Aaron Quirk completed his master's degree in Computer Networking (with an emphasis on Service Science, Management and Engineering) from North Carolina State University in May 2008 while working as a student intern for IBM, after which he joined IBM full time working to improve the performance of WebSphere Application Server.

You changed your master's degree concentration from Computer Science to Computer Networking so you could participate in NC State's SSME program. What led you to do that?

What intrigued me the most about SSME was the program's emphasis on a well-rounded curriculum that supplements solid technical training with relevant business courses to help understand how to apply service-oriented technology effectively. A service technology isn't successful because it's new and novel—it needs to make business sense by adding some kind of value to a company. The skills we take away from the business courses can obviously be acquired through industry experience, but the idea is to train engineers to have a head start when they enter the work force.

What did participation in the SSME program entail?

The SSME program at NC State requires Master of Science in Computer Networking [MSCN] students to take four business courses in addition to the standard technical load. For most students, it will work out so that the free electives in the standard MSCN program can be replaced with the business courses, so the same number of hours is required. These classes are attended by a good mix of MBA and MSCN students, which leads to very productive discussions in class, due to the diverse backgrounds represented. The course projects are also unique, because they allow multidisciplinary teams to come together to build a business case as well as the implementation prototype for a new service. In our first service management course, I worked on a team with two MBA students and another engineer to apply RFID technology in a hospital setting.

Was most of the curriculum theoretical, or was it more focused on real-life examples and case studies?

I need to answer this question in two parts. For technical courses in the Computer Science department, I've found most of the information to be presented from an academic/theoretical perspective in class. This information is supplemented with hands-on experience through course projects, where we take what we've learned and apply it to a specific problem. For example, in a course called Computer Performance Modeling, we learned a lot about queuing theory and simulation design, which are both intensely mathematical in nature. However, we applied the theory over four course projects, which really solidifies the material. I saw the same approach taken in courses in operating systems, security, et cetera.

The business courses were refreshing for me, because we were able to discuss real-life scenarios more than the abstract ideas I was used to in other courses. There is definitely a place for each perspective. I found the courses to be a blend of lecturing and class-wide discussion, where participation was encouraged far more than I'd been exposed to in the past. Before each class, we usually had reading assignments which might include case studies or perhaps recent articles that pertain to the course.

How did the SSME program change your thinking about business and innovation?

I think SSME has allowed me to have a better understanding of some key business topics surrounding service innovation. For example, I've learned a lot about how to integrate technology into business processes, and to look at emerging technology from a different perspective. It's sometimes easy as an engineer to get excited about a piece of technology because it's on the leading edge. While this is great, we also need to know how to make it useful for the company and their customers.

How do you explain the difference to traditional computer science or business graduates?

When I describe the program, I tell people that the emerging model for software engineering is to offer an ongoing service as opposed to a tangible product acquired through a one-time sale. The reason for this trend is well grounded in economies of scale and has been observed in many other industries. Services allow companies to consolidate and reuse their resources efficiently, and offer their expertise to others.

You're among the first people to study this new field of SSME. Do you feel like a pioneer, a guinea pig or both?

I definitely tend to feel more like a pioneer than a guinea pig. It's exciting to jump into the industry with a new set of skills, and it will be exciting to see what kind of impact I'm able to make. As with any program (new or old), I have no doubt there will be some refinements to the curriculum, but I feel like they've had a really great first pass at preparing students to make an impact on services in high-tech industries.