Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with engineer

What's a good career move for me, prefer travel?

photo guy — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:08:05 -0800

What's a good career move for me? Forgive the length, as I've been giving this a lot of thought and really need to resolve this. I'm a bit unhappy with my career and have been for a while now. As it happens, I'm at a point in my life where I can make a clean break and chase my dreams, I just need some guidance.

My history: I'm 29 years old, single, no kids, and up until I was laid off earlier this year was working as an engineer. I don't have a lot of money or possessions, but have very little debt. I also own a house that I'm renting out to make some extra money. I should also mention that I'm not really the typical engineer - much more outgoing, hate being in a cubicle all day, and get bored easily.

The past five years I've spent working for a small design firm, basically writing software for cheap electronics - mostly two-way radios. I'm not a very skilled programmer (Assembly and C, that's it), found the work too stressful, and am honestly surprised I lasted there as long as I did. Before that, I spent a couple of years pulling cable for a telecom company - mostly grunt work, but worth mentioning.

Despite my misgivings in college, I finished my BS in Electrical Engineering since I was always a math/science whiz. I did reasonably well I think, given how hard the program was.

What I'm looking for: What I would really like is a job that allowed me to live abroad, or at least travel frequently. I've taken a few extended trips over the past few years, and am convinced that's what I should be doing. If I have to work stateside for the next couple of years, I would prefer to be able to at least live in another part of the country. I've been living in the same mid-sized Midwestern city my whole life, and for reasons I won't go into here, would really like a change of scenery.

What I've considered/been suggested so far:

Foreign Service - This would be perfect! I'm applying as an SEO, but have been given the impression that I will most likely not get medical clearance (which is very stringent) due to a minor condition I have to take medication for.

Other federal jobs - I've contacted a few three-letter agencies (CIA, FBI, etc), but haven't heard anything back yet. I don't know if there are any other government jobs out there that fit what I'm looking for.

Military - I'm not really the military type, but I haven't ruled it out completely.

Teaching English - Not exactly a career I would want long-term, but at least it would get me out of the States for a while.

Any other suggestions? I'm open to re-schooling if necessary (although paying for it could be an issue).

Tell me about your sales engineer/field support job

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:07:40 -0800

After 12 or so unhappy years in the tech world, I'm looking for a career that is more people oriented. Wondering if sales engineering might be the way to go, and if so if I have the right skill set. Loved, loved, loved cs school, but never really found my career niche. By many perspectives I've created a great situation for myself - I work part time as a freelance software developer, and part time as a musician. So I should be happy, but....I think I may be ready to do something other than software development, and from trying to figure out what's missing, I know my next move needs to involve more interaction with people. I'm exploring some complete 360 career switches, but it'd be great to find an enjoyable/profitable way to leverage my tech experience.

I've seen sales engineering mentioned as a tech job that requires people skills. I think I've got the people skills, and I definitely need to do something where I'm problem solving. But I'm not sure I've got the tech skills. I look at the posting on job boards and frankly, my eyes glaze over, I can't make heads or tails of most of the job descriptions. Mostly I've built web/database applications (various languages), but I don't have a lot of experience in networking or systems admin, electrical engineering, I have little experience with enterprise systems like SAP, Salesforce, etc. The only remote experience I've had with sale engineering was when I was first out of school and worked for a medical device company and did some installations of our equipment in hospitals (tagging along so I could see how it was actually being used).

I would love to hear about your sales/support engineering position - what industry you are in, what you do, what skills you needed, etc. Double points if you live a distance away (several hours) from a large metropolis, or if you've managed to work only part time (I recognize I may have to give that part of my lifestyle up for a more rewarding career).

anon since I'd rather my coworkers not know I'm looking to move on

What books would an industrial engineer find it to be useful?

Carius — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:59:40 -0800

Books recommendation for an industrial engineer My friend is an industrial engineer who would like to read more "useful" non-fiction books.

I know she really like
The Toyota Way
The Machine That Changed the World

She also like a book about efficiently sorting boxes in a warehouse.

