Meet our alumni - Ryan Ricard

What made you choose the MSSE program?

A colleague who completed the program a couple years ahead of me sold me on the program. Her conviction for the coursework, the quality of instruction, and the cohort model, made pursuing the MSSE program a no brainer for me.

How have you benefited from being a student in the MSSE program?

I wouldn't be where I am today without MSSE. The program fostered the growth I required to progress my career. It's absolutely true that you get out of graduate school what you put into it, and I gave it my all. The MSSE program accelerated my growth as a software engineer; it helped me build the confidence I needed to overcome the imposter syndrome that hindered me early in my career and it connected me with a plethora of brilliant engineers in academia and in industry.

What things stand out as valuable learning?

MSSE was an opportunity to step back from my narrow view of the software world to study the entire end-to-end practice of software engineering. Prior to MSSE, I had over seven years of heads down coding experience but did not yet understand the complete effort involved to orchestrate the creation of world class software systems, from inception to completion. Thanks to MSSE, I am now confident that I can lead nearly any software engineering challenge to a successful outcome.

What are your thoughts on the cohort model of learning?

The MSSE cohort model is awesome! Combining the program's accomplished instructors with the professional insights of my classmates greatly enhanced the overall learning experience. To this day, much of my cohort is still connected. I've also enjoyed building comradery with other MSSE cohorts, which has introduced me to some really great people across the industry. 

What is your job title?

Director of Technology, Data Science Platform Engineering, Target Corporation

How has the program impacted your career?

There isn't a work day that I don't employ some aspect of my learnings from MSSE. The program instills a rigorous engineering mindset that is absolutely necessary to lead in today's technology industry. It has been my experience that this mindset is what separates the engineers in our industry from the developers. If you have the ambition to grow your career, MSSE is a pivotal step toward getting to where you want to be.