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University Daily Kansan Thursday. November 2,1961
THURSDAY·FRIDAY·SATURDAY·NOVEMBER 2.3.4 Gala
SYSTEMS ENGINEER
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If you are of above-average intelligence and have an analytical mind . . consider IBM Data Processing Systems Engineering. As modern as the missile age, as up-to-date as tomorrow, IBM Systems Engineering is a new kind of business career with an unlimited future.
What does an IBM Systems Engineer do?
How are you trained?
What qualifications do you need?
What kind of people does Systems Engineering attract?
Your college specialization is the foundation on which IBM will build your knowledge of the company's data processing products and applications. IBM's Systems Engineering training program is a combination of formal classes and practical field experience. You will receive an excellent salary while learning, and will undergo approximately eighteen months of formal and on-the-job training in programming and the use of IBM equipment.
A Systems Engineer's activities can best be described as surveying, analyzing and defining the data processing problems of IBM's customers, and integrating machines, people and procedures into working systems that solve these problems.
You must possess an analytical mind capable of performing disciplined thinking at a high level. In this regard, courses in engineering, the physical sciences, mathematics and philosophy are a valuable background. In addition, knowledge of business administration and economies are strong factors in the development of competent IBM Systems Engineers. But above all, IBM needs keen minds who, while diligent with details, are capable of the abstract thinking required to produce definitive solutions to complex problems.
To answer this question, and at the same time to further acquaint you with Systems Engineering, let's trace the careers of two talented young IBMers who are engaged in this stimulating new profession.
Meet William T. (Tom) Eley of Richmond, Va. A graduate of the College of William and Mary, Tom was awarded a B.A. in Physics. He joined the IBM organization in 1957 and has just completed the curriculum of specialized training offered by the IBM Systems Research Institute in New York City.
Tom began his IBM career in Washington, D.C., where he received instruction in the basic operating principles of IBM equipment. Upon completion of the preliminary training program, he was assigned to the Washington sales office where he acquired considerable practical experience working with Senior Systems Engineers on the solution of customers' data processing problems.
He was later transferred to the IBM office in Richmond, Va, where he received additional training in IBM data processing methods and equipment. After completing these advanced courses, he helped with the installation of RAMAC® 650 and 305 data processing systems which had been ordered by two important IBM users in the Richmond area.
Tom has found his scientific background to be extremely helpful in Systems Engineering work. At the Richmond office, for example, he was responsible for assisting customers engaged in scientific work to develop the full potential of their IBM data processing installations. In addition to working on the 650 and 305 installations, Tom also conducted scientific seminars and programming and machine operations classes for IBM's customers.
Tom's outstanding work singled him out for admission to the IBM Systems Research Institute, the company's new graduate level educational facility which has been created for the advanced study of the application of data processing systems to the solution of business and scientific problems.
Now let's meet George Knebel of Scarsdale, N. Y. A graduate of Princeton University where he was awarded a B.A. in Economics, George also holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He joined IBM three years ago and is currently assigned to an IBM office in busy mid-Manhattan.
George's first weeks with the company were spent at the IBM Education Center in New York City where he learned the basic operating principles of IBM equipment. After completing introductory training, he was assigned to a sales office in New York where he worked with other Systems Engineers in a variety of situations. Further study in methods of using IBM equipment to handle accounting and record-keeping problems and advanced courses in the IBM 700-series computing systems concluded George's preparatory training.
His first field assignment was to coordinate the installation of an IBM 702 system at a nationally-known trading stamp firm which was converting from an IBM 650 to the more powerful 702. After completing the conversion, he underwent training in the IBM 7070, an intermediate data processing system incorporating solid-state circuits, and was assigned to prepare for the installation of a 7070 at the New York headquarters of a prominent retail chain. Upon completion of this assignment, George was selected to help develop a total systems concept for a prominent brokerage firm. He is still occupied with this assignment, working in a team which includes Systems Engineers with individual specialties appropriate to the project.
The Systems Engineer's potential for advancement within the IBM company is almost limitless. Qualified systems personnel can advance into such specialized positions as Advisory Systems Engineer or Senior Systems Engineer. In addition to those professional specialties, other Systems Engineers can move into administrative and managerial capacities at headquarters or in the branch and regional offices. Additionally, many opportunities exist in other IBM divisions for men with a Systems Engineering background. The importance of the systems area of IBM's business is underscored by the ever-increasing demand for qualified systems people. The new IBM Systems Research Institute further attests to this need. The data processing industry is one of the fastest growing fields in the U.S. today and has yet to approach its full potential. American industry is relying more and more on data processing equipment to handle its paperwork load. IBM itself is constantly growing. These growth factors alone add up to real opportunities for advancement.
What lies ahead for Tom and George?
As you can see from the dissimilarity of these men's backgrounds, Systems Engineering attracts those talented people who can respond to challenging situations in a creative manner. Although Tom and George have different educational backgrounds, the combination of their personal attributes and individual specialties provided a firm foundation for their IBM Systems Engineering careers.
George credits his strong background in business and economics with being invaluable to him in the pursuit of his Systems Engineering career. Working primarily with business firms, he has found a thorough knowledge of business principles essential to the development of practicable system concepts.
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