I already exhaustively searched thoroughly through ReadMe for similarly title, but have no luck.

Bonus: She will also be working in China next year.

So oh wise mefi please help her out!
Thank you for any suggestions!

What kind of boots is the Governor of California wearing in Terminator 2?

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:47:32 -0800

I need ya cloz, ya bootz and ya motacycle. . . Actually, just the boots would be fine. Google turns up no discussion I can find about what make/model of boots they might be. I think the type of boot is called "Engineer."

Looking at this video at 3:25, you can clearly see the boots:

My theory is that they are either some type of steel toed Chippewa like this. Or a Carolina boot

I don't ride a motorcycle, never have, never will, and I purely want these boots for my birthday because I like how they look. Total poser move, hence the anon posting.

Does anyone know the specific kind of boot worn by the Terminator?

Engineer chic

maggieb — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:46:43 -0800

My son asked me what he should wear to his next interview with a company with which he really wants to work. This interview is a third contact where they are actually paying money for him to travel to their location. He is scheduled to graduate from college this coming spring with an appropriate degree.

This interview will include being inside the corporate offices and going out(side) into the [dirty, muddy] field. This time of year the weather may be wet, cold and/or snowy.

He wants a job with this company so bad he could probably make himself be composed half-naked in an icestorm....

BUT, he is a poor college student with a limited wardrobe but willing to buy new stuff.

I tried to use my Google-fu to research "engineer chic" and to find photos of office-dressed civil engineers in-the-field... to no avail.

I failed.

We have two weeks for suggestions.

BTW, I think the company will hire him no matter what because he is smart and passionate and if they do not see that they are doodoo-heads.

My question is: What can a college kid who only has a well-cut suit, several nice shirts and two cool ties, sneakers and steel-toed boots wear to an important interview?

Professional FAIL x 2

sidd.darko — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:24:45 -0800

I have had two major professional failures in a single week. I would like insight into a couple of aspects. Sordid details inside. 1) I was written up by my current manager for performance and attitude issues. Without going into too much detail, I feel like I am taking a larger share of blame than is fair of the current project's direction. I feel there is some justification to some, but not all of his issues. I have been given 60 days to produce high quality code and a major improved attitude or I lose my job. This is a manager who has given me stellar reviews in the past. I do feel like the work I am doing is very good and there are certain technical aspects beyond my control that have caused problems for our project.

2) I was given an immediate interview by a former employer. The job is in a language that I don't have recent experience in, but it is an enterprise platform and I have been working with a close counterpart. I interviewed with three people and took assessment and thought I did really well. BUT they decided to pass.

I can do some aspects of interviewing very well .. but I often find the technical interviews unnerving. I sometimes have trouble articulating the structure and flow of some of my projects. I experience the occasional whiteboard fear. But I have had success and have been a valuable employee for the few companies I've worked for (including this one) throughout my career. I'm excellent at tracking down problems and finding solutions. This is starting to sound like a cover letter .. sorry.

I'm experiencing somewhat of a professional crisis. I've been a software developer for 14 years and these two events have really blown my confidence. So, I have a couple of questions.

How do I recover my confidence and from the humiliation I feel at being written up? I need to perform well enough to not lose my job when my evaluation period is over. I can do the work, but being there I find interactions with my manager to be uncomfortable.

How can I improve my technical interviewing skills? I know the technology, but I often freeze and stumble when listening to questions.

Thanks for insight.

I found the perfect job... but it's in Amsterdam

Anonymous — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:37:09 -0800

I found a job posting from a Mac software developer for a support/QA guru that pretty much sums up exactly what I want in a job right now. However, circumstances are not right for this particular position. How can I still do this as a job? For context, here's an abridged version of the job posting, from SOFA's job openings page:

Sofa is looking for a full-time support and QA professional to join its team. Excellent written and conversational English is required. Fluency in Dutch, French, German or another big language is a plus, as is having prior experience as a customer liaison – either in support, sales, or another customer-facing role.

