Looking back and moving forward with Robert Chandler
Robert Chandler is a spring 2026 graduate of ECE's computer engineering program who has recently accepted a position at Garmin as a design engineer. Garmin is a global technology company that combines GPS navigation and wearable technology for fitness, outdoor, aviation, automotive, and marine devices. As Chandler prepares for this next chapter of his professional career, he reflects back on his time at the University of Minnesota and provides some insight to other students on their undergraduate journey.
Academic journey, involvements, and gaining perspective
According to Chandler, he has always been a math-oriented person, and found his love for digital electronics during a class he took in high school. During his freshman year of college, he found a balance between his fondness for computer science and growing interest in electrical engineering in computer engineering. Since then, his coursework has played a large role in discerning his engineering interests. He recalls his junior design project, where students had to find novel ways to achieve the same objective. “For junior design, we designed a weight scale. I designed a custom printed circuit board that incorporated a microcontroller, voltage regulators, and sensors while displaying the weight. That was my first circuit board ever, and after completing that, I was like, yeah, that’s what I want to do”, Chandler shares. His interest in circuits led him to an internship at Zebra Technologies during the summer between his junior and senior year, where he worked on the printer team, making another custom circuit board as a part of his internship project.
In contrast to junior design, senior design involves completely new projects. Chandler and five of his classmates created a heart rate variability (HRV) and respiratory analysis device, and he credits the experience for learning how to build self-trust and collaborative trust in a professional environment. “We were starting from nothing and had to build our way up into this product where honestly, we didn’t know what the final product would look like on day one. It was more hands off, more real world”.
Chandler attributes much of his journey learning transferable career skills to his involvements outside of coursework. His time in a social fraternity has provided opportunities to connect with others outside of STEM and build soft skills like communication and leadership. “I think it prepared me for interviews and having conversations,” he explains. He has also found a lot of fulfillment as a teaching assistant. The position gave him the opportunity to practice explaining ideas thoroughly and thoughtfully. Alongside the skills he learned, Chandler feels that being a teaching assistant “gave me the opportunity to spread my passion and love for circuits and help others get to the level that I’m at currently.” He reflects on the unique experience of being able to mentor and share his experiences with students only a couple of years younger than him, noting that “I was in their shoes just a year ago, or two years ago. It really provides perspective".
Connecting with Garmin, future goals, and final reflections
When it comes to Garmin, Chandler says it all started with his love of sports. “I’ve always been interested in fitness. It’s always been a part of my life”, he shares, recounting his experiences playing hockey growing up and his current involvements in lifting and running. Chandler acquired a Garmin smartwatch last year, and as an avid athlete, says he wears it constantly. A big fan of the company’s products, he talked to Garmin at the CSE career fair last fall, hoping to apply for a position. His second round of applications that winter break got him multiple interviews, and eventually, the position of circuit design engineer. He is excited to be engaging in work that he is passionate about, and to work with likeminded people. “I'm excited for the work, but also excited for meeting new people and connecting with other people, growing my technical skills, expanding my network”, Chandler says. During his interview at Garmin, he discovered that many of the managers at Garmin started out as an entry-level engineer like himself. While he wants to gain some experience in the industry before committing to a specific career path, he shares that he can see himself advancing professionally within Garmin as a manager or technical lead.
"Take all the opportunities you can get."
Chandler's advice to students especially those at the beginning of their undergraduate collegiate career, is to “take all the opportunities that you can get”. He believes that college is a time to learn from as many opportunities one can take, from academics to social life— to “be a sponge”. He notes that if you can identify your passions earlier on, you’ll have more confidence later while pursuing the field of interest. In hindsight, Chandler himself shares that if he could “go back”, he would want to get more involved in academic clubs that focus specifically on his technological and career interests. And yet, he recognizes that he is the person he is today because of the decisions he made, and he is thankful for his journey of discernment around his own career trajectory and academic interests. At the end of the day, Chandler emphasizes that for any college student, they ultimately make their own college experience. “There’s a lot of different opportunities here at [the University of] Minnesota that people can take advantage of, and you can go on so many different paths. You’re not fixed to anything when you come here. You can make the most of it”.