Name: Jon Darling
Job Title/Employer: Technical Director, Product Development Process Engineering, Honeywell
Year of Graduation: 1994
Degree/Major: M.S.E.E./Electrical Engineering
 
What is your favorite part of your current job?
Pulling together an effective product development strategy and seeing it take root across the organization.
 
What career path did you follow from your ASU degree to your present job?
I have served as a system engineer in product development across several industry domains (space, commercial transport avionics, business and regional aviation as well as automotive), in which I gained practical product development experience on a variety of products, including  mass storage devices, LCD displays, fiber-optic gyroscopes, flight management systems, platforms, air data sensors, engine thrust reversers and automotive active safety systems.  In addition, I have had several opportunities to serve as a process development / product improvement leader for a given product line.

Describe one skill learned at ASU that you use daily in your job.
How to think creatively! I always hated it when exams pushed beyond the professor’s material, but I now see how those seeds have taken root and prepared me for the technical problems I have faced and conquered.

Were any ASU-affiliated persons helpful to you in advancing your career?
I attended ASU as a participant in their Industrial Fellows Program.  The friendships and network I established have served me well.  I have especially appreciated the “Services Project” lifestyle which the program fostered and have continued my community outreach to this day.

What advice would you give to current students or job-seekers about finding work in your field?
If you like math and science, do engineering … it’s worth the hard work it demands.  Seriously, find your passion and work diligently toward an associated career.  As a working professional, don’t let your guard down.  Always keep life in balance and spend your time wisely: family, community and profession.  Don’t forget to thank God for all the gifts you’ve received along the way and please remember to give back your fair share!