Student Spotlight: Complementing Real World Experience with Education
Neal Kunkle (MSSM ‘23) has climbed the ladder of success at Elektrobit, where he is currently the Senior Technical Project Manager, leading automotive projects from start to finish.
By Kaitlyn Stossel
Before joining the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) community in the Master of Science in Software Management (MSSM) program, Neal Kunkle started his career in the Seattle area as a software engineering intern. From that point on, his career took off.
Before even finishing his undergraduate degree in Computing and Software Systems at the University of Washington, Kunkle began working as an intern for a company called Elektrobit where he was developing automotive software. Elektrobit is an award-winning and visionary global vendor of embedded and connected software products and services for the automotive industry.
Within nine months of working for Elektrobit, Kunkle was focused on assisting the creation of Human-Machine Interface (HMI) as a senior software engineer.
“This was fascinating to me, because I was involved both in technical tasks as well as design and UX work,” Kunkle said. “I am passionate about a good user experience.”
Kunkle was then offered the opportunity of a lifetime when he was asked to work in Germany at the main office for Elektrobit. It was after four years of living in Germany that Kunkle and his wife decided to move back to the states, specifically the Silicon Valley area.
“We wanted to experience something new, and I wanted to learn from the highly innovative culture of Silicon Valley,” Kunkle said.
Over the next few years, Kunkle transitioned from Software Engineer to Technical Project Manager to Senior Technical Project Manager. Currently, his main responsibility is to lead software projects at all phases. Some projects include building new products for the company, and others are supporting existing products.
“I very much enjoy leading software projects, and I keep expanding my knowledge about software and how to build it as an organization.”
A screenshot from Electrobit's website.
Right around the time that Kunkle was stepping into his role as Senior Technical Project Manager at Elektrobit, he decided to apply for the MSSM program at the CMU Silicon Valley campus.
“The MSSM program stood out to me as the perfect interdisciplinary learning opportunity. I wanted to expand my understanding of the full software process and all that goes into building a running software product. This program does just that.”
Although managing a full-time career while getting a masters degree is no easy task, Kunkle has taken advantage of the knowledge he has learned at CMU and can applied it to his career.
“These courses have given me a broader understanding of what goes into building a software product. More than my practical work as a project manager provided,” said Kunkle.
Advice for MSSM Students
“I would recommend new students proactively discuss boundaries and expectations with their boss. I would also recommend being proactive with class work. Don’t leave it until the last minute. Get to know your peers. There are great networking opportunities here. Enjoy your time! CMU-SV has a great culture and good people.”