Rensselaer Notables - Elizabeth Jordan

Elizabeth Jordan
Quality Engineer
Pratt & Whitney
(a United Technologies Company)
Current Rensselaer Student in the Accelerated M.S. in Management Cohort

After graduating from the University of Connecticut (UConn) with my B.S. in Materials Engineering, I took time to travel before joining Pratt & Whitney in June 2006. Although I was not sure exactly what was to come, I knew I was ready for a different challenge. As a member of the Quality Engineering Development (QED) Program, I joined Pratt & Whitney with a class of new graduates. As part of the program, my new classmates and I spent a great deal of time together training and learning the basics of print reading, jet engines, and Pratt & Whitney policies. This training time was a perfect transition between the learning journey I had completed at UConn and the learning journey I was about to begin as a Quality Engineer at Pratt & Whitney. I knew I would learn on the job but I was still not sure if I wanted to continue my education off the job. Although I knew Pratt & Whitney had a great employee scholar program, I didn’t know if I would use it. I did not want to begin a master’s program until I knew what I wanted to study and how I could use my new knowledge at Pratt & Whitney.

During my first six-month rotation in the Combustors, Augmenters, and Nozzles Module Center (CANMC), I watched many of my Manufacturing Engineering Development Program (MED)/QED classmates go through courses at Rensselaer together. I subsequently interviewed them to find out if this was something I wanted to do. After some investigation I decided to do the same, and I joined the Education for Working Professionals (EWP) program in spring of 2007 to pursue my M.S. in Management. I chose Management after some meditation on my likes and dislikes. I found I enjoyed working with people and that I had an interest in management’s control over how people carried out their everyday activities, so a master’s degree in m anagement seemed to be the best fit for me.

Since joining Rensselaer I have developed a great appreciation for the school and my program. My professors have been wonderful and I have been impressed by their incorporation of real world experience into the class. At this point, I am certain that the skills I have learned will help me no matter what job I take.

In 3 months I will be graduating from the QED Program and from Rensselaer with my M.S. in Management. This will be a milestone for me as it will mark the end of my first position at Pratt & Whitney and the end of my first master’s degree at Rensselaer. I plan to continue at Rensselaer in the fall to further my education and pursue an MBA.