Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with engineering

Which path to go for product design/usability/human factors?

NeoLeo — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:16:59 -0800

I'm a jack-of-all-trades type of guy interested in getting into product design/usability/human factors. I'm somewhat convinced getting a degree in industrial engineering is a good start. Any other paths to consider before I commit to that? Hi MeFites, I'm a relatively new member, yet another person in their mid-20s looking for some career guidance. Well, at least I have a good idea of where I want to be -- something related to product design/usability/human factors -- but I'm not 100% positive as to which path is the best for me to get there -- and the problem is, I have no relevant experience and many undeveloped skills/lack of knowledge, so I think I'll need a new degree.

I'm interested in many aspects of this field, such as the product hardware design, software design, and research involved in product development. Ideally I could utilize one of my strengths (versatility) and not need to specialize in a specific area. However I do recognize the possibility that specialization may be necessary to get a good job, but I want to hold on to the hope that this isn't true for every job out there in this field.

One side issue is that I already have a B.A. degree (in Asian Studies), so I'll have a tough time with finances (little financial aid); I'm in the process of figuring out how to deal with that. (Any advice and/or links to relevant scholarships would be helpful.) However, in the past, I have never felt the sense of clarity that I do now in terms of what I want to do in the future. I want to be prepared and qualified, and I want to do an excellent job in this field.

There are several ways to go, with certain routes having certain emphases and possibly less versatility:
-B.S. in Industrial Engineering
This is the option I am learning toward. I believe that it offers the most flexibility in choosing which area to pursue. Also gives a technical understanding to design that other fields lack. Unfortunately getting a second degree in this would probably require 3-4 years of schooling. (One side benefit to this path is that engineers will be in demand in the near future.)
-B.S./B.A. in Industrial Design
I'm torn about this option. It would take less time to complete than an industrial engineering degree but I don't feel "artsy" enough to do it. Even though I don't consider myself to be good at basic arts (drawing/painting/etc.), I have a pretty good eye for what looks good, and can draw decently with a computer and a tablet with trial and error (thanks Undo button :). Photography and videos is something that I've done fairly well with in the past as well. Does that qualify enough for a degree in this?
-B.A. in Graphic Design
Similar "artsy" issues as the Industrial Design degree, but moreso. Another way that can get into the field, but has little emphasis on anything technical. In the end, a portfolio lands you a job, so paying up cash for a degree in this seems unnecessary. I can just teach myself some graphics tools via book/cheaper classes.
-B.S. in Computer Science
Many CS majors (esp. with HCI emphasis) have the chance to get into some of my desired fields, but I feel this narrows me down specifically to software-related fields. Depending on the program, CS tends to be less on the practical side and more on theory. Instead of a degree, I can teach myself commonly used programming languages through books or cheap classes.
-B.S. in Cognitive Psychology
I feel that this limits me to research-oriented areas. However, this may be the cheapest option (in terms of both time and money).
-Network Like Crazy; Land Entry-Level Job
Hard with my current degree that is completely unrelated and a lack of professional-level skills. Possible, but seems to be a big risk because there is no guarantee when and if I can get a job, especially with the current state of the economy.

After that, I can do one or a combination of:
- A Human Factors/Ergonomics graduate degree
- An Industrial Engineering/Product Design graduate degree
- A Human Factors International certificate
- Networking, networking, networking
- Any other possibilities?

My current plan:
- B.S. in Industrial Engineering, if time permits, minor(s) in Industrial Design/Cognitive Psychology. During that time I will learn some common programming languages and the skills to use some common graphics/CAD tools. Also networking/internships during this time. Biggest problem here is figuring out the financial aspect.
- M.S./M.A. in Human Factors/Ergonomics OR a M.S. in Industrial Engineering/Product Design plus an HFI certificate. Of course, networking/internships/programming and graphic tool skill development during this time.

Now, I hope you can help me decide which way to go! I really like my current plan, but I hope that you guys can expose any flaws in my thinking and/or recommend any other possibilities. My plan seems too perfect and perhaps too idealistic. Feel free to rip it apart (with rationale, of course)!

Thanks a lot, and I hope to contribute useful info to MeFi in the future!

