On May 10, 2016, I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Doctorate of Philosophy in Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering.  It was not an easy task, but it was a necessary step to achieve my goal of becoming a professor so I pushed through.  Along the way, I identified a few key things that contributed to my success at Illinois:

1. Advisor(s) have a huge impact on your progress
2. Project and time management skills are important
3. Stay focused on the end goal
4. Find sometime time for yourself

While I was at Illinois, there were a few specific experiences that I think contributed to my success and landing my tenure-track faculty position:

1. College teaching course and completing teaching certificates
2. Networking at conferences
3. Writing a grant
4. Teaching a laboratory and making improvements to the laboratory experience

Related links:

• Story on ISE Website
• Complete tips and tricks paper about getting through graduate school