Going into this class, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. When making the course selection, I read the short description that course explorer had on its website and thought it seemed to be a fun change in pace from my traditional accounting classes. Although very different from my initial expectations, this class introduced me to many new concepts and gave me the chance to explore a completely new field. For example, prior to the class, I had never got the chance to look into 3D printing, circuits, coding, or even visit the new Siebel Center.
Within the first few weeks of this course, we got the chance to explore Fusion 360 and its ability to help us create things in a 3D space. I really enjoyed this section of the course as I am someone who loves art and drawing. I saw this space as another canvas but with the potential to become a tangible object. When signing up for the course, I really just wanted to explore my interest in 3D printing. However, this course taught me that there is so much more you can do with 3D printing than a creative outlet. I learned that many use 3D printing as a great way for rapid prototyping. Additionally, I found it really cool that our society is currently looking into 3D printing food and medical instruments. I realized how versatile this knowledge can be.
Moving forward, we began our first coding project – the light-sensitive LED. That was the first time I even touched a breadboard and an Arduino UNO. There was definitely a learning curve during this section of the course but seeing the LED light-up or fade when you expose/eliminate a light source was super exciting to me.
This then brings us to the last 10 weeks of the course where we got split up into our project groups to work on our final project. Our team, IllinMakers, decided to create a people counting device to help MTD gain a better understanding of how many people take certain routes to better optimize MTD bus routes. Similar to the light-sensitive LED, this project definitely came with a learning curve as our project is very code-heavy. This was my first time working with different programming languages, such as C++, JavaScript, and HTML, and various hardwares such as Arduino UNO and Photon Particle. Despite these challenges, I came out of this class expanding my skillsets into territories I never thought I would get the opportunity to experience and I found this class to be a very good learning experience. I also got to work with amazing teammates that have supported me throughout this course.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about this course is the guest speakers we had. One that really stood out to me was the one on Ideation Process. During that presentation, we got to learn about good surveying tips, how to ask the right questions, different frameworks, and how to effectively brainstorm. I found this very interesting as this is something that I also got to learn about in my internship. This connection made this knowledge very real and is definitely something I will take forth into my professional career.
Not only did this course help me work on my hard skills, but it also provided me an opportunity to expand upon my soft skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. I believe these are all skills that I can apply to any “real world” work setting. In addition to the soft skills, I think this was a great opportunity to explore a completely different major. I am an Accounting and IS major. From the moment I entered college, I was very set on my path to enter the business world through accounting. Although I am very grateful for these four years as it has helped me gain a good grasp on the accounting realm, it left me very little room to explore different options. In the end, I am still glad I stuck with accounting but it has enhanced my respect and admiration for engineers now knowing how difficult it can be.
In my professional career, I plan to enter the internal audit consulting realm. Although this field will most likely not utilize coding or wiring, I believe that the soft skills I got to build upon will help me greatly in my future career path. Furthermore, the resources and projects in this class are something very unique to BADM 357 within the Gies College of Business. If I were to enter the recruiting process, I think this experience would provide a great story to tell.
If I got the opportunity to do this course again, one mistake that I would avoid is not taking advantage of the time provided. When I first started the project, I thought I had an ample amount of time to finish everything. However, I failed to realize that these hands-on projects are very different from the cases I am used to in my other classes and things sometimes do not go the way you want them to. For example, I thought printing the box was gonna take one week max. However, we ran into a lot of issues such as failed 3D prints, open times for shops were different from what was posted online or they didn’t align with our schedule, etc. Therefore, moving forward, I would like to adopt the mindset of completing everything early – no matter how much time you think you have, unforeseen circumstances can happen and by completing things ahead of time I will still be able to the deadline.
— Christine Xu