Best Programming Language for an Engineer

warriorengineer — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:52:21 -0800

What would be the best programming language for me to learn for use as a Water Resources Engineer? I am a Water Resources Engineer, and I do a lot of modeling. In college, I took a class in which we used VB and a class in which we used Fortran. In grad school (masters) I used mostly matlab or just excel for problem solving. I am considering getting my PhD. and if I do, it is likely that I'll have to do a good bit of programming (Its very likely that I'll be writing some finite element method code). I am trying to determine which would be the best programming language for me to learn. I didn't really like VB or Fortran, and believe that they are both too limited. IF you have any question for me please ask. thanks.

[MajorFilter] Computer Engineering or Computer Science Major? Help me decide please! (3rd sem already) and don't know what to be!

Javed_Ahamed — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:47:17 -0800

Hey guys, Computer Engineering 2nd year (3rd sem) here at the University of Maryland College Park wondering if i should stay in my major or switch to Computer Science. I am super confused right now and am hoping that some of you can help me think. Bear with me while i ramble on I do just love working with computers and building things for them so it was no suprise I am going to stay in a computer field. I originally went computer engineering just because it seemed more prestigous (engineering, limited seats, once you leave you cant come back) and the fact that it seemed to be both hardware and software. Now I consider myself a software guy and while i enjoy learning about hardware i dont imagine a job in it. Still Computer Engineering seemed a way to get the Computer Science curriculum and do some extra work and get some extra hardware knowledge that could only help.

Now I am having second doubts.

Now my ideal goal is to work at a place like Microsoft or Google (yes its a lofty goal), and I know to work at places like these you need excellent code fu. I wonder if working for a computer engineering degree where i dont take as many CS classes but instead take more Electrical engineeringish classes is really the best idea (like CE is 80% hardware). Now asking everyone I know these are what various people have given me as advice:

1. Friends/Adults in the Computer Science field:
-Go comp sci if you want a software job and computer engineering if you want a hardware job -Get a Business (really management) focus or minor (not offered at maryland) so you can code for a couple years then try to get a management position. -Get an MBA at a good business school after having a job for a couple of years

2. Head of computer engineering department:
-Recruiters come after computer/electrical engineers a lot its really in demand (this is true we have our own job fair) -CE's get paid more -Knowing hardware lets you optimize your code better and stuff.

3. Faculty member in the Computer Engineering Dept. who used to be in Comp Sci Dept. -CE because in the future hardware will be me more tied to software, such as with parallel processing and this will help -Look at 400 lvl (senior year) classes in CS that you would want to take and take them as CE as well. (problem with this is Im also going to have to take 400 lvl electrical engineering courses which will restrict my time for CS stuff)

4. Parents
-Engineering sounds better

5. Me
-Computer Engineering does seem better sounding than Comp Sci but does that really matter? -Comp E has b.s classes (at least in my opinion) like physics and chem and like technical writing. (maybe not b.s but bleh) -Comp Sci seems easier to do, therefore i can fit more CS classes in and learn more -I am still looking for real world applications though for whatever i learn. I am not going into research or anything. If you guys believe i should really put in a business background and stuff please say so. Being realistic here. Money and Enjoyment if possible to balance.

Btw here is the major reqs for CS: http://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/major-requirements-checklist/

and sample plans (Core is like classes everyone has to take like art, history bleh) http://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/sample-plans/

And for CE: http://www.ece.umd.edu/Academic/Under/advising/CP_degree_reqs.html

Now if you guys are still reading (wow thanks!) i guess to sum it up what do you guys think i should really be? I would like to work at a place like Microsoft (and have been given interviews with them with no luck) and do companies like them really care if you are a computer engineer or scientist? Should i go comp sci and a business focus, or just plain comp e? Ive been going back between these 2 majors for a while now and finally just want to make a decesion. Thanks youll be helping me a lot! :)

How can I elevate a platform safely?

grabbingsand — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:15:19 -0800

StageCraftFilter / EngineeringFilter. What is the best way to safely elevate a 4' x 8' rigid platform (theatrical) to about five feet from the stage? Currently, I have it situated atop four 4x4 posts, each five foot tall, each at a corner, bolts through the frame of the platform and the post. The posts are connected by 4' long 2x4s in front and back (about halfway down), and 8' long 2x4s on either side (halfway down). This works, but only just. It is not stable. I'm not putting an actor on a wobbly platform. So what else should be done to stabilize this contraption? I have had several ideas, up to and including some kind of tension wire system (!), but time is of the essence and I'd rather call on experience than experimentation.

Oh, and I should mention that this needs to be built in a way that allows the platform to be removed from the "stands" after each night's show and restored before each show.

