A New Course on Professional Life Management
For Engineering Specialists:
Subjects Taught, Rationales Behind, and Lessons Learned
Veljko Milutinovic + Stasa Vujicic Stankovic,
University of Belgrade, Serbia
Abstract
This paper describes the essence of a course for senior level undergraduate students and
master students of engineering and analyses its effects. The course prepares students for their
professional life after graduation and includes the following subjects: (a) writing proposals for
industrial R&D, (b) preparing the GMAT/GRE analytical exam, (c) writing business plans for
investors, (d) understanding the essence of MBA, (e) evaluating business plans of others and
learning how to become an investor, (f) writing papers for SCI journals. Each subject matter is
covered by a homework assignment to help deepen the practical knowledge of the subject
matter covered. The analysis part concentrates on the following issues: (a) how different
majors react to the subject matters, (b) how efficiently the initial knowledge gaps get bridged,
and (c) how the experience of the teacher helps.
Content
1. Introduction
2. Part 1: Learn how to write proposals for industrial R&D
3. Part 2: Learn how to prepare the GMAT/GRE analytical exam
4. Part 3: Learn how to write business plans for investors
5. Part 4: Learn how to understand the essence of MBA
6. Part 5: Learn how to evaluate business plans of others and how to become an investor
7. Part 6: Learn how to write papers for SCI journals
8. Analysis
9. Conclusion
10. References
1. Introduction
The general structure of the course under consideration is depicted in Figure 1. For
similar courses, see [Patterson2001] and [Burnett2011]. For a discussion of issues relevant for
this paper, see [Milutinovic2008].
The course covers six different topics and each topic is accompanied by a specialized
homework assignment. Figure 1 shows a number of possible routes that a student can take
after graduation on the master level. The basic assumption here is that the master diploma will
be obtained at the age of 20++, and that a question is what happens next.
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Figure 1. Professional paths supported by the course under consideration. Explanation: One can take all paths
indicated by solid arrows (those with dotted arrows are less likely to be taken); activities defined by boxes are
most likely taken at the indicated age.
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2. Part 1: Learn how to write proposals for industrial R&D
In this course we advise students that in principle one can take two different paths at
the time immediately after graduation: One is to join industry and the other one is to go for a
PHD.
If one joins industry, then if one shows/demonstrates that one is good at what he or she
is hired for, then one gets a certain level of respect in the company. But, if he/she
demonstrates that he/she also knows how to bring research and development funds from
sponsor agencies in Brussels/Washington D.C., then the level of respect he/she gets in the
company is much higher.
Consequently, the first part of the course teaches students how to prepare proposals for
industrial R&D, according to [FP72011], and the homework assignment is to prepare a
specific proposal on a topic selected by the student, on the top of an idea generated by the
student.
It is clear, at this point in time, the ideas generated by students will not be the ones that
could change the world. Most of them will be mediocre or even naive, but what is the most
important is that the students master the logistics and the formalisms behind the proposal
preparation. The basic assumption is: Four to ten years after graduation, the students will be
experienced professionals and will have great ideas, and what is the most important, they will
not be afraid of the formalism involved in preparation of complex proposals. Therefore, when
grading this homework, the stress is on the proper treatment of all formal requirements, and
not on the quality of the ideas behind.
3. Part 2: Learn how to prepare for the GMAT/GRE analytical exam
The other avenue that one can take after graduation implies that he/she goes for PHD
to one of the universities in EU or US.
We consulted the Shanghai Top 500 List of the Best Universities (see [ARWU2011])
and we have noticed that, out of the top 20, 17 are located in the US, only 2 in EU, and only 1
in Japan.
Consequently, the stress in teaching, when it comes to the second educational topic, is
how to pass entrance exam for the best universities in the US. Basic premises of GRE/GMAT
exams are taught, the most critical element of these exams (analytical) is elaborated in full
details and a related homework assignment is presented.
The homework assignment is to take the GRE/GMAT analytical and to submit it for
grading to the TA. The details about the GRE/GMAT can be found in [GRE/GMAT2011].
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4. Part 3: Learn how to write business plans for investors
No matter which avenue one takes, the assumption is, sooner or later, the young
professional will arrive at the age of about 40, and then he/she will be faced with a decision
problem: He/she will notice that some much younger professionals are joining their
company/workplace and these young people will be much more skillful when it comes to the
nuts and bolts of the new technologies. So, one has to think how and where to “escape” from
the newcomers. Students are told, the best place to “escape” is to the one of the management
positions in the company or the research lab where they are, or elsewhere. If that is the
decision, then there are two choices: (a) one is to start a new company and (b) the other one is
to try to climb successfully the hierarchy of a large company.
If one decides to take the first path (start-up), then one has to learn how to write a
business plan for investors. Therefore, this educational part includes a concise analysis of the
ways in which one can do a business plan for both, venture capital and business angels. The
Methodology for Business Angels can be found in [Clemson2011].
Among the topics taught in this part of the course, is the SBA methodology (Small
Business Administration [SBA2011]), which was developed at the Harvard University.
