|
Much as I'd like to take credit for playing any part in the development
of the NEC codes, I can't. NEC-2 and its successors were developed mainly at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and I had no part in that work. What I did was to first take MININEC (developed independently by John Logan and Jay Rockway) and make a usable interface for it. This program was called ELNEC. Later, I adapted the interface to NEC-2, naming the result EZNEC. ELNEC and EZNEC are really interfaces to the underlying calculating engines, which I had no part in developing. I'll second Jason's reminder that there's a lot more to EE than RF. In my career, I've designed video test equipment including a very fancy TV camera, slow scan video instruments, switching power supplies, micropower vehicular speed recording and data logging equipment, very high speed pulse generation and sampling gear, high precision samplers, delay line compensation networks, infrared imaging equipment, time bases and other oscilloscope circuitry, and many other types of equipment. Traditional RF circuitry is more a part of my hobby than my career, although as Jason said, I've done some consulting work in that field. And those of us who are engineers weren't born that way. I began as a ham when I was a kid, studied for and got my FCC commercial license, worked as a broadcast engineer and then chief engineer, went through the Air Force radar school, worked as a radar technician, and fixed radios, TVs, and telephone answering machines before working my way through school (with a bit of help from Uncle S.) first as a technician then as a design engineer. People following a path like that can "get off" at any point where the work is satisfying and interesting. Right now and for the foreseeable future, it looks like there are opportunities in EMC (electromagnetic compatibility -- EMI reduction). With the proliferation of wireless devices, the EMC environment is getting tougher and tougher. Antenna design seems to be in steady demand. And there's plenty of work for a good analog or analog/digital engineer, and technicians, in a wide variety of small, mostly startup companies. I haven't seen age as an issue -- in fact, it seems that there aren't many young folks learning some of these skills. If you can do the job, you should be able to get a job. Roy Lewallen, W7EL Jason Hsu wrote: Have your circuit-building activities led you to a career? I know Roy does RF engineering consulting work and is most famous for NEC code for antenna simulation. . . |
Much as I'd like to take credit for playing any part in the development
of the NEC codes, I can't. NEC-2 and its successors were developed mainly at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and I had no part in that work. What I did was to first take MININEC (developed independently by John Logan and Jay Rockway) and make a usable interface for it. This program was called ELNEC. Later, I adapted the interface to NEC-2, naming the result EZNEC. ELNEC and EZNEC are really interfaces to the underlying calculating engines, which I had no part in developing. I'll second Jason's reminder that there's a lot more to EE than RF. In my career, I've designed video test equipment including a very fancy TV camera, slow scan video instruments, switching power supplies, micropower vehicular speed recording and data logging equipment, very high speed pulse generation and sampling gear, high precision samplers, delay line compensation networks, infrared imaging equipment, time bases and other oscilloscope circuitry, and many other types of equipment. Traditional RF circuitry is more a part of my hobby than my career, although as Jason said, I've done some consulting work in that field. And those of us who are engineers weren't born that way. I began as a ham when I was a kid, studied for and got my FCC commercial license, worked as a broadcast engineer and then chief engineer, went through the Air Force radar school, worked as a radar technician, and fixed radios, TVs, and telephone answering machines before working my way through school (with a bit of help from Uncle S.) first as a technician then as a design engineer. People following a path like that can "get off" at any point where the work is satisfying and interesting. Right now and for the foreseeable future, it looks like there are opportunities in EMC (electromagnetic compatibility -- EMI reduction). With the proliferation of wireless devices, the EMC environment is getting tougher and tougher. Antenna design seems to be in steady demand. And there's plenty of work for a good analog or analog/digital engineer, and technicians, in a wide variety of small, mostly startup companies. I haven't seen age as an issue -- in fact, it seems that there aren't many young folks learning some of these skills. If you can do the job, you should be able to get a job. Roy Lewallen, W7EL Jason Hsu wrote: Have your circuit-building activities led you to a career? I know Roy does RF engineering consulting work and is most famous for NEC code for antenna simulation. . . |
Homebrewing led me directly to my present job and has gotten me many
others as well. In fact, I'm not sure I could cite a job where homebrewing wasn't a factor in getting the job. A great thing about the job I have now is that the bosses recognize the link between homebrewing and learning, so I get to take parts from our stockroom for my projects. David |
