Major: Engineering
Aaron Thomson has always been fascinated with cars, vehicle dynamics and mechanics.
“I inherited part of this fascination from my Dad, who worked in the automotive industry, and I continued to develop my skills by working on cars from an early age,” he said. “That’s why I chose engineering as a career.”
Thomson earned his Associate in Engineering Science degree from College of DuPage in 2003. He followed that with a bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from Northern Illinois University in 2006, a Global MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University in 2012 and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering through Kansas State University in 2022. He was admitted to a hybrid doctoral program in Global Leadership and Management at a highly ranked business school, with a focus on Digital Management, and he plans to research topics related to his past work that will also benefit people. His goal through this program is to publish work in a major management publication.
Thomson has worked in a variety of supply chain and management roles in business forecasting and inventory control for more than 14 years. His wants to keep progressing in his career as a leader in the field of supply chain.
He also served on the Board of Directors for the NIU Engineering and Technology Alumni Society.
“COD was steppingstone in my education and led to NIU, so I’m proud to have been involved with public service and giving back in this way,” he said.
Thomson is positive about his future, and he has plenty of advice for students. In fact, he recently accepted a part-time faculty position at COD.
“The education that I received at COD was the catalyst for my successful business career, and I hope to give back to the COD community in whatever capacity that I can in the future,” he said. “I would suggest that any COD student finish their bachelor’s degree and then possibly consider a master’s degree if they want to diversify their employment opportunities. But first and foremost, finish that associate degree at COD!”
Learn more about the Engineering program at College of DuPage.