Di Wu, also known as “Woody,” was a quiet and hardworking doctoral student in the transportation program. He attended UF from fall 2007 to fall 2011, working under the direction of Professor Yafeng Yin, his doctoral program adviser at the UFTI. While in graduate school, he followed the rigorous path of working on transportation-related research, attending conferences, participating in events, publishing papers and defending his doctoral dissertation. It was during this time that Wu was figuring out in which direction his doctoral degree would take him. He was uncertain of whether he should become a college research professor or work for a company.
“I think the most critical decision to make after graduation, especially after spending quite some time in the Ph.D. program, is whether to pursue a career in academia or industry,” Wu said. “I spent a lot of time struggling through the decision. I think what makes your life better is to be able to find a career that overlaps with your personal interests.”
As a graduate student working with his doctoral dissertation adviser and observing the other transportation faculty members, Wu was able to experience first-hand what the demands are on a university professor. While he was not intimidated by a career in academia, the idea of pursuing a job in industry was intriguing to him, and after much thought, that was the direction he eventually decided on.
Wu was hired by Amazon.com upon completing his Ph.D. in 2011. In spite of all the negative publicity that the company has received in the past couple of weeks, he is completely satisfied working there because his research results are implemented right away, making an impact in a short period of time. Currently, Wu is a senior research scientist working with the vendor profitability management group in Seattle, Wash.
“What is particularly interesting, and of course also challenging in Amazon, is that the problems we solve are extremely large scale and this is hard to come across in most other companies,” Wu said. “This gives more opportunities for me as a researcher to make a contribution. Despite some recent negative comments on Amazon, I have been able to enjoy my time here and see my work being appreciated.”
However, Wu says there are some adjustments that have to be made when working for private industry. Experience has shown him that in working with many personalities, a person must learn to communicate their ideas succinctly and fast in the corporate sector.
“I think one challenge to come to a company after graduation is the transition period,” Wu said. “You need to start working with people with many different kind of backgrounds. You need to be able to communicate your ideas in a way that can make everybody understand in a short time. At the same time, you should always be prepared to get challenged, sometime much more direct than what you would expect from school.”
Wu says that at Amazon.com, a degree really doesn’t mean much in the office, and that he has learned a lot from working with people at the company rather in school, in a certain way. However, he has noticed that there is no room for patience in industry such as exists with the relationship between professor and student during a graduate degree program. Wu says one must often invest a lot of extra effort just to be able to learn from others and remain competitive.
After working four years for Amazon.com, Wu has some advice for students aspiring to the same career after graduation.
“Never stop learning and enjoy your life,” Wu said. “I think those are the two most important components, and they apply to almost every job you eventually take. Learning will ensure you are able to handle any challenges thrown your way, and you should always keep in mind that all career paths are just pathways for a better life so you should never sacrifice your life for them.”