Title: Peter Raeth
1Confessions of a Computer Engineer
- Peter Raeth
- Ball Aerospace Technologies Corp.
2What We Will Talk About
- Type of occupation
- Education and training required
- Career path and current salaries
- Advantages and disadvantages
- Questions, answers, discussion
3Lots of opportunity in the world
http//www.bls.gov/oco/images/ocotjc07.jpg (Occupa
tional Outlook Handbook, http//www.bls.gov/OCO/ )
4What is a computer engineer ?
- From a Personal Perspective
- Produces solutions to hard problems
- Uses computer as primary implementing tool
- Thinks about both hardware and software
- Relates technical subjects to peoples needs
- Employs knowledge that goes beyond the technical
5Skills needed
- Ability to think
- Creativity and intuition
- Mathematics and physics
- Soft subjects
- philosophy and psychology
- Interpersonal communication
- reading and listening
- writing and speaking
- Software programming
- How hardware is and can be arranged
6For learning to use a computer
- The best course I ever took
- formal logic
- taught by philosophy department
- the word computer never came up
- Second best course I ever took
- Boolean algebra
- taught by math department
- the word computer never came up
7But
- Knowing only technical things is not enough
- Career success requires the soft subjects
mentioned earlier - In the end, it is people and their needs that
matter - Technical subjects and the computer are secondary
- Being smart about computers is necessary but
insufficient - If peoples needs are not satisfied, the engineer
has not succeeded - Companies hire because they believe the engineer
can contribute to the bottom line (profit) of the
company - If that contribution is not there, the employee
will not have a career - Profits come to a company when customers needs
are satisfied, when difficult problems get solved - Then the customer says, We need more of that
- This is what leads to career success, not just
being smart
8How this engineer got there
- As a late bloomer, my path was not direct
- Could not handle college prep in high school
- Could hardly pass an arithmetic test though high
school junior year - Lucky to meet a teacher from Greece who took me
under his wing - Too immature to start college right after high
school - Too poor anyway - Parents could no way afford to
help - Enlisted in Air Force instead
- Grew up a lot - saved money - earned scholarship
- Departed Air Force - started college
- Spent 13 years earning four technical degrees
- AS Electronics Engineering Technology 1975
- BS Electrical Engineering 1979
- MS Computer Engineering 1980
- Ph.D. Computer Science 2003
- Each degree completed with no debt and money in
the bank
9No accident of birth
- Grew up in the deep woods of the deep south (dirt
roads and forest) - Parents earned GED late in life
- Enlisted in USAF
- Earned partial undergraduate scholarship
- Joined ROTC
- Worked half time (computer programming
consultant) - Attended full time classes
- 6 years, 12 months out of the year for
undergraduate degree - spent a tremendous amount of extra time in the
laboratory - published two peer-reviewed papers as
undergraduate - Earned full scholarship to another 1.5 years of
graduate school - began graduate school while still working on
undergraduate degree - Company provided partial scholarship for terminal
degree - So, birth is not what matters
- How hard are you willing to work? How persistent
are you? - Do you do more than is assigned? Do you take
initiative?
10Jobs along the way
- Consultant in computer applications
- Mathematics programming
- Computer research scientist
- Scientific analyst
- Sensor data applications
- Image and signal processing
- Worked during AS, BS, and Ph.D. degree programs
- Spent 21 years total in Air Force
- Ten years so far with Ball
11Typical salaries
- Varies
- accomplishments
- education
- industry
- location
- From a national perspective
- starting salary 40,000 to 50,000
- 10 years experience 80,000 to 100,000
12Outlook is Very Good for our Field
- The following articles may be of interest to you
since they contain information on the outlook for
employment in our area of study. - http//www.networkworld.com/newsletters/edu/2008/1
11708ed1.html - http//www.networkworld.com/newsletters/edu/2008/1
11708ed1.html - http//www.networkworld.com/research/2006/100206-h
iring-struggle.html - http//udel.edu/pconrad/JobsInCS/
- http//degreedirectory.org/articles/Computer_Repai
r_Technician_Career_Profile_Employment_Outlook_and
_Education_Requirements.html
13Careers paths as varied as people
- customer service
- programming
- training
- marketing
- supervisory
- managerial
- technician
- engineering
- research and development
- told exactly what to do and how to do it
- given a problem to solve
- has to figure out what problem to solve
- leads others in discovering and solving difficult
technical issues
14Working conditions
15Something to think about
If you want to be in demand, acquire skills that
few people have, to do essential jobs.
