outside looking in
<b>Registered Member</b>
I've been thinking about this for a while (years), and thought it would be helpful to get input from you guys. Sometimes an unbiased view makes all the difference.
Here's the deal - I know I don't want to do what I'm doing now as a lifelong career. It's interesting, and pays well, so I'm in no particular rush to leave. Oh, and I'm buiding a new house, so I'm likely going to stay here for another year or two. However, I know that ultimately I won't be satisfied until I find that "perfect" career. I have some foggy notions of what it might be, but can't seem to separate the wheat from the chaff. Hopefully you'll be able to help.
Hmm... background. I have a MS in mechanical engineering, and my resume would get me most any job an MS ME would be acceptable for... the key is finding it, or deciding what it is. Currently I'm doing classified work on Naval warfare technologies (mostly composite structural design, but with a smattering of mechanisms and other stuff). Like I said, it's interesting, but not my dream job (actually, the work environment pretty much is my dream job, but I guess I'm more demanding than that).
My problem, so far as I can see, is that I have too many interests and could be happy doing a wide variety of things.
--I'm a musician (piano, trumpet, percussion), and though I don't think I could go for a career in music, there are a couple of piano method books that I want to write at some point. I also have the beginnings of a trumpet concerto scribbled down that I'd like to work on at some point.
--I love electronics. I know enough about analog circuit design and digital logic to hurt myself.
Many of my "hobbies" seem to include building a custom circuit to do something as a part of the project.
--I love high-end audio... not just the equipment, but acoustic theory as well. I've thought about opening a high-end audio store, and possibly even getting into my own loudspeaker design. The retail part of it would probably grow tiresome before long though. I also love recording, and have a decent home studio set up to record my Grand, but I really don't see that as a career.
--I'm a whiz with mechanisms problem solving and design. If it is a physically logical mechanism, I can probably figure out how to make it work and how to build it. Tooting my own horn... I never cease to amaze myself at how "clever" my mechanical designs wind up.
--I'm creative. I've pursued a couple of patents to this point in my life, but without a team of lawyers I decided in both cases that I wouldn't be able to stake enough intellectual property to make marketing viable. I don't seem to have any problem coming up with an endless stream of "new" (to me) ideas... just that they are always a year or two behind someone else's "new" (to them) very similar idea. I'd love to work in an environment where this aspect of my talents was able to flourish.
My current "projects" (outside my current "hobbies"): I'm trying to solve the problem of high resultion 3D mapping and tracking in space... I think it can be done more reliably and much cheaper than the existing mechanical, magnetic, ultrasonic, and optical systems (the calculus is getting pretty deep, and I'm not a math genious, but I think the problem is tractable); and I'm trying to solve the problems inherent with traditional brushless DC motor design... I feel like I'm getting really close on this one.
About the work environment: I'm fairly self sufficient, and confident in my work. However, I prefer, and seem to excel, in team environments. It's like I feed on the unrefined ideas of others. Simple statements that others have made and dismissed as random thoughts have led to some of "our" collective breakthroughs simply because I saw the problem and solutions in an apparently unique way.
If I could put a name on what I'm looking for, it would be "engineering think tank," if there is such a thing. "Inventor" would probably be a good fit as well, but to be perfectly honest I would really benefit from partners/colleagues to keep me motivated on a project. My biggest downside is that I tend to have too many "hobbies" or "projects" going at once, and it takes forever for any one of them to get completed.
Being in business for myself is naturally attractive, but I'd prefer to do it with a partner (for the above reasons). Things I have no doubt that I'm capable of doing as far as private ventures: drafting house plans; operating a high-end A/V retail/custom installation business, consulting engineering on 3D modeling, mechanical design, structural design, mechanical and structural analysis; designing and manufacturing mechanical parts and systems for a variety of niche markets (automotive racing parts, manufacturing automation equipment, etc.).
So... lay it on me. How does the above description strike you as far as suitable careers? Remember, I'm looking two years or more out... but when I look out all I see is this fog of possibilities. Help me to focus my efforts.
