Meet Software Engineer Rachel Ruggieri

Happy Engineers Week to all of you current and budding mechanical and software engineers! The theme of this year’s week is “Celebrate Awesome.” So let’s honor some of the awesome engineering brains behind our software and company. Meet computer scientist and software engineer Rachel Ruggieri.



Rachel started working at Siemens PLM Software in July 2007 as part of our Genesis program. The program is part of our ongoing efforts to attract the best and brightest in the industry and develop them into top-notch software consultants. Genesis is an intriguing and intensive 11-week training program geared for recent college graduates to help them quickly develop PLM skills so they can help our customers. Find out more in this interview with Rachel:

Where did you go to school and what did you study?

 “I attended Rochester Institute of Technology and majored in computer science.”

What got you interested in software engineering?

“My mom was one of my mentors. She was an early database programmer before women were generally accepted in that line of work. I had some interest in high school and then hit my stride when I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as a computer programmer. I worked with databases and web-based front ends to those databases.”

Tell us about the Genesis program from your point of view.

“I walked into my first class not knowing what a BOM (bill of material) was. Seriously, I had to ask the colleague sitting next to me ;-). But I quickly discovered that certain software engineering methodologies were analogous to core engineering and PLM concepts. The Genesis program provides a strong foundation of key engineering concepts and what our software provides to our customers.

Teamcenter has a lot of functionality outside of core PDM. Genesis helped me understand all of its capabilities. When you’re working at a customer site, you can be called on to support or discuss any of those capabilities so you need a thorough understanding of the whole product line. There were 10 other colleagues in my Genesis class. We all had different backgrounds and experience but the program brought us all up to the same level.

Outside of the functionality and methodology, Genesis reaffirmed how important teamwork and relationships are. I established key contacts in the program who continue to be trusted colleagues.”

What are you working on today?

“Today I’m managing a Teamcenter and NX project at a shipbuilding company. Previously I supported military and federal Teamcenter implementation projects. I’ve enjoyed both but see a higher level of energy and faster time to production release in the commercial sector. It’s great to be working with an optimistic and determined team.”

What do you enjoy most about your work?

“I enjoy working at customer sites and working in a team environment. I have never worked with such talent. I am never the smartest in room. Our Siemens PLM Software team here is just phenomenal.”

What advice would you give student engineers or those considering engineering as a profession?

“Really focus on understanding logic. Don’t just accept the stated facts – but evaluate and determine the underlying goal.”

What do you enjoy outside of work?

“I don’t have a lot of free time right now. I have a little one at home and I’m getting my MBA at William & Mary.”

Anything else you want to share?

“I just want to say that the underlying quality of people in this company is key. There are a lot of companies that can promise good things but I truly believe our quality is unparalleled. We have some of the sharpest minds and clearest goals.”

 

Listening to Rachel share her pride of our people and company was inspiring to me. I trust it was to you too. There have been 150 Genesis graduates in the last seven years. The program cut our new hire ROI time by more than 65 percent. And it is often the Genesis rookie graduates who earn our highest technical ranking at an annual internal awards ceremony.

If you’re a student engineer, perhaps you’ve already met one of our Genesis leaders at a recent job fair. If you’re interested in a challenging and rewarding career like Rachel’s, be sure to check out Genesis program openings to find out when we’re hiring new software product consultants.

– Dora