***Editor’s Note: The “I Became An Engineer” blog runs every Friday. To share your story email jennifer.delaosa@advantagemedia.com***
This week’s story comes to us from ECN reader Bob Smith, Executive Director of the Electronic System Design (ESD) Alliance.
I became an engineer because I started tinkering at a young age. In fact, my dad encouraged my interest in all things electrical. My interest in engineering can be traced back to a crystal radio my dad and I built when I was about five years old. Straight out of college with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, I accepted a job at Hewlett-Packard working in the disk drive lab as an analog circuit designer.
Of course, my experience at HP was very similar to those of others—it offered me a satisfying first job working on real products in a supportive corporate culture. HP also gave me the chance to be part of their sponsored graduate co-op program through Stanford University, through which I earned a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.
As I grew my career in Silicon Valley, I found having an engineering background served me well. More specifically, training to be an analog circuit designer gave me the solid foundation to move into business-oriented positions with incredible growth opportunities that eventually led to roles in marketing, business development, and executive management. The precision of analog design helped me become a good communicator. More importantly, being taught to take an analytical approach to any situation through the rigorous engineering thought process gave me the credibility and the confidence to become a successful entrepreneur.
Certainly, my career has taken many different paths since my days at HP, including moves into the semiconductor and electronic design automation (EDA) markets at a variety of companies, and an IP vendor with plenty of globetrotting. Each offered its own unique challenges, opportunities, and no regrets.
I’m far removed from the deskbound engineer I was solving a difficult analog program, but the analog circuit designer fresh out of college lives inside me. My engineering approach has helped me expand my range of experience and skillset, and brought me to my latest endeavor: Executive Director of the ESD Alliance. As the head of an international association of companies providing goods and services throughout the semiconductor design ecosystem, I talk with executives from the semiconductor industry, many of whom have deep technical backgrounds. That’s another example of how well my engineering background has served me.
Tinkering may have piqued my interest in engineering as a young boy, while the ever-changing challenges and excitement of the engineering world keeps me motivated and interested in what’s coming next.
Read other stories, here:
- A Note From The Editor: An Engineer’s Story
- I Became An Engineer: Despite Being Bad At Math
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Drew A Flower
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of MacGyver And Comfortable Clothes
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of A Small FM Radio
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of A Model Airplane Contest
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Loved LEGOs And Tinkertoys
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of A Magazine Ad
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Grew Up In Kenya
- I Became An Engineer: So I Wouldn’t Have To Go To Vietnam
- I Became An Engineer: By Just Being Myself
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of Sci-Fi Novels
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of A Watch
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Couldn’t Stop Tinkering
- I Became An Engineer: By Studying The Fundamentals
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of A 1930s Vintage Radio
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of Microscope Modifications
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Couldn’t Be An Astronaut
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Kept Asking “Why?”
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of Pneumonia (And A Timing Light)
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of A Paperback Book On Electricity
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Wanted To Travel
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of An Evil Mastermind
