"How I Became an Engineer"
I didn’t always want to be an engineer. At age 8 I wanted to be a veterinarian. Then I
found out you have to work with animals other than dogs and cats, like snakes
and rats. I was out. I needed to find a new career dream, so I
choose teacher. Then it was gossip columnist, then actress, and then at one
point all 3. I was going to be a triple
threat. By high school, a teaching
career mostly won out; my talents in acting were zilch, and my interest in
writing about others’ drama dwindled when I encountered my own gossip ring in
middle school.
What to teach though?
Throughout my childhood, I was told by others how good I was at math and
science, so I finally settled on the fact that I’d be a math teacher. I confessed this decision to my algebra
teacher, who flat out told me that there was more I could do with my math
talents than teach. For example, had I
thought about engineering? What? Huh? I
had no idea really what an engineer did. I thought to myself, they do stuff
with computers, so I should think about working with computers? And here’s a fact that I’m embarrassed about
(to this day): my dad was an engineer.
Don’t get me wrong, I had heard of the word engineer, but I didn’t know
exactly what they did at their jobs day to day. MY DAD WAS ONE. I honestly didn’t know what my own dad did
for a living. Ask me what my mom did,
and it was easy to describe; she was a teacher (hmm, wonder where the idea for
teacher came from?), and teachers help shape young minds. Ask me what my dad did, I could say engineer,
but couldn’t give any more details. Maybe
it was time to ask him for more details.
Professional Head-shot for a Professional (Or Super Hero?) Engineer
I decided to approach my dad, “dad what do you do as an
engineer?” He was super excited to tell
me all about his work. He had worked on
radios and satellites for space programs, as well as equipment for gathering
weather data. He explained that he now
taught college students about computers and the chips inside of computers
(think the green plastic parts if you open up a computer, he explained). But then he said something along these lines
that has stuck with me forever “but engineers do so much more. They build roads, design cars, create
buildings, make health devices (like pace maker) and prosthetic limbs, improve
the clothes, water, food, and household goods we use on a daily basis; they
touch every aspect of our lives without us even noticing. Their work is seamlessly integrated into the
world.” And I remember asking, “kind of
like the Wizard of Oz? They’re like the
people behind the curtain that helps make things better?” He simply answered yes.
I thought it all
sounded kind of cool, and I wish I could say that was the point in my life when
I decided to become an engineer.
However, it wasn’t until 3 years later when I was a senior in high
school. I was taking a music recording
class at the local community college because I thought it’d be cool to be a
music producer. I was really into
everything music at that point. As the
class progressed, I learned that I was horrible at distinguishing when a note
was flat or sharp, which is import skill to have as a music producer. But the profession of the music recording
class also taught us the science behind audio and how the audio equipment worked. It was all relating back to the physics class
I was taking at my high school: electrical current, resistors, capacitors,
electromagnets, and circuits. I realized
I really enjoyed learning about these things, and also remembered that these
things were what my dad worked on. Light
bulb! Maybe I should consider studying engineering in
college! This time I told my mom that I
was thinking of being an engineer.
“Finally!” she exclaimed, “engineering pays so much more than teaching
and offers so many career opportunities!”
I’ll be honest; she had me at pays more.
I was a 17 year old and making lots of money was important to me.
Now as I enter my eleventh year as an engineer (woo 11
years! Go me!), it’s not so much about the money anymore, but how my work saves
lives. Yes, it literally saves
lives. If you’re lost at sea or in
danger of sinking your boat in the middle of the ocean, the engineering system
I work on is there to help you. It’s a
search and rescue system that uses radio signals and antennas on cells phone towers to triangulate your position and send it to the rescuers. It’s rewarding to
have a job that allows me to build and design something that can help
others. I guess the high salary doesn’t
hurt either. I’m proud to say I’m an
engineer.
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