National Engineers Week: Safran engineers share their career perspectives

In recognition of National Engineers Week 2024, several U.S.-based Safran engineers provide perspectives on their engineering careers through a series of questions and answers.

 

Name:  Tyler Meador
Job title:  Production Engineer 
Degree:  Materials Engineering
Safran business: Safran Cabin

• What is your favorite thing about being an engineer?

Engineering is a constant stream of solving problems. There is a large variety of solutions that make it interesting.

• How do you tackle challenging projects?

I find the best way to tackle challenging projects is to break them down into smaller and more manageable tasks.

• What is the biggest lesson you have learned during your engineering career?

Probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned in Engineering is that it is okay to not know the answer to every question. It is more important to be able to figure out the answer by working through the problem.

 

Name:  Emma Brown
Job title:  Systems Engineer
Degree:  B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, B.S. in Aerospace Engineering
Safran business: Optics 1

• What is your favorite thing about being an engineer?

I love figuring out how different systems work! The moment when everything in my brain clicks into place and makes sense is the best feeling.

• What are the top three skills that are needed for a successful career in engineering?

1. Perseverance - Engineering is all about solving problems that don't currently have solutions and sometimes those problems take a long time to figure out. You need the drive to really drill down and find the answers.

2. Multitasking - I have never met an engineer who wasn't working on at least three things at once. Being able to balance different tasks daily is a key skill to be an effective engineer.

3. Communication - Having the ability to concisely explain issues, processes, and solutions is paramount to engineering.

• What is the biggest lesson you have learned during your engineering career?

Admitting you don't know everything and being open-minded is really important. Just because someone works through a problem differently than you do doesn't mean their input is invalid. Collecting all points of data and perspectives improves the outcome of whatever problem you are trying to solve.

 

Name: Jonah Hermes
Job title: Design Engineer
Degree:  M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Safran business: Safran Landing Systems

• What is your favorite thing about being an engineer?

My favorite thing about being an engineer is solving problems. I see engineers as problem solvers, and a big part of my motivation to become an engineer was to positively impact people by facing the issues that affect them. My sentiment is shared with many of the engineers I have worked with or been taught by. At Safran, all the engineers I have interacted with have shown passion for their work and they are equally motivated to solve problems. Specifically at Safran Landing Systems, I know our work is a significant contributor to flight safety and I think it is rewarding to help ensure people land safely.  

• How do you tackle challenging projects?

When faced with a challenging project, I turn toward processes that help guide and organize my efforts. Engineering is built on experience, and over time, processes are developed to turn seemingly impossible tasks into a series of small, achievable steps. I am developing my engineering experience, so I rely on processes to tackle projects. Even when there are not processes put in place to address a specific issue, my engineering education prepared me to break a problem down and look for help from my team where necessary. At Safran Landing Systems, everyone has welcomed my questions and answered while checking that I truly understand the response. 

• How important is teamwork in engineering?

Teamwork is crucial for successful engineering. Teamwork is challenging and it requires mutual respect and effective communication from everyone involved. As a new engineer at Safran, I need to rely on the help, advice, and feedback of other engineers. Typically, any engineering problem is multi-faceted and therefore requires input from multiple people to gather enough information to draw a conclusion.