Skills/Jobs Triangle
Fewer jobs but even fewer people
Less jobs but balance between people and jobs
Lots of jobs but more people than jobs
16Two Sides to Every Story
- Disadvantages
- Have to really know your way around to find the
jobs - Must be good at selling yourself
- Need an independent streak to rise above the
crowd - Where the jobs are, you need to be
- Beware of becoming overly specialized
- Advantages
- Solid job opportunities at high pay
- Tenure is excellent
- Companies can not find and keep enough good
people - regardless of job market
17What to look for
- Of course benefits and pay matter
- But, career success comes from working for good
companies - What do I look for?
- vision from which measurable performance metrics
can be derived - strong corporate desire to achieve the vision
- focus applied to important activities so that
vision can be achieved - funding to proceed
18Ideas to Think About
- Here is a quote from long ago that bears well on
our future vision and our path to that vision. - The greatest danger for most of us is not that
our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it - is too low and we reach it.
- - Michelangelo (as quoted in Linux
Journal, Jan 01, p 8) - --------------------------------------------------
------------------------------ - Another good quote bears on one's selection of
career. - If lots of things were easy, anyone and everyone
would do them. The term for this, - commoditization, really means nobody makes any
money doing it. It's the hard that keeps - average participants away from some things, and
makes the effort of the few who tackle - the problem and deliver results valuable. The way
to financial success is to take - something hard, so much so, few other people can
do it, and make it look easy. - - Don Dingee, Industrial Embedded
Systems, Spring/Summer 2006, v 2, 1, p 7
19More Ideas to Think About
- Sometimes well-managed risk is necessary.
- The person who gets the farthest is generally the
one who is willing to do and dare. - The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.
- Dale Carnegie
- --------------------------------------------------
------------------------------ - Work ethic has a lot to do with success.
- The number one rule is simple. You've got to go
above and beyond your job description. - If you just do your job, you don't get a raise
and you don't get a bonus you get a paycheck. - - SmartMoney magazine from Wall Street Journal.
http//www.smartmoney.com/mag/index.cfm?storymarc
h2006-millionairepgnum6
20Presenting yourself for that first job
- You have little to no experience - What should
you talk about? - What separates you from all the other
inexperienced students? - What have you accomplished that matters?
- Business are looking for that spark, that promise
of success - Talk about how well you have served
- Eagle Scout, Civil Air Patrol Certificate of
Proficiency, Adult Black Belt - Club Officer, Sports Team Captain, Girl Scouts
Gold Award - volunteer work -- those are examples, there are
many others - Talk about what you have achieved
- publications in peer-reviewed literature, senior
project, lab projects - personal initiatives, internship results,
relevant part-time work - Avoid making big deal out of small things
- know the company you are applying to, what
business they are they in - dont emphasize things one is expected to have
learned in high school - ex office automation tools, programming in
Basic, simple computer use,
21What specifically does my job entail?Turning
data into information
Collect Analyze Decide
22Fundamental approach to work
- Study
- Learn
- Demonstrate
- Document
- Publish
- Strike a Balance
- technology push Original ideas
vs. - technology pull What funders say they want
- Think independently but solve funders problems
- Know their goals, their critical missions, and
arena of activity - gives basis for original ideas, suggestions, and
recommendations - establishes trust if done with a focus on the
funder - focus on what THEY want and need
23Example Aircraft with no pilot
- Sent to fly around specific area
- Sends back data
- Data has to be analyzed
- Result has to be given to people
- People use the information
- Decisions get acted upon
24Real equipment that generates real data for real
applications
- L3 / Cincinnati Electronics NightConqueror is
the primary sensor on several platforms - Avenger Short Range Air Defense System (Army)
- Stryker Mobile Gun System (Army)
- F-18 SHARP Recon Pod (Air Force)
- MK46 Optical Sight System
- Navy Arleigh Burke class destroyers
- Optronic Masts
- Navy Virginia, Ohio, and Astute class submarines
25One particular type of solution a person like me
creates
- Lots of data (numbers) that arrive very fast
- Too fast and too much for people to look at it
all - Want to just show them what is important
- This is a good reason to learn math
Original Data Stream
Target Nomination
Prediction Error
Predicted Data Stream
26Other types of data analysis problems
Infrared Data
Video Stream With Active Background
Audio Data Stream
Computer Network Access
27Overall
- Computer engineering is a good career field
- Many personal and financial advantages
- Lots of opportunity to be creative
- Offers real chance for achievement
- Can lead to great success
- Plenty to do The work is there
- Boredom has not been a problem
28Some thoughts on life-cycle finances
- You graduate and find a job
- What do you do with that first pay check?