You will be working 40 hours a week from our Amsterdam office (relocation to Amsterdam area required) [...] There will be plenty of room for you to learn, grow and have a good time. Your tasks will vary from answering support emails, monitoring and responding to questions on our forums, and filing, reproducing and triaging bug reports, to testing new releases, authoring end-user documentation for our products and working closely with the rest of our team to prioritize bugs and feature requests.

We employ people who show initiative and have strong opinions. You are encouraged and expected to push the envelope for support, documentation and software quality.

If you care deeply about how people experience using their computers, and have a soft spot for well-made Mac software, please email [...]

After randomly stumbling upon this page the other day, I've started to realize that it's pretty much the perfect job for where I am in life right now. I am extremely passionate about Macs and indie Mac software, and I'm a novice Cocoa developer myself. I love writing, and I love helping and teaching people, and I have had at least six years of tech support experience, with the past two being almost entirely Mac support. (The truth is that I've gotten really sick of Windows/PC support and I'm trying to escape it at all costs.) The real catch is the whole moving to Amsterdam thing. Not that I don't think moving to Amsterdam would be cool, it's just not really a viable option for my family right now. Bummer.

So even though that's a letdown, I began to wonder if services like that would be valuable to indie Mac and iPhone developers as a freelance sort of thing. With the tons of new Mac and iPhone users come the potential for a lot more support requests. Though support requests may not warrant a full-time employee for many developers, I can imagine many of them being willing to pay someone to offload those requests.

Am I off base? Do freelance positions like this already exist? I haven't found anything significant on Google if they do. If they don't already exist, is this really a viable goal to pursue? How do I get my name out there as freelance Mac software support guru and technical writer extraordinaire? What skills should I enhance to make myself marketable?

Really, any feedback at all regarding this idea will do. Words of affirmation, words of warning... Even if you'd like to crush my dreams and tell me this will never work. I'd especially like to see some comments from indie developers. I know there are several of you out there on MeFi. Keep in mind, I'm not making this my ultimate career goal, but it is a big stepping stone to becoming an indie Mac/iPhone developer myself. Also, I'm not quitting my day job tomorrow or anything.

Going back to middle school!

trillian — Mon, 11 May 2009 07:05:49 -0800

How to keep a Career Day presentation interesting for middle schoolers... My husband agreed to give a 45-minute "career day" type of presentation to a group of middle schoolers this Friday. He's a bit worried about keeping the kids' attention for that long. The school has given him an outline of points to cover, but there's still some planning he has to do. How can he keep the presentation engaging but still informative? By the way, he's a civil engineer.

I need help with this creation.

CollectiveMind — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 08:01:55 -0800

I have invented a calendar that I think is unique in design and function. Last year, I spent six months reviewing copyrights and patents (and applications) from the US Patent and Trademark Office and US Copyright Office office and didn't see or read anything that fits it. I've since filed for a patent and a copyright. I'm told I'll get one or the other since it is either art or a device, but not both.
I think its design is to the standard calendar as the Reverse Polish Notation Calculator is to the standard calculator. I mean, it's initially confusing, but once you get used to it, it's much more efficient. To me, this means it would only appeal to a niche market, but probably a strong and loyal niche market - engineers, actuaries, event planners, etc.

My main question is, how can I get it printed for distribution and in front of my niche? I frequent a lot of thrift stores, and last week, barely missed buying an HP Large Format Printer for under $100. The office supply stores and online printers, by contrast, charge about $8 per sq. foot for the kind of color it has. And because I think it must be at least wall poster size to be of practical use, that makes the cost of each one nearly $70. That seems to much forthe market to bear. Does anybody know how I can reproduce this and get it circulating (and among whom) in the market, either by finding a cheap, large format printer or a cheap means for digital or offset printing?