Homebrewing led me directly to my present job and has gotten me many
others as well. In fact, I'm not sure I could cite a job where homebrewing wasn't a factor in getting the job. A great thing about the job I have now is that the bosses recognize the link between homebrewing and learning, so I get to take parts from our stockroom for my projects. David |
Jason,
Take my advise, graduate first then look for a job! You could finish up with a job going belly up and have no MSEE. Play it safe, get the ticket first. I see this happen all the time. Good luck & 72/73 Jack G3PVG "Jason Hsu" wrote in message I am scheduled to graduate with my MSEE next year, but I am willing to delay my graduation for an electronic instrumentation engineering position. Jason Hsu, AG4DG |
Jason,
Take my advise, graduate first then look for a job! You could finish up with a job going belly up and have no MSEE. Play it safe, get the ticket first. I see this happen all the time. Good luck & 72/73 Jack G3PVG "Jason Hsu" wrote in message I am scheduled to graduate with my MSEE next year, but I am willing to delay my graduation for an electronic instrumentation engineering position. Jason Hsu, AG4DG |
I agree, homebrewing is great. It actually got me interested in taking
engineering in College. I started homebrewing partially out of interest, and mostly because I couldn't afford real gear! After a few simple transmitters, receivers and stuff, I realized that I REALLY enjoy this stuff, so I decided to go with it. Alex/VE3LEG Bruce Raymond wrote: Jason, Congratulations on your choice of career direction. I wish you well. I'm not sure whether or not homebrewing makes you a good engineer, or if being a good engineer triggers something that makes you homebrew. Bob Pease (I think) once said something to the effect that the really good engineers he'd hired were the ones who continued to do engineering things even when they weren't at work. (My apologies to Bob if I've misstated his intent.) The idea is that doing technical things is a passion for some of us. We'd do these things even if we don't get paid. Homebrewing is a passion. A general observation - many young engineers (and far too many older engineers) have little or no hands-on experience. They can model something and run great simulations, but are stopped cold when it comes to actually troubleshooting hardware. Knowing how real hardware works will give you an edge. Homebrewing is a great education. Bruce Raymond/ND8I "Jason Hsu" wrote in message m... Have your circuit-building activities led you to a career? I know Roy does RF engineering consulting work and is most famous for NEC code for antenna simulation. Any others? Is anyone here working at Perkin-Elmer? OI Corporation? Or any of the numerous smaller instrumentation companies? I can see what types of engineering careers homebrewing can lead to: not only RF, but also instrumentation/controls. In fact, many of the projects in the ARRL books are electronic measuring devices. snip |
I agree, homebrewing is great. It actually got me interested in taking
engineering in College. I started homebrewing partially out of interest, and mostly because I couldn't afford real gear! After a few simple transmitters, receivers and stuff, I realized that I REALLY enjoy this stuff, so I decided to go with it. Alex/VE3LEG Bruce Raymond wrote: Jason, Congratulations on your choice of career direction. I wish you well. I'm not sure whether or not homebrewing makes you a good engineer, or if being a good engineer triggers something that makes you homebrew. Bob Pease (I think) once said something to the effect that the really good engineers he'd hired were the ones who continued to do engineering things even when they weren't at work. (My apologies to Bob if I've misstated his intent.) The idea is that doing technical things is a passion for some of us. We'd do these things even if we don't get paid. Homebrewing is a passion. A general observation - many young engineers (and far too many older engineers) have little or no hands-on experience. They can model something and run great simulations, but are stopped cold when it comes to actually troubleshooting hardware. Knowing how real hardware works will give you an edge. Homebrewing is a great education. Bruce Raymond/ND8I "Jason Hsu" wrote in message m... Have your circuit-building activities led you to a career? I know Roy does RF engineering consulting work and is most famous for NEC code for antenna simulation. Any others? Is anyone here working at Perkin-Elmer? OI Corporation? Or any of the numerous smaller instrumentation companies? I can see what types of engineering careers homebrewing can lead to: not only RF, but also instrumentation/controls. In fact, many of the projects in the ARRL books are electronic measuring devices. snip |
Bruce Raymond wrote:
