TMP Student Spotlight: Matt Turner

TMP Student Spotlight: Matt Turner

Matt Turner is graduating from UCSB's College of Engineering with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, along with a certificate in Technology Management.

He is from Danville, California and is a triplet! He is in various student organizations, including Alpha Tau Omega and Engineers without Borders. He enjoys snowboarding, backpacking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Your Learning Experiences in TMP

How did you hear about TMP and why did you decide to join the program? I heard about TMP through some older friends at UCSB who were completing the certificate program when I was a Junior. They talked highly of the program in terms of the coursework, faculty, and knowledge they were gaining from their classes. I had always been interested in project management for technology-based companies, so I was excited to see what the program had to offer.

Did you have any key mentors or people who deeply influenced you while you were in TMP? All of the faculty I have met within TMP are extremely intelligent and radiate positive energy. In particular, my first ever TMP course, TMP 122 Entrepreneurship, was taught by Professor Trip Hawkins. I was lucky enough to form a personal learning relationship with Professor Hawkins right off the bat. I was deeply influenced during the entirety of the class due to Professor Hawkins' teaching style and his ability to efficiently present information to the class. He would always relate an entrepreneurship principle with a personal story he had experienced through one of the multiple startups he had founded. Not only did this make his teaching style more engaging, but I was influenced by his real-life stories to consider taking some of the product and service ideas I had and turning them into a business.

What were the benefits of a program like Technology Management on campus to you, which is a combination of business and management education, and entrepreneurship? The benefits of having the Technology Management Program on campus have been plentiful. While pursuing my undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, I took TMP courses on business strategies, management skills, and entrepreneurship principles that broadened and opened my mind to the field known as technology management. UCSB students are very lucky to have the accessibility to such a robust and differentiating program.

Your advice to students/parents about UCSB’s TMP

What advice would you give to students about UCSB’s Technology Management certificate program? A piece of advice I would give to students about UCSB’s TMP certificate program would be to go for it. If you are interested in business strategy, entrepreneurship, or marketing and sales, the program offers courses that focused in these areas. The program offers practical business and management knowledge through hands-on learning experiences that a student should have no matter what their educational background is. While in the TMP class, take advantage of the renowned and extremely intelligent faculty. Engage with them on a personal level and you will come away from the experience ever so grateful.

How would you explain to students and parents what you can do with a Technology Management Certificate? The Technology Management Certificate can help lift you above your peers because the subject matter of the courses needed to fulfill the certificate requirements greatly broadens a student’s knowledge base by introducing him or her to topics that not many technical students are exposed to these days. I think the certificate holds a lot of value when it comes to getting your next job or pursuing graduate school as the knowledge gained through the extensive coursework of the program is extremely applicable in technology-based businesses today.

Your Goals after UCSB and TMP

Where are you going after graduation and what are your plans? (e.g. job, grad school, etc.) I look forward to returning to UCSB in the fall for my fifth year to pursue the nine months Masters of Technology Management degree. Completing the undergraduate TMP certificate program helped fuel my desire to ultimately pursue an MTM degree.

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far at UCSB and TMP? My biggest accomplishment so far at UCSB within the TMP program has been receiving my letter of acceptance to the Master of Technology Management degree program. I have also been grateful for many accomplishments within the TMP program such as earning my certificate, making personal connections and forming relationships with the distinguished faculty, and identifying the career path I look to pursue in the future.

What do you see yourself doing in the next 5-10 years? After completing my Master’s degree in technology management next year, I look forward to taking some time to travel to South America as well as obtaining my private pilot’s license. After some fun traveling, I’m hoping my passion in the environment and engineering fields will lead me to a job as a product or project manager at a renewable energy company.

Photos courtesy of Matt Turner.