Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!

For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I 
have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by 
pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's 
hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little 
IMHO, but I certainly don't want to spend _much_).  (It's a bit too late 
to point out that it's a bit too late to be starting -- but then, senior 
projects are about learning things like when to start, I suppose).

There needs to be a generic "So you need to finish your senior project" 
FAQ out there.

-- 
www.wescottdesign.com

"Tim Wescott" <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote in message 
news:WvCdnWXTytfdyrjXnZ2dnUVZ_gChnZ2d@web-ster.com...
> For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I
> have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by
> pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's
> hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little
> IMHO, but I certainly don't want to spend _much_).

You should start selling parts kits with your inverted pendulum demo and point 
them to it to make a few quick bucks. :-)

"Tim Wescott" <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote in message 
news:WvCdnWXTytfdyrjXnZ2dnUVZ_gChnZ2d@web-ster.com...
> Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>
> For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I
> have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by
> pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's
> hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little
> IMHO,

That really depends on how the question is asked.  If its an "I'm an 
embedded systems master and have an emergency, I need to implement USB.  Now 
I see USB but have doubt.  How I implement USB?"  Then 'none' is definitely 
not too little.  If its an "I'm trying to use USB for the first time.  I 
started off reading XYZ book, and most of it made sense.  However, now I 
come to implement it it stops working after 5 minutes.  I've tried A, B and 
C to debug the problem, but am having no luck.  Can you suggest the next 
steps I should take" - then I will take the time to try and give an answer.


-- 
Regards,
Richard.

+ http://www.FreeRTOS.org
Designed for Microcontrollers.  More than 7000 downloads per month.

+ http://www.SafeRTOS.com
Certified by T�V as meeting the requirements for safety related systems. 

On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:45:52 -0500, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com>
wrote:

>Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>
>For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I 
>have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by 
>pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's 
>hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little 
>IMHO, but I certainly don't want to spend _much_).  (It's a bit too late 
>to point out that it's a bit too late to be starting -- but then, senior 
>projects are about learning things like when to start, I suppose).
>
>There needs to be a generic "So you need to finish your senior project" 
>FAQ out there.

Tim,  You're wa-a-a-ay behind.  I'm getting tons of "o-mi-gawd, I
can't find a job" inquiries.  It's terrible this year... anyone
surprised ?:-)

                                        ...Jim Thompson
-- 
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |

 Obama... another Carter, just more ego and less brains or talent

Tim Wescott wrote:
> Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
> 
> For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I 
> have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by 
> pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's 
> hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little 
> IMHO, but I certainly don't want to spend _much_).  (It's a bit too late 
> to point out that it's a bit too late to be starting -- but then, senior 
> projects are about learning things like when to start, I suppose).
> 
> There needs to be a generic "So you need to finish your senior project" 
> FAQ out there.
> 

It seems that too often the FAQ answer should be:
start it when you are a junior.

Ed

On Jun 2, 2:25=A0pm, ehsjr <eh...@NOSPAMverizon.net> wrote:
>
> It seems that too often the FAQ answer should be:
> start it when you are a junior.

Then they would not have any bearing on the real world.

You know, the world in which you are only told about the project
*after* the promised delivery date...

On 2009-06-02, FreeRTOS.org <noemail@given.com> wrote:
> "Tim Wescott" <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote
>
>> Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>>
>> For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the
>> "help me I have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.
>> I always start by pointing them to their prof/teaching
>> assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's hard to decide just how
>> much help to give these guys (none is too little IMHO,
>
> That really depends on how the question is asked.  If its an
> "I'm an embedded systems master and have an emergency, I need
> to implement USB.  Now I see USB but have doubt.  How I
> implement USB?" Then 'none' is definitely not too little.

I sometimes get those sorts of e-mails (almost always from one
of a small handful of Asian countries).  The "student"
apparently has absolutely no technical knowlege/skills, and
always demands "please send me source codes" or requests
step-by-step instructions on how to design something. There's
obviously no hope for a poor kid who's managed to make it
through 3+ years of engineering school without learning much of
anything.  They appear unable to even use Google, which raises
the question of how do they find the e-mail addresses of people
to whom they send questions?  Sadly, I've learned to ignore
those e-mails.

> If its an "I'm trying to use USB for the first time.  I 
> started off reading XYZ book, and most of it made sense.
> However, now I come to implement it it stops working after 5
> minutes.  I've tried A, B and C to debug the problem, but am
> having no luck.  Can you suggest the next steps I should take"
> - then I will take the time to try and give an answer.

