Posts Tagged ‘ Academics ’

Risk

Often I think about how different my life would be had I not taken risks.  From moving to Atlanta via a comfortable home in Illinois, to forming a business and acquiring property, things would look nothing as they appear today.  Days would probably be a lot less stressful, nights would be filled with a lot more free time, and pockets would perhaps be filled with a little more cash.  Essentially, I would be living the simple life I was brought up to cherish in having a college degree, a good job, a house, and a car.  But would this have spelled happiness?

 

At this point I will never know.  It’s funny how things work, however.  Through my risks taken and my investments made, many doors have been opened to me that otherwise would have remained shut and unexplored.  Because I purchased a few properties, I was able to secure a full-time job through the people I had met and done business with.  The same rings true for many others, including key people involved in bringing you this website.

 

Risk and uncertainty is the spice of life and makes each day interesting.  Taking large calculated risks is something that (I hope) will benefit me in the future.  Without it, yes, I would be living the American way and allowing my family to rest easy, but settling is just not in my heart.  Life and business is about seeing what the world needs and then giving it the best way you know how.  We need smart people who can visualize the needs of our planet.

 

Contributor: Alexander Gothard

2010
09/16
CATEGORY
General
TAGS







18 comments

Engineering In a Vaccuum?

Weclome back! I posted the following 2 statements in my last post:

 

  • The U.S. is lagging behind the rest of the world in production of needed technical talent.
  • This lag could lead to loss of U.S. competitiveness in technical fields that drive our economy. 

I am digressing to these as I feel they should be addressed early on.  I feel very strongly that the engineering field is in a vacuum. Why?

 

  • Prior generations valued a high school diploma and considered it sufficient for success in life- not true in today’s global economy.
  • Bachelor’s Degrees in Engineering equal 60% of the total degrees in Science and Engineering.
  • Only 5% of the degrees earned in the US in 2004 where in Engineering.
  • In 2005 China alone will have graduated 350,000 Engineers.
  • It has been predicted that 90% of all the world’s Engineers will be in Asia by 2010.
  • The Engineering course/program enrollments in US colleges has dropped over12% in the last 10 years.
  • Nearly ½ of all US college enrollments in STEM (Science,Technology,Math,Science) programs are students who have Non-US citizenship.
  • In 1975, the US ranked third in the world with percentage of its students who received degrees in Engineering, while in 2005 they were 17th in the world.
  • We in the US are being out paced by the Asians. In the global economy our nations engineers are being placed at a disadvantage with these trends causing possible severe human/economic consequences to our country.
  • Do you know that it costs 5 times more in the US today to employ a Engineer than in China.
  • The high cost of American labor makes outsourcing very desirable. A case in point was as an engineer my department, in 2000,  was delegated the project to find a low cost source to produce electronic drawings from the current legacy (existing old lead/pencil lined) drawings so they could be used in a new 2D/3D CADD system for current production.  This was no easy task. The short of it is we ended up sourcing to India this task as our own costs of doing this work in house was not economical. India now gets to do about 30% of this work today, now doing design as well as Engineering Changes.
  • Is it that Americans ,in general, its youth specifically, believe it’s their birth right to enjoy a middle class lifestyle , maybe becoming lulled into a false sense of security and comfort, and also loosing their drive to meet the challenge from outside America? 

How do we regain our stature or are we to fall into the vacuum that seems to be evolving?  I would like to pose this question to my readers for your responses.

 

“Excerpted in part from “Preparing Students for their Future”  2005 Model School Conference- presentation  by Willard R. Dagget, Ed.D.

 

Contributor: James W. Orr

2010
09/13
CATEGORY
Engineering and Engineering Technology
TAGS









8 comments

Know Thy Self

Greetings to you all, my name is Willard Draper and I will coming to you several times during the year to give you what I believe to be helpful tips, thoughts and information about the work place, jobs, career development and finding, maintaining and prospering in the career arena.

