# S7E28 Justin Rittenhouse | What Engineering School Doesn’t Teach You About Industry

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2026-07-03
- Length: 49m
- Episode: 28
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-07-03-s7e28-justin-rittenhouse-what-engineering-school-doesnt-teach-you-about-industry

## Summary

Justin Rittenhouse, a mechanical engineer and author of 'Secret Keys to a STEM Degree,' discusses the gap between academic training and industry reality. He highlights that while school emphasizes complex math, industry requires project management, trade-offs, and proficiency in Excel. Rittenhouse advises new engineers to focus on career alignment, ask questions without fear, and manage stress through sleep and time management. He also explores the practical applications of AI in manufacturing optimization and the importance of leadership and marketing skills for engineers.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-07-03-s7e28-justin-rittenhouse-what-engineering-school-doesnt-teach-you-about-industry#t=0) Introduction: Justin Rittenhouse and Career Overview
- [4:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-07-03-s7e28-justin-rittenhouse-what-engineering-school-doesnt-teach-you-about-industry#t=271) Secret Keys to a STEM Degree and Scholarship Advice
- [6:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-07-03-s7e28-justin-rittenhouse-what-engineering-school-doesnt-teach-you-about-industry#t=375) School vs. Industry: Math, Excel, and Trade-offs
- [19:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-07-03-s7e28-justin-rittenhouse-what-engineering-school-doesnt-teach-you-about-industry#t=1169) Communication Gaps: Presentations and CAD for Manufacturing
- [21:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-07-03-s7e28-justin-rittenhouse-what-engineering-school-doesnt-teach-you-about-industry#t=1308) Navigating People, Attitudes, and Self-Doubt
- [29:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-07-03-s7e28-justin-rittenhouse-what-engineering-school-doesnt-teach-you-about-industry#t=1771) AI in Engineering and Manufacturing Optimization
- [33:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-07-03-s7e28-justin-rittenhouse-what-engineering-school-doesnt-teach-you-about-industry#t=2033) Stress Management: Sleep, Diet, and Time Management
- [41:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-07-03-s7e28-justin-rittenhouse-what-engineering-school-doesnt-teach-you-about-industry#t=2464) Accelerating Engineering: AI, Excel Automation, and Asking Questions
- [44:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-07-03-s7e28-justin-rittenhouse-what-engineering-school-doesnt-teach-you-about-industry#t=2695) Learning Leadership and Marketing

## Topics

- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Founder wellbeing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/founder-wellbeing)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Denso (company)
- Glass Master Controls (company)
- J Letten Meyer (company)
- Worfle (company)
- Secret Keys to a STEM Degree (product)
- Excel (tool)
- Matlab (tool)
- Python (tool)
- Google Spreadsheets (tool)
- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep. 44 - Are Degrees Worthwhile?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2025-09-12-ep-44-are-degrees-worthwhile) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)
- [001 - “Learning Never Exhausts the Mind” with Rick Doe](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-10-06-001-learning-never-exhausts-the-mind-with-rick-doe) (Let's Combinate)
- [Why We’re Proud to Be Manufacturers & Engineers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2021-08-03-why-were-proud-to-be-manufacturers-engineers) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [196: The Skills CNC Machinists Need that You WON'T Learn in Trade School!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-07-30-196-the-skills-cnc-machinists-need-that-you-wont-learn-in-trade-school) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [Industry 4.0 is now Industry 4.5 w/ Justin Goldston](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2021-01-05-industry-4-0-is-now-industry-4-5-w-justin-goldston) (The Manufacturing Executive)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-07-03-s7e28-justin-rittenhouse-what-engineering-school-doesnt-teach-you-about-industry. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Being an Engineer.