What would be your dream tech job?

[Alex Burman]

Id want to do something with programing and NASA. My ultimate dream would be for it to be in mission control. (Hey Dave can you hook me up?) But i wanted to see what everyone else would like to see them selves doing in the future.

[KenWittlief]

My present job is pretty close to ideal. We make Video Eyewear, and Ive always been interested in 3D (stereoscopic images), and wearable computers.

I cant believe I get paid to design this stuff. I spend a lot of my free time watching movies with our eyewear. Im presently looking into putting together a wearable computer, with the new version of our V920 that is just about to hit the market. (the new system has no controller box or batteries - it plugs directly into a VGA port).

Eventually, I will be KenWittlief of Borg :^)

( you can see the stuff I work on at www.icuiti.com )

the only way my present job would be better would be if they increased my salary, by ohhhh...... 4X, or if the company goes public because we are all part owners.

[petek]

[Warning: long, rambling answer to a short question]

I had my dream technology job - it was my first "career" job, right out of college. But first, I had to turn down a job offer, from the same company, which everyone though I was crazy to refuse.

That job offered great pay and benefits, "lifelong employment" (this was pre-Reaganomics days) and good work in my field, designing industrial control systems. But it didn't offer a chance to innovate or to do analog electronics (my real interest at the time), so I said "thanks, but no thanks" to the HR rep.

I got lucky - the HR rep asked me what I was looking for, and after I told him, he said he'd get back to me. He did, the next day, and the next thing I knew, I was visiting a rambling research & development lab at Dupont in Wilmington, DE, where, as it turned out, I was to spend the next fifteen years.

This was the place where they turned basic research into functional prototypes and pilot production systems. I got to design circuits for analytical instruments, embedded controls for patient-care devices, machine controls for a world-class robotic assembly line (so-described by an IBM manufacturing automation manager) and laboratory automation systems for environmental analysis and DNA extraction. Even got to turn a huge bridge crane into a radio and microwave linked "robot" for a nuclear waste processing technology demonstration.

It was a great job - learning new things every day and a completely new project challenge every year or so. But, like most good things, it didn't last forever. When globalization and diversification allowed Wall Street to take control from the engineers, more emphasis was placed on profits than growth, new products and technology. When my group went from 140 to 14, I decided it was time to move on. Which I did, to a pharmaceutical start-up, where I still am eleven years later.

I moved away from Wilmington and lost touch with most of my Dupont friends, but, ironically, I ran into some of my former co-workers again when I got involved in FIRST. They make up much of the leadership of MOE (365) and include two regional Woodie Flowers winners. They were great people to work with back then and are still great people to "work" with now. Maybe I should have stuck around...

[Michelle Celio]

Im currently going to school *still in high school mind you* for network administration, for in wich i have a mous *in word* certififcation and im also A+ certified working on my Net+ having these gives me a three way turn once i get into collage, Microsoft , Cisco and Computer forenseics + Ethical hacking, but by the time im out of hs, i should have microsoft and ciso done...

So, with all that said, I think im gonna be a Ethical Hacker..or so at least I "dream" too =]

[Petey]

Seriously?

Press secretary and idea man for www.facebook.com

I'm pathetic. I know.

--Petey

[sanddrag]

Im currently going to school *still in high school mind you* for network administration, for in wich i have a mous *in word* certififcation and im also A+ certified working on my Net+ having these gives me a three way turn once i get into collage, Microsoft , Cisco and Computer forenseics + Ethical hacking, but by the time im out of hs, i should have microsoft and ciso done...

So, with all that said, I think im gonna be a Ethical Hacker..or so at least I "dream" too =]Wow, you are really lucky to get your certs. I wasted a year in A+ and 3 quarters in Cisco in high school learning mostly a bunch of nothing. I wanted to get certified in each but I didn't learn nearly enough to even attempt the tests. I think it was the first time they had the classes offered so they didn't really have the program running very smoothly yet. Both instructors were really stuck in the past, and the Cisco one got serverily ill and we had a substitute for like 2 months. It got really bad with grades and stuff because the substitue gave the assignments but the teacher graded them but he was never there. I got an assignment back that marked me wrong because I spoke of gigabit ethernet and the teacher said there was no such thing. Meanwhile, the rest of the class is wrongfully brainwashed into thinking that BNC connectors, coax cable, and token ring technology is the current standard in networking and made to memorize the OSI layers without even knowing what a router is much less how to configure one. I finally dropped it even when I had a high A grade in the class (that in itself took quite a fight, they'll drop an F student no problem but they won't let an A student drop :confused: ) because I just couldn't take it anymore. Learning about technology that hasn't been used in years and not learning anything remotely applicable to real world and present day networking.