Yup, "real" questions (even rather confused ones) on specific
topics are always welcome -- though more so on newsgroups and
mailing lists than via private e-mail.  I usually try to point
them towards an appropriate forum and then answer the question
there (if I can).

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow! I'm in direct contact
                                  at               with many advanced fun
                               visi.com            CONCEPTS.

Grant Edwards wrote:

   ...

> Yup, "real" questions (even rather confused ones) on specific
> topics are always welcome -- though more so on newsgroups and
> mailing lists than via private e-mail.  I usually try to point
> them towards an appropriate forum and then answer the question
> there (if I can).

I like it when the questions come early enough for the answers to be of 
possible use. We got to know Julius Kusuma when he was a senior at 
Purdue. It was clear then that he could think (and nobody here ever said 
"I told you so!"

Jerry
-- 
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
�����������������������������������������������������������������������

On Jun 2, 5:09=A0pm, Jerry Avins <j...@ieee.org> wrote:
> Grant Edwards wrote:
>
> =A0 =A0...
>
> > Yup, "real" questions (even rather confused ones) on specific
> > topics are always welcome -- though more so on newsgroups and
> > mailing lists than via private e-mail. =A0I usually try to point
> > them towards an appropriate forum and then answer the question
> > there (if I can).
>
> I like it when the questions come early enough for the answers to be of
> possible use. We got to know Julius Kusuma when he was a senior at
> Purdue. It was clear then that he could think (and nobody here ever said
> "I told you so!"
>
> Jerry

Guilty as charged!  (The asking questions part.  The thinking part
I leave to you).

The Julius Kusuma ;-)

On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:51:54 -0700, Jim Thompson
<To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@My-Web-Site.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:45:52 -0500, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com>
>wrote:
>
>>Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>>
>>For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I 
>>have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by 
>>pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's 
>>hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little 
>>IMHO, but I certainly don't want to spend _much_).  (It's a bit too late 
>>to point out that it's a bit too late to be starting -- but then, senior 
>>projects are about learning things like when to start, I suppose).
>>
>>There needs to be a generic "So you need to finish your senior project" 
>>FAQ out there.
>
>Tim,  You're wa-a-a-ay behind.  I'm getting tons of "o-mi-gawd, I
>can't find a job" inquiries.  It's terrible this year... anyone
>surprised ?:-)

All from H1B holders.

On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:59:37 -0500, krw <krw@att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote:

>On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:51:54 -0700, Jim Thompson
><To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@My-Web-Site.com> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:45:52 -0500, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>>>
>>>For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I 
>>>have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by 
>>>pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's 
>>>hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little 
>>>IMHO, but I certainly don't want to spend _much_).  (It's a bit too late 
>>>to point out that it's a bit too late to be starting -- but then, senior 
>>>projects are about learning things like when to start, I suppose).
>>>
>>>There needs to be a generic "So you need to finish your senior project" 
>>>FAQ out there.
>>
>>Tim,  You're wa-a-a-ay behind.  I'm getting tons of "o-mi-gawd, I
>>can't find a job" inquiries.  It's terrible this year... anyone
>>surprised ?:-)
>
>All from H1B holders.

Nope.  Lots of "American names" :-(

                                        ...Jim Thompson
-- 
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
 I love to cook with wine     Sometimes I even put it in the food

On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:04:55 -0700, Jim Thompson
<To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@My-Web-Site.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:59:37 -0500, krw <krw@att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:51:54 -0700, Jim Thompson
>><To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@My-Web-Site.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:45:52 -0500, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com>
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>>Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>>>>
>>>>For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I 
>>>>have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by 
>>>>pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's 
>>>>hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little 
>>>>IMHO, but I certainly don't want to spend _much_).  (It's a bit too late 
>>>>to point out that it's a bit too late to be starting -- but then, senior 
>>>>projects are about learning things like when to start, I suppose).
>>>>
>>>>There needs to be a generic "So you need to finish your senior project" 
>>>>FAQ out there.
>>>
>>>Tim,  You're wa-a-a-ay behind.  I'm getting tons of "o-mi-gawd, I
>>>can't find a job" inquiries.  It's terrible this year... anyone
>>>surprised ?:-)
>>
>>All from H1B holders.
>
>Nope.  Lots of "American names" :-(

I was referring to my inbox.

