Anita Ranhotra

My older brother is a chemical engineer and when he found out I was considering Business as my major, because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, he encouraged me to look into Industrial Engineering – describing it as a technical business degree.

• Institute of Industrial Engineers
• Steel Ring
• Alpha Pi Mu

I had three internships while in college – one at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, MO doing time studies and two with Hallmark Cards (one in Topeka, KS and one in Liberty, MO) doing ergonomic and productivity improvement projects. My work experience during the school year included being a shift manager at a local fast food restaurant and being a grader for various Industrial Engineering classes.

To find my first job, I leveraged Career and Employment Services on campus. I signed up for interviews with all of the companies that were of interest to me to get as much experience as I could with the process.

I do attend a lot of meetings, but our focus is on how to improve the work processes within Product Integrity and with how we interface with our business partners.

The aspect I enjoy most about my job is implementing change that is appreciated by those impacted, because it makes their job easier.

Driving change – getting people to think out of the box and look at different ways to do things.

Industrial Engineering is such a versatile field – there are so many different paths you can go down. Look in to all your options to determine the best fit for you.

Having internships, leadership experience, and networking.

After 5 years with the company I started with out of college (Payless ShoeSource), I decided to move out of state and pursue a new opportunity with The Limited. I didn’t really know anyone in the city I was moving to, so it was definitely intimidating. While I didn’t end up staying there very long, it’s still a risk I don’t regret taking.

I enjoy my current job the most because to me it is a great way to apply my technical engineering background in the business world.

My first year out of college, my job was as a production supervisor working nights, managing a teamsters union. I had a lot to adapt to in that first year, but approached it with an open mind and desire to build relationships and make a difference.

Building my leadership skills by getting involved in various organizations.

I would advise current students to pursue internships – it is a great way for you to experience the working world and see what you may or may not want to do when you graduate.

Definitely my Ergonomics class – I had an interest in medicine and this class appealed to that side of me. For a while, I considered getting my master’s degree in Ergonomics, but decided to stay more mainstream in the Industrial Engineering field.

There are too many to name! I have to acknowledge the upper classmen who took me under their wings, when I was a freshman. They helped me feel like a part of the Industrial Engineering department (which is more like a family). That in turn helped me be more involved and grew my leadership skills.