Website for soon-to-be-grad...

jdlugo — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:32:04 -0800

I'm thinking about starting a 'blog' or an online 'portfolio' type of website. My primary goal is to showcase projects and things I have worked on for fun and school to potential employers. I want to keep the site professional and technical. Tips or advice? I am a junior computer engineering student and will graduate a semester early (December of 2009). I have started applying to jobs and have had a couple of interviews. Two of my internships were in web development and I want to showcase some of my work online.

I'm thinking about starting a 'blog' or an online 'portfolio' type of website. My primary goal is to showcase projects and things I have worked on for fun and school to potential employers. I want to keep the site professional and technical.

I also thought of keeping an up-to-date resume on the 'blog'.

For those that have hired recent graduates, did they have a website? Is it a consideration or something you would even look at?

I am planning on using Wordpress and customizing it to my own needs. As a computer engineer, is this acceptable or do I need to roll-my-own? I can definitely do it, I'm just not sure if it's worth the headache.

I would appreciate any tips, advice, or things to avoid.

** I'm using 'blog' loosely because there may be a blog-like aspect to it. Such as, any recent Stackoverflow.com topics that relate to a project I may post or discuss.

Help me lose this sinking feeling

girlpublisher — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:43:49 -0800

Who should I consult to tell me how to fix my house? Contractor? Structural engineer? Hello, boypublisher here. I own an old house in Toronto that has a distinct sag towards the back corner, as well as a low-ceilinged basement. I'm looking to find a professional to come in and consult with me about my options to address these issues, as well as discuss the structural impacts of other interior renovations. Is this a Contractor? An Engineer? Perhaps you can recommend a company, service, or professional in Toronto?

Can you help me find an engineering job in Los Angeles?

rybreadmed — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:33:16 -0800

Can you help guide me in finding a mechanical engineering job after graduation? Our economy is (pardon my language) in the shitter. But I don't want to be. I graduate in December of this year with a degree in mechanical engineering. Meanwhile, the automotive industry is on the brink and people are getting laid off like it's the hot thing to do.

I'm looking for a relatively stable job in the metro Los Angeles area (but am very willing to leave LA if the opportunity is there, particularly Arizona or even Nevada). I've checked out many of the usual suspects--big defense, aerospace, utilities, as well as some government (local and federal) agencies and departments. I want to make decent money while not worrying too much about getting laid off. Any ideas? Can you think of any stable industries or companies that aren't on the "beaten path?" Somebody who's hiring? I'm not saying stability is the key to my happiness...but it helps.

Keep in mind I've got a special little lady in my life, so I can't just take off to some shithole of a little city out in the middle of nowhere. She has to be able to find a job, too.

searching for an old NASA image...

garethspor — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:24:45 -0800

I can't for the life of me find this old NASA image of an engineer hand drawing a pixelated image from one of the early mars missions. My understanding is that they didn't have printers available quickly enough to visualize the images they were getting back so they printed up sheets of the numbers and added color themselves. Either way, its a picture of an engineer with a sharp crew cut and a plaid shirt drawing in the pixels on long strips of paper with numbers printed. Any links to that image or more information on its origin would be awesome!

cheers

How hard is it to become a patent examiner?

rybreadmed — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:46:26 -0800

Is it difficult to get hired by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a patent examiner? I talked to a person from the USPTO at a recent university career fair. I'm wondering if anybody knows how their interview process works, how long their hiring process takes, and how competitive it is to get a job there. I've learned (both through researching online and from the person at the career fair) that they're aiming to hire 1,200 patent examiners this year. Keep in mind, I've looked at their job requirements, and meet them (engineering degree, good GPA, etc.).

Also, I've heard that the job is extraordinarily boring. Is this true? I know, I know--different strokes for different folks, boredom is subjective, yada yada. So, is it boring?

The benefits and pay seemed absolutely amazing, too. I worked at the IRS before going back to school for engineering, and the benefits and pay were terrible. But at the USPTO, that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm interested in all the long-term opportunities and pay--as well as the government paying for law school after two years. Does all this really exist, or was the recruiter blowing smoke up my buttocks? Are there certain conditions that only .01% of the employees can even meet to take advantage of these opportunities?