Finding employment can be a complicated and time consuming enterprise.  It certainly can be costly and frustrating, particularly in this tough environment.  The first question must be; are you ready?   Hopefully, you will not take this question lightly.  Further, many of us will quickly say “Yes” without thinking about the entire question. Your friends, parents, love ones, teachers, bosses, etc., do not make this determination-you do!  Let me be clear; unless you are ready for work, you can not be successful at obtaining and maintaining work; must less a career.  Simply saying “I’m ready”, does not fill the bill.  You must be able demonstrate your skills and abilities with confidence and class.

Those who have been exposed to knowledge, wisdom and ancient text are familiar with this important phrase from the distant past.  Before organized religions, the British, Roman, Greek Empires, the seat of knowledge and wisdom came from the African continent and the great Egyptian civilization. Written in one of the exalted temples and later stored by the great Oracles’ the words “KNOW THY SELF” became the foundation of all knowledge and wisdom. 

Once you have this knowledge you will be well armed to go out and contend for work.  It is not an easy task.  You will need to prepare yourself for some rejection, disappointment, repetitive questions, assessments, judging, waiting, wondering and questioning.  Only if you have a good sense of self, will you be excited and inspired to go further. The following is a short list of the beginning process of knowing self: 

  • Disregard the foolish and foolish things
  • Move beyond fear
  • If you keep doing what you are doing-you will keep getting what you getting
  • When you have the opportunity to inform others-do it
  • Avoid all people who are “know-it-alls”
  • Be Positive and have enthusiasm
  • Be Spiritual (religious or  have core beliefs)
  • Have focus
  • Be true to yourself and your spirit
  • Don’t sweat the small stuff (most of what we deal with is small stuff.)
  • All these things are already in you -just turn them on! 

These beginning comments should remind you of the power you have.  I believe it is important to start with some philosophical things before we get to more of the basics of job hunting and success.  In the future we will look at communication, vision, resume tips, interviewing skills, problem solving and other powerful job acquisition skills.  Hope you will get to know yourself better and get the position you really need.

Contributor: Willard Draper

2010
09/10
CATEGORY
Education
TAGS












10 comments

Networking Basics

 Karen Wells, vice president of Strategy at McDonald’s USA, insists that networks are invaluable when you are trying to build or grow a business or attempting to advance your own career. At the Rockford (Illinois) Chamber of Commerce Minority Enterprise Luncheon, she offered these tips for those who are beginning to build a network: 

1. Perform a self-assessment. Whom do you have currently in your network base, and what do you need to grow your company or your career?  

2. Be proactive. Take the first steps to engage people to be part of your network. These are people whom you do not know well yet but who can help you to navigate your career path. 

3. Be willing to take some risks. Networking may require you to move out of your comfort zone. For example, if you tend to be an introvert, forcing yourself to be more outgoing is necessary. 

4. Be sure your network is adequate but not overwhelming. You should have at least three but no more than five people in your support network whom you can count on to advise you and whom you can leverage to help you to advance your career. 

5. Take advantage of what’s out there. Organizations already exist that can help you to network, such as your chamber of commerce or other professional groups. When you meet people of interest, don’t just introduce yourself and shake their hands. Call them after the meeting and make contact with them outside of the function where you first met them.  Build relationships with them. 

Contributor: Excell Lewis III, Ms.Ed

2010
09/08
CATEGORY
Education
General
TAGS









13 comments

What Is Success To You?

Deep in my heart, I believe that success is simple with established moral and realistic guidelines.  I also believe, however, that having the discipline to consistently follow those guidelines is one of the most difficult things one could do.  Back during my senior year of college, I defined what success meant to me and put it on paper.  This same faded piece of paper is still tacked to a board in my room.  Everyday, I consciously (attempt) to think of those guidelines when making decisions and setting daily priorities.  Below are important components, placed in their respective order, of what success means and looks like to me.   

