Engineering Degree + MSM = Winning Combination

Alumnus Will Harkins (MSM ’15) speaks with Stacy Owen, Executive Director, Alumni Engagement, about his curiosity, love of learning, and finding answers to things that don’t exist.

Stacy: You are a graduate of Norfolk State University, with a bachelor’s degree, graduate coursework, and research in optical engineering. How would you describe this field of study, and what were your plans after graduation at the time?

Will: I have always been very curious and good at math; my grandmother had a master’s degree in secondary math education and taught me math concepts years before I would encounter them in school. I can’t remember not knowing my multiplication tables!

Dr. Arlene Maclin*, who started the optical engineering program at Norfolk State, came to my high school (Oxon Hill High School) to both increase awareness and recruit students to the program. I was interested in biomimicry and had already decided to pursue engineering, so it was a good fit. This field is about working with light; my freshman year was heavy with math and physics courses before focusing on photovoltaics (i.e., solar panels).  During my senior year I had an idea to build a fiber optic hearing aid and continued with graduate coursework while doing research on this project for the University.

At the conclusion of the research, I intended to pursue a PhD at Virginia Tech but heard about Wake Forest’s MSM program and loved the opportunity to learn about business. The program gave me exposure to different majors and different ways of thinking. Previously, I had been surrounded by those like me. The challenges I had in the program (i.e., financial accounting) prepared me for future challenges in the workplace.

*Dr. Maclin is one of the first African American women to earn a PhD in physics. Her former roles include research at MIT, a program director at the National Science Foundation, and a physicist at the Central Intelligence Agency.

Stacy: After graduating from the MSM program, you spent four years at Deloitte in analytics-related roles – on the cusp of the analytics explosion. Talk about your experience there.

Will: I was interested in consulting – not being a software engineer for a consulting company – but true consulting work. My manager at Deloitte, Kamilah Smith, was an early advocate and talked with me about my career and interests. I had the opportunity to build out my roles. I started with reporting and automation; then clients would ask questions, and the analytics kicked in. I became well-versed in data, which helped me to build products.

Stacy: What can you share about your time at Apple?

Will: Transitioning to Apple was an opportunity to work in Big Tech and see where analytics could take me. Apple is a great space to innovate. I had the full onboarding experience in Cupertino, CA, for eight weeks before the campus closed because of COVID. Even working in a remote environment, the Apple experience permeates the workspace and sparks curiosity.

Stacy: After Apple, you spent time at Tempus Ex, a company that uses AI, machine learning and data science in the sports industry, as a product manager. What kind of work did you do?

Will: When Apple asked staff to return to Cupertino, I had been back on the East Coast for almost two years; for family reasons, I chose not to relocate. Tempus Ex gave me the opportunity to work in football, and I am a huge football fan (shoutout to the New Orleans Saints). I loved combining my personal and professional interests in a R&D capacity and working on novel applications in a live, interactive gaming environment. I am currently enjoying a summer sabbatical and looking forward to announcing my next challenge in the coming weeks.

Stacy: Last month you were a panelist for our new student MSM Orientation. One of the other panelists happened to be a former classmate and recalled your math skills in the program. Having these skills must have made you a valuable team member!

Will: Having strong quant skills afforded me the opportunity to explain things and meet people where they are, which I had not previously experienced. I relished the opportunity to reach out to others [who had strengths different from my own] for help. This made for comprehensive study groups and was a hidden attribute of b-school.

Stacy: You have been engaged since graduating from Wake Forest. What drives your interest in staying connected to the School? 

Will: Pro Humanitate. I give back where Wake Forest has given to me. Wake Forest is full of friendly, helpful people. I want to be a part of this and am willing to advocate for students whenever I can. I’ll take any chance to be an evangelist for the School. I give a wealth of credit to Dr. Boone for his influence on me; he is getting a hug from me the next time I see him!

Stacy: Your career has evolved in the analytics space. How do you stay current with your skills? Are there skills you wish you had? 

Will: I am happy with my skill set because I know the effort that I put into developing it. I’m well-versed in deeper data science principles. Because I’m driven by curiosity and want answers from things that don’t exist, I have many pet projects. As an example, I took up running during COVID and have always listened to a lot of music. I’m interested in tracking how different attributes of music, aside from tempo, impacts pace – there isn’t anything out there that does this. I love learning primarily through reading data science-related message boards and watching YouTube. If you know a lot of little things, you can create something big.