Electrical Design Engineer

It might not seem like it but my two comments below are actually useful to think about.

1. Most Design and R&D Engineers have that job because that is who they are.

The coffee cup that is often on my desk has pencils, pens, resistors, capacitors, ICs, screws, nuts, connectors and other "R&D" items in it. The ash tray in my car has several connectors in it. There are stepper motors in a box under my bed. The napkin sitting on top of the books in my bookcase at home has a block diagram and schematic sketch on it of a circuit I have been thinking about. My MIG welder at home is both nicer and more powerful than the MIG welder at work. Yes, I spent 5 years and a lot of money to get a fancy piece of paper to put in a frame but that is not what puts food on my table.

I annoy the people at CR4 with questions like "why do normal drill bits do a bad job on copper", "what really happens inside a plasma torch head" and "what is this stain on my coffee cup"?

2. Career planning is important but it almost never works out.

Since I was 14 years old I think I have been totally unemployed for a grand total of about 10-12 weeks. I have had quite a few jobs but I have never in my life gotten a job that I applied for on my own. All the way back with the high school gas station job I have always applied at companies A, B and C but gotten a call from someone at company D asking me to stop by and talk. I have been a Mechanical Designer, a Software Analyist, a Training System Programmer and Developer, a Systems Engineer, a Test Engineer, a Quality Assurance Engineer, a Documentation Control Supervisor and sometimes even an Electronic Design Engineer. I have never been hired to work on a product that I knew much about and sometimes I didn't even know it was possible to do what the product did. I didn't exactly plan to get to where I am but I got here because I got going.

It sounds a little like you might have a good start. Just keep getting more of it. Some people find ways to go straight to the top. You can read about them in Dilbert. For most others the way to move up is to run out of lower level things to do.

One approach is to try to push yourself up. Another approach is to work on skills so companies that need a good person will pull you up.

You sound like a young man, and as such, the whole world lies ahead of you.

Maintain a steadfast focus on your goal,and be prepared when opportunities come along.

This is considered "good luck" by some,but is really how "luck" works.

Take advantage of every opportunity to enhance your experience and knowledge,and by persistantly maintaining focus,you will achieve your goal.

The road is more often than not a crooked and winding one ,with detours along the way.But even detours have their value.You will learn things that will prove valuable in the most unexpected ways.

There are very few people that arrive at their destination on a straight road.

Perhaps a top of the class graduate from a world class engineering school may be offered a job in R&D right out of school, but those are far and few between.

And those that do are often one-dimensional people with no other skill sets.

Getting experience in manufacuturing is essential to be a good designer.

Form follows function,and an in depth knowledge of the function allows for a better and more innovative design.

Follow your heart's desire, and somehow, it will happen, and you will look back and realize that every twist in the road added to your knowledge and skills.

Good luck, young man.There is an awesome future ahead,full of things we cannot even imagine today, and you will be part of it.