***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 Frank W. Friskics.
My journey started a long time ago, and I was allowed to take an unconventional path to engineering. In high school, I was good at math and science, but had no idea those skills could be used for a career. Going into my mid-20s, I worked several factory jobs as a welder and machinist, then got a high-rise construction job in Chicago.
At 24, I moved to South Florida, and I ran into a stagnant job market. I signed up at a community college in the associate of science in electrical technology program. About half way through, I got a job at ModComp (a manufacturer of mini and super-mini computers with measurement, control, and digital communication modules). I was hired to drive a truck between the buildings, which carried parts, sub-assemblies, finished goods, and interoffice mail. Yes, I started out in the mailroom (how cliché).
Four months in, they offered me a chance to become a tech. It was early in the digital era, and most of the engineers were struggling with the new-fangled devices. They agonized over the biasing of the TTL transistors, and they could not make any sense of an RS latch or a JK flip flop. For some reason, this stuff was really easy for me, and I advanced to being a lead, then a test engineer, and then an instructor teaching the other techs how the products functioned and how to fix them. During this time, I completed my associate’s degree, and I started to take some classes at Nova University.
After five years, engineering offered me the opportunity to join their team. Initially, I felt a little overwhelmed, but my intimate knowledge of the inner workings of our computers made me their go-to source for answers.
With the addition of a family and extended working hours, I never did finish my EE. What I have accomplished is a 35+ year career that has been challenging and fulfilling—oh yes, and ever-changing. At the end of the day, I set out to be a tech, and I overshot. Isn’t this wonderful?
Read other stories, here:
- A Note From The Editor: An Engineer’s Story
- 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 Mr. Kenny, The TV/Radio Repair Man
- 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
- I Became An Engineer: To Get Off The Tractor
- I Became An Engineer: Because Of My Rodeo Coach
