Dear Mr.

Moloney,
Austin, Mark and myself have prepared a set of questions for you for the Pride paper.
The paper is due on Feb. 26 please respond ASAP. [received from Nate - Feb.16 1:30 PM]
1. What skills do you use day to day in your job?
Strategic Thinking and Planning
Math, Physics, Aerodynamics; Mechanical/Electrical/Electronics>Mechatronics
Continuous Improvement Initiatives and Projects
Time Management and Scheduling of Resources
People/Resource Management and Coordination
Organization
Conceptualizing a New Design, Workflow, and/or Process
Continuous Improvement of Existing Workflow and Processes
Engineering Intuition to be able to assess a situation quickly and collaborate
with a team to converge on a solution.
Utilizing my 25 years of engineering, design, testing, data acquisition & analysis, and
management experience to overcome / solve problems and beat the competition.
People skills are VERY important, and developing a mutual respect and great working
relationship with team members is critically important (something that I have to work on
each and every day).
2. What part of your job do you find most enjoyable? Winning races and championships,
seeing my co-workers take initiative (step up and step out) and be successful! Working
in professional motorsports the past 17 years, every weekend of racing (IndyCar,
NASCAR, SportsCar, etc.) produces an immediate report card on how our team is
performing compared to the competition. I like that immediate feedback, coupled with
the fact that every day or week can be an adventure nothing stays the same and were
constantly racing against time to outperform the competition. Working with and being
surrounded by the BEST Engineers, Technicians, Aerodynamicists, Drivers, Mechanics
in the country/world! I enjoy working with and for Roger Penske, an icon and racing
legend that has built an empire around the world; a billionaire; a good man that respects
his employees and earns their trust and respect. Working for a company, Penske
Racing / Team Penske, that will be celebrating its 50 th Anniversary next year (2016).

3. Has your field changed dramatically in the past five years?

Yes, dramatic changes in the past five years due to the tremendous improvements and
efficiencies in computer simulation tools (Finite Element Analysis), Computer Aided
Engineering (CAE) and Design (CAD); computer processing and hardware speeds;
public education, colleges, and universities NOT keeping up with industry needs and
technology advancement (with the regional exception of PLP/Team Spork). Less
empirical testing and analysis and more computer simulation.
4. What developments will affect future employment in your field?
Never ending technology advancement, computer simulation, automation and robotics,
whether or not the American education system will wake-up and develop strategies and
priority for producing better and more switched-on and capable students (that have
needed and relevant skill sets and can hit the ground running when they land their first
engineering or technology job). If the latter doesnt happen, the older / experienced
engineers may remain in high demand for years to come, so long as they keep up with
technology advancement, computer simulation, and automation / robotics. The demand
for engineers and technologists / technicians will continue to increase as more
advanced technology, automation/robotics, increased energy efficiency, etc. becomes a
requirement of mainstream everyday life in the USA.
5. What is the typical advancement path in your career?
Prove yourself as a results-oriented professional engineer, and you will be granted
additional engineering, management, financial responsibility along your career path.
Typically, the first few years out of school, the young Engineer is trying to earn coworkers and managements respect. They are also trying to learn the necessary people
or management skills to collaborate with others and be surrounded by strong effective
teams that we lead to impressive results and ultimately advancement in the work place
(additional responsibility). Many engineers migrate into Finance, Wealth Management,
Comptroller / Accounting, or Wall Street due to their math and logic skills, coupled with
an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) or Finance degree.
6. Would you choose this career if you could start over again? Yes, no regrets. For the
most part, every day can be / is an adventure where continuous learning and
advancement is a requirement of the job (self-motivated; self-directed / initiative). I have
been fully / gainfully employed (in demand) since graduation from UCF, Orlando FL with
Aerospace Engineering degree in 90. First job was with General Dynamics Space
Systems at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the Titan / Centaur & Atlas / Centaur

rocket programs. This career has provided a great foundation and income for me and
my family, considering that I came from humble beginnings growing up. I chose
Aerospace Engineering as a good career path (though cyclical depending on the
President, government, economy), but also because it paid well.
7. What qualifications does your career require? Engineering degree in Aerospace
Engineering, Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, or Electrical Engineering. Quality
and relevant hands-on / working experience & knowledge in: testing, data acquisition,
instrumentation; data analysis (Excel & MatLab); CAD; aerodynamics; professional
motorsports; people and management skills; the most efficient coordination and
schedule of resources. The continuous learning about new technologies, and
advancement in the areas mentioned in the previous sentence. Not just common
sense but good sense and good judgment (based on schooling/education, handson/real-world experience and learning (making mistakes and dedicated perseverance).
Winston Churchill quote: Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of
enthusiasm
Another favorite quote of mine that applies to everyday life: If youre not part of the
solution, youre part of the problem.
Major qualification = Dedicated Perseverance!
8. What up and coming businesses will offer future employment in your career?
Robotics and automation of various tasks and manual labor going forward, will result in
massive energy, time, resource, cost efficiencies in the future. Furthermore, the
electrification of the automobile and all transportation (heavy-truck, high speed trains,
etc.) will open up new opportunities in North America (as we lag behind Europe and
other parts of the world in transportation energy savings and efficiency) for
Mechatronics, Aerodynamics, Design/CAD, Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE),
computer simulation, Programming / Computer Science / Computer Hardware, ETC.
More and more robots on a personal level: mowing the grass, cleaning the house,
eventually folding clothes!?...Team Spork needs to get working on that one!!
9. What do you look for in a new hire?
Hands-on / real-world work experience; overcoming significant challenges and projects
in life (like designing and building a custom robot in 6 weeks!? = impressive / crazy /
ambitious!). Were always interested in great CAD (design) skills; some testing and data
acquisition / analysis experience; and a portfolio of challenging / impressive projects to
share. I like to conduct a conversational interview (informal) to find out more about the
person; where & how did they grow up; learn about family life; learn what I can about
their parents [foundation blocks for good solid and trustworthy employees]; leadership
qualities (working examples of where theyve led others to success); searching for clues

that indicate the new hire has initiative; understand the candidates definition/level of
hard work and big challenges. Im looking for people who are leaders, people who are
willing to take what weve got today and extend that. There are a lot of questions you
can ask in an interview. For example, tell me a situation you were in that challenged
your ethics? Or, tell me a situation that you were in that you did something your boss
would not have done and why? I think too often people rely on qualifications on paper
and not enough on the personal interaction.
10. How many hours do you work in a normal week (without robotics)?
45-50 hours, but occasionally throughout the year it will ramp up to around 60 hours per
week. The key to a great job or career is enjoying what youre doing, being engaged,
NOT looking at the clock all the time to see when your shift is over. If you enjoy your job
and have a passion for what youre doing, you will find that time flies by quickly!

Thank you for doing this for us and have a good day.