***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 Joe Blaschka Jr.
I started playing around with electronics when I was about 10 years old. Of course back in those days, most electronics were powered by 110 VAC. My mom was always concerned I would somehow electrocute myself taking radios and TVs apart. Admittedly, there were more than a couple of times I was slightly jingled by 110 VAC—but seemed to survive!
I had gotten my ham license when I was about 14. My neighbor was a researcher at Crown Zellback and a ham radio operator. He got me started in ham radio. He also said I should study electronics more since I seemed to like it so much.
I was an avid reader of Popular Electronics. When I was about 15 or so, I saw an employment ad for Raytheon. The ad had a guy dressed in a suit with a briefcase surrounded by missiles, airplanes, and boats. He was a Raytheon Field Engineer! The ad was about solving technical problems with advanced technology communications systems.
That was it! It was like my life fell into place. I was destined to become an electrical engineer working on communications systems. The rest of my high school years were focused on getting into an engineering school. I went to Seattle University, where I obtained my EE degree.
I spent time with a couple different companies working in communications. When I was 29, I started my own consulting engineering company focusing on communications systems. I have designed and worked on hundreds of systems over my (almost) 40 years of consulting, and am still going strong. It’s what gets me out of bed in the morning—besides my alarm clock.
I feel blessed I was able to see a career path that clearly. There are so many people I know who have never really felt like they knew what they were born for!
Read other stories, here:
- A Note From The Editor: An Engineer’s Story
- 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 I Loved LEGOs And Tinkertoys
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Grew Up In Kenya
- I Became An Engineer: By Just Being Myself
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of The Cool Jackets
- I Became An Engineer: Because My Dad Said Not To
- I Became An Engineer: Because I Couldn’t Stop Tinkering
- I Became An Engineer: Despite Being Bad At Math
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of Christmas Lights
- 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 I Couldn’t Be An Astronaut
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of Nuclear Submarines
- I Became An Engineer: Because No One Was Hiring Shoe Salesmen
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of A Book (And My Mom)
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of A Cattle Ranch
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of A Wise Father And The Possibility Of Death
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of An Evil Mastermind