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Unread 21-02-2008, 16:06
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ayeckley ayeckley is offline
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AKA: Alex Yeckley
FRC #2252 (Mavericks)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Rookie Year: 2007
Location: Sandusky, OH
Posts: 266
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Re: Engineers! Please share you experiences!!!

1. What excites you most about engineering as a career?

It offers me the potential to do work that I find interesting, rather than being forced to do something I don't enjoy just for the sake of earning a living.

2. What made you decide to become an engineer?

My family owned a junkyard for cars (and other scrap equipment), so I grew up in a machine-oriented environment. When I first went to college I was intimidated by the academic requirements for an engineering degree so I initially studied other things. Eventually I decided that I would someday regret shying away from the challenge, and switched majors to Engineering.

3. In your job, how important are good communication skills (written and spoken)?

I personally believe they are extremely important, although I find that many of my peers don't feel the same way. If my customers realize I didn't pay attention in English class, why should they believe that I paid attention in Advanced Mechanics of Materials?

4. Do you primarily work alone or in teams?

I'd say primarily in teams -- but in a team of individuals, if that makes sense. It's critical to be able to work independently, be self-sufficient, and "wear a variety of hats", especially in small organizations (like an FRC team, for example). There's not a lot of redundancy in skills in the teams that I am usually a part of. Everyone brings different things to the table.

5. Is it important for an engineer to understand strength of materials concepts (stress, strain, deformations)?

I believe all the engineering disciplines should have at least a *basic* understanding of each other's core issues. I think Mechanical Engineers should know Ohm's Law. I think Industrial Engineers should be able to decipher C code (if not write it). And so on...

6. What kind of engineering did you study?

Mechanical Engineering, but I steered many of my technical elective classes into things like Electrical Engineering and Software Engineering.

7. What kind of engineering do you do now?

No simple answer, I'm afraid. My business cards say "Mechanical Engineer", but I'm the "Lead Avionics Engineer" on several projects. I tend to cross back and forth between a variety of disciplines, which is one of the reasons I like what I do.

I'm currently at Sierra Lobo, which does R&D in the Aerospace Industry. I've been there about eight years. I also own my own business, which I've been doing for over ten years. In the past I've also worked at bigger companies like IBM and GE.
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