Hobbyists and people from other discipilines (sheep in wolve's clothing) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Frenchie
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 07:30:13 am
content: Being an Electronics forum, I know there's a high proportion of people here who either do this for a job (or are studying to etc). A lot of us are just hobbyists and do something different in our day jobs. If you're not from an Electronics background, what do you do?Personally, I'm actually a chemical engineer. My day job is optimising the performance of a pair of rotary kilns and a handfull of ball mills. Essentially, I get paid to play with a pair of 60MW burners and the 30m long flames they produce and have the cheek to call it 'work'.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 07:39:40 am
content: I'm also a ChemE, but I have a desk job. I don't get to go on site much these days. It's been a while since I needed to put on a hard hat, more's the pity

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 07:48:52 am
content: I'm a farmer but do EE consulting on the side.it's a pretty good gig.

author: lewis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 08:12:44 am
content: Quote from: peter.mitchell on September 06, 2013, 07:48:52 amGot all the bases covered there! I knew someone once who was a bircklayer and a beauty therapist.

author: ElektroQuark
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 08:59:04 am
content: Another Chem here.Managing a Lab and, sometimes, even doing chemical analysis stuffFunny. I like it.

author: Dagon
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 09:02:44 am
content: Actually I am an EE - my title is Escalation Engineer!Working in IT, currently specialising in server virtualzation software.

author: con-f-use
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 10:25:54 am
content: I'm working on my PhD in Physics. Apart from teaching duties, I do simulations of galactic winds and metal enrichment in clusters of galaxies.Though I don't think I will stay in astro-physics for much longer. My heart is not really into it anymore and it doesn't pay too well. I actually do love teaching and will miss it.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 12:52:52 pm
content: Journeyman machinist for 40 years, SA degree in mechanical engineering (self appointed) I have a business designing and building industrial precision grinding equipment.

author: Tepe
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 02:38:30 pm
content: I have a computer science degree and am head of development in a medium size company. Electronics is a childhood hobby that has been rekindled in later years.

author: AG6QR
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 02:54:47 pm
content: I have a computer science degree from a large engineering school. Our CS program had a lot of hardware studies; about 1/3 of my classes in my last two years were listed in the catalog as "CS/EE" plus a number. Since graduation, I've worked entirely in software, but maintained a fondness for hardware.

author: M0BSW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 03:42:45 pm
content: I'm a Trucker I've been driving semi-trucks for 38 Years, now classed as a ole timer in the yard, and I drive for a huge Canadian company in the UK called Bibby Logistics, I've been interested in Electronics since I was around 8 years old when I helped my Grandfather to build a crystal wireless for me, a licensed Radio Amateur since 1997 with the full HF licence, now catching up with electronics, fault finding and repair is what I find the most interesting part about it all, and building my own test equipment, 6 years until I retire, then I intend to repair domestic items for pocket money and fun apart from City & Guilds for amateur radio and morse test at 12 wpm, my qualifications in electronics are self taught books and advice, now you can wake up I finished.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 04:08:19 pm
content: I work in IT supporting a manufacturing facility that makes heavy duty equipment. Got an Arduino for Christmas along with a Raspberry Pi and it reignited my childhood interest in electronics. Also around the time I started watching Dave's videos. (Along with many others)

author: PA4TIM
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 05:32:50 pm
content: I have studied business management and marketing, started working in IT, ended there in designing networks based on HP-9000 and IBM-AIX servers. Then I made a swith because I did not like the way this market worked (end 80's) with all the fast salemen who had no clue about what they were selling.Since 1991 I have a outdoor shop that sells camping, outdoor and wintersport gear.When I was 19 I allmost lost my life in a motorbike accident. I recovered but around 2007 the effects from that showed their nasty heads and I ended up in revalidation therapy. That learned me to better live with it. And just after things went a bit up again a stoned polish cardriver hit me from behind with 50 km/h while I was waiting for a trafficlight on my trike. So now I work 2 mornings (I am very lucky to have a good staff and my wive also works in our shop)I always had an interest in electronics and other technical subjects. My hobby was restoring cars (most LandRover) and motorbikes (MotoGuzzi was my number one) When that became a medical problem I moved more and more toward electronics (by accident, I needed leds above my terrarium and a friend who drove LandRover too, works in electronics and is a HAM, he persueded me to become a ham too and I did because I wanted to learn more about RF. That was in 2007. I'm not a very active HAM, I'm more into measurement gear restauration, use and collection.

