I work on the 787 Change Incorporation & Refurb program at Boeing in Everett, Wash. We're responsible for incorporating configuration changes on the airplanes between the time they roll out of the factory and the time they go to the delivery center to be delivered to the customers.

I use constraint-based scheduling processes and computing tools to plan out and schedule the work to be accomplished on each airplane. This involves working with manufacturing engineers to understand the work to be accomplished in each job, the relationship to other jobs, and any constraints to when or how the job gets scheduled. I sequence the jobs to ensure they're getting completed in the right order and enter the information in the appropriate computing systems.

After about two years, when most of the configuration changes are incorporated, our department will focus our attention on process improvements and value stream mapping in an effort to make the build sequence as lean as possible.

The IE degree allows people to work in a variety of industries and have flexible job responsibilities. I chose the aerospace industry because it is a dynamic industry with new technology being developed daily.