“Uruguay is on par with the rest of the world.” “We can carry out the same projects that are done in the United States.” Those were the reflections of Sebastián López, a graduate of the Systems Engineering program at Universidad ORT Uruguay, after completing his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Duke University and joining the Google team in New York.
A castle in the middle of a large park, teeming with students—“just like Hogwarts, as in Harry Potter, ”Sebastián compares—is the Duke University campus, where he pursued his graduate studies in 2016 and 2017 after graduating in Uruguay.
The decision to pursue a graduate degree in business stemmed from a desire to specialize in customer relations. His goal was to understand problems from his customers’ perspective and then translate them into a technological solution.
“When I was finishing my degree, ORT organized a gathering for people who had earned an MBA in different parts of the world and through various programs,” López said, adding that this was the catalyst for embarking on the new experience he is currently undergoing.
After spending several years working at the consulting firm Quanam to gain more experience—which had been the main recommendation from that meeting he had before graduating—he began a new chapter at Duke University, which culminated in nothing less than a job at Google New York.
The MBA experience “opens your mind,” said the ORT graduate. Not only because of the caliber of the faculty, but also because of the bonds formed with classmates. “I was in the program with doctors, teachers, and people from the field of economics—all kinds of people. That allows you to understand a problem from different perspectives,” he said.
After his time at Duke University, the engineer acknowledged that the education in Uruguay is on par with university education in other parts of the world. “The Systems Engineering program is very global. It’s very easy to work abroad; you don’t need extensive infrastructure. It’s all about knowledge, and that knowledge is what the program gave me,” reflected the current Customer Solutions Engineer at Google.
In addition, López emphasized the importance of self-directed learning and an entrepreneurial spirit. “It’s a skill you have to develop in systems engineering: you always have to do your own research, browse the internet, know how to search for information, and educate yourself,” he explained.
Another point the interviewee highlighted was the hands-on training he received in college. “Engineering is a field where you need to work with the latest technology, and programs have to be flexible enough to adapt to the latest trends,” he said.
As a piece of advice, the current Google employee encouraged students to devote their full energy to their projects and coursework, and to consider how these could serve as a calling card for their future.
“In the United States, there’s healthy competition—but competition nonetheless. With every step you take, you have to draw the line and focus on the positives so you can market yourself; you need to be aware of what you’ve learned and the results you’ve achieved,” the graduate concluded.