Fp=2.16 Wp, but Wp=1.3Fp? WTF?!?!?

notsnot — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:12:36 -0800

How do you figure seismic sway bracing? I've been tasked with figuring out the sway bracing on a Class E soil medical facility. I've got a binder from a manufacturer, and some values off the structural engineering plans for the site.

However, as I read through the manual, they effectively say, "here's some car parts"...some formulas, no explanations. Then they give examples using different variables, and get conclusions that mean nothing..."here, make an airplane spanner wrench out of them." The results are numbers - %wp, which I can't seem to figure out what to do with from there.

The structural plans give an entirely *different* set of variables, none of which coincide with the manual's variables. It's like they started talking about railroads for all it's worth.

Anyone have any references to recommend?

I've tried googling, but can't find anything.

How do you make something that improves the acoustics of an auditorium?

n8stew — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:04:08 -0800

Can anyone offer me some suggestions for how to make a relatively inexpensive sound trap (i.e. like those echo reducers that large auditoriums have). Info about materials, shapes, etc. would be helpful. I'm a science teacher trying to make our school's auditorium more functional by reducing the echos which make it hard to understand most performances. I plan on writing a grant to cover most of the cost but I really need help figuring out what and how I would make these sound traps.

Computer Engineering, or Linguistics? Or maybe web design... and how do I fit travel in there?

malapropist — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:50:49 -0800

I'm having a lot of angst about whether to continue with my major, Comp Engineering, or to find something else, such as linguistics or web design. Can you give me some perspective? Hi, I'm having some issues with my college education. Here are the main points:

I went to community college after high school, 5 years ago, with the idea that I would end up working with computers. But life, family problems and depression intervened and I've taken a bunch of gen ed but no actual major prep. So, basically, the major prep for transfering into a comp eng program at a CSU will take me 3 years. From now. The idea of being stuck in community college for ANOTHER 3 years makes me sick. I was under the impression that it would be more like a year and a half, or two, which is much more paletable. Considering that engineering is the most unit-intensive major you can take, I'm looking for another major that is less intense.

Two fields that interest me a lot are web design (an old hobby) and linguistics (a new interest). I've heard that linguistics intersects with computer science, and that there are jobs for linguists in technology companies, but I can't seem to find much more detailed information than that, such as which companies, or what kind of jobs exactly. I have seen some interesting programs, such as UCLAs Linguistics and Computer Science bachelors, which sounds right up my alley, but what is the application of this? What kind of work is it? Depending on what I'm reading, it either seems like there are exciting opportunities for someone with a linguistics degree, or that it's a theoretical degree that is only useful for academia. As far as web design goes, that's a whole another question whether to go with a design degree, a computer science degree, some kind of certification, or just say bollocks to a degree altogether.

I very much want to join the Japan English Teaching program after college, regardless of what degree I get, and perhaps teach English in Korea as well. This is one thing that makes me doubt pursuing a comp eng degree, because it feels like if I get that degree and turn around and become an English teacher for a couple of years, I'll let my engineering degree and skills go stale. It seems like if I follow that course of actions, when I return stateside I would be unhirable. How true is this?

After school, I would like to spend a few years either way, living in foreign countries or in a city outside of southern California, where I live. It seems like comp engineering would be a good option for this, because there is technology everywhere. Linguistics also seems like it would be a good idea, though depending on what languages I specialize in, it could be actually more limiting than CE. What do you think? I'm considering, if I do go through with linguistics, specializing in Japanese and an Indo-European language, probably French. Which of these two degrees would help me get a job and live in a wide variety of societies?

Anyway, I have spent so so so much time thinking about all this stuff, and it seems the longer I spend the further away it all gets. I'm feeling very demoralized. I'll be visiting the counseling department next week, as well as the career planning center and the transfer center around the beginning of term, but to be honest they haven't been very helpful in the past. I want to be as knowledgeble as I can so I can ask precise questions. I feel like there is a lot I don't know about simply researching careers and majors and colleges and programs and this and that and the other.

I know there are plenty of people here on Askme who have gone on to have amazing careers and/or travel a lot. Can you confer upon me your wisdom? Please. Give me an outside perspective. I feel so trapped in my head about all this. I search online, I go to the library, I talk to the counselors, but in the end it can't help me figure out what will happen 4 or 5 years from now with too much accuracy. Thanks for your time.

