Standing on the upper deck of Reed Arena during this year’s Student Engineers’ Council (SEC) Career Fair, Andrew West looked down at the thousands of students below — each hoping to make a good impression on an industry representative. As SEC president, this event was the culmination of months of work.
A senior petroleum engineering student at Texas A&M University, West understands the importance of networking and making a good impression. Job offers are slightly down for petroleum graduates, he said, but that hasn’t deterred him.
“Regardless of what degree you get here at the [Dwight] Look College, problem-solving is really what you’re learning to do,” he said. “Starting off with less than what you think you need to solve a problem, and understanding that you have to make assumptions and think outside of the box to solve an issue.”
West said it doesn’t matter if a student chooses petroleum engineering or mechanical engineering, or any other engineering field — companies are always interested in hiring engineers.
“Knowing those problem-solving skills, I think, will help with anything in life,” he said.
West has been a problem solver since long before he ever applied to college and declared his major. As a small boy growing up in San Antonio, he used to take apart the toys he would receive with his kid’s meal and then reassemble them to create something new. That’s when his parents realized their son would likely become an engineer one day.
“Knowing exactly what I wanted to do in engineering was a little further off,” he said. “Once I started to apply to schools, I started to think petroleum engineering would be a good option. Texas A&M petroleum engineering is world-renowned, so that kind of solidified my decision to come to A&M.”
West’s father studied geology in college, and though he eventually chose a different career path, geology was always something that interested him. He passed that interest on to his sons.
“He took myself and my brother on field trips that he used to go on,” he said. “And when you mix geology and engineering, you get petroleum engineering.”
During his freshmen year, West said he primarily focused on his grades, choosing not to become involved in student organizations. That changed at the beginning of his sophomore year when he attended a welcome social the SEC holds before the career fair each year.
“Getting involved with the Student Engineers’ Council was probably the best decision I made,” he said, adding that in the beginning he never anticipated becoming president.
“I’ve just been surrounded by really good people that have encouraged me to be where I am,” he said. “Being in this position, one of the most interesting parts is getting to present at department head meetings.”
These experiences, along with career fairs and other events provide SEC members the opportunity to network and gain confidence, he said.
As president, West has also gained an appreciation for working in management and seeing all the pieces of the puzzle come together. As a result, his future career goals have changed.
“When I was a freshman, I just wanted to graduate and be an engineer,” he said. “But being in SEC and being on the management side and seeing finances and all the ins and outs, and the overall view of what’s going on — ideally, I would like to be an engineer and then go into some sort of management roll.”
West said he understands that will mean taking on more responsibility.
“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that taking on more responsibility can seem more nerve-wracking at times, but you find that once you take it, you’re better because of it,” he said.
West hopes to follow the lead of many SEC presidents before him who have become very successful engineers after walking across the stage at Texas A&M. He is set to graduate in May.
The Student Engineers’ Council is a student-run organization that is the representative body for all students in the Dwight Look College of Engineering. For more information on the organization visit the SEC website.