Please.
Here's the deal - I know I don't want to do what I'm doing now as a lifelong career. It's interesting, and pays well, so I'm in no particular rush to leave. Oh, and I'm buiding a new house, so I'm likely going to stay here for another year or two. However, I know that ultimately I won't be satisfied until I find that "perfect" career. I have some foggy notions of what it might be, but can't seem to separate the wheat from the chaff. Hopefully you'll be able to help.
Hmm... background. I have a MS in mechanical engineering, and my resume would get me most any job an MS ME would be acceptable for... the key is finding it, or deciding what it is. Currently I'm doing classified work on Naval warfare technologies (mostly composite structural design, but with a smattering of mechanisms and other stuff). Like I said, it's interesting, but not my dream job (actually, the work environment pretty much is my dream job, but I guess I'm more demanding than that).
My problem, so far as I can see, is that I have too many interests and could be happy doing a wide variety of things.
--I'm a musician (piano, trumpet, percussion), and though I don't think I could go for a career in music, there are a couple of piano method books that I want to write at some point. I also have the beginnings of a trumpet concerto scribbled down that I'd like to work on at some point.
--I love electronics. I know enough about analog circuit design and digital logic to hurt myself.
Many of my "hobbies" seem to include building a custom circuit to do something as a part of the project. --I love high-end audio... not just the equipment, but acoustic theory as well. I've thought about opening a high-end audio store, and possibly even getting into my own loudspeaker design. The retail part of it would probably grow tiresome before long though. I also love recording, and have a decent home studio set up to record my Grand, but I really don't see that as a career.
--I'm a whiz with mechanisms problem solving and design. If it is a physically logical mechanism, I can probably figure out how to make it work and how to build it. Tooting my own horn... I never cease to amaze myself at how "clever" my mechanical designs wind up.
--I'm creative. I've pursued a couple of patents to this point in my life, but without a team of lawyers I decided in both cases that I wouldn't be able to stake enough intellectual property to make marketing viable. I don't seem to have any problem coming up with an endless stream of "new" (to me) ideas... just that they are always a year or two behind someone else's "new" (to them) very similar idea. I'd love to work in an environment where this aspect of my talents was able to flourish.
My current "projects" (outside my current "hobbies"): I'm trying to solve the problem of high resultion 3D mapping and tracking in space... I think it can be done more reliably and much cheaper than the existing mechanical, magnetic, ultrasonic, and optical systems (the calculus is getting pretty deep, and I'm not a math genious, but I think the problem is tractable); and I'm trying to solve the problems inherent with traditional brushless DC motor design... I feel like I'm getting really close on this one.
About the work environment: I'm fairly self sufficient, and confident in my work. However, I prefer, and seem to excel, in team environments. It's like I feed on the unrefined ideas of others. Simple statements that others have made and dismissed as random thoughts have led to some of "our" collective breakthroughs simply because I saw the problem and solutions in an apparently unique way.
If I could put a name on what I'm looking for, it would be "engineering think tank," if there is such a thing. "Inventor" would probably be a good fit as well, but to be perfectly honest I would really benefit from partners/colleagues to keep me motivated on a project. My biggest downside is that I tend to have too many "hobbies" or "projects" going at once, and it takes forever for any one of them to get completed.
Being in business for myself is naturally attractive, but I'd prefer to do it with a partner (for the above reasons). Things I have no doubt that I'm capable of doing as far as private ventures: drafting house plans; operating a high-end A/V retail/custom installation business, consulting engineering on 3D modeling, mechanical design, structural design, mechanical and structural analysis; designing and manufacturing mechanical parts and systems for a variety of niche markets (automotive racing parts, manufacturing automation equipment, etc.).
So... lay it on me. How does the above description strike you as far as suitable careers? Remember, I'm looking two years or more out... but when I look out all I see is this fog of possibilities. Help me to focus my efforts.
Please.
Sowwy