Jason, Congratulations on your choice of career direction. I wish you well. I'm not sure whether or not homebrewing makes you a good engineer, or if being a good engineer triggers something that makes you homebrew. Bob Pease (I think) once said something to the effect that the really good engineers he'd hired were the ones who continued to do engineering things even when they weren't at work. (My apologies to Bob if I've misstated his intent.) The idea is that doing technical things is a passion for some of us. We'd do these things even if we don't get paid. Homebrewing is a passion. A general observation - many young engineers (and far too many older engineers) have little or no hands-on experience. They can model something and run great simulations, but are stopped cold when it comes to actually troubleshooting hardware. Knowing how real hardware works will give you an edge. Homebrewing is a great education. My father, one of the great mechanical design engineers, used to tell the know-it-all recent graduates that an engineer was just a technician with no practical experience. It holds true in most fields. He was very strong on getting his EITs and co-op students into the machine shop to make things and to work with the people who had to use them. He turned out some awfully good engineers by using those methods. -- "I think when people get on the Internet their common sense may be weakened if not suspended." - Charles Harwood, regional director of the Federal Trade Commission's Seattle office. |
Bruce Raymond wrote:
Jason, Congratulations on your choice of career direction. I wish you well. I'm not sure whether or not homebrewing makes you a good engineer, or if being a good engineer triggers something that makes you homebrew. Bob Pease (I think) once said something to the effect that the really good engineers he'd hired were the ones who continued to do engineering things even when they weren't at work. (My apologies to Bob if I've misstated his intent.) The idea is that doing technical things is a passion for some of us. We'd do these things even if we don't get paid. Homebrewing is a passion. A general observation - many young engineers (and far too many older engineers) have little or no hands-on experience. They can model something and run great simulations, but are stopped cold when it comes to actually troubleshooting hardware. Knowing how real hardware works will give you an edge. Homebrewing is a great education. My father, one of the great mechanical design engineers, used to tell the know-it-all recent graduates that an engineer was just a technician with no practical experience. It holds true in most fields. He was very strong on getting his EITs and co-op students into the machine shop to make things and to work with the people who had to use them. He turned out some awfully good engineers by using those methods. -- "I think when people get on the Internet their common sense may be weakened if not suspended." - Charles Harwood, regional director of the Federal Trade Commission's Seattle office. |
Hello, Jason!
Having had electronics as a hobby / passion since I was given a Knight Kit 21-in-1 electronics 'lab' while 10 years old, I ended up choosing a college (IIT), major (EE), and career accordingly. While some career fields can lead to burnout, the terrific diversity of electrical engineering has always left me learning and enjoying more. Modern field programmable logic, high performance CPUs, signal conversion, and more open avenues that were undreamed of just recently. And homebrewing lets you get your learning and experience with portions of the field that you may not be using at work but can pay great dividends in future projects. Most jobs that have hired me - and the resulting seniority there - have been due to my range of proven capabilities (analog, RF, digital, FPGAs, embedded processors; software and hardware; telecom, test and measurement systems, semiconductor production, motion control; etc.). Amateur radio has helped a lot (since building my own transmitter when 16) as has involvement with the Experimental Aircraft Association and other active groups which give you a chance to jump into projects and learn. Back in school I was amazed at some engineering students who wouldn't know which end of a soldering iron to grab. Homebrew projects can make a world of difference in practical knowledge. Best to you and your career - the world always needs more engineers with passion, skill, and knowledge! Jim Horn, WB9SYN/6 (Love what I do - and get paid, too!) |
Hello, Jason!
Having had electronics as a hobby / passion since I was given a Knight Kit 21-in-1 electronics 'lab' while 10 years old, I ended up choosing a college (IIT), major (EE), and career accordingly. While some career fields can lead to burnout, the terrific diversity of electrical engineering has always left me learning and enjoying more. Modern field programmable logic, high performance CPUs, signal conversion, and more open avenues that were undreamed of just recently. And homebrewing lets you get your learning and experience with portions of the field that you may not be using at work but can pay great dividends in future projects. Most jobs that have hired me - and the resulting seniority there - have been due to my range of proven capabilities (analog, RF, digital, FPGAs, embedded processors; software and hardware; telecom, test and measurement systems, semiconductor production, motion control; etc.). Amateur radio has helped a lot (since building my own transmitter when 16) as has involvement with the Experimental Aircraft Association and other active groups which give you a chance to jump into projects and learn. Back in school I was amazed at some engineering students who wouldn't know which end of a soldering iron to grab. Homebrew projects can make a world of difference in practical knowledge. Best to you and your career - the world always needs more engineers with passion, skill, and knowledge! Jim Horn, WB9SYN/6 (Love what I do - and get paid, too!) |
"Jack Bennett" wrote in message ...