Party for Women Engineers and Computer Scientists

billy_the_punk — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:22:47 -0800

Help me brainstorm a good social event for women in my Computer Science and Engineering Departments. I am both student and staff at my Universities Faculty of Engineering (which includes the Computer Science Department), and I need to come up with ideas for a rockin' event for this September that is run through our branch of Women in Engineering and Computer Science.

We all have in common the fact that we are involved in Engineering and/or Computer Science, but the group differs in that it is spread across undergraduates, grad students, faculty, and staff.

In an event held this summer, we had some console games (a Wii and Rockband), puzzles spread around the room (rubiks cubes, 16 puzzles, recursive puzzles), and food. We also took a survey from the (relatively small group) to find out what kind of events these women like. All of them reported enjoying social events, and roughly 50% wanted to participate in each of our other events (personal development, overnight retreats, educational lectures by female scholars etc).

The question is what should we do? I hesitate to repeat the console games unless we have something else to include. Basic mixers usually result in people only speaking with people they already know. Although serving alcohol is always a winner, that excludes the under 19 crowd. I don't want to just serve pizza and let people mingle again, but I can't seem to get my brain to work past that.

Our resources include a modest budget, rooms we can book on campus, outdoor green areas, and enthusiastic volunteers.

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?

How do I set myself apart?

DMan — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:01:55 -0800

As a computer engineering student about to begin my sophomore year, what can I do on my own to distinguish myself from the scores of other kids in the field when it comes time to find an internship? If you look at my posting history, you'll see that I've asked a question or two about electronics and my major, Computer Engineering.

I'm about to begin my sophomore year in college, and I've been researching internships at various companies since in a year or so I'll be looking for one. One problem with the computer field in this regard is that it's very crowded--it seems like there's a ton of people studying computer science/engineering, both in the U.S. and elsewhere.

So I've determined that I need to do as much as I can to distinguish myself as someone in the field. I want to do things that will catch the eyes of employers and things that I can talk about in the interviews. Basically, I need to find things to do in my free time that will teach me a lot of practical information about the computer engineering field, and hopefully in the process complete a few major projects that will help my chances of landing a job later.

For reference, right now I have a pretty good foundation on C++/C#(about a year spent on this, altogether), and I know how to solder and understand very basic electronic circuits.

Thanks, any help would be greatly appreciated!

Changing academic direction (am I being foolish?)

oneirodynia — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:46:11 -0800

Trying to transfer to a four year college, and changing direction mid -stream. Am I being foolish to consider shifting from aiming for a landscape architecture degree to one in ecological engineering, especially when engineering colleges have completely different requirements than what I've been focusing on? I've been going to community college on-off for many years now. A year ago last February, I decided to quit my job and go to school full time, with the intent of transferring to a four year college. At the time, I was designing and building gardens for a design-build landscape company, and had been taking numerous horticulture and drafting classes, plus the basic GE requirements. However, I'm kind of ... bored by basic landscape stuff. I want to design gardens that perform a function, like rooftop gardens that recycle HVAC water, or living machines. It seems to me like a degree in ecological engineering is the route to take, but it means basically starting over, with 2 years of calculus, plus physics, biology, chemistry (per UC Davis' website) The issues are:

I'm nearly able to transfer for Fall 09', but this change would definitely set me back. I'm impatient, and afraid of burning out.

I'm not good at math. I finished trig in high school with a D. That was 20 years ago, and I haven't taken math since. Surprisingly, I'm actually a little better at understanding it (I had no problems with the algebraic equations needed in my soil science and plant nutrition classes), but I've got to pass a math assessment to be placed in any math class, let alone get to where I can do OK in 2 years of calculus. Does it make sense to study for the assessment test, and try to get placed as high as possible, so I'm not going to school for 3 more years? I'm OK with any science or physics, but will I be killing myself trying to do all these more intense classes as quickly as I can? More realistically- is it even possible to cram for a math assessment course, and not wind up over my head in calculus?

My community college bureaucracy is understaffed, and no one in the transfer center will return my calls. I've been told to send emails to UC Davis and Berkeley, to talk to professors in the departments I'm interested in. I feel incredibly shy about writing to randomprof at dot edu.
Is this the right thing to do?

My other option is to stay the course and go for landscape architecture, with a minor or something in ecological engineering. My fear is that I won't get the toothy, nitty gritty science background I want to be able to build these types of ecological recycling systems, or that I'll be forced to mess around with a bunch of fluffy theory classes. But I'm also worried that it doesn't make sense to try to go for broke and start over on a course that may be extremely difficult, time consuming, and frustrating. If you've done this, please let me know how it turned out.