I hear it is better now though with some different instructors.

[sciguy125]

I've always wanted to work in some sort of engineering think tank. A "throw me a problem and I'll find a way to solve it" kind of thing. Working at a normal company is too specific. As far as I know, there aren't any companies that do "engineering" rather than electronics, areospace, automotive... I want to be designing a rocket one year and designing the next Segway the next year.

It's not very practical, but I think it would be fun.

[rachakate]

I think my job right now is pretty close to ideal. I'm working for RIT. I'm getting my masters in Mechanical Engineering / New Product Development and teaching students CAD (ProE specifically). I get to play with new new toys, and stay in a college atmosphere. Plus my boss is involved in FIRST and understands when I need to travel for that. I love being back in college.

[Michelle Celio]

Seriously?


If regarding to mine, yes, seriously.

[SirLancelot]

I could see myself as some kind of engineer (probably mechanical....maybe materials or biomed or aerospace--but probably mechanical) that would get to design things as well as produce/fabricate them, or at least have time in the shop every once in a while. I love Inventor and working in the shop is just a blast. I'd also like to be surrounded by a lot of intelligent, motivated people to bounce ideas off of and we'd come up with creative solutions to problems that are thrown at us. hmmmmmmm....*a sigh of pleasure* It's just idyllic. Mostly, my perfect job needs to be CHALLENGING.
~Anna

[Greg Perkins]

so i think i've found my "dream" tech job...i mean for still being in school and all working at a desk and working for an amazing company really is a dream....so i shall see where it takes me...

[KenWittlief]

so i think i've found my "dream" tech job...i mean for still being in school and all working at a desk and working for an amazing company really is a dream....so i shall see where it takes me...

Sooooooooo then you job is a secret? or are you going to tell us what it is?!

[sciencenerd]

I'm still a high schooler, mind you, but I think being an electrical engineer and forming a startup would be really fun... I could actually do something with my ideas. Of course, since this is my imagination, none of my ideas would ever go wrong or be stupid, and the company would grow huge and I would make billions of dollars.

I'm allowed to dream, right? :rolleyes:

[KenWittlief]

I'm still a high schooler, mind you, but I think being an electrical engineer and forming a startup would be really fun... I could actually do something with my ideas. Of course, since this is my imagination, none of my ideas would ever go wrong or be stupid, and the company would grow huge and I would make billions of dollars.

I'm allowed to dream, right? :rolleyes:

"There is no try" - Yoda

I strongly recommend you start reading biography's, of people who have started huge companies from nothing.

I think you will be surprised at how much they failed before they succeeded, and how often their ideas were rejected by the people who 'knew better'.

Ken Olsen, founder of DEC
Edison
Franklin
George Eastman, founder of Kodak
and so many more than I can list here

try to get into the habit of going to the library once a week, to the biography section, and take one home. If parts of it are not interesting then skim through it till you hit the good stuff

your self confidence with be greatly improved.

[Greg Perkins]

Sooooooooo then you job is a secret? or are you going to tell us what it is?!

www.acu-gage.com I'm doing cad part time and basically have free reign over the designs I'm given.

[Sean Schuff]

Dream tech job? I'm doing it!

High school technology and engineering teacher in an engineering charter school. The school is great! The students are great! The administration is great! The facilities and equipment are nearly great! My colleagues in the department are great!

I get paid to play all day and to teach kids how to make what might seem like work to others be like fun to them! And every day I get to learn something new, too!

Who could ask for anything more?

Yee Haa!

Sean

[CraigHickman]

Personally, World Dictator, or if I can't get that.... Maybe the evil genious who designs the floating chairs and stuff for the evil dictators.... ever wondered who actually maintains and builds those things in the comic books?

[KenWittlief]

Personally, World Dictator,

only the world? what about the rest of the universe?

whats the point of having a benevolent dictator here on earth, while anarchy reigns throughout the rest of the cosmos?

[Jessica Boucher]

Product management (or product marketing management, depending on the company) within technology. I know it will take a very long time (and another degree) for me to get there, but that's expected.

If not, then something to deal with technology and the demographic shift: I find the Boomers and the Millenials shifting after decades into uncharted territory in terms of expenditure habits fascinating. Boomers are much more retirement-focused, and the Millenials are gearing up to be financially independent for the first time. But, I'm sure an answer like that was not what anyone had in mind :)

[Mark McLeod]

...World Dictator...
I think that job is overrated. The paperwork alone would be a killer.