Does anybody have any insight on working at the USPTO? Insight on anything that could help me or enlighten me? How's the 'organizational culture' there?

Should I stay in software engineering?

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:46:14 -0800

I'm an unhappy overworked software engineer. Am I in the wrong field? I've been a software engineer for about 6 years now, all in the same job. My problem is that the hours suck. I know that some crunch time is expected when projects are due, but I'm regularly working 10-11 hour days, and working on the weekends is pretty common. My question is, is this normal? Are other people in the field working hours like this? I have a chance to leave the field and do something different, but because I've only worked one job, I'm not certain if the long hours I've been working are part of the profession, or if I could realistically expect to find another software engineering job where the hours are more reasonable. I want a job, but I want a life too. Can I have both if I stay a coder? What sort of experiences have my fellow mefites had in the field?

Does it add up?

ian1977 — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:58:00 -0800

I have a technical A.A.S. degree and I work in tech manufacturing industry as a technician. I would like to get my bachelors to be able become an engineer but... the obvious degree choices (Material Science, EE, Physics) pretty much rule out working full time and getting the degree in any reasonable amount of time...the prereqs and co-reqs and labtimes and so forth make scheduling classes an absolute nightmare.

But what about a B.S. in math? The scheduling for math looks a heap-ton easier, lots more options of classes and class times. In fact, there is even a evening/weekend BS in math I could pursue.

But would a technical A.A.S. degree and a B.S. in math be a feasible combo for being an engineer in the tech manufacturing universe? Specifically an engineer working with/around electron microscopy (which is what my AAS degree is in.)

Here is my previous question with a related quandry (viability of a BAS degree)

Engineering Skills

gzimmer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:52:27 -0800

Engineers: What skills do you use most often that you learned in college or anywhere else? I'm a college student currently pursuing a mechanical engineering degree (not totally set on mech though), and I wanted to know what skills I was learning that really mattered in the day to day workings of an engineer.

EIT/PE ten years out of school?

notsnot — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:54:10 -0800

How to pass a PE license exam after ten years? I earned a BSME in 1998. Professional engineering licensure was mentioned in one class, as an afterthought - most of the graduates went on to be consultants, where a PE doesn't do you any good. I never took the EIT (engineer in training) test. I worked for a railcar company for 4+ years out of college, then did construction and teaching, when I couldn't find an engineering job, for another four years. I"m now at a company that strongly encourages me to get my PE license so the old PE can fully retire.

I've looked online, but I have no sense of how hard the EIT test is, firstly, and how likely the license board is to let me take the PE test without four years' time after the EIT test.

I'm not dumb, but looking at the reference materials, I barely remember any of this stuff. When I taught math, even high-level calculus and DiffEQ came back like it was yesterday, but I'm pretty sure I didn't learn a lot of the engineering stuff. My recollection of college, the engineering part, was that of a lot of professors' egos, criminal levels of apathy (one professor didn't let me turn in an assignment an hour late because I was at a classmate's funeral!), professors who didn't speak intelligibly, and ridiculous workloads on material that didn't actually teach us anything. Tests were either a joke (everyone had scores of 80% or better) or ridiculous (one person got a 90, the rest got under 40%). I don't seem to have learned a lot of the material. How hard are the tests?

Is there such a thing as hardhat etiquette?

TheManChild2000 — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:39:33 -0800

Is there such as thing as engineer-vs-craft hardhat etiquette, and if so, what should I expect if I stray outside the lines? I always see engineers wearing the dome hardhat with the tiny duckbill brim and the craft personnel wearing the full-circumference-brim hats. I never see it the other way around, unless that engineer has also spent at least some time on an active construction project. The field is EHV electrical transmission.

The problem is that I work in a blazing desert region where that full brim would be mighty, mighty nice... but I'm an officey-type engineer who spends maybe a total of fourty hours in the field per year.