@ Grant Edwards

>I sometimes get those sorts of e-mails (almost always from one
>of a small handful of Asian countries).  The "student"
>apparently has absolutely no technical knowlege/skills, and
>always demands "please send me source codes" or requests
>step-by-step instructions on how to design something. There's
>obviously no hope for a poor kid who's managed to make it
>through 3+ years of engineering school without learning much of
>anything.  They appear unable to even use Google, which raises
>the question of how do they find the e-mail addresses of people
>to whom they send questions?  Sadly, I've learned to ignore
>those e-mails.
>

We Asians do know how to use google :)

But I'll tell you what, the level of education in the developed world is
obviously much better than the one in the developing world. We have to deal
so many problems that you don't have to! and we are also expected to do the
dirty work. Its not too bad to look up to you for suggestions and help, but
again are tormented by sarcastic comments (I'm still thankful to many who
have answered by 'STUPIDENT' questions with patience, I sincerely wish them
the best)

>I sometimes get those sorts of e-mails (almost always from one
>of a small handful of Asian countries).  The "student"
>apparently has absolutely no technical knowlege/skills,

Its sad the way you say that!!

I do not condone the students who just ask for source code, but if I have
ever asked for source code, I have used it to understand by reverse
engineering. Maybe few follow my approach.

And by the way....

This is where they get your email address

>Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow! I'm in direct
contact
>                                  at               with many advanced
fun
>                               visi.com            CONCEPTS.


So you should not whine about getting emails, you're literally marketing
yourself on a usenet forum

From Pakistan

Jim Thompson wrote:
> 
> On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:45:52 -0500, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com>
> wrote:
> 
> >Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
> >
> >For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I
> >have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by
> >pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's
> >hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little
> >IMHO, but I certainly don't want to spend _much_).  (It's a bit too late
> >to point out that it's a bit too late to be starting -- but then, senior
> >projects are about learning things like when to start, I suppose).
> >
> >There needs to be a generic "So you need to finish your senior project"
> >FAQ out there.
> 
> Tim,  You're wa-a-a-ay behind.  I'm getting tons of "o-mi-gawd, I
> can't find a job" inquiries.  It's terrible this year... anyone
> surprised ?:-)


   Not me.  I get them too.

-- 
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense!

"Tim Wescott" <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote in message 
news:WvCdnWXTytfdyrjXnZ2dnUVZ_gChnZ2d@web-ster.com...
> Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>
> For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I
> have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by
> pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's
> hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little
> IMHO, but I certainly don't want to spend _much_).  (It's a bit too late
> to point out that it's a bit too late to be starting -- but then, senior
> projects are about learning things like when to start, I suppose).
>
> There needs to be a generic "So you need to finish your senior project"
> FAQ out there.
>
> -- 
> www.wescottdesign.com

Considering why those are put off, I would consider it a personal problem 
most of the time.

Bob 

"Jim Thompson" <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@My-Web-Site.com> wrote in 
message news:nhpa251ebv9n785uvd6tdogv1n6kvqop49@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:45:52 -0500, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>>
>>For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I
>>have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by
>>pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's
>>hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little
>>IMHO, but I certainly don't want to spend _much_).  (It's a bit too late
>>to point out that it's a bit too late to be starting -- but then, senior
>>projects are about learning things like when to start, I suppose).
>>
>>There needs to be a generic "So you need to finish your senior project"
>>FAQ out there.
>
> Tim,  You're wa-a-a-ay behind.  I'm getting tons of "o-mi-gawd, I
> can't find a job" inquiries.  It's terrible this year... anyone
> surprised ?:-)
>
>                                        ...Jim Thompson
> -- 
> | James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
> | Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
> | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
> | Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
> | Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
> | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
>
> Obama... another Carter, just more ego and less brains or talent

I am having a hard time finding job postings that I can apply for to fill 
out my unemployment insurance application on the internet. No I do not want 
a job and I do not want to put much effort into pretendinging that I do.

Bob


Bob 

On Wed, 3 Jun 2009 07:05:41 -0700, <castlebravo242@att.net> wrote:

>
>"Jim Thompson" <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon@My-Web-Site.com> wrote in 
>message news:nhpa251ebv9n785uvd6tdogv1n6kvqop49@4ax.com...
>> On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:45:52 -0500, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>>>
>>>For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I
>>>have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by
>>>pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's
>>>hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little
>>>IMHO, but I certainly don't want to spend _much_).  (It's a bit too late
>>>to point out that it's a bit too late to be starting -- but then, senior
>>>projects are about learning things like when to start, I suppose).
>>>
>>>There needs to be a generic "So you need to finish your senior project"
>>>FAQ out there.
>>
>> Tim,  You're wa-a-a-ay behind.  I'm getting tons of "o-mi-gawd, I
>> can't find a job" inquiries.  It's terrible this year... anyone
>> surprised ?:-)
>>
>>                                        ...Jim Thompson
>> -- 
>> | James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
>> | Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
>> | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
>> | Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
>> | Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
>> | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
>>
>> Obama... another Carter, just more ego and less brains or talent
>
>I am having a hard time finding job postings that I can apply for to fill 
>out my unemployment insurance application on the internet. No I do not want 
>a job and I do not want to put much effort into pretendinging that I do.
>
>Bob
>
>
>Bob 

I'd be happy to make one up for you, for a nominal fee. Almost no
effort required on your part. Your rejection is guaranteed. 

