Which type of help can engineers get?

Hi Guest,

For students, CR4 is a great resource. You have the opportunity to interact with engineers and technical professionals from around the world. You can make good contacts, find out about the specific requirements of the various engineering fields, get a feeling for the rigorous thought process that engineers must engage in to solve problems, track industry trends, and learn about everything from engineering basics to complex technical and theoretical problems.

If you have questions related to your studies, feel free to ask them, but note (from the the CR4 FAQ), that CR4 is not a homework cheat site.

So c'mon in and make yourself at home. I urge you to sign up to use CR4 so that you can take advantage of all the tools that CR4 puts at your disposal, such as internal messaging and user groups.

Well said there we work hard to keep up with all the questions now all we need is to charge for our work?

Like Chris said, you'll find all types here from all over the planet from just about every discipline. If you never did anything more than just read the questions and the posts you would likely come out ahead. I wouldn't try asking for a lot of homework help because that is usually pretty easy to spot - most folks will just ignore you but some will speak their minds and that can get nasty. Also, when asking questions I would recommend using things like the library and Google first - many of those that frequent the boards will get upset about someone not having visited Google first and again they will tell you about it.

Having said all of that, the boards can be a tremendous resource for a student. There are usually a great number of folks that enjoy nothing more than helping a person in need. After you've been around a while you'll get to know some of the others their specialties. If nothing else you should learn about communicating with others in a clear and concise manner - a well thought out question will likely get a well thought out response whereas a quickly rambled question of gibberish will definately get you a bunch of mumbo-jumbo from the peanut gallery! Enjoy the boards and good luck!

Ask any and we will all see.

Be brief.

If you can state the problem correctly-you have half solved it already.

Career Guidance-jobs-please avoid!

General questions using 5 words or so are likely to generate wild answers that are way off the beam. A good question generally needs more than two sentences to provide the context within which the question is asked. A concise, well-framed question is likely to generate fewer, higher quality responses in a very short time, which are likely to be of more value to the individual posting it than a screed of lower quality responses to a very loose question that take far longer to arrive.

Everything said so far is spot on. If you are genuinely stuck don't be frightened to as what may seem like a dumb question. Just say that you are stuck and need help. Most posters will be only too happy to spend time explaining something to you if you are genuinely stuck.

Once you have registered you can send a question directly to other CR4 members. If you read a reasonable sample of threads you will get the idea what certain people are best at, so, if you don't wish to ask the general community you can ask a single member privately. To do this click on the members name in any thread then follow the send xxx a message link that appears on their details page.

CR4 is an absolutely fantastic place to learn from other engineers that have considerable hands on experience in a mind bogglingly wide array of fields and I wish there was something like it when I was student.

We will not always give you the answers to your questions, but we will refer you to locations to find it. Assuming you will join us formally, welcome aboard.

Bill

To all the fine responses, I would add, follow the rules and respect all members, participants and guests.

As well as using google first , try entering relevant key-words in the search bar to the right of screen. Have a good explore around the whole site to get a feel for it. Make a mental note of which questions get good responses - It's usually the well thought out questions that get best response . When you've posted a question it's a good idea to let people know if the answers have helped . It may take time to get the answer you want , as people are in different time zones and have other commitments etc. Good luck

My wife and I were discussing CR4 this morning. She spends hours on line playing games on POGO and winning badges. We concluded that CR4 is my POGO.

Here, even with my 50 years in Electronics, I learn things. Many of them not related to Electronics, and on occasion, I can use my experience to help others.

Have Fun

Bill

My own wife likes soap-operas on TV , I just can't persuade her that real life is even stranger and far more interesting/fun etc . Still , it gives me the chance to pinch kitchen items for wacky experiments I'm prompted to try.

Kris-Thats the difference between engineers/researchers and the rest of the masses. James

Spot on James . We're all born inquisitive , some people just seem to loose that faculty or dare not question life and the world around . The 20th Century needed 'factory fodder' , hopefully the 21st will need and encourage thought more. Kris