From beginner to pro? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2023, 10:20:38 pm
content: Was anyone here a complete electronics beginner when they first signed up to this forum or started watching Dave's videos and are now an electronics professional?I wasn't a complete beginner. I hadn't long finished my apprenticeship and was still junior, but I do wonder if there are others here who hardly knew anything and are now helping others. I does appear to be the case, going by the improvement showed in some of the posts, by many older members.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2023, 11:16:00 pm
content: I think I'd count - I hadn't even started university when I first joined here (and look at some of my earlier posts with a "wtf, what were you doing?") Learned a lot, great community.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 05, 2023, 11:38:32 pm
content: Quote from: Zero999 on March 05, 2023, 10:20:38 pmI get messages all the time saying exactly this and thanking me.So the answer is yes, plenty.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 06, 2023, 01:44:52 am
content: I sometimes wonder how some members have progressed after getting involved here. You don't often get such feedback, so it's nice to know there are some examples of real benefit at levels higher than home hobbyist.I know I have had great benefit through my involvement here from free stuff to acquisition of kit (sometimestoomuch help) as well as learning a heck of a lot and (hopefully) giving back a bit as well.I do have one personal highlight in being commissioned to do a milligram scale modification for a member overseas who found me here through my sharing of another scale modification project. That would not have happened if it were not for the EEVblog.I have been impressed by the willingness of members here to help out with parts, advice and even diving into their own gear to get measurements or take photos to help another member trying to repair. I have been personally graced with several items - from a couple of HP switch caps to a 1740A CRO - as well as a few computers and components and more ... not to mention being given the heads up on Jaycar sales and one member's efforts which guided me to the successful acquisition of a rather large laser machine.All in all, it has been my great pleasure to have been a member here - and I don't plan on giving that away anytime soon.My thanks to you Dave ... and to all the members that have made my experience so much more enjoyable.

author: Foxxz
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2023, 02:56:02 am
content: I would also like to thank members here for helping out and putting up with newbie mistakes and foolish ideas.I am experienced in electronics and came here from a ham radio forum where my ideas were harshly criticized by members I respected and had the knowledge to help/explain but refused to do so. It was demotivating and caused me to abandon some of my projects.So thanks to everyone here for motivating and helping me and others through learning and understanding areas we might be weak in.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2023, 06:56:10 am
content: Quote from: Zero999 on March 05, 2023, 10:20:38 pmCertainly not a beginner but neither an expert. Stumbled on to the forum after googling about the FNIRSI 1013D, and enjoyed the experience. With the field of electronics and computing being very wide there is always new things to learn and there are plenty of members willing to share their wisdom or lend a helping hand.So yeah thanks to Dave for making this possible and every member that makes it worth while to visit the forum.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2023, 09:53:31 am
content: I've learned a lot from this place. Most often it's when I've posted a bad circuit or idea, which has been picked apart. I've learned how important it is not to let pride and ego get in the way of learning, as it has done for me on some occasions and I see quite often in others.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 06, 2023, 10:33:52 am
content: I recall a young kid who came in here and wanted advice on the direction of his study and career and it was big thread IIRC with tons of advice which he took on board.IIRC he came back 4 years later to update us that he had now finished his EE degree and scored a design job somewhere

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2023, 12:18:44 pm
content: Quote from: Zero999 on March 06, 2023, 09:53:31 amDifficult at times and also something one has to learn. Still working on it.

author: CountChocula
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 06, 2023, 02:28:35 pm
content: I've only been here for a few months and am still very much a beginner who has come to electronics at a pretty ripe age and with no formal background in EE (I'm a software guy, sorry…), but I can measure the improvement in my skills that being on this forum has brought about, both by asking for direct help and by just reading what others are discussing. Starting from nearly zero, the folks here have given me the help and confidence to build a bunch of circuits—none of which would ever pass for professional work, but all of which work and have not (at least so far) burned down my basementOne thing that has been incredibly useful has been asking how to solve a problem and then watching as folks on the thread debate a bunch of suggestions that you can quickly wire up and try. This is so much better than the typical schoolbook approach of telling you “this is the right way to do it,” because you get to experience the pros and cons of each approach through experimentation and—in particular—you get to understand how folks with more experiencereasonthrough the problem. Maybe it's just me, but I find this super valuable and tend to learn so much more that way.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2023, 04:12:14 pm
content: Quote from: pcprogrammer on March 06, 2023, 12:18:44 pmThe most difficult thing is to not get defensive when, you post a bad circuit/idea and someone bluntly tells you so. Take a step back, take a deep breath and think about it, before responding. Yes, easier said than done.