Distillation - VLE Database?

whatzit — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:09:29 -0800

Separation filter: Where do you get your VLE diagrams, or the boiling point data used to make them? Bonus points if you have a link that will walk me through sizing (trays, diameter, height...) of a distillation column. I have Perry, King, and some other reference books, but no textbooks, and no library to speak of. The system I'm specifically working with is C3H6-C3H8. I hoped I would never need to do this in real life, but I was wrong.

Games Programming vs Software Engineering

hgws — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:51:46 -0800

Help me pick a second major for my computer science degree. Background: I am a 30 y.o. undergrad Bachelor of Comp Sci student in Western Australia. Everything in my early life pointed to a career in computing; I remember being fascinated the first time I encountered a computer (a BBC Acorn), and although my family was too poor to afford any kind of computer I spent hours on the Mac Plus in the local library & would also borrow books on programming & write out programs & go through them in my head. Naturally I excelled in high school computing, & went straight into a CS degree. However life got in the way & I managed to get kicked out of my degree after second year. (Ironically despite failing most of my units in royal fashion I also scored 86% in my HCI unit.)

In the ten years or so between my first attempt at a CS degree & a second one, I discovered a strong interest in research & academic writing & graduated with a first class honours degree in history. I began a Ph.D. with a view for the traditional teaching/research pathway common to humanities graduates, but left after I got distracted by a full-time job & earning a real wage for the first time in my life. During this time I'd always retained a strong interest in computing, getting into HTML & web design in the late '90s, starting a collection of vintage Macs, spending most of my free time on the net/IFOC etc. The job I left my Ph.D. for also requires I spend 90% of my time IFOC, although it begain as data entry & has since evolved into Excel spreadsheets & if I'm lucky, an Access database. Frankly though it's dull work & it prompted me to think that if I was going to spend my working life IFOC I might as well learn to do it in a way that interested me, so I decided to return to a CS degree.

I'm now just starting my second year of this degree & it is going very well - I have gone part-time at work so I can study full time. So far I have straight HDs (A's) & I love what I am studying. I've become an incredibly anal overachiever, in fact, compared to the CS student I was when I left high school. I began my degree with a fairly vague idea of what I wanted to do at the end - something to score me a job in IT - but my life goals have changed, particularly since I've gone from a FT salary to a PT one & realised that I don't actually want or need much more than enough to get by, financially, and have zero interest in business and "getting ahead." In fact I am now eyeing honours and then PG studies in CS after I graduate.

To get to my question: there is no doubt that I should major in CS. I love programming & I find the theory side nifty too. But my degree requires that I either pick a second major or a bunch of electives. I think that a second major will give me more options and I have narrowed it down to two choices: Software Engineering or Games Programming. I assumed from the start of my degree that software engineering was right for me, admittedly without really knowing the contents of the units or what it exactly entails. (I assumed it was sort of an extension of programming.) I also ruled out games programming as I am not a gamer - I mean, really not a gamer! (For one thing I only own Macs, haha...) Well I have a weakness for Tetris & The Sims, and that's it. I would just rather do other things than play games and so have never payed much attention to the whole gaming area (aside from reading Ctrl-Alt-Delete).

But on futher examination of the units involved in games programming & software engineering, I'm starting to waver. Firstly, I emailed a student advisor for ideas & was advised that given my stated interest in programming, AI and HCI, Games Programming was the better fit. Secondly, I did a closer inspection of software engineering & became somewhat suspiscious that it might entail management and business along with the actual software design. In the gap between CS degrees I took an accounting diploma at vocational college & I've had my fill of management theory & commerce. In fact my least-liked unit so far has been first year systems analysis. However, I do see that most of games programming is mostly programming & not so much games: a lot of units on computer graphics, only 2 really specific to gaming.

Given that in many ways I just want to do a double major in CS, but that's not possible, what is the best choice?

PS. I have to confess that some of my aversion to games programming is that the majority of students are 18-20 y.o. males & stereotypical gamers. Not that it should bother me as I'm doing most of my units online at home.

How could I forget to mention the bicycle is a good invention

optovox — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:20:43 -0800

I'm building a two-wheeled cargo trailer for my bicycle, and I'm mounting standard caliper brakes on each wheel of the trailer. I want to control both brakes with one handle i.e. I squeeze the handle, and both calipers close. How can I set this up? My first idea was to use motorcycle cable housing and run both brake cables inside that, but I nixed that idea because I'd have to figure out a way to attach both cables at the handle.