[ngreen]

In one of my recent interviews, the interviewer was in school getting her MBA. We got to talking about what her goals were with the MBA. Basically, she wants to work deciding what products and how much to produce, and what location would be best for it in a large company. She was with Cargill. I've taken several economic classes with my chemical engineering classes and would like to be more strongly tied to the business side of the engineering company. I think determining long term production of the different products for a company and deciding on introducing new products into production would be interesting to me.

On the other hand, sustainable energy and fuel cell research, or working on advanced propulsion systems would be fun.

[Ryan Foley]

As of right now my dream job would be working for iRobot in the Government/ Industrial Robots department.

Interesting FIRST connection to iRobot: for those of you who saw the 2004 kickoff, remember the story Dave Lavery told about a young student named Colin Angle? He is one of the co-founders of iRobot.

[Nitroxextreme]

dream tech job....if we are going into the world of fantasy

i would definately want to be like the main character from the movie Paycheck...who takes the best technology of the time and makes it so much better in like 2 months

[KenWittlief]

dream tech job....if we are going into the world of fantasy

if you think living your dream is a fantasy you need to adjust your sites!

a goal = a dream + a plan + a deadline

[Ian Curtis]

Either a physicist, or aerospace engineer.

[Kyle Love]

A lead engingeer for a NASCAR Nextel Cup team. Or even one of the open-wheel series.

[FreakyAntelope]

As of right now my dream job would be working for iRobot in the Government/ Industrial Robots department.

Heh, I read that and had to check to make sure I hadn't posted it.. If everything goes as planned, I'll be working there as an intern this summer! I know a couple of people who work there, so I think I'm set, though I haven't finalized it yet. I should probably do that...

FYI, they're quite intern friendly. I know one person personally who had an internship there for 2 years, and now they pay him whenever he gets a chance to work for them. Then again, he's one of the smartest kids I know.. Just entered his freshman year at MIT.

- Toby

[Andrew Blair]

C'mon, I can't believe nobody has mentioned DEKA. I don't know how the actual job is, but working in a casual atmosphere, bringing products like the ibot tp market so quickly. But irobot looks pretty cool too. Especially the government stuff; you don't know if you'll be putting a rifle or an articulated hand on those things! Ooooooh....I feel all tingly from saying "articulated"....

[Al Skierkiewicz]

I have been working a dream job for many years now, TV Broadcast Engineer. I have been involved in fixing, designing and installing all kinds of equipment over the years. I was on the team that developed stereo TV transmission for the US and have worked with many of the best entertainers throughout my career. But the one thing I have always wanted to do, was to perform my current role at the Olympics. That is like the FIRST Championship of TV. Design, build, and test a fullup TV facilitiy in a few weeks and make sure it stays running 24/7 for two weeks and then tear it all out and go home.

[Mark McLeod]

Design, build, and test a fullup TV facilitiy in a few weeks and make sure it stays running 24/7 for two weeks and then tear it all out and go home.
Sort of like Michelangelo when he sculpted statues from snow.:)

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Sort of like Michelangelo when he sculpted statues from snow.:)
Yes, but without the cold hands or your feet in pudlles all the time. Boy, how I hate that!

[Ian Curtis]

C'mon, I can't believe nobody has mentioned DEKA. I don't know how the actual job is, but working in a casual atmosphere, bringing products like the ibot tp market so quickly.

Read Code Name Ginger it gives a description of what working at DEKA is like. I wouldn't mind interning there like Erin err, I'm not gonna try the last name.

[phrontist]

Being a government spook would be a fun job. Design really massive radio communications intercept systems, build collossal underground supercomputers, do freakishly complicated mathematics all day, tell the masses what they need to hear, send stuff in to space without any of the pesky budgetary constraints NASA has... yes, working for one of the three letter agencies would be fun.

[b_mallerd]

I agree! Being a government spook would be awsome...I always wanted to wear those sunglasses anyways. I'd prolly want a go at the CIA. You could spy on the world and no one would know it=) If you were really bored you could design a gui so that your workspace really DID look like those movies with the nice buttons and scrolling animations.

[Squall]

I would really love to work at a game development company.

And if i'm allowed to dream, I would like to work for Sega in Sonic Team.

I hope that game companys can grow here in Brazil :(

[dlavery]

I have pretty much given up on chartered accountancy. I want to be a lion tamer!

