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Christopher J. Rowe,
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Chris Rowe teaches ES 130, the class that introduces students to engineering. SK: How did you get this job?
Chris: I never dreamed I would be doing anything like this. I used to think careers meant being a doctor, a lawyer, or a business man. Now, most jobs are so innovative. In fact, none of us even knows what kind of jobs will exist in the future. Our challenge is that we have to train our engineering students for some jobs that haven't been invented yet.
SK: How can you prepare for a job that you don’t know exists?
Chris: You have to be available, dependable, and always looking for opportunities to learn. You also have to be willing to work extremely hard and long hours. This is the story of how I got my job. I worked for Dean John Veillette who runs a summer pre-engineering program called PAVE. I was a student in that program while I was still in high school. I enjoyed PAVE so much that when I was a sophomore at Vanderbilt, I asked Dean Veillette if he needed help with the program that summer. He said yes. I worked all summer with no pay. I lived with the students in the dorm. I loved working with them. During the years I was an undergraduate and then a graduate student at Vanderbilt, I volunteered with anything I could - making flow charts, meeting people when they came to campus, working as a teaching assistant, and taking people on tours. When I graduated from Engineering School with my Master’s Degree, the programs had grown a great deal. Dean Veillette offered me a job as the Assistant Director. I worked in that role for almost five years while I developed other professional interests. I was given the opportunity by the Dean's Office to attend a conference on innovations in engineering education which I basically thought would simply help improve my teaching skills. Little did I know it would lead to a promotion, new responsibilities and a faculty appointment. I have been in this position since January 2003 and it's just about the most fun I've ever had at work!
Chris can often be found counseling students. SK: Tell us what you do in the course of a day.
Chris: I run the academic reinforcement program for current students. This means that I connect them with the support they need to excel in their classes. Engineering school is very difficult, plus engineers must take chemistry, physics, and calculus. Students arrive with different levels of preparation for these challenging classes. My program helps to even out the playing field. For example, I hire graduate students who offer sessions reviewing the fundamental concepts for a subject area. If a student is not adequately prepared with these fundamentals, it is easy to get lost. In addition, I also advise engineering students on career paths, course selection and strategies to help them make future decisions regarding their professional growth.
I am also developing a new curriculum plan for first-year engineering students. First-year curricula must remain competitive and innovative. We're an engineering school. By definition we should be able to innovate better than most companies. As a School, we constantly have to improve our ability to train exceptional engineers, why not start with the first year they are here?
SK: Are students embarrassed to attend these supplemental sessions?
Chris: Not at all. They appreciate the concern and care we show for them. When they get 100 on a math test, they are very glad they attended. We care about their daily lives, not just their grades. Sometimes I am a sounding board, sometimes I suggest they talk to a dean, sometimes I point them to other resources. About 150 students, mostly freshmen and some sophomores, participate in our programs.
Chris runs a program to make sure that engineering students succeed academically. This bulletin boards advertises drop- in tutoring sessions for chemistry and calculus. We also have many engineering students from foreign countries. I help them feel comfortable in our American culture, which can be quite different from their home countries. Every year we have a celebration where students share food and customs from their native countries. Because students all live in the dorms together, people from different cultures become good friends which adds to the learning experience for college students.
SK: What else do you do?
Chris: I help with the summer PAVE program. Students come from all over the world to attend this 6-week pre-college program. There are many needs that must be addressed so they can attend our program. Sometimes I am here until midnight. Many of these students have such a good experience that they enroll in Vanderbilt for their college education.
SK: You do so many different things.
Chris: Yes. I also teach an engineering course, ES 130.
This is the introductory course that all engineering students must take to learn the principles of engineering and computing. They are given problems; they model the solution on computer, and then come up with a real world application. Engineering is about problem solving.
Computer lab for ES130. Students learn to make 3-D images on the computer. These realistic images are called Virtual Reality. The students must learn to work in teams, for engineers rarely work alone. The students take the Myers-Briggs test to understand their personality type and their style of working in a team. In the course, we use those results to teach students how to choose the most effective groups. You can look at the course on the Web - there is no textbook for this class.
SK: What advice would you give to students in high school about careers?
Chris: First, if you are having difficulty with any courses in high school or college courses such as calculus, seek out support such as the academic programs we offer.
When you get a job, the most important thing is to have joy in your work! Work is all about job satisfaction. When you are considering taking a job, ask very specific questions. Get into the trenches and see what goes on everyday.
Also, be sure to work for a company that is willing to develop you. Don’t work for a company that forbids you to go on interviews. You must keep yourself competitive. Here, I go on about 3 interviews each year.
SK: What else would you advise?
Chris: Stay up with new technology. It is up to you to keep up with what is going on. You have got to keep learning. I am a prime example: you never know what kind of opportunities will be presented to you if you stay in a constant state of learning. Your values of honesty, loyalty, learning, and dedication are the key to job success. Have good people skills. Make the best of bad situations. Be positive. Attitude is contagious.
Chris in his office.
Chris in front of the Engineering Building.
Engineering can be a pretty intimidating field of study. It requires a lot of hard work and resolve. Only the best become successful. However, the work is amazingly rewarding because engineers exist for the sole purpose of improving the quality of life for society at large. It is one of the most diverse fields of study available where careers including medicine, law, technology, and business are easily attainable. If you are interested in finding out more about engineering and some options, please click here to view a PowerPoint presentation.Would you like to e-mail Chris Rowe about careers in engineering, student services in higher education, or how to prepare for a career that does not yet exist? Send a message to him at chris.rowe@vanderbilt.edu