Spehro Pefhany wrote:
> 
> <castlebravo242@att.net> wrote:
> >
> >I am having a hard time finding job postings that I can apply for to fill
> >out my unemployment insurance application on the internet. No I do not want
> >a job and I do not want to put much effort into pretendinging that I do.
> >
> >Bob
> >
> >
> >Bob
> 
> I'd be happy to make one up for you, for a nominal fee. Almost no
> effort required on your part. Your rejection is guaranteed.


   That's the same deal you gave dimbulb?


-- 
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense!

On Jun 2, 12:45=A0pm, Tim Wescott <t...@seemywebsite.com> wrote:
> Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!

Well, I can certainly relate to that sentiment. How are senior
projects typically assigned, anyway? Does the student get to pick a
project and work on it, or is it "stock"?

On Jun 3, 8:48=A0pm, zwsdot...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jun 2, 12:45=A0pm, Tim Wescott <t...@seemywebsite.com> wrote:
>
> > Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>
> Well, I can certainly relate to that sentiment. How are senior
> projects typically assigned, anyway? Does the student get to pick a
> project and work on it, or is it "stock"?

At my school, we were presented with a list of available projects at
the beginning of the year and were asked to pick the three that we
were most interested in and rank them. Our professors then did their
best to accommodate everyone's top choices in forming groups. This was
feasible at the institution I attended, where there were 80-100
students in the EE department.

Jason

On Jun 3, 8:57=A0pm, cincy...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jun 3, 8:48=A0pm, zwsdot...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > On Jun 2, 12:45=A0pm, Tim Wescott <t...@seemywebsite.com> wrote:
>
> > > Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>
> > Well, I can certainly relate to that sentiment. How are senior
> > projects typically assigned, anyway? Does the student get to pick a
> > project and work on it, or is it "stock"?
>
> At my school, we were presented with a list of available projects at
> the beginning of the year and were asked to pick the three that we
> were most interested in and rank them. Our professors then did their
> best to accommodate everyone's top choices in forming groups. This was
> feasible at the institution I attended, where there were 80-100
> students in the EE department.
>
> Jason

I'm envious!  When I was a senior, they had just changed the
curriculum to add the senior design class.  And everybody had
to do the same project.  Hence I was lost since it required
experience from many classes that I just never took.  And thus
I found comp.dsp.  That was at Purdue.

Nowadays at MIT there are projects in almost each course,
so the students get really good at project-oriented work from
an early age.  Of course, this makes ABET nervous because
I think they currently require a capstone senior design class
for EE.

Julius

On Jun 3, 8:57=A0pm, cincy...@gmail.com wrote:

> > > Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>
> > Well, I can certainly relate to that sentiment. How are senior
>
> At my school, we were presented with a list of available projects at
> the beginning of the year and were asked to pick the three that we

Interesting. I'm currently a junior at a ferociously expensive, third-
rate private college in NY (paying for a misspent youth by having to
finish my EE degree at the ripe old age of 35). I'm wondering how they
will assign projects here. I have a fairly good communications channel
to the dean of engineering and I might use this to try to sidestep any
canned projects to do my own - I have lots of R&D projects on the boil
at any given time, and I'd rather not try and slot in a toy school
project as well.

On Jun 2, 12:45=A0pm, Tim Wescott <t...@seemywebsite.com> wrote:
> There needs to be a generic "So you need to finish your senior project"
> FAQ out there.

I think this is just the cosmic balance police, making up for the fact
that Boki isn't asking "What kind of modulator do we need for next
technology life?" recently.

Tim.

zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jun 3, 8:57 pm, cincy...@gmail.com wrote:
> 
>>>> Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>>> Well, I can certainly relate to that sentiment. How are senior
>> At my school, we were presented with a list of available projects at
>> the beginning of the year and were asked to pick the three that we
> 
> Interesting. I'm currently a junior at a ferociously expensive, third-
> rate private college in NY (paying for a misspent youth by having to
> finish my EE degree at the ripe old age of 35). I'm wondering how they
> will assign projects here. I have a fairly good communications channel
> to the dean of engineering and I might use this to try to sidestep any
> canned projects to do my own - I have lots of R&D projects on the boil
> at any given time, and I'd rather not try and slot in a toy school
> project as well.