I'd prefer to buy an off-the-shelf "two-caliper-one-handle" setup, but I can fabricate parts and build a setup if someone has an engineering solution or design idea. Anyone?

HOW IS ARCHY FORMED?

TheOnlyCoolTim — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 23:17:46 -0800

How was this made? Slightly different angle here.

I discovered this while fucking off into the woods for a while today. Based on its location I would assume it to be made by random idle kids/drunks/stoners or some combination of the above three. On the other hand, I am near a large university and it's possible this was built by an expert civil engineer stoner kid.

I understand the theoretical aspects of why an arch stays up, yet based on the ad hoc nature of this one I don't immediately see how it was built or see it as likely that someone constructed a special scaffolding to build this on a concrete drainage pipe. (Though this is not implausible.) The readily available materials are rocks provided for drainage, as seen, as well as possibly wood presumably gathered from being in the woods.

Note in the pictures the fact that small rocks and rock chips are liberally used as shims between the large rocks.

Is there simply some neat simple trick behind this that I don't know? Is it just easier than it looks?

Do employers value leadership schemes for students?

PuGZ — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:03:32 -0800

How would something along the lines of Monash University's Ancora Imparo Leadership programme (general) or its Leadership in a Technological Environment programme (engineering-specific) be viewed by prospective employers? Are these useful initiatives that a student should endeavour to be a part of in order to earn brownie points, or will an employer see them as a waste of time? Also, if an employer would indeed look upon these in a positive light, would one also include mention an Engineering Excellence award or is this needless?

I know these are specific examples, but the question I'm trying to ask is whether these programmes are a) inherently useful and b) attractive to employers.

Many thanks for your wisdom!

Maintenance for Dummies

ForeverDcember — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:18:07 -0800

What books can I get to not be a "dummy" when it comes to my new job? (more inside) I just took on a job as a secretary at a hospital in the engineering department. Basically, I want to know more about the technicians' jobs so I can better understand what they do and be a little more efficient in my position. I see a lot of work orders each day. There are HVAC techs, electricians, plumbers, painters and then maintenance techs. They oversee all the preventative and corrective maintenance in the building like air conditioning, heating, plumbing and installing lighting, automatic doors, freezers/fridges, clogged toilets/sinks/showers, patch and paint walls, fire systems, elevators.... a lot of stuff. I want to read up more on how to do some of these things (the basics) and how they work (again, the basics). There is no "building maintenance for dummies" unfortunately, does anyone have any suggestions? I would like actual books instead of websites, although websites can be helpful. Thanks in advance for any help!

Help me engineer a great job

Anonymous — Sat, 17 May 2008 16:26:39 -0800

My dream job is coming up but I currently work for a wireless telecommunications company in sales admininistration which basically means I consult with our leadership team to develop and manage sales processes and major projects. One of these responsibilities involves working with our engineering teams on custom coverage solutions for large businesses. I work very closely with an engineer who is the technical project manager for these systems who is being promoted into a different role very soon (within 1-3 months). Based on discussions with the management and executive staff over the engineering teams I am being considered as a candidate to replace him. I started an electrical engineering program in college immediately out of high school but dropped out before completing any of my core classes so have absolutely no formal technical education

The current engineer’s role is almost entirely project management and vendor management however there is a small degree of technical work required for the position. I have significant project management and vendor management but am lacking in the technical knowledge. In order to help my chances of acquiring this position I want to do what I can to familiarize myself with RF engineering in preparation for the position. I am on very friendly terms with the current engineer and will be spending a considerable amount of time doing on the job training with him in regards to the technical aspects. However I would like to familiarize myself with the theories and applications of radio frequency engineering to solidify my chances.
On a personal note I have restarted my engineering education at a 4 year university but by the time this position comes open I will not have anywhere near the formal education normally required for this position in normal circumstances.

My questions are as follows:
1. What books, online resources, or other easily accessible media can you recommend that will increase my knowledge of radio frequency engineering.
2. For those that may already be in a similar position what advice can you give me to help convince the hiring manager that I have the knowledge needed for this type of position.

Note – Anonymous to prevent my company from tracing back to me. I will respond to specific questions via private messages.

