Adam Generale is a PhD student in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. After graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for his undergrad, Adam went to work in the industry for a few years before returning to get his doctorate degree. In industry, Adam manufactured turbine airfoil blades for the hot section turbine which was used for gas power generation. Adam’s experience working in manufacturing was not his favorite. The hours in which he worked were brutal. He was getting calls at 6 p.m. on a Saturday to go in and spend his entire night fixing machinery or programs. Because of this, Adam went aside and thought about going back to graduate school.

Looking back at his career trajectory, Adam had a few regrets. One of which was that he regretted staying in the industry too long. Adam said that his ideal trajectory would have been to attend undergrad, work for two years, then go back to get a doctorate degree. Adam said that he stayed a bit longer in industry because of his parents. His parents questioned why he wanted to go back to school (graduate) when he already had a job. Now after coming to near completion of his Ph.D., Adam says that getting a PhD was not for him.

Adam's Advice:

1. Get into a research group to experience the culture and what is it like to actually work in a research group

2. Look into internships that will open the door for you to get into positions 

3. Take classes that are more toward the Applied Math side because it's more helpful towards a better understanding of what you're working with in Mechanical Engineering

4. Grades matter, but they might matter less if you are able to expand your resume and experience. Adam says “Dont kill yourself going for like near perfection”