I've decided to become an electronic designer as a career choice: any advice?

[Paul Burridge]

Hi all,
I've come to the conclusion that I'm good at electroniks and would
welcome any advice about how to succeed at it as jim thompson has
done.
thanks,
p.

 

[eehinjor]

Study hard and look everybody as our teacher.

 

[Jim Thompson]

Study hard and look everybody as our teacher.

Become an orthodontist... it pays better ;-)

...Jim Thompson

 

[Dirk Bruere at Neopax]

Hi all,
I've come to the conclusion that I'm good at electroniks and would
welcome any advice about how to succeed at it as jim thompson has
done.
thanks,
p.

Learn to speak Chinese.

--
Dirk

The Consensus:-
The political party for the new millenium
http://www.theconsensus.org

 

[Joerg]

Hello Paul,

Hi all,
I've come to the conclusion that I'm good at electroniks and would
welcome any advice about how to succeed at it as jim thompson has
done.

Rent a time machine, take a seat, locate the control panel and key in
'minus 40 years'. When you step out of it you might as well pick up that
new 45rpm Beatles record, they just landed the top five places on the
Billboard Hot 100.

Regards, Joerg

 

[Jim Thompson]

Hello Paul,



Rent a time machine, take a seat, locate the control panel and key in
'minus 40 years'. When you step out of it you might as well pick up that
new 45rpm Beatles record, they just landed the top five places on the
Billboard Hot 100.

Regards, Joerg

Make that around 'minus 55 years'.

I was tinkering with tube amplifiers and FM tuners when I was 10 years
old, but really had no intent of going into electronics. I was
enthralled with architecture as a career.

But random events twist your outlook... in 1956 my Dad became a
Raytheon wholesaler. In his stock were CK722's and CK760's. I was
hooked just in time to apply to MIT.

When I graduated MIT (1962) the I/C business, particularly analog, was
just getting started... so I was hired by Motorola at the optimal
time.

Aside: I didn't like the Beatles initially... didn't really get into
them until I was in my 40's. I was mostly into classical, but liked
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, the Everly Brothers, Elvis, Fats
Domino, Little Richard and Bill Haley and his Comets and, of course,
Willie Nelson... all I can remember right now.

...Jim Thompson

 

[David L. Jones]

Hi all,
I've come to the conclusion that I'm good at electroniks and would
welcome any advice about how to succeed at it as jim thompson has
done.
thanks,
p.

Hi Paul,
Simple - design stuff, build stuff, troubleshoot stuff, publish stuff,
read stuff, play around with stuff.
Get your hands dirty with real-world electronics, don't just study.
Good grades won't get you a job, enthusiasm and showing that you know
stuff will.
Enjoy what you do, and get a job where you can learn from others.

Dave

 

[Joerg]

Hello Jim,

Make that around 'minus 55 years'.

I was tinkering with tube amplifiers and FM tuners when I was 10 years
old, but really had no intent of going into electronics. I was
enthralled with architecture as a career.

Well, I was assuming Paul would consider an 'electronic childhood' a
must. And in Europe where he lives you can't usually go straight from
high school to the ivy league. First you have to report to a drill sergeant.

But random events twist your outlook... in 1956 my Dad became a
Raytheon wholesaler. In his stock were CK722's and CK760's. I was
hooked just in time to apply to MIT.

It was a Philips electronics kit that did it for me. The real
breakthrough came when my parent's TV died. I couldn't figure out the
cause with my little voltmeter. So we made a deal. They'd buy me a
little scope and I agreed to fix it and whatever else breaks down later.
Now I was in business. I still have that scope and it still works.

When I graduated MIT (1962) the I/C business, particularly analog, was
just getting started... so I was hired by Motorola at the optimal
time.

That is what my father said as well. Them were the golden days, never to
return. You guys could make great chips on a rather crude process
because that's all there was. My father and his peers made complete
steel factories lines run on 2k of memory because that's all they had.

Aside: I didn't like the Beatles initially... didn't really get into
them until I was in my 40's. I was mostly into classical, but liked
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, the Everly Brothers, Elvis, Fats
Domino, Little Richard and Bill Haley and his Comets and, of course,
Willie Nelson... all I can remember right now.

I was always partial to Country and Blues. And then, of course, Led
Zeppelin etc. Living in Germany meant there usually was just AFN since
most of their stations played that schmaltzy serenade stuff that I just
cannot stand.

Regards, Joerg

 

[John Larkin]

Aside: I didn't like the Beatles initially... didn't really get into
them until I was in my 40's. I was mostly into classical, but liked
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, the Everly Brothers, Elvis, Fats
Domino, Little Richard and Bill Haley and his Comets and, of course,
Willie Nelson... all I can remember right now.

