PCS Engineer Empowers Students to Find Their Career Path

ASME set up the panel to allow students to ask industry professionals questions

From left to right: Zebrick Roach, John Rector, Luis Leon, Aaron McDaniel, and Alyssa Voightmann participate in the UW Bothel's ASME Panel on April 8, 2016.

Mechanical engineering students participate in the UW Bothell's ASME Q&A panel. April 8, 2016.

Mechanical engineering students participate in the UW Bothell's ASME Q&A panel. April 8, 2016.

PCS teammate, Aaron McDaniel (center), answers a question at the UW Bothell's ASME panel. April 8, 2016.

On Friday, April 8, PCS engineer Aaron McDaniel participated in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ (ASME) industry panel Q&A at the University of Washington (UW) Bothell. ASME set up the panel to allow students to ask industry professionals questions about their career paths and get a feel for the diverse industries that mechanical engineering serves. Aaron was one of five industry experts speaking on the panel.

The ASME chapter at UW Bothell provides mechanical engineering students with professional development opportunities and career guidance. This particular panel included mechanical engineers who have worked at large and small companies, worked in the aerospace and product development industries, and one who even transitioned her career focus to marketing.

The panelists discussed several topics including what students can do to market themselves for their first job and what jobs and disciplines they saw emerging in the mechanical engineering field.

Aaron was impressed by the insightful questions that they students asked and the genuine interested they showed in preparing themselves for their future careers. “I personally had a very windy path to get to where I was trying to go,” Aaron explained. “Helping these students find a straighter career path is very rewarding.”