Everyday, it is my goal to exercise:

 Spirituality -

·         Going to church

·         Reading and understanding the Bible

·         Building a relationship with God

·         Living with integrity

·         Patience

 

Mentally -

·         Be in uncomfortable situations and love it.

·         Love and appreciate the challenge of life.  This is all a fun game.

·         Read

·         Be social and have fun

·         Defend yourself

 

 Physically –

·         Workout

·         Play basketball

·         Swim

 

Financially -

·         Save money

·         Look for investments

·         Keep building financial knowledge

 

 I absolutely believe that if I can do these aforementioned things consistently and effectively, I would be the happiest and most free person I could ever dream to become.  I struggle, however, and make excuses from time to time.  I strive for perfection, but for now I will settle for progress.  What does success look like to you?

Contributor: E. Alexander Gothard

2010
09/07
CATEGORY
Business
General
TAGS







11 comments

What Is Engineering?

This is my inaugural posting in which I will discuss “What is Engineering”.

In up coming postings I will discuss- in no particular order:

Engineering Technology, CAD (Computer Aided Design)-2D,3D, GD&T (Geometrical Dimensioning and Tolerancing), Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Rapid Prototyping, Engineering Careers/Education, Green Technology, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), Blueprint Reading, and anything else you the reader is interested in under the “Engineering” umbrella.

I will further address many of these topics from a high school students’, as well as college students’ perspective, and finally to those looking to change careers.

Engineering- What is it?:

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the national board establishing accreditation standards for all enginnering  programs  defines engineering as follows (Landis):  “Engineering is the profession in which a knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences, gained by study, experience, and practice, is applied with judgement to develop ways to utilize, economically, the materials and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind.”

I like James Kip Finch’s (1960) definition of Engineering- “The engineer has been , and [still] is, a maker of history”. When you get right down to really thinking about what the engineer does and has done from the earliest of times does this not simplify the definition. Think about all the items, whether it  is clothing, cars, houses, ships, satellites… we have today, on a global scale and through history, has been from an idea someone had that an engineer eventually designed, into a product or process using mathematics, science, and technology principles. Yes, engineers turn ideas into reality and make a world of difference.

The results of a recent Lemelson-MIT Invention Index Survey shows:
·    77% of teens are interested in pursuing a STEM career
·    53% of teens said they would like to build things and conduct experiments
·    85% said they wished they knew more about STEM in order to create or invent something
·    FEWER than 5% felt that engineers contribute most to society’s well-being

This to me means teens have not seen, met or talked with an engineer but they have some of the same interests as what a degreed engineer probably started with early on in their life. The degreed engineer probably is good in math and science, may have a relative/neighbor/friend who is/was an engineer that worked at a high tech job,  was interested in assembling/disassembling things and also likes to build things- that’s the hands on aspect, or like myself read a lot of SCIFI books/magazines as a child or as kids now a days watch a lot of TV/movies, was counseled by a teacher or school counselor, heard that this field is one of the top paying  career opportunities in our economy today.

What can I do with a major in engineering you might ask?
·    Application Engineering
·    Computer engineering
·    Electrical engineering
·    Electronics engineering
·    Industrial engineering
·    Mechanical engineering
·    Research engineering
·    Product engineering
·    Safety engineering
·    Quality engineering
·    Plant engineering
·    Development engineering
·    Testing engineering
·    Design Engineering
·    Analysis engineering
·    Systems engineering
·    Manufacturing and Construction engineering
·    Operations and Maintenance engineering
·    Technical support engineering
·    Customer support-Sales/Marketing/Consulting
·    Management of any of the above

I will close this session with the following thoughts/facts for next posting:
·    The U.S. is lagging behind the rest of the world in production of needed technical talent
·    This lag could lead to loss of U.S. competitiveness in technical fields that drive our economy.

Contributor: Jim Orr

2010
09/06
CATEGORY
Economics
Engineering and Engineering Technology
General
TAGS








15 comments