Blog 2 12/13/2024

As BADM 261 comes to an end, I thought I’d share some of my key takeaways from this course. A large part of the course was the guest speakers and the weekly assignments and quizzes. Every weekly quiz was based on a TED Talk and a related article that would also preface the topics and speakers for the upcoming class. These articles and videos provided crucial background knowledge to the speakers’ expertise, making you better equipped to ask meaningful questions. These resources also inform you better on current niche event topics that apply to technology and management. Even though some of the weekly quiz assignments seemed tedious and meaningless at times, especially when I already had a mountain of work, they proved to be a huge asset to my understanding of the business world as a whole in the long run. These assignments were also a nice break from the usual math-heavy homework assignments I had. The main takeaway I got from these weekly readings was the importance of keeping up with modern events and breakthroughs. If I want to be a part of the Technology and Management minor, and eventually in the industry itself after graduation, I need to be able to keep up with new information on advancements. 

Another large part of the course was the guest speakers. I already wrote about two of the speakers that stood out to me in a previous blog post in November. One of the common characteristics between every single speaker was that they would rather have the audience constantly ask questions rather than just being up there to speak for an hour. They were all trying to build a personal connection with the audience. Even though they all had things they could talk about for an hour straight without interruption, they would rather have the audience engage with them. This not only showed that the audience was paying attention, but that we were also understanding the messages they were trying to convey. This is an especially important skill for Grainger engineering students to develop early on as we do not get many opportunities to develop the skill in a business context. 

One of the most important topics we covered in class was internships and how to get them. My biggest worry when it comes to applying for internships is my interviewing skills. It seems impossible to answer the most basic questions in unique ways that set me apart from the competition and make me a suitable candidate for the position. Also, when I am applying for hundreds of internships, it seems almost impossible to keep track of every single company I apply for and why I applied to work for them. One of the best pointers I received in class was about the kind of questions you should ask after the interview has concluded. You can ask basic questions that apply only to you at first, but you should move on to more complex questions that are thought-provoking for the interviewer. You should never ask questions that you can easily find the answer to on the company home page, as it shows you have a lack of interest in the company you could work for. That leads me to another piece of knowledge I gained from this seminar; always do your research on the company and take notes during the interview. This will help you ask questions after your interview has concluded that way you can reference your notes. It also shows that you were paying attention and retaining the information and details from the interview. It is also a good skill you should develop for both your professional and personal life. 

Overall, this class had many great lessons about how to navigate the business world as an engineer. It gave me a new perspective surrounding internships and other modern events that shape our world. It showed me how certain technologies that I use every day can be applied in the real world.