Personally, I'd rather be a rock star...

shoebox — Sat, 17 May 2008 11:19:55 -0800

What can I do with a degree in Physics? What doors and pathways will it open for me? How long will I need to study before I am able to call my self a Physicist and make a meaningful contribution in my field? I'm about to make what seems to be the biggest decision of my life. Applications have been sent and responses have been received. Now comes the hard part.

My parents (one of whom is a computer engineer) are hell-bent on making me an Engineer (EE or CE) and have resorted to every known form of propaganda and coercion to force me to think like them. To be honest, I don't really think engineering is suited for me. I can certainly do the mathematics and tackle the theoretical aspects of it, but have never had the practical ability needed. I am horrendous when it comes to using my hands to do anything constructive (although I excel at things destructive).

The main argument my parents use is that engineering will quickly land me a good job after graduation, opportunities will be plenty money will come easy, whereas pursuing a career as a physicist would involve me studying till I get my Masters or PhD and most likely end me up in some teaching position (do not want) or spend the rest of my life as a lowly (and poor) researcher.

My question basically is this: Are my parents wrong when they say Physical Sciences is career suicide? Will I be able to do as well out in the "real world" following a career in Physics (Theoretical or otherwise)?

P.S. I will most likely attending U of Waterloo (physical sciences) or McMaster U (either physical sciences or engineering). Since engineering involves a common first year here, I have the choice when it comes to specialization so I definitely have more choices than my parents present me with.

Redundancy and Safety Tradeoffs in Industrial Design

gum — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:32:17 -0800

How do industrial and product designers or human factors engineers or ergonomics experts talk about the safety implications of redundant controls? I'm having trouble finding a literature that I assume exists about the safety implications of providing redundant controls in product design.

In some cases it's commonsensically a safer strategy to design in multiple ways for a product or machine to solve a problem -- as in providing lifeboats at both ends of a ship.

In other cases, it's arguably dangerous to provide more than a single control. In a motor vehicle, for example, a single brake pedal seems commonsensically optimal: In a panic stop, you want your right foot to go automatically to where the pedal always is (it would be dangerous to find yourself trying to remember if the particular car you're driving has one of those optional second brake pedals that you can control with your left knee).

I'm particularly interested in how this difference gets discussed in the context of product safety (though it's interesting in terms of efficiency, user experience quality, and so on as well).

What are the words for this tradeoff in the literatures and jargons of design?

Help Poodus find a University...

fake — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:58:14 -0800

My younger brother is starting to look into colleges. He has a knack for (and interest in) math and engineering. However, he is also a skilled musician(QT) and photographer. What universities or educational paths would best combine these two interests?

Are there any CS/Engr Books for kids?

billy_the_punk — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:47:31 -0800

When asked, I couldn't recommend any good Computer Science or Engineering books for kids. Do such books exist? To avoid buying a stack and going through them myself, can anyone recommend any? I work for my university and put on robotics workshops for kids grades 4-12 (typically the bulk of the crowd is in the grade 4 - 7 range). After we build and program our Mindstorm's robots, the kids are always eager for more.

Typically my default response is to direct them to MIT's Scratch program, which is free online, however at this last workshop, a girl directly asked me if there were any good kids books for learning about Engineering and Computer Science. It sounded like she was interested in both the traditional 'textbook' style books and project books. I wanted to tell them to get a subscription to MAKE Magazine, but I think that might be a little to old for them. I also don't want to tell them to just do Google searches, as I can't assume about what kind of access or rules they have at home regarding internet use. Having said that, if there is a fantastic online resource, I would love to know about it.

I know there are a lot of the Mad Science style Chemistry books, but are there any good Engineering/Computer Science project books, or some good Math/Computer Science style puzzle books?

Buying an Oscilloscope

phrontist — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:28:57 -0800

I'm an electrical engineering student/hobbyist looking to buy an oscilloscope. I'd like to spend around $200 ($300 max, probes/shipping included). What should I look for, and where? I think dual trace is worth having to compare signals. I'm not sure what I need bandwidth wise... I don't intend to do much radio work, so 10Mhz seems sufficient (in what other instances would I need more?).

College reccomendations

sandra194 — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:16:04 -0800

My teen is a solid B+/A- student and is interested in studying either robotics engineering or computer science in college. She will take the SATs next year--so we don't have those scores yet, but we are starting to look at colleges. She wants to go to college in or near a big city. Got any recommendations of schools she might actually get into with those grades? Of course, we are not considering the "big league" schools.