The homework assignment is to assume that the proposal in homework number 1
resulted in a successful product and the time has come to start a company around that product,
and to make money out of the research and development invested until that time.
5. Part 4: Learn how to understand the essence of MBA
However, if one takes the other possible avenue, which is to climb the hierarchy of a
large company, it is useful to have a MBA degree accomplished/completed before the age of
40. For the details about MBA, see [MBA2011].
In this part of the course, experiences from one well established MBA program are
shared with the students.
Ten different topics of interest for future professional work of the students are
presented, and the 4th homework assignment is presented before the students: To come up
with a web site that contains all the three specified elements: (a) text, (b), pictures, and (c)
animation.
This homework assignment is graded, but the grade gets assigned only if one
demonstrates that he/she has also created a LinkedIn profile (the assumption is that all
students are fully aware of the LinkedIn benefits, but are “lazy” to open a profile of their own,
so this course is an opportunity to make them do that).
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6. Part 5: Learn how to evaluate business plans of others
and how to become an investor
Further on, the assumption is that, working for their own company or on the
management positions of a large company owned by a third party, they will come to the age
of about 60, and then the question is what to do next.
At the age of about 60, one is extremely experienced, in most cases financially welloff, but tired of hard full-time work, and desires to switch to a kind of job that can be treated
as part-time, while enabling one to pass all his/her accumulated knowledge to younger
generations. If that is a choice, the students are taught what the major avenues that one can
take are: (a) to be an investor trying to enlarge his/her own wealth using appropriate investing
strategies and (b) to be a university professor.
If one decides to take the investor part, then the one has to learn how to evaluate
business plans of others, and how to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones. In this part
of the course, students are taught to understand the methodology for evaluation of business
plans and the homework number 5 is assigned: To evaluate their own business plan in
homework number 3, using the eyes of an enemy or of a tough investor.
Homework related to this part requires team work.
7. Part 6: Learn how to write SCI journal papers
In the educational part number 6, students are taught how to write papers for SCI
journals. They are explained that one cannot become a professor unless one has a PHD, and
the newest trend at universities all around the world is that one cannot get a PHD unless one
publishes at least a 1, or 2, or even 3 SCI papers (the number of required SCI papers depends
on the strength of the university and the realities of each field). For more information, see
[Thomson2009].
Students are explained that two types of SCI papers exist: Survey papers and research
papers. Survey papers are something that can be accomplished through a homework
assignment in a one-semester course, and that is why homework number 1 is to write a survey
papers on a topic selected by the students.
A research paper is not that easy to do, it takes much more time, and that point is not
covered by a homework assignment; only a precise template for writing research papers is
elaborated down to details. Students are given an opportunity in a follow up research-oriented
course, to do a research paper.
If a student gets the highest grade on homework number 6 (survey paper), one cannot
get the points unless one shows a proof that the paper was submitted to a journal which
accepts survey papers.
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8. Analysis
The course was taught for 3 different majors: CE (computer engineering, for the last 4
years), CS (computer science, for the last 3 years), and MI (management informatics, for the
last 2 years). Students of various majors enter the course with various backgrounds, and
consequently, they score differently on homework assignments. Figure 2 gives the
distributions of scores for all three majors, for all 6 different homework assignments. All
relevant explanations are given in the captions of the figures. A more detailed analysis
concludes, as expected, that CE majors did best on the writing of proposals and papers, MI
majors did best on making and evaluating of business plans, while the CS majors did best on
Web/Linkedin and analytical assignments.
A pretest was given to all students at the entry point, and the final test at the exit point.
All three majors scored about the same at the final exam, which means that students at the age
of MSc bridge easily the knowledge gaps. Figure 3 shows the pretest to final test knowledge
improvements for the 3 majors.
Figure 4 summarizes some typical comments of those students who contacted their
professor one or more years after graduation. These comments shed light on the differences
between the professional-life realities and the classroom-time expectations at the time of
studying.
Figure 5 demonstrates that students keep improving from one generation to the other
(probably mostly due to the improvement presentation skills of the professor), and also that it
takes less and less time to cover the material (probably mostly due to the better preknowledge gained at university or around university).
CE
CS
MI
GRADES
0
10
20
30
40
50
2
1
10
60
6
7
60
70
22
72
20
80
58
12
7
90
12
8
3
100
Figure 2. Average distribution of grades of students for three different majors (CE, CS, MI), for homework
assignments 1 to 6. Explanation: Different majors perform differently on values homework assignments, which
can be found on the web site of the course, and is explained by their different initial aspirations at the time of
major selection. Legend: x = Grades of students {1,100}, y = Percentage of students that received the given
grade {0%, 100%}.
6
7
6
KI
5
4
3
2
1
0
CE
CS
MI
M
Figure 3. Distribution of grades for students of three different majors (CE, CS, MI), for the final exam relatively
to the pretest. Legend: KI – knowledge improvement (grade at the first test divided by the grade at the pre-test).
