Mikhail Fuks ‘07
I am Russian by descent and immigrated with my family from Uzbekistan when I was 6 years old. We settled in Redondo Beach since both of my parents are engineers in the aerospace and biomedical industries, which are plentiful in that area. I have always been a person who loves understanding how things work so engineering was the natural fit, my passion for cars backs that up. CSULB was recommended to me by several individuals and was a great choice. Not only did the education I received set me up for success but it introduced me to the Long Beach community in which I’m greatly involved today.
I am a licensed professional Mechanical Engineer in the state of California. I work for P2S Engineering as a consulting engineer designing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems for healthcare facilities. I oversee designs and manage a team of individuals for various projects.
I have worked in the consulting engineers industry for approximately 10 years now with stops at firms in Los Angeles and Orange County prior to arriving at P2S Engineering in Long Beach where the sustainable and progressive culture has found me a home.
No, not at all. I went into engineering because I loved cars and wanted to work in the automotive industry. While in need for an internship, a classmate at CSULB had a drafting position opening for a consulting engineering firm and I jumped at the job. From that internship I was exposed to an industry I didn’t know existed and things fell into place from there.
Understanding and navigating the business and politics of the real world. CSULB prepared me well for the technical requirements of my career but understanding how to work with a variety of clients internal and external to your organization proved to be a longer process that was only clear over time.
I have been away from CSULB for about a decade now and as of 2 years ago I am back in the Long Beach community. It felt like the right time to get involved and start to give back to the next generation.
I make it a priority. Step one is to prioritize every part of your schedule to see what you can put on to the plate without sacrificing being present in the things you choose to be involved with.
Start your internships as early as possible in your college years. The real world often doesn’t have a lot in common with what you are studying and the sooner you figure out what you want to do after college, the better you can use your time in school to prepare.