I know this should be a no-brainer; wear whatever plastic brain bucket you want. But it seems like the world of the craft personnel is full of traditions, and I want to respect that and not step on any toes. Am I imagining all this, or is there really some sort of unwritten rule?

Audio Technician Gear?

AltReality — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:32:25 -0800

What is included in a typical sound technician's kit when recording scenes for TV or Movies? I am looking into all the potential uses of a degree in sound engineering, and was looking at the idea of TV and Movies...I notice the sound guys who hold the boom mic's have the lines run into a belt-pack kind of thing..I'm guessing a mixer and power supply, and then I guess they lead out to the camera?

So my question:
What is included in a typical sound technician's kit when recording scenes for TV or Movies?

Thanks,
AltReality

A young Bachelor, who also happened to be my Master

Anonymous — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:17:37 -0800

Which guy would you rather hire as an engineer - a 28 year old guy who took 8 years to get a bachelors degree or a 30 year old guy who took 10 years to get a masters degree? I'm posting this anonymous because I am that guy. My first 5 years in college, I just was not interested in doing anything. I was working, socialising, coding and doing everything but signing up for exams.

Then I turned 25 and realised - dude, you've fucked up big time. I dropped out of college, reregistered at a new college and restarted the same course. I followed up the course work, and I am shortly before a bachelors degree. I'm tired of living like a student, I want to settle down and start working, and I'm no young up and comer in the tech world anymore. So after my bachelors (which I will get with about top 30% scores, but not better), I could go start work.

The problem is that I'm competing against all the young guys who have a bachelors degree and do not have to explain why it took them so long to get a first degree.

Or I could bite the bullet and stick it out in college for 1&1/2 more years and end up with a masters degree, which I guess will then be more normal for someone my age.

But then I'm 30 with no formal work experience and a masters degree in engineering.

You may say - but degrees don't matter, all that matters is experience and skills. Well, in the type of big companies I want to work at, I've heard they weed out people based on details like this. So I won't even get far enough to show my skill. And thought I'm a skilled coder, I'm not actually that skilled in what I study, which belongs squarely in the engineering field.

What do I do? Leave now, get work experience in a company, then come back for my masters after 2 years or just stay on now and get that masters?

Mech/Mfg. Engineer w/o degree. Possible?

high0nfire — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 10:45:56 -0800

Can a person who just can't get through college make it in the (mechanical/manufacturing) engineering world? If not as an engineer, a close second, maybe? I'm a guy who's pretty smart, likes to figure things out (thrives on it at work, actually), problem-solve, etc. However, I have always been a horrible student (really horrible, srsly). In an educational setting, I have never been able to put forth any sustained effort. After High School (didn't graduate, got the California HS proficiency thing, kinda like a GED), I tried community college, which was a disaster.

I went into the Machining trade (my dad's trade). I did pretty well, learn by doing, work with my hands, visualize. Though I didn't really like the outlook so much. Machinists know their trade (like many other trades) has HUGE ups and downs in hiring and firing, where when it's good, overtime can be almost unlimited, then as soon as manufacturing dies down, Job shops sell off their newly-financed machines and the mass layoffs begin for all but the most experienced, talented, and underpaid machinists.

Well I eventually ended up at a small medical device manufacturing company (less than 10 people) that changed my life, in terms of career outlook. I started out there as a machine operator (they had one CNC lathe) and I became the only machinist there (the owner knew how to machine, but he was busy running the company). Well as time went on, I progressed from setup/operation to programing new parts, to learning AutoCadLT (to draw up new parts), eventually taking on more of an engineering role (solving problems in the manufacturing process, documentation, researching new materials/tools/hardware, having to dabble with basic engineering math to figure out burst strengths of components and stuff like that, designing new parts and assemblies with SolidWorks, etc). They couldn't afford a full-time "real engineer", and I didn't have all the education and experience of one to demand such a salary. It was such a great experience for me, in terms of pointing me in a career direction, one that gave me great joy and satisfaction. It made me feel like I didn't just "have a job" to get a paycheck, I was making a real impact and I'd never felt so "effective" in my life. Even during bad times, it was worth every headache. It also helped that the owner and the general manager were the best people I'd ever worked for, before or since.

