Bridging the Gap Between Quality Engineering, Software Development
With more than 20 years of experience in manufacturing and quality engineering, Brian Weston has built an impressive career across the automotive, defense, plastics and packaging industries. A senior-level engineer with expertise in Lean Six Sigma, process development and continuous improvement, Brian is accustomed to solving complex technical problems and leading cross-functional teams.
But when his career shifted into a development-focused quality engineering role at nonprofit defense and space manufacturer SRC working directly with software engineers, Brian realized he needed a new skill set to fully support his team.
“As a quality engineer at several companies before this, my focus has always been production quality related to parts and assemblies,” he says. “When I joined my current company, working with software engineers in a development capacity was brand new to me. I wanted to learn the fundamentals of the field so that I could support my team more effectively.”
That decision led him to our software development certificate, a program designed to help students build practical software development skills while learning industry-relevant tools and methodologies. For Brian, the experience became more than just an introduction to software development; it became a way to bridge communication gaps between engineering disciplines and become a stronger quality leader.
I wanted to learn the fundamentals of the field so that I could support my team more effectively.
Expanding an Already Successful Career
Rather than staying within the boundaries of his existing expertise, Brian embraced the challenge of learning an entirely new discipline.
“The certificate provided me with just the right level of exposure to be able to work effectively with my software engineer counterparts at work,” he recalls. “Personally, as my primary background academically is mechanical engineering, it did put me outside my comfort zone in a good way.”
That willingness to continue learning is something that has defined Brian’s professional journey. As someone with extensive experience leading projects and driving process-improvement initiatives, he understands that effective collaboration often starts with understanding the language and workflows of other teams.
I also was able to participate more in the Agile Scrum methodology for my assigned contracts as I had learned that tool set in one of my classes.
Online Learning Meets His Needs
Learning online allowed Brian—like many of our students—to continue working full time while taking classes. Balancing professional responsibilities with coursework was critical to his success.
“All of my classes were either Live Online via Zoom or self-paced,” Brian shares. “All live classes were also recorded, which was convenient if I had to go back in and listen.”
The online environment also exposed him to a broad network of students and instructors from around the world.
“All of my instructors were very cordial and my classmates were a very diverse group from all over the country and the world.”
In the classroom, he’s learning the software development processes and key terms. At the office, Brian would take lessons learned to help the software designers identify and reduce risk while maintaining compliance standards.
“I was asked by my manager to share some of the basic concepts of software development I learned with my team,” Brian recalls. “I also was able to participate more in the Agile Scrum methodology for my assigned contracts as I had learned that tool set in one of my classes.”
That ability to contribute more meaningfully became a major benefit. By understanding the workflows, terminology and development methodologies used by software engineers, Brian was able to strengthen communication between teams and help improve collaboration around quality objectives.
For someone whose career had primarily focused on manufacturing and mechanical systems, learning software development concepts opened up entirely new perspectives.
Stepping Outside His Comfort Zone
One of the themes Brian returns to often when discussing his experience is personal growth. Even as a seasoned engineer, he appreciated the opportunity to challenge himself academically and professionally.
That mindset is something he encourages future students to embrace as well.
“The best advice I can say is do not give up,” Brian advises. “Online classes can be very easy to lose track of, but if you keep up, the work load is very reasonable.”
Not giving up himself, Brian sees a continual upward trajectory as an engineering leader. His advice reflects the discipline and persistence that have shaped his own career: consistently adapting to new technologies, industries and challenges.