cups, takeout bags, etc. When I went back there, I noticed that there was typically a huge amount of whatever I needed to get,…[Read more]

I think in general IPEC is always the framework for projects. What I’ve been told is that this cycle is typically disrupted when other people (usually higher-ups) hand you unexpected challenges and force you to do something.Speaking as something who’s worked under a rather lax project manager, I can say that a project with a very short planning…[Read more]