Alacyn Cox: Ag Engineering, Customer Support, and Working for John Deere

“What is neat about ag engineering is that every sector of agriculture needs an engineer - I could talk [for hours] about the opportunities in ag engineering,” says Alacyn. 

Attracted to the amazing complexities of ag equipment in high school, it wasn’t until her junior year of college that Alacyn was able to dig into the specific courses in machine systems with coursework involving the study of hydraulic systems, the science behind motion and movement, dynamics and technical details. Through the first few years of her undergraduate, she joined other future ag engineers in learning about the diverse world of ag engineering that included soil conservation, designing equipment and livestock management. 

After her sophomore year of college, Alacyn accepted an internship at John Deere where they placed her in manufacturing engineering at the factory where they make combines. An amazing opportunity, Alacyn had never been in a factory before and now found her office situated in the middle of a factory floor where she got to see all of the moving parts of engineering and building equipment every day from her desk. 

“I loved working closely with the equipment, but what I was lacking was the relationships with the customers,” says Alacyn. “Our meetings were constantly about making a quality product, there weren't people talking to technicians, farmers and dealers [in our direct space]. I didn’t love not seeing and working with the customer.” 

In a bold move, at her exit presentation, Alacyn said, “If I get the chance to come back, I would like to work with customers.” Not only did they bring her back, but they listened and the following summer she accepted an internship that gave her that opportunity. 

Alacyn believes that there are many skills she has learned through her agricultural engineering degree that has served her well in her career even though she’s not an active engineer at John Deere. It’s allowed her the capacity to be systematic, detail oriented, and focused on solving problems - all while being able to communicate results and data in a way that can be understood by customers, dealers, and peers alike. 

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