Posted on December 5, 2024 by Klesse College Staff
Christian Mochen
DECEMBER 5, 2024 - Throughout his time at UTSA, alumnus Christian Mochen seized every opportunity, resulting in multiple internships, many lasting connections with his peers, and an excellent college experience. After positions with Tesla, Toyota, and Shield AI, Christian launched a YouTube channel, Undefined Engineering, to help guide other engineers in finding career opportunities and help them make the most of their college experience, just as he did.
Read the full interview down below.
What made you decide to attend UTSA?
My mom attended UTSA and I wanted to continue the Roadrunner family tradition!
What did you enjoy most about your experience at UTSA?
I really enjoyed UTSA’s sense of community and the motivated colleagues I met both in Engineering college and extracurricular activities.
How did your education at UTSA prepare you for your career?
It helped me significantly. My education gave me the framework for thinking like an engineer through unboxing problems to their most fundamental principles. This way of thinking was ingrained in me through countless hours of study!
Did you do an internship through UTSA and if so, how was that experience for you?
Yes I did! I interned with GE Appliances and Toyota through the career fair at UTSA. These internships were instrumental and a complete turning point in my development. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.
Did you have any mentors or friendships that developed while you were a student and made a profound impact on your future?
Absolutely. Learn from your peers as much as you can. Find students who are succeeding and adopt traits that you identify can contribute towards your own success. I luckily had no shortage of brilliant individuals in my class to help me, one of them being a colleague that now is an engineering program manager at Apple and fellow Tesla alum, Matthew Crews.
Could you tell us about your YouTube channel, Undefined Engineering?
Undefined Engineering is a Youtube channel founded by myself and my brother aimed at helping students make their transition from classroom to career. We highlight relatable and informative topics that we found added the most value to our personal careers, as well as interview guests from a variety of engineering disciplines to give insight into the vast career field.
You’ve created amazing content dedicated to helping engineering students find positions in the workforce. What would you say is the most important advice that you wish all students knew?
There’s two things I would highlight -
- Build a personal brand around yourself through sites like LinkedIn. Don’t underestimate the power of marketing in our field.
- Don’t give up before you try. It’s easy to look at your competition around you and the current state of the job market and decide it’s either too late or too hard to invest in yourself. Be maniacally tenacious in continuous improvement and constantly reach out to recruiters, hiring managers, and other resources that can help you make that next step.
What inspired you to start creating this helpful content?
When I was going through college I found myself having many questions, and I didn’t have a resource like this I could refer to to help me. At the time, I would’ve given anything for these insights so I wanted to create this and help students bridge that gap to be in a better spot than I was.
Is there a moment throughout working on your channel that really impacted you or stood out for you. For example, a student reaching out to you or a favorite project you worked on for your channel?
Yes, the first time a student commented on our channel thanking us for helping them. It really moved me that we were able to impact someone’s life in a way that we may not have been able to if we did not create this channel.
What is your life slogan?
Kaizen - a Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, is the empowering practice of making small, incremental changes that add up to big results.
What is the best way for students to find or access your content?
You can find us on Youtube, Linked In, and Tiktok as Undefined Engineering!
Is there any additional information you would like to highlight or mention?
If you’re a student having questions about the career field, classroom, or any other topics please reach out to us and we’ll be sure to answer any questions you may have!
— Klesse College Staff