[seanwitte]

Being a government spook would be a fun job. Design really massive radio communications intercept systems, build collossal underground supercomputers, do freakishly complicated mathematics all day, tell the masses what they need to hear, send stuff in to space without any of the pesky budgetary constraints NASA has... yes, working for one of the three letter agencies would be fun.

My company does IT consulting for the intel community. Most of the really cool engineering work is done by contractors. This is incentive to live a clean life, because one you have a clearance in the DC area you have a degree of job security. Heres a really interesting declassified piece of history. Read about the Corona program, it really is amazing what they did.

http://www.nro.gov/corona/facts.html

[ggoldman]

My dream job is to design and build novel robotic systems that will either improve human lives, save human lives, or take the place of humans in danger. I want to build search-and-rescue devices, medical robotic devices, and miitary robotic systems.

I get to start working on it next fall when I start my PhD work (most likely at VaTech....but still waiting on other acceptances).

After I get my degree...my dream job is to research and innovate new things outside of a cubical atmosphere!! Who knows..maybe i'll go on to teach college and research there!

-Gabe Goldman
VCU Robotics Club Prez

[Jaine Perotti]

While I am pretty sure that I want to go into engineering, I am still not sure what exactly I want to do with my degree when I get out of college. I want to go to graduate school (definitely for a Masters, possibly for a Ph.D), but once I actually go into the work-force, I am not sure what my specific area of interest will be.

What seem to excite me most are robotics-related jobs that have close ties with the scientific world. I think it would be awesome to design robots that are used to aid scientists in their research. For example, I think it would be awesome to work as an engineer for either NOAA or NASA - designing underwater vehicles or robots that travel into space. I want to build the vehicles that will be responsible for new scientific discoveries.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been in love with science. That is why (even though I want to design mechanisms as an engineer) I want to keep close ties to the scientific world in my engineering career. I have always been fascinated by the universe and outer-space, as well as the world's oceans.

I think I am leaning towards building robots that explore the oceans. Did you know that 95% of the ocean is completely unexplored? The earth's oceans are one of the last frontiers, as well as outer space. The ocean is very important as a natural resource to human beings, as well as an incredibly rich and diverse habitat for other living creatures (thousands of which have not even been discovered yet!). The mechanics of ocean currents have enormous importance in terms of our climate (an important issue of the present and future), and the plate tectonics of the ocean need to be better monitored and understood in order to avoid tragedies such as last years South Asian Tsunami.

Not only is the ocean fascinating to me, but I like the idea of the nature of a career building under-sea robots. For example, I would get to travel on research vessels to test and monitor robotic equipment, and I love the idea of being on the ocean. Plus I would be closely connected to the scientific side of things, and would get to see the direct results and value of my work.

My love of the ocean has actually made me consider getting a dual-degree in both mechanical engineering and marine science. I probably would not be able to graduate in 4 years (it would probably be 5), but I would not mind if the dual-degree would further enhance my career. This is one of the reasons why I am considering the University of Miami for my undergraduate degree. The school is the largest research institution in the southeast, and has both an excellent marine science program and engineering program. The location is perfect for doing marine research.

Are there any other Chief Delphi-ers out there who have (or want to) have a career in ocean-related robotics technology? If so, I would appreciate your point of view regarding this field.

Thanks,

Jaine

[ggoldman]

Jaine:


I think you should look into some collegiate researchers who are developing underwater robotics. Even if you are still in the beginning of your undergraduate career, most researchers will be more than happy to let you come and tour their lab and ask questions about their research. If you are lucky, once they are familiar with you they might have a spot open in their lab once you graduate:)

Good luck...and hopefully I'll be one of your colleges in the elite robotic academia field we will both be in soon!!

-Gabe Goldman

[amos229]

I want to be JVN. A complicated answer in itself to a simple question.

[buss]

My dream job is working at a research laboratory such as CERN (http://www.cern.ch) or Fermilab (http://www.fnal.gov/) studying advanced physics. Specifically, I want to study the link between gravity and electromagnetism and find some way to make an Alcubierre Drive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_Drive).

I want to do something with my life that contributes to human knowledge. There is no greater achievement than discovery.

[Bill_Hancoc]

Reading through this thread i noticed all the different things that people want to pursue in thier lives and what they have for ideas. There is everything from your expected mechincal engineer to a lion tamer {not really a tech job}. It goes to show how a FIRST team is not one person but a complex codependence of people who are all striving to meet the same goal. I just thought it was kinda cool.

Me: Lead engine designer in Italy for Ferrari;)