XLIX

Engineering Design Firm

9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28223

Transmittal
Date:

Section: 1201 013

To:Chris McDaniel
Lexey Carswell
From: Mariana Haddad

Subject: Whole Life Concept Project Final

We are Memorandum Design Package Problem Set

submitting:
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Date Description
Whole Life Concept Project Final

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Description
 Whole Life Project Final Report

Prepared for:
XLIX Engineering Design Firm
9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28223
ENGR 1201-023

Prepared by:
Mariana Haddad
Student of 1201 Introduction to Engineering Practices and Principles I

Data Submitted:
April 14, 2017

I have neither given nor received any unauthorized help on this assignment, nor witnessed
any violation of the UNC Charlotte Code of Academic Integrity.

Mariana Haddad (04/14/2017)

Introduction

Covey says we must begin with the end in mind and in order to do so we must have a
clear picture on where we wish to go and what we want to accomplish. This is no easy
task. It takes determination and self-understanding to achieve what we set out for
ourselves, but we do not need to attain our goals just in one day. The purpose of this
project is to help guide us towards deciding what we wish to do after we have obtained our
degree. This project will not only allow us to discover what we want for our future, but also
understand the real reasons we have behind studying such a prestigious major. Each
individual part of this assignment is meant to break down every reason and goal we could
have about operating as an engineer one step at the time. By dividing this project in parts,
it allows us to pay attention to more detail, because it will demand research.

Throughout my life, I have been interested in numerous things, but it wasnt until now that I
realized that they all have something in common. I enjoy talking to people and solving
problems. I can talk for hours with my peers; I enjoy listening as well as giving advice. I
believe I have developed the ability to say what people want to hear, reason for which I
have achieved most what I set out for myself. But what specific events made me the
person I am today?

The first was being a model UN delegate for my schools delegation. As a delegate I
learned how the world works and I understood that there is something beyond all of us.
Conflicts between countries are no joke and I strongly believe they need to be solved with
our help. It gave me public relation skills and communication skills, a way to understand
world problems, and try to empathize with those who have it worse than I. this was my first
experience with tackling problems that escaped the simple and everyday life problems I
had been solving throughout my life.

A second event that allowed me to find my passion was being a resident camp counselor
at Camp Thunderbird. As a counselor I learned about responsibility and friendship. I am a
loyal and kind person. Taking care of others, a hard task to take on has made me a
stronger more confident woman. For many years I had been a camper and my
responsibilities were very slim, but now, as a counselor, I was responsible for all my little
girls. For anything that they needed I was going to be there. The fact that parents trusted
me, Mariana Haddad, with their child, made me apprehensive. One of the first nights my 8
year old camper started to cry during the night, she wanted to go home. So, I sat outside
with her and we talked it over until she couldnt even remember why she was sad about.

Both of these experiences have shown me what I want to do with my engineering degree.
Even though they are on opposite sides of on a professional spectrum, they both resemble
my love for talking to people, interacting with my peers and solving all sorts of problems.

The key to success in my opinion is communication. So by acknowledging that my passion

is speaking to people I believe I could contribute immensely in any scenario I am placed.
With this mindset, my goals in a three year term after my graduation is to start in Ingersoll
Rand where my father worked for 10 years. I would enjoy following in his footsteps. For my
five year term I want to be working at the same company. It is important to maintain a
respectable and prosperous job within the same company because it shows, discipline and
responsibility, but of course take on more responsibility and continue to go up the latter.
And for my 10 year mark I wish to explore other areas and continue to grow by applying to
other companies. I am not very specific on which company exactly but truthfully I believe
System Engineers are trained to be molded into whatever job they acquire.

I will pursue my passion, but my primary obstacle is myself. I have to trust that I have what
it takes and the preparation needed for new opportunities. Another obstacle might be
people underestimating me because I am a female engineer, and for this reason people
could choose to not give me hard tasks that I am more than capable to handle. I believe I
can do this and accomplish all my goals as an engineer, nothing and nobody will stop me.

In order to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to achieve my three, five and ten year
goals I will need to pass certain technical and non-technical classes. These will prepare
me for my future jobs as proposed for my plans after graduation. The first course that is
important for this process is 1201; it will help me understand if I am truly meant to be in
engineering through all its assignments. Later on more specific course will be provided in
order to continue my preparation like SEGR 2101 which is only for students in my same
major. Skills taught from the first class to the last will stick with me through my professional
career.

I have noticed that not many of the classes required for systems engineering provide
communication skills nor public relations skills and I feel it is very important for me to
continue to grow in these areas. Another key aspect I believe I am lacking but need to get
more familiar with is company knowledge. There are thousands of engineering companies
that have all sorts of missions and work with different resources, but no class to teach
them. If I wanted a job in one of these companies I would have to approach the career
center in order to seek help. I need to get more familiar with this content in order to find a
company that would be a perfect fit for me. As well as acquiring skills like communication
and public relations, and finding the perfect fit in a company I need to improve my Excel
skills. Engineers in general need to use this program a lot, and specially systems
engineers because they are working with data constantly. So, I have decided to join
distinct clubs like toastmasters, for my communication skills, I will attend workshops led by
the career center in order to acquire relevant information, and finally I will sign up for
specially presentations that will facilitate my knowledge in this area.

In my UWRT class we have studied that it is fundamental to begin writing with a purpose
and a reason, because if not at the end we will be lost. This assignment has taught me to
look to the future and not do thing half thought through. It is important to have a plan and
visualize were I want to be in the future. This is the same as a writing process. By
understanding what I seek for my future I will get there quicker and by a more direct path.

Since I was in middle school all my friends wanted to be teachers, doctors, or dancers,
and it is going to sound very farfetched but I always said I was going to be and engineer.
At the beginning it was Industrial like my father, then I saw technical drawing in high school
and decided Civil, but towards the end of my school career it clicked. I started researching
what systems was and my favorite was that I would not have to design nor build anything,
but I would still have the same mathematic and problem solving logic every other engineer
had. I have no doubt that Systems is where I want and need to be. It will take me to where
I aspire to be. It is the perfect combination between math/science and business/public
relations, which is directly linked to my passion.