M – majors (CE, CS, or MI). Explanation: The histogram reflects the level of pre-knowledge that various
majors bring into the classroom.
Homework 1
Homework 2
Homework 3
Homework 4
Homework 5
Homework 6
I felt this homework was not useful for me,
since I did not plan to go that way in my life,
but I see that knowledge will be useful to me
to guide my children.
I felt this homework was not useful for me,
but suddenly I was faced with the challenge
and had to write an FP7 proposal for my boss.
I always dreamed to have my own startup
and I knew that this homework will be useful to me,
which it was.
I felt I was not able to sell my products, services, ideas,
but now I know I can.
I knew I will never be an investor,
but I would be asked for idea development money,
so it is useful for me to know
how will my potential investors will evaluate my proposal.
I felt I would never write a scientific paper,
but now I see it is fun.
Figure 4. Typical comments of those who return their impressions after some years in industry or academia.
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Figure 5. Rate at which the average grade was changing over the past 5 years (A) and the number of hours
needed to cover the subject matters (B). Explanation: From generation to generation, grades get better (because
it took the time to the teacher to develop good case studies), while it took less and less time to teach (because
students also learn from media and peers); this left more and more time for in-class student presentations.
Legend: T – Time, GPA – Grade Point Average, H – Hours needed to teach the subject. The dotted line refers to
experimental teaching, prior to inclusion of the course into the official curriculum. In the last four weeks of the
course, students are taught how to be efficient [Lloyd2001], effective [Drucker1996], inventive [Pearl2007], and
creative [Friedman2008]. Initially, these four topics were not taught. After the four topics were added to the
course, the quality of homework assignments went up .
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9. Conclusion
What was achieved?
A course is generated which motivates students to think about their long distance professional
trajectory, and gives them both theoretical and practical knowledge about activities of interest
at various stages of their professional development.
To whom is that of benefit?
This is of benefit not only to students and their teachers, but also to university committees
engaged in planning of their curricula. The subject is of interest not only for engineering
students and educators, but also for those in science.
Newly open problems?
One important problem for future elaboration is how to extend this course beyond one
semester, so their homework assignments can be more mature. The more professional the
homework assignments, the higher the benefit for students.
What is to remember about this course?
To call your professor 10, 20, 30, and 40 years after graduation to share the experiences with
him (if he is still alive), so the course can be made better (for those interested to teach in the
future).
Acknowledgement
This research was conducted through the projects 44006 and 44008 financed by the Serbian
Ministry of Science. The authors are thankful to Marko Misic and Marija Jovic of the
University of Belgrade for their help related to teaching of the subject matter discussed in this
paper. Also, to all those who helped when this course was conducted at the universities in the
USA (Dartmouth, Harvard Club New York, NYU, CUNY Albany), Japan (Tokyo and
Sendai), and Europe (Barcelona, Valencia, Salerno, Siena, Karlskrona, and Shoevde).
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10. References
[ARWU2011] The 2011 Academic Ranking of World Universities, http://www.arwu.org/,
October 2011.
[Burnett2011] Burnett, B., Evans, D.,“Designing Your Life,”
http://www.stanford.edu/class/me104b/cgi-bin/, Stanford, Palo Alto, USA, October 2011.
[Clemson2011] Clemson, “The Clemson Methodology for Business Angels,”
http://www.investorguide.com/, October 2011.
[Drucker1966] Drucker, P. F., “The Effective Executive,” Harper Business, NY, USA, 1966.
[FP72011] The Seventh Framework Programme, “FP7,”
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_en.html, October 2011.
[Friedman2008] Friedman, J., “Why We Need Basic Research,” The IPSI Transaction on
Advanced Research, Vol. 4, No 1, pp. 2-5, ISSN 1820 – 4511, January 2008.
[GRE/GMAT2011] “The GRE and GMAT Tests,” http://www.800score.com/, October 2011.
[Lloyd2001] Lloyd, K. L., Anderson, G. B., “Guide to Selling,” Dorling Kindersley
Publishing, UK, 2001.
[MBA2011] U.S. News, “Education Grad Schools,”http://gradschools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/mbarankings, October 2011.
[Milutinovic2008] Milutinovic, V., Tomazic, S., “How to Ruin the Career of a PhD. Student
in Computer Science and Engineering: Precise Guidelines,” The IPSI BgD Transactions on
Internet Research, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 24-26, ISSN 1820 – 4503, July 2008.
[Patterson2001] Patterson, D., “How to Have a Bad Career in Research/Academia,”
www.cs.berkeley.edu/~pattrsn/talks/BadCareer.pdf, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA,
November 2001.
[Pearl2007] Pearl, M., “Getting Good Ideas in Science and Engineering,” The IPSI
Transactions on Advanced Research, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 3-7, ISSN 1820 – 4511, July 2007.
[SBA2011] The U.S. Small Business Administration, “SBA,” http://www.sba.gov/, October
2011.
[Thomson2009] Thomson Corporation, “Scientific Thomson,” http://scientific.thomson.com,
October 2011.
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