Anyhow, after five years I eventually had to leave that company to relocate, and It took me about a year and five job changes to find something where I didn't just want to walk off the job (which I did, 3 times in a row). Now I'm finally at a company that seems to have that "show us what you can do" attitude, and I'm certain that I can stick around for a number of years.

I guess my general question would be, am I a fool to think I'll ever get anywhere without an engineering degree (or a degree of any kind)? I make somewhere in the low 40's as a salary, but I live in the metro Boston area, so i'm not exactly making a great living.

I know that really the best thing for me to do is get that degree, but has anybody else risen through the ranks (to the point of having a decent career in manufacturing) without one? Any input, advice, experiences, stories, reality checks, anything would be appreciated.

And I just have to add, to any engineers who might take this as "i dont think a degree is really worth it or important", please know that I've got nothing but respect for a person who was able to put their head down and barrel through that seemingly endless process of hard class after harder class to get to an engineering degree, with the only light at the end of the tunnel being a friggin' PE exam (which my friend, who got a BSME, studied for like 6 stressful months for). I've just never been able to learn something unless A) I really found it interesting and wanted to learn it. or B) I needed to learn it to solve a problem at my job. In those circumstances it's EASY for me. But just to learn it to get a passing grade on a test, I start stabbing myself in the eye with a #2 pencil in class. Well you get the idea. And yes, I have mental problems that are surely causing me to have this aversion to formal education.

How much to ask for?

spacefire — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 09:58:04 -0800

What should a Mechanical Engineer make in NYC? Say at an entry-level job that requires a Masters degree in ME?

Are there any Release Management Engineers out there?

zzztimbo — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 11:37:07 -0800

Are there any Release Management Engineers out there? I would like to find out about your daily routine. Besides the responsibilities mentioned in typical job descriptions, what is it like being a release management engineer? Is it stressful? Is there room for creativity? What sort of career path is there? Lastly, how does the pay compare with other software engineering roles?

Random people, decide the course of my life!

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:46:34 -0800

Should I quit law school? I was a software engineer for 10 years before starting law school. Now I'm one year in and doing okay (at an upper 2nd tier school), and got a summer internship at a big, prestigious firm. And I absolutely hate it. I kept the idea of going to law school in my back pocket for years. I made the decision to go at a point when I was feeling burned out on writing software, and good jobs (not to mention a longer-term career) seemed hard to come by. I'd done really (really!) well on the LSAT, so I hoped this would be my calling. My summer associateship pays more than any of my previous jobs, and if I get an offer I can have a stable, lucrative job for the next 30 years.

But I always made more money than I'd needed as a developer, and all my friends still have good jobs (and ask me to send them my resume), and no matter how burned out I felt, I never woke up with a pit in my stomach anticipating going to work.

I've had some people tell me that the problem is the firm (200+ attorneys in this office alone) or the subject matter (patent prosecution). The firm environment probably isn't right for me, but the one thing I like about the job is getting to read about technology. It's the "lawyering" part that feels like pointless semantic hair-splitting, and I don't see how a different environment or a different subject matter will change that.

I have several lawyers in my family, but I have trouble talking with them about this, because it feels like I'm attacking their lifestyles. I do think a lot of lawyers are type A overachieving mercenaries who really hate their jobs, but a lot of them really do like what they do. But I don't feel like one of them. I like making stuff. That's what I like to do in my spare time, and that's why I got into software.

So my questions are, (1) is there any area of the law that might scratch my "making stuff" itch (the only things I can think of are contracts and legislation, which strike me as absurd kabuki shows), (2) is there any way that a law degree could help me as an engineer, (3) if I leave school now and later decide that I really do need to sell off my happiness, how badly will I have screwed myself, and (4) is there any other reason that I should stay in school?