author: Phaedrus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 06:13:27 pm
content: Product Manager. I write the specs for power supplies to make sure they'll satisfy our customers and industry experts, I test the products to make sure they meet those specs, I interact with customers and work with the marketing team, I work with the sales team to make sure the product we bring in actually sells, and I work with the Taiwan engineering team to make sure we keep up with the pace of technology and get a good deal from our vendors.Naturally I want to better understand the EE mechanics behind power supplies, if I'm so involved in making and selling them, and so I'm teaching myself SMPS engineering, starting with simple buck and boost regulators. I'm currently trying to wrap my head around the principles behind resonant converters.

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2013, 06:25:57 pm
content: I am principal architect (consulting) for a small (< 30 employees) but high-profile "boutique" software development consulting and training firm. We specialize in Microsoft-centered technologies and often work directly with members of their product teams on a wide range of awesome projects [sorry, NDA dragons be here], as well as many projects for other Fortune 1000 companies worldwide. Sometimes my work even shows up on stage at conferences, written about in news articles, or on your TV, which is pretty cool too[sorry, no details, more NDA dragons]I've been in this role for 15 years, 7 of which have been for this company. I spent the first 5 years of my 20-year career working up the traditional IT corporate ladder before I realized that was a stupid career path.I originally went to college at Louisiana Tech for their EE curriculum, but partied too much and was politely asked to not return after my second year. It was mutually beneficial, because it forced me to grow up and get a real job - which happened to be the first step of my long-term career (started out as an IT intern).But in the past year I've been bitten by the EE bug again, and gone back to re-educate myself in those areas.

author: qpit3a
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2013, 12:28:13 am
content: I have a Computer Science degree and at the moment do Automated Software Testing in Canberra Australia. I did start out doing EE but stopped doing the work and dipped out. Getting back into Electronics now that my youngest child is a bit older.

author: PedroDaGr8
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2013, 06:17:49 am
content: Nanomaterials chemist here. I make fluorescent quantum dots.Still trying to learn electronics as I go. I am really drawn to power supplies. So I have focused my learning based around that concept. Learning what I need to, to understand power supplies. Recently, I've been getting more interested in stuff like dual slope convterters. Mainly just because I want to understand how multimeters works. Though it is more of a side interest. Power supplies seem to be what I'm most drawn to. Though they are proving to be infinitely more complex than I ever imagined.

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2013, 12:19:15 pm
content: I don't work now but I used to be a cleaner.Electronics was always a hobby and I thought about making it a career but I'm not sure I can really be bothered any more.

author: PA4TIM
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2013, 01:00:52 pm
content: A cleaner for the CIA or NSA

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2013, 05:00:24 pm
content: Quote from: PA4TIM on September 08, 2013, 01:00:52 pmFlag says England, so I'd expect more along the lines of MI5 or MI6 for "that" kind of cleaner.

author: MatCat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2013, 05:21:16 pm
content: Gotta love the 'what do you do for a living' thread on any forum! Most of my working life has been in the area of business programming and web development, though I also had a 3 year run as a long haul semi driver (only reason I ever got out of it was because of the recession). About 8 months ago I had to make the choice of either keep dredging on for an employer whom I worked for for 2 years or move on because he had no idea what he was doing and I wasn't getting paid for my work, I decided to move on. I started a company with a friend of mine a few months ago developing electronics for our favorite hobby (First Person View with model aircraft), and also eventual aim to reach the commercial UAV market. We just got our first product listed on a major vendor in our market and we have quite a few products under development now.

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2013, 07:27:30 pm
content: Quote from: nanofrog on September 08, 2013, 05:00:24 pmInfant school actually. Its amazing how much mess all those teachers make. You'd think they'd be old enough to tidy up after themselves.

author: casper.bang
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2013, 07:51:11 pm
content: Spend part of my teens with electronics. Found parts and processes to be more expensive and time consuming than doing software, so progressed into that instead. Got a B.Sc. SE and have now been working 10+ years professionally with developing software, before starting to look into electronics again on a hobby basis. I was surprised to see how CMOS/TTL logic gates have now largely be replaced by MCU, FPGA and other goodies. Also, FET's now appear to be more common than bipolar transistors.