Garrett Busse

Scholars Program Practicum Reflection

 

For my practicum, I chose to take the class ENES 210, "Entrepreneurial Opportunity Analysis and Decision Making in 21st Century Technology Ventures." This class, in the department of Engineering Science, focuses on technology startups and how companies begin with nothing and eventually grow into success. This class differs from many in that each week, as you learn about a new topic, you develop your own startup. This results in a final project of having a document on how you would launch your own technology product.

​

I chose this class as my practicum after attending the scholars academic showcase in the spring of my freshman year. At the showcase, I heard from many students about their practicum experiences and a few spoke about ENES210. They told us freshman that in the class they learned valuable information about starting a company and even got to have fun designing a new product of their own. I was hooked and this certainly proved to be true in my experience of ENES210 this semester. As I near the end of the semester, ENES210 has taught me many interesting lessons on what to do and what not to do as a young professional entering the workforce soon. I have learned everything about how to launch a product including design, materials, marketing, investments, and more.

​

I am currently writing my final report, so when available, CLICK HERE to access my final project, which shows my product and the business behind its theoretical launch. I chose to include this final project because it shows all I have learned in ENES210. The report includes surveying the right materials and competition, how to budget my startup, how to market the product, and much more. I chose to focus on a plastic pelletizer that could help poor communities improve their problem of plastic waste and in turn, clean our natural environments as well.

​

I enjoyed this class so much that I chose to add the ENES minor of Technology Entrepreneurship. ENES210 and the other classes in the minor will help me gain important insights into the business of startups and small companies. As I finish my time as an undergraduate student here at UMD, I will transition into graduate school at the Smith school of Business in the Plus 1 Master's program. This program allows me to get a Master's degree in business and management in only one year, since I will take some classes during undergraduate study. After graduation, my undergraduate and master's degrees, as well as my minor in Technology Entrepreneurship which stemmed from this practicum, will allow me to take my interests into developing fields like renewable energy and urban agriculture. Be sure to check out my other projects on this page, or my resume on the resume page, to learn about my other interests.