Compensation package for an inventor working for a non-profit

Cardboardbox — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:38:02 -0800

I'm an engineer/inventor who is in salary negotiations with a non-profit and I hold the patent for a mission critical technology. I have some questions about how to secure the best offer. I am dealing with some rather unconventional compensation negotiations. Here is the story:

I am working with a group of folks at a non-profit that, according to the business plan, will be able to produce its own capital. The revenue stream for this organization is generated by multiple installations of an engineering technology that I have patented, developed, and have extensive, unique experience implementing on a small scale. The revenue is directly related to the number of installations. The proceeds will then be used to fund other, less profitable projects thus the non profit status.

The patented technology is the only revenue stream for this venture. however, the patent itself is only enforcible in the US, so they don't really need to license it from me. At the same time, the technology that is needed for this project is far enough from the one in the patent that they can't just get rid of me and deploy the technology. It will require at least another year of development under my supervision before it is ready. Because I am so familiar with the technology it would likely take someone else quite a bit longer than that.

My job in this venture will be to direct R&D to improve the technology to the point that it can be deployed on the proposed scale (hundreds). My responsibility will be to continue the R&D, and develop the construction management and maintenance operations. Essentially everything except for the finances, legal and regulatory matters.

I am now engaged in compensation negotiations and am looking for ways to present my case in a logical fashion that relies on existing precedents.

About the work

-The job will require me to spend more than half the year living in a decidedly third world country.

-This will be an incredibly high stress job due to the headaches that come with working in the third world and with developing a new technology.

-External factors are forcing us to do this in an accelerated fashion. The milestones are very ambitious and they border on unrealistic. Trying to meet them is going to be a major struggle.

-This single project should have annual proceeds on the order of a few million for a period of 10 years.

-The job will have me managing a work force of a few hundred people

About me
-In the context of these negotiations, I consider myself an inventor, in addition to being an engineer. I do have a BS and MS in the field. Beyond the patent, I have received a couple of national awards for my inventions including the one in question.

-I have 5 years of experience working in the country where the project will take place. Essentially doing the same work on a smaller scale

-After doing this job for about 3 years, the protocols should be advanced enough that they can be managed by someone less qualified than myself. These protocols can be used to duplicate the project elsewhere without my assistance. Ideally, I would work this job for 3 years and be done.

-Due to my experience, I would be very hard to replace. Any suitable replacement would require quite a bit of training.

-At present, this venture has little money and I have been working for them for free with the understanding that I would be paid in the future for that time. There will likely not be any money for at least another few months. If the business doesn't pan out, I stand to loose the value of that time.

-I am not a philanthropist, however, many of the people I'm negotiating with are. This may complicate things.

My questions
1. As I understand, people at nonprofits typically get paid less than their counterparts in other sectors for the same job. Is this because nonprofits usually rely on donations, and donors prefer to see relatively low employee salaries? Am I correct in reasoning that this shouldn't apply in my case, since the org will fund itself through it's business activities?

2. My work will play a crucial role in making the org hundreds of millions of dollars if all goes well and they replicate the project. I think it is reasonable that they give me some percentage of the gross revenue generated by the first project. Is this reasonable? Does anyone have any idea of what this percentage should be?

I know this is a somewhat unconventional situation, but if someone has any numbers from a related situation, I'd love to hear them. Any info on what kinds of percentages inventors get when they help start a for-profit company using venture capital would be helpful. I realize that this is not a question that has an easy answer, I'm just looking for some data points so I can try to triangulate.

3. I will have to live and work on the other side of the planet, in a developing nation, and when I'm there, the work will pretty much be non-stop. I am trying to negotiate a schedule that is similar to that of someone who works on an offshore oil rig. IE a a few weeks at sea, a few weeks off. Does any one have ideas on how to go about drawing an equivalence between normal working schedules/salaries and "oil-rig" schedules/salaries?

Maybe something like "a person with X qualifications could be employed on an oil rig for Y or in a US office for Z"? (It doesn't have to be an off shore oil-rig, that was just the first thing that popped into my head)

Somewhat related, I've heard hearsay that the engineers who work for companies like Haliburton in places like Iraq make pretty large salaries (250k) due to the location and associated risks. Is there any truth to this?

4. Based on what I've said, what would you consider to be appropriate compensation for this work?

5. Any ideas on how to state my case in my counter offer? I'm planning on writing a 3-5 page document that explains my reasoning as to why I believe my counter offer is fair. I'd like to populate this document with some numbers and citations.

Any other relevant advice would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the length, and thanks in advance for your help!