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Tyler Cagle

Major: Mechanical Engineering ‘19 Position: CEO at Drivewayz

Israel Miles

Tyler Cagle, Mechanical Engineering ‘19, is the CEO and co-founder of Drivewayz, a service which uses crowd-sourcing to optimize private parking options. “Post graduation I was offered a job at Comcast in Philadelphia which I expected to take,” said Cagle. “However I quickly realized my true passion was on the entrepreneurial path and so I moved out to San Diego to pursue this opportunity.” 

Cagle states that the jump from a standard job to the startup scene was anything but straightforward, and that he had to face many challenges head-on. “Because we are such a young startup and had no capital to start out with, it was very difficult getting our first customers,” said Cagle. “We had to go door to door giving our pitch and trying to get some early adopters to try out the new service. We found some success in local and national news stations picking up our story and that allowed us to reach a broad audience. Even still, finding ways to make rent and pay for food made it difficult while also managing to work full time on the startup.” 

Before gaining traction on his newfound idea, Cagle had to explore his opportunities at CU before finding his true passion. “The most logical job for me post graduation would have been to work as a mechanical engineer for an aerospace company,” said Cagle. “But after expanding into consumer products and software development I found that I could relate more to everyday consumers and provide highly adaptable products in multiple markets, something that I am really passionate about now. I think that going through senior design and then diving headfirst into the startup world had a major impact on my mindset. Both gave me hands-on experience in two different industries and allowed me to meet directly with the customers I would be targeting with my products.” 

Even though Cagle now works in the startup field, he draws heavily from the lessons he learned as a mechanical engineering student. “Funny enough my day to day work does not have much to do directly with mechanical engineering,” said Cagle. “However I feel that my work styles and mindsets have a great deal to do with my degree. My education taught me how to ask the right questions and how to work smarter, not always harder.” 

Cagle advises students to explore their passions and remember that life exists outside of work and the classroom. “It’s alright to not know what you want to do with engineering or even your life before graduating,” said Cagle. “Most people don’t follow the career path that they initially think they will and it takes you diving head first into industry to decide what is best for yourself. I would also tell current students to understand that it’s alright to put the books down every once in a while to enjoy life. Be open to putting yourself in an uncomfortable position! You can’t grow and develop as a person if you’re never trying new things.”

Spencer Miller 

Major: Mechanical Engineering ’19 Position: Co-Founder & Director of Haus LLC & Miller Bros LLC

Gabe Rodriguez

Spencer Miller, Mechanical Engineering ’19, is now acting as the co-founder and director of LLCs Haus and Miller Bros. Haus LLC is a commercial video production agency for high-end real estate; and Miller Bros is a company Miller and his brother founded that tells stories in feature-length and short-form documentaries. 

Going from Mechanical Engineering to film production was a difficult decision for Miller, and he was unsure what he wanted to do after graduating. “I felt immense pressure from my professors, from my family, and from my friends to follow the path set out for me: graduate, get a respectable job, make good money, and climb the ladder to success,” Miller said. “I was torn, because I knew that I couldn’t live my life that way, [but] I was afraid that following my heart meant the betrayal of these people that I loved, but was more afraid that not following my heart meant betraying myself.” 

In the past nine months following graduation, Miller said his life has been a roller coaster and each day is a mystery. With two startup companies, Miller finds himself working more than 100 hours in a week and also taking full weeks off to focus on other important parts of his life. He’s happy, however, to have the ability to decide on how each day is spent. “I’ve celebrated the incredible highs, and suffered through the immense lows,” Miller said. “I’ve questioned myself many times but have never regretted my decision. I have total authority over my life and my destiny, and get to define success for myself.” 

Miller said that his Mechanical Engineering degree has helped him immensely in his film production companies. He said his degree has helped him learn how to learn and solve problems that don’t have an immediate answer. “When a client wants to make a film, they have a complex problem they need us to solve,” Miller said. “Our job is to help them assemble the pieces of a puzzle, which tells a compelling story that is meaningful to them. Similarly, starting a business—or two—has been a wild learning experience in itself. I learned a half-dozen new softwares, learned how to convince a client that my service is worth their investment, and much, much more.” 

In addition to these technical learning skills, Miller said his degree helped him to better network with strangers in a meaningful way, how to best use the resources around him, and how to balance his time between all his responsibilities and the things that are important to him beyond his career. 

Miller’s primary advice for those unsure about their career path is: “It is paramount to define success for yourself. Do what you love, and the rest will follow!” He also said he is happy to talk with students about the ambiguities of post-graduation and is best contacted at Spencer.Miller@ colorado.edu.

Renzo Conroy

Major: Civil Engineering ’19 Position: Project Engineer at Ames Construction

Gabe Rodriguez

Renzo Conroy, Civil Engineering ’19, went on to become a Project Engineer at Ames Construction based in Aurora, Colo., though his latest project was based in North Dakota. “My engineering degree is the reason I have my job”. In Summer 2018, he was especially happy to intern for the company because its profile fit with what he was learning at the time. 

For current engineering students, Conroy recommended, “Take your time. Ignore the 
implied pressure that you have to have a job lined up right out of college. Make sure to list what is most important to you. Work life balance? Salary? Benefits?” Though Conroy is happy with his salary and benefits, he said he would’ve been happy to take on a position with a lower salary and less travel to spend more time with his girlfriend and family. “Don’t get so fixated on the initial number,” Conroy said. “It’ll grow, but make sure you know what truly makes you happy.”