Well, "I wanna hold your hand" [1] didn't even hint at their ultimate
drug-fueled talents.

John


[1] or, as we clever college kids referred to it, "I wanna hold your
gland."

 

[Winfield Hill]

David L. Jones wrote...

Hi Paul,
Simple - design stuff, build stuff, troubleshoot stuff, publish
stuff, read stuff, play around with stuff. Get your hands dirty
with real-world electronics, don't just study. Good grades won't
get you a job, enthusiasm and showing that you know stuff will.
Enjoy what you do, and get a job where you can learn from others.

Right, you have to be brilliant, get educated, work hard, and do
that consistently for 40 years. But please, don't go over to the
dark side, as Jim has done.

 

[mw]

Rent a time machine, take a seat, locate the control panel and key in

'minus 40 years'.

Theory: There is an optimum historical period for careers, when a worker
can make it big (or die trying):

explorer: 1500 - 1540
whaler: 1880's
homesteading farmer: 1860's
rairoad man: 1870's
chemist: 1920's
rapper: 1990's
rock star: 1970's
architect: 1920's
big stone hauler: -3000's
prophet: -400's
spice merchant: 1400's
lumberjack: 1890's
web designer: 1995-1999
Cobol programmer: 1999
psychiatrist: 1960's
oil man: 1950's
pharmacist: 1990's to ?
traveling salesman: 1900's

 

[Mac]

Hello Paul,



Rent a time machine, take a seat, locate the control panel and key in
'minus 40 years'. When you step out of it you might as well pick up that
new 45rpm Beatles record, they just landed the top five places on the
Billboard Hot 100.

Regards, Joerg

I think this is the best answer so far. ;-)

--Mac

 

[Pooh Bear]

Hi all,
I've come to the conclusion that I'm good at electroniks and would
welcome any advice about how to succeed at it as jim thompson has
done.

Maybe you should reconsider and become a realtor ?

It's what I should have done.

Graham

 

[Pooh Bear]

Learn to speak Chinese.

And Hindi.

Graham

 

[nospam]

It was a Philips electronics kit that did it for me.

The one with a hardboard base full of holes and cardboard circuit overlays
and hooks and spring to make all the connections?

Oh the agony when eventually a leg fell off my AC128.

 

[Pooh Bear]

The one with a hardboard base full of holes and cardboard circuit overlays
and hooks and spring to make all the connections?

Oh the agony when eventually a leg fell off my AC128.

I had one of those kits too.

Graham

 

[Boris Mohar]

Theory: There is an optimum historical period for careers, when a worker
can make it big (or die trying):

explorer: 1500 - 1540
whaler: 1880's
homesteading farmer: 1860's
rairoad man: 1870's
chemist: 1920's
rapper: 1990's
rock star: 1970's
architect: 1920's
big stone hauler: -3000's
prophet: -400's
spice merchant: 1400's
lumberjack: 1890's
web designer: 1995-1999
Cobol programmer: 1999
psychiatrist: 1960's
oil man: 1950's
pharmacist: 1990's to ?
traveling salesman: 1900's

Terrorist 2000's (die trying

 

[Leon]

A friend of mine has given up engineering and retrained as a plumber.


Leon

 

[Frithiof Andreas Jensen]

Learn to speak Chinese.

The Chinese are about to chrash & burn just like the Japanese did - and at
about the same time too, namely when everybody and dog are touting the
pending Chineese takeover of the world economy.

.... problem is, the whole Chinese show, impressive as it is, runs on
borrowed money and non-performing loans; after all, if there was real growth
in the Chinese economy they would not be so keen on buying up USD. They
would invest at home instead.

It will be fun to watch - maybe one should place a few bets with LEAP PUTS
on NASDAQ for good measure. The USD and then the Market will not like very
much that the Chinese stops buying it and pull the money back out to bail
out things at home.

 

[Rene Tschaggelar]

The Chinese are about to chrash & burn just like the Japanese did - and at
about the same time too, namely when everybody and dog are touting the
pending Chineese takeover of the world economy.

... problem is, the whole Chinese show, impressive as it is, runs on
borrowed money and non-performing loans; after all, if there was real growth
in the Chinese economy they would not be so keen on buying up USD. They
would invest at home instead.

Ahem... They are getting truckloads of USD from their sales
of goods to the US. Even if they bought Yuan from those USD,
which they likely do, the someone who changed the USD to Yuan
now sits on truckloads of USD. So, these USD still have to
be spent or invested somehow.

Rene