Alumni Use Engineering Backgrounds
and M.B.A.s to Move to the
Front Lines of the New Economy

Money manager Tom Sheedy, BE'84, refers to himself as an "ex-engineer" who made his way to Wall Street. But he also credits his education at Vanderbilt School of Engineering with providing a strong foundation for his successful career. 

Bruce Evans, a 1981 mechanical engineering alumnus with an M.B.A., now helps to fund both computer and communications technologies as a partner in a Boston private equity firm.

       Bruce Evans, BE'81, another successful venture capitalist, emphasizes that "every day, I still approach many situations and problems with the skills and knowledge I gained from being a student at the School of Engineering."
       While Evans and Sheedy are but two examples of VUSE graduates who are not practicing engineers, they are among a growing number of enthusiastic proponents of the idea that an undergraduate education from Vanderbilt's School of Engineering serves as excellent preparation for many professions.
       Evans majored in mechanical engineering. As a high school student in Huntington, West Virginia, he knew that he wanted to pursue a career that involved "technology and business." "I'd been told that studying engineering would give me problem-solving methodologies" which would apply to many types of careers, he said. "Being at Vanderbilt was a great experience for me."
       Following his graduation from Vanderbilt, he spent three years as an account marketing representative for IBM in Louisville. "On the second day of my job, the corporation made the announcement about the new IBM PC. These were exciting times to be at IBM." However, he wanted to understand more than the sales aspect of a company, and studying for an M.B.A. degree seemed to be a logical next step.
       In 1986, he received an M.B.A. degree from Harvard and joined Summit Partners of Boston, a private equity firm that has financed over 215 young companies. Evans has been a general partner with Summit since 1991. His focus has been on profitable, later-stage private companies involved in software and other computer/communications technologies. "I find meeting and working with entrepreneurs interesting, inspiring and challenging," Evans said.
       Sheedy's Vanderbilt degree is in electrical engineering. Briefly a history major, he transferred soon to engineering, which seemed to match more appropriately his interests in mathematics, science and computers.

Tom Sheedy, BE'84, parlayed his electrical engineering degree and M.B.A. into a successful career as an investment banker and money manager for high net worth clients.

       After completing his undergraduate work, he was employed for two years with Mobil Oil Corporation in Dallas, the only time in his career when he indeed worked as an electrical engineer. Since then, Sheedy has served as vice president at Kidder Peabody & Co. in Los Angeles, senior vice president at Lehman Brothers in San Francisco and managing director and head of sales and trading for Robertson Stephens, Inc., also in San Francisco. Recently, he became a partner in Apex Capital, LLC, a San Francisco firm that manages money for institutions and high net worth clients. Apex Capital has $600 million in assets.
       Sheedy also earned an M.B.A. degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, to gain a more comprehensive perspective on company management.
       Sheedy then discovered a new appreciation for his engineering education at Vanderbilt. "There were lots of students in business school with me with liberal arts degrees. For many of them, a course like statistics was difficult."
       So exactly what made the Vanderbilt experience-and specifically the School of Engineering experience-so singular?
While Evans enjoyed Vanderbilt "academically and socially," and "made lots of lifelong friends," he remembers having to do homework for engineering courses every night. Studying engineering at Vanderbilt "ingrained in me the importance of flexibility and creativity in solving problems. When we were given a problem-solving exercise in an engineering course, there usually was an obvious way to approach the problem. But that obvious way didn't necessarily work, and we would have to examine it from other angles. My VUSE training continues to be invaluable in my work."
       Sheedy liked "being in a city the size of Nashville, being in the South, and meeting kids from all over the place," he said. However, Sheedy recalls many times when he went to the library in the morning "and didn't come out until midnight. I don't remember many of my non-engineering friends doing that." But even though Sheedy admits to "a very active social life" at Vanderbilt and served in the demanding job of manager for the men's basketball team his junior year, his rigorous engineering studies taught him that "if I wanted to do other things (other than study), I would have to be disciplined and make choices. I couldn't do it all."
       Sheedy highlights two elements of his VUSE education that were unique from the education some of his friends received at the engineering schools of other universities. One was that his VUSE classes beyond the entry level were small and usually taught by full professors. The other unique element was a broad-based curriculum. "Vanderbilt's School of Engineering programs weren't without liberal arts courses. I have met graduates of other engineering schools who only studied engineering," he said. This enhanced education environment helped him to see that "my personality was tailored well to pursue multiple opportunities."
       Any advice for current Vanderbilt engineering students? "Enjoy your four years-there will never be another four like them," Sheedy said. When beginning the job search, "find something for which you have a passion," not just something that pays well. "Do something in the engineering field for at least a couple of years."
       Evans advised students "to look beyond that first year's salary. Think of this time in your life as starting down a path. Think of where you want to go, not just where you are right now."
       Both Evans and Sheedy talked about the importance of new graduates being willing to take risks. "There are going to be 'given' opportunities in engineering departments of big organizations," Evans advised, "but see what's out there beyond that. Be creative with your search." Sheedy added, "Take some chances now while you can."