Take my advise, graduate first then look for a job! Try telling that to the people who graduate with 5 or more job offers. Do you really think these individuals waited until graduation day before seriously conducting their job search? Of course, if you know of a silver bullet for figuring out which specific companies are actually hiring at any given moment, let me know. (Such silver bullets from everyone else on this newsgroup are welcome.) You could finish up with a job going belly up and have no MSEE. Play it safe, get the ticket first. I see this happen all the time. It sounds like you think the credentials are the most important thing. The problem with this thinking is that many with this attitude end up becoming the engineer who looks good on paper but can't engineer his/her way out of a paper bag. What I learn and accomplish are the most important things. You could argue that the BSEE is essential, but I already have that. The irony of my graduate school experience is that I feel like I have accomplished more in one year than I did in 4 years as an undergraduate despite the fact that UIUC (my undergraduate school) is vastly superior to GMU (my graduate school) at hardware and controls. If I felt that my MSEE and GPA were the #1 thing, I would not have been able to take control systems or signal processing classes. I had NO control systems background as an undergrad, and my signal processing background was nothing more than earning a C in the 3-credit-hour introductory signal processing class. GMU, like all but a handful of schools, is weak in control systems, and my graduation date may be delayed by insufficient control systems course offerings. Then there's the most important thing: If I defined myself by credentials, then I would NOT have been able to do last semester's independent study project, as it was very time-consuming and difficult. If you think that one can become competent in an engineering topic simply by plowing through the class, then I have some Enron stock to sell you. Bottom line: Because my MSEE is not that critical, I can afford to take some calculated risks. Isn't that something every engineer needs to be able to do? Jason Hsu, AG4DG |
"Jack Bennett" wrote in message ...
Take my advise, graduate first then look for a job! Try telling that to the people who graduate with 5 or more job offers. Do you really think these individuals waited until graduation day before seriously conducting their job search? Of course, if you know of a silver bullet for figuring out which specific companies are actually hiring at any given moment, let me know. (Such silver bullets from everyone else on this newsgroup are welcome.) You could finish up with a job going belly up and have no MSEE. Play it safe, get the ticket first. I see this happen all the time. It sounds like you think the credentials are the most important thing. The problem with this thinking is that many with this attitude end up becoming the engineer who looks good on paper but can't engineer his/her way out of a paper bag. What I learn and accomplish are the most important things. You could argue that the BSEE is essential, but I already have that. The irony of my graduate school experience is that I feel like I have accomplished more in one year than I did in 4 years as an undergraduate despite the fact that UIUC (my undergraduate school) is vastly superior to GMU (my graduate school) at hardware and controls. If I felt that my MSEE and GPA were the #1 thing, I would not have been able to take control systems or signal processing classes. I had NO control systems background as an undergrad, and my signal processing background was nothing more than earning a C in the 3-credit-hour introductory signal processing class. GMU, like all but a handful of schools, is weak in control systems, and my graduation date may be delayed by insufficient control systems course offerings. Then there's the most important thing: If I defined myself by credentials, then I would NOT have been able to do last semester's independent study project, as it was very time-consuming and difficult. If you think that one can become competent in an engineering topic simply by plowing through the class, then I have some Enron stock to sell you. Bottom line: Because my MSEE is not that critical, I can afford to take some calculated risks. Isn't that something every engineer needs to be able to do? Jason Hsu, AG4DG |
Troglodite wrote:
Back in school I was amazed at some engineering students who wouldn't know which end of a soldering iron to grab. One mistake will permanently imbed this information. I used to have a bad habit of sniffing the end of the iron to see if it was heated yet. The obvious happened eventually ... I don't recommend a blistered nose to anyone. :) Rob |
Troglodite wrote:
Back in school I was amazed at some engineering students who wouldn't know which end of a soldering iron to grab. One mistake will permanently imbed this information. I used to have a bad habit of sniffing the end of the iron to see if it was heated yet. The obvious happened eventually ... I don't recommend a blistered nose to anyone. :) Rob |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 07:02 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
RadioBanter.com