Darryl Krueger considers himself the “inquisitive, naturally skeptical, creative, visual type” of engineer, someone who “loves to take things apart, draw, experiment, design and build things.”

Krueger, who grew up in western New York, currently works as an Assistant Director in Technical Research and Development at BNSF Railway. His engineering career began when he “fell in love” with Auburn University, located in Auburn, Alabama, a far way from home.

“I had really no idea of any of the colleges in the southeast…But I fell in love with Auburn within a few weeks of being there,” Krueger said.

It was in his first engineering class at Auburn where Krueger stumbled upon Baja SAE. “I had an engineering orientation class where every engineering discipline is presented each week, and we got to mechanical engineering,” Krueger explained. “I had signed up as civil, but I met with Jackie Cole, a student advisor, and she took be into this lab where students were building racecars.”

That moment marked the introduction to Baja SAE for Krueger. Baja SAE is a University Program offered by SAE International, where engineering students are tasked with the challenge of designing and building an off-road vehicle that can handle rough terrain and in even some events, water. Students work together in teams to design, test, and manufacture their own vehicles. Krueger, an alumnus of Baja SAE from his university days, says his “jaw hit the floor” when he learned about what the team in the lab was doing.

“I went to the team meeting, joined their Baja team, and within a few days changed my major to mechanical.” Krueger said. “So that was a key moment for me to focus my career in mechanical engineering.”

Krueger credits Baja SAE with developing his passion for mechanical engineering as well as staying the course of becoming an engineer entirely. Krueger stated, “I was fortunate to join the team as a freshman, and eventually got to learn more and more as I got older.”

Staying the course wasn’t always so easy, however, and Krueger found himself failing a calculus class during a particularly tough sophomore semester. After visiting with his college advisor and being told he just might not be cut out for engineering, Krueger was less than convinced. “I started to see a connection from what I was learning in my classes to what we were doing with the car, so instead of seeing useless homework problems, I was able to instead go through the lessons and say ‘Oh, this applies to this part of the car,’ so I was able to put my personal interest into engineering rather than just cranking out my homework.”

On what he would tell current and future Baja SAE students, Krueger states he wished he could tell himself to be a better communicator. “Engineers are not known for being the most articulate people on the planet.” Krueger joked.

He also said students should understand the “money side” of engineering, advising, “Understanding return on investment, getting a good understanding of what you’re really putting into and what you’re really getting out is important.”

Krueger has since proved himself, obtaining a Masters degree and a certificate in Automative Engineering and landing a job in the railroad industry, and now works in technical research and development at BNSF Railway. Krueger has not left his Baja SAE roots behind, and also volunteers as a rules representative for students asking technical rules questions during their own design and build process.

In addition to his education and experience, Krueger strengthened his background with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)’s Principles and Practice Engineering exam. The exam is offered for 27 different engineering disciplines. Krueger’s current boss encouraged people in Krueger’s workspace to “look into getting a [Professional Engineer] license,” and as Krueger explained, “It’s seen as a benefit for your credibility.”

Krueger stated that he would “absolutely encourage anybody to take the PE exam, 100%,” adding that “When you have to become a professional engineer or work under one, you have to demonstrate your knowledge and have people sign off and endorse you, but the principles and practice exam is a great way to close that gap and say, ‘Yeah, I get this.’”

If you need any studying tips from Krueger, he recommended flash cards and “putting everything on them, create a stack of flashcards, come up with ridiculous saying that will help it all stick better.”
Krueger still has his flashcards today. “If you saw what I had written on my cards, you would wonder what planet I was from.”