***Editor’s Note: The “I Became An Engineer” blog runs every friday. To share your story email sarah.goncalves@advantagemedia.com***
This week’s story is brought to us by reader James Lane.
Initially, I didn’t even know what an engineer did or was. I was good with math and science, so my senior high school counselor told me I should pursue engineering. I didn’t elect to attend the Colorado School of Mines until late in my senior year, and I hit the ground running—while terrified of what I was doing.
It was a tough college but well worth the investment. I obtained an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Mining Engineering. My entire career of 23 years has been in Industrial Automation (Instrumentation and Controls) in food processing, DOE nuclear test facilities, hydroelectric power generation, and the oil and gas industry.
I have always loved tinkering with things to discover how they worked. In some cases, the device never worked again. I have a few old hobby car restoration projects I like to work on. I grew up on a cattle ranch—cutting, bailing, and hand staking hay bales, branding and vaccinating calves, herding cattle, tending to the sheep, collecting eggs in the morning, and milking the cow. I was challenged with a good work ethic and learned how to fix farm equipment with bailing wire and duct tape and a variety of other patches. I think the ranching environment taught me practicality, can-do, getting by with what you have, and common sense.
I am currently setting up a special mobile robot at one of our local high schools in the hopes to inspire students to consider a STEM career. When we complete the robot, it will be accessible via any internet browser from anywhere in the world. It has an onboard web cam so the students can see in real time as they manipulate the robot’s manipulator arm, web cam, or robot navigation. It’s a 2 foot by 2 foot robot, track driven like a little tank.It’s exciting. While it’s still in the BETA stages of set up and testing, this has been a dream of mine for over a decade in development.
Read other stories, here:
I Became an Engineer: Because of a Book (And My Mom)
A Note From The Editor: An Engineer’s Story
I Became An Engineer: Because Of A Lunch Box
I Became An Engineer: Because of Christmas Lights
I Became An Engineer: Because Of The Cool Jackets
I Became An Engineer: Because My Dad Said Not To
I Became An Engineer: Despite Being Bad At Math
I Became An Engineer: Because of Uncle Chet
I Became An Engineer: Because I Can’t Stop Asking ‘Why?’
I Became An Engineer: Because of Star Trek (Specifically Montgomery Scott)
I Became An Engineer: Because I Was A Really Lucky Nerd
I Became An Engineer: But ‘Nobody Knows’ Why
I Became An Engineer: Because of Nuclear Submarines
I Became An Engineer: Because of a Sewing Machine
I Became an Engineer: Because No One Was Hiring Shoe Salesmen
I Became an Engineer: Because of Mr. Kenny, the TV/Radio Repair Man