- Likely more money than you have ever seen in one
place at one time - Represents opportunity, not invitation to
spending - need to live below your income
- not necessary to chase fads or follow the crowd
- newspaper shows where the crowd has ended up
regarding debt - Many people graduate and promptly go into such
debt that they will be years paying for things
that depreciate much faster than the debt can be
repaid - Big difference between needs and wants
- not at all the same things
- dont kid yourself into turning wants into
needs - Be excessive in satisfying your wants and you
will always be poor
29Be Master of Debt Not Mastered by Debt
- Dont be suckered into the slavery of debt
- Debt does not just go away, you cant easily wash
your hands of it - very hard to get out of debt caused by excessive
want satisfaction - Instead of spending, save and invest
- Establish your financial foundation Thereby
your financial freedom - You are in fact NOT free to choose if you are
enslaved to debt - your first focus has to be earning money now to
pay past debts - You cant make the choice, for instance, to start
a new career - Slaves to debt are not free, they have to focus
on near-term income - It becomes a vicious cycle
30Some thoughts on financial foundations
- Im not a financial advisor, just a common layman
- Always seek good advice from a fee-based
certified financial advisor - Just want to share some thoughts with you from
personal experience - Want to alert you to some things most dont
consider until too late -
- Run your life like a business
- plan for future
- perform due diligence
- provide to market
- maintain what you provide
- improve what you provide
- manage income
- manage expenditures
- make profit
- invest profit wisely
- Watch cash flow
- if you want to leave a job,be sure you have a
way toreplace that income first
31Basic financial foundation
- Insurance
- Health
- extremely expensive to cover on your own
- for instance one car accident can wipe you out
financially - Life
- to protect your family and your estate
- Disability
- it happens
- I myself have been on medium-term disability due
to eye surgery - Auto
- covers your health and the other partys
- also covers damage to material things
- Possessions
- no need to lose everything because of an accident
32Basic financial foundation (more)
- Savings (liquid)
- 4 to 6 months operating capital without working
- dont let layoff put you into foreclosure or
bankruptcy - Investments (less liquid)
- balanced for your point in life
- a good financial advisor can guide you in this
- dont just play the lottery
- dont respond to pump-and-dump emails
- if nothing else, read Value Line
- aid to due diligence
- available at most libraries
- highly regarded investment newsletter
33Future planning
- What outcome do you want to achieve in life?
- Educate yourself so you can make good choices
- Where are you now financially?
- Where do you want to be, when, doing what, having
what? - Work with a good financial advisor to develop a
solid plan - Review that plan annually Keep that plan up to
date - Be sure to address negative possibilities
- Plan too for lifes big events
- Implement the plan Dont let gotta have get
in the way - Adjust your plan over time according to results,
conditions, events
34Let time work for you
35Plan necessary debt vs. income
- Want majors debt paid by age 55
- Want minor debts paid at end of each month
- Develop self-sustaining income, independent of
work hours - lots of ways to do this
- wise investments necessary
- consult good fee-based financial advisor
- pick this person carefully
- due diligence absolutely necessary
- you cant just work on trust
- Self-sustaining income gives you freedom to choose