For students in Georgia Tech’s H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE), Senior Design is a chance to put years of classroom learning to work on a real problem for a real organization.

But some of its most valuable lessons extend well beyond the technical solution.

Four ISyE alumni recently returned to campus for a panel discussion with current undergraduates to reflect on their own Senior Design experiences and share advice about what students can expect after graduation. Their conversation included topics such as building confidence, working with different personalities, communicating with colleagues, taking risks, navigating career changes, and learning when the “perfect” answer is not necessarily the most useful one.

The panel featured Alexia Borden (BSIE 2001), chief administrative officer at Brasfield & Gorrie; Abigail Chambless (BSIE 2021, MSIE 2023), senior analyst at The Home Depot; Seth Lytle (BSIE 2003), founder and chief executive officer of VinoBarrel; and Brandon Melton (BSIE 2004, MBA 2018), founder and principal of MVH Advisors.

Each had once been in the students’ position. Borden worked on improving efficiency in a manufacturing facility, Chambless developed natural-disaster forecasts for Cox Communications, Lytle worked with SweetWater Brewing Company, and Melton completed his project with Delta Air Lines.

Those experiences reflected the purpose of Senior Design, ISyE’s capstone course for fourth-year students, who work in teams to tackle real-world problems for industry partners. Beyond technical ability, students must manage deadlines, communicate with clients, work through differing perspectives and deliver recommendations with real consequences for an organization.

Learning to Work with People 

When asked what students should prioritize during their first several years in the workforce, Chambless pointed to emotional intelligence and people skills. Technical knowledge may help someone solve a problem, but success also requires knowing how to communicate with colleagues and become part of an organization.

Lytle encouraged students to take risks and build confidence, pairing that confidence with humility. 

Graduating from a highly ranked program may open doors, but professional success still depends on the ability to listen, collaborate, and work effectively with others, he said. 

Borden reflected on the confidence that comes from making it through Georgia Tech. Students have already learned how to tackle difficult problems and keep going when an answer is not immediately apparent, habits that carry directly into the workplace. 

Melton drew an especially direct connection to Senior Design. The experience forces students to interact with people in a professional environment and confront situations in which they may not immediately know what to do.

His advice was simple: Don't panic. Learn, ask questions, and figure it out.

Knowing when Good is Good Enough

The alumni also challenged students to reconsider some of the assumptions they might carry into their first jobs.

For Chambless, one important lesson was learning how the expectations of the workplace might differ from those in the classroom. 

An academic environment often rewards showing every step that leads to an answer. Business can work differently. An 80% solution, Chambless told students, can sometimes be more valuable than waiting for perfection. The ability to iterate and improve matters.

Lytle encouraged students to remember the people affected by their analytical work. Industrial engineers are constantly optimizing systems, but changes to those systems can also change people’s jobs and daily lives. Approaching change with empathy, and looking at the entire system rather than simply the process or financial outcome, can lead to better decisions.

Melton encouraged students to trust their abilities, explore opportunities and remain open to career paths that may initially feel less certain. Borden emphasized the importance of in-person relationships early in a career, particularly for building trust, communication and teamwork.

Finding a "Superpower"

One student question shifted the conversation from succeeding at a job to figuring out what makes someone particularly good at it: How do you find your superpower?

The alumni returned to curiosity, relationships and experience. Chambless pointed to the intersection of relationships and problem-solving, while Lytle encouraged students to stay curious and learn who they are within a team.

Borden encouraged students to recognize what gives them energy and when they naturally connect with and help others. Melton urged students to leave their comfort zones, noting that conversations and relationships helped him develop strengths he might not otherwise have discovered.

The discussion ultimately brought students back to the larger lesson behind Senior Design.

A strong analytical foundation matters. But solving consequential problems also requires judgment, curiosity, empathy, communication, adaptability, and the confidence to move forward without having every answer.