Fowler Alumnus Takes Lessons Learned at SDSU into the Cockpit

Alex Engberg said he chose to enroll at San Diego State University because it offered “a strong business program at a great price.” 

He mentioned one more reason he chose to move from San Diego from his Northern California home in Danville: “San Diego has great flying weather!” 

Alex Engberg

When Engberg became a student at SDSU’s Fowler College of Business as a management information systems (MIS) major in 2013, he was a student pilot in the process of getting his instrument rating. This meant he would be able to take off, fly and land an aircraft by focusing solely on the aircraft’s control panel rather than visual cues. 

At that time, being a full-time pilot was not on Engberg’s career radar screen. “I wanted a business degree and I chose to major in MIS because I was interested in project management,” he said. “I was also interested in becoming more knowledgeable about information technology and network systems.” 

Engberg held two part-time technical positions while he was a student at SDSU, but his family ties and his long-standing love of flying eventually changed the trajectory of his career. “My grandfather was a captain at TWA, my mother was a captain at United Airlines, and several of my aunts, uncles and cousins are pilots as well,” said Engberg. “My grandfather first taught me to fly at a small grass strip in Illinois. I continued my training while I was attending SDSU and I eventually got my instrument rating at Montgomery Field.”

After earning his MIS degree in 2017, Engberg embarked on a career as a flight instructor for four years until he was offered a position as a first officer for United Airlines in July 2021. “In addition to flying the aircraft, my responsibilities include a preflight inspection of the aircraft, verifying takeoff and landing performance, and communicating with air traffic control,” he said. “I’m also responsible for reviewing the weather conditions and the flight plan to ensure a safe arrival.” 

Though Engberg’s career plans evolved from when he first entered SDSU, he still uses the lessons he learned while getting his degree every day. “One of the most practical lessons I learned at SDSU was workload management and working as a team,” he said. “I’ve carried these skills into the flight deck, as I work interchangeably with different captains to resolve any potential problems and so that we can get passengers safely to their destinations.”