***Editor’s Note: The “I Became An Engineer” blog runs every friday. To share your story email sarah.goncalves@advantagemedia.com***
This week’s story is brought to us by reader Michael Eiselt, director, advanced technology, ADVA Optical Networking.
I first got into engineering when I was about 16 or 17, not too long before I finished school. I was an amateur HAM radio enthusiast and really liked math, so I wanted to find a job that combined both of these disciplines.
I’ve always had a keen interest in law and economics too. In fact, after my first degree in engineering, I got a degree in economics. But I completed these studies as more of a hobby; I knew my professional career was in engineering. (Although, in my current field of work in intellectual property, I sometimes need to dig deeply into the law too.)
One of my earliest forays into engineering was considering a hypothetical situation. I was thinking about a car that would be air-driven like a Hovercraft and was also propelled by compressed air. It demonstrated my early naivety, as I hadn’t thought about friction and the necessity to stop at that time!
As a young and aspiring engineer, I didn’t have any particular dreams, but I wanted to have an impact. While other students were thinking about being a small wheel in a large engine, I wanted to be a large wheel.
Today, the big debate in engineering still centers on power and chemical engineering. As a communications engineer, it’s not something I’m actively involved in but it remains a source of interest and ambition. For example, I believe that electric-powered cars can be much more energy efficient like combustion engines. Currently, it takes a lot of time to get sufficient electric energy into a car for a decent run time; batteries only have so many charging cycles, and renewing them has an environmental impact. Therefore, the solution lies in finding something with high-energy content that can be efficiently converted to electric power on board the car while keeping the hazardous material safe, of course.
One of my biggest professional achievements is working with younger colleagues. Several years ago, when I was at AT&T Labs Research, I received a mentor award. In my current position, I have younger colleagues working towards their PhD degrees, and I try to support them. So far, one has finished his PhD, and two are well on their way.
In my personal life, I see it as a big achievement to get my two daughters through school and college on their way to a successful life. They are on a good path but there’s still some way to go as they are still in high school.
As a result of years spent in the industry, one piece of advice stands out to me and is something I carry into every aspect of life: in engineering, you can do exciting things, but you need to get all the education you can. The better your understanding, the freer you are to choose what you want to do, and ultimately you’re capable of more exiting achievements. Grab any opportunity for further education and experience!
Read other stories, here:
- A Note From The Editor: An Engineer’s Story
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of A Lunch Box
- I Became An Engineer: Because of Christmas Lights
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of The Cool Jackets
- I Became An Engineer: Because My Dad Said Not To
- I Became An Engineer: Despite Being Bad At Math
- I Became An Engineer: Because of Uncle Chet
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Can’t Stop Asking ‘Why?’
- I Became An Engineer: Because of Star Trek (Specifically Montgomery Scott)
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Was A Really Lucky Nerd
- I Became An Engineer: But ‘Nobody Knows’ Why
- I Became An Engineer: Because of Nuclear Submarines
- I Became An Engineer: Because of a Sewing Machine
- I Became An Engineer: Because No One Was Hiring Shoe Salesmen
- I Became An Engineer: Because of Mr. Kenny, the TV/Radio Repair Man
- I Became An Engineer: Because of a Book (And My Mom)
- I Became An Engineer: Because of a Cattle Ranch
- I Became An Engineer: Because of a Wise Father and the Possibility of Death
- I Became An Engineer: Because of An Evil Mastermind
- I Became An Engineer: To Get Off the Tractor
- I Became An Engineer: Because of My Rodeo Coach
- I Became An Engineer: Because the Air Force Equipment Kept Breaking
- I Became an Engineer: Because My Mom Let Me Take Apart the Old Vacuum
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Liked Tearing My Toys Apart
- I Became An Engineer: Because of the Mysterious Glowing Tubes
- I Became An Engineer: Because of My Father, Star Trek, and Music
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Was Tired of Sweating
- I Became An Engineer: But Almost the Wrong Kind
- I Became an Engineer: Because of a Car
- I Became An Engineer: Because of a Trip to Disney World
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Ran Out of Programming Classes
- I Became An Engineer: Because of My Best Friend Joe
- I Became an Engineer: Because I Loved Languages