It seems that you're ahead of me in the delay department. I graduated at 
age 30. There was a kid on the way when I went full time, and another 
just born when I graduated 3 years later. (It was all worth it.)

Jerry
-- 
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
�����������������������������������������������������������������������

On Jun 4, 8:54=A0am, Jerry Avins <j...@ieee.org> wrote:

> > rate private college in NY (paying for a misspent youth by having to
> > finish my EE degree at the ripe old age of 35). I'm wondering how they
>
> It seems that you're ahead of me in the delay department. I graduated at
> age 30. There was a kid on the way when I went full time, and another
> just born when I graduated 3 years later. (It was all worth it.)

I couldn't restart my edumacation until I started work with an
employer that had reimbursement - college is just not affordable in
the US. While I don't strictly need the degree to put bread on the
table, it's all part of a grand master plan that will start moving
much faster when I graduate in 1,091 days 14 hours 15'33". Not that
I'm counting.

Jerry Avins wrote:
> zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:

>> Interesting. I'm currently a junior at a ferociously expensive, third-
>> rate private college in NY (paying for a misspent youth by having to
>> finish my EE degree at the ripe old age of 35). I'm wondering how they
>> will assign projects here. I have a fairly good communications channel
>> to the dean of engineering and I might use this to try to sidestep any
>> canned projects to do my own - I have lots of R&D projects on the boil
>> at any given time, and I'd rather not try and slot in a toy school
>> project as well.
> 
> It seems that you're ahead of me in the delay department. I graduated at 
> age 30. There was a kid on the way when I went full time, and another 
> just born when I graduated 3 years later. (It was all worth it.)
> 

My #1 daughter was born when I was in grad school.  Good financial 
training for when they hit college--"Don't panic, it's not as bad as 
when...."

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

-- 
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal
ElectroOptical Innovations
55 Orchard Rd
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
845-480-2058
hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net

On Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:35:35 -0400, Phil Hobbs
<pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:

>Jerry Avins wrote:
>> zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:
>
>>> Interesting. I'm currently a junior at a ferociously expensive, third-
>>> rate private college in NY (paying for a misspent youth by having to
>>> finish my EE degree at the ripe old age of 35). I'm wondering how they
>>> will assign projects here. I have a fairly good communications channel
>>> to the dean of engineering and I might use this to try to sidestep any
>>> canned projects to do my own - I have lots of R&D projects on the boil
>>> at any given time, and I'd rather not try and slot in a toy school
>>> project as well.
>> 
>> It seems that you're ahead of me in the delay department. I graduated at 
>> age 30. There was a kid on the way when I went full time, and another 
>> just born when I graduated 3 years later. (It was all worth it.)
>> 
>
>My #1 daughter was born when I was in grad school.  Good financial 
>training for when they hit college--"Don't panic, it's not as bad as 
>when...."
>
>Cheers
>
>Phil Hobbs

Our #1 daughter was born end of January of my senior year at MIT ;-)

                                        ...Jim Thompson
-- 
| James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
 I love to cook with wine     Sometimes I even put it in the food

On Jun 4, 11:29=A0am, Jim Thompson <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-I...@My-
Web-Site.com> wrote:

> Our #1 daughter was born end of January of my senior year at MIT ;-)

Hearing these stories is making me feel kinda reassured, since my wife
is making "children noises". Were either of you guys working as well
as going to school across this time? (Starting this fall, I'm
technically a full-time student - 12 credits - as well as working full-
time. Previously I was only doing 7 credits a semester).

zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jun 4, 11:29 am, Jim Thompson <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-I...@My-
> Web-Site.com> wrote:
> 
>> Our #1 daughter was born end of January of my senior year at MIT ;-)
> 
> Hearing these stories is making me feel kinda reassured, since my wife
> is making "children noises". Were either of you guys working as well
> as going to school across this time? (Starting this fall, I'm
> technically a full-time student - 12 credits - as well as working full-
> time. Previously I was only doing 7 credits a semester).

My job in the lab of a small company kept me from night school. (I had 
to be at work when there was a crunch. A transfer to the assembly line 
would have given me the freedom to duck overtime, but I liked working in 
the lab.) All of my wife's salary and a good part of mine had been 
banked, and we had enough for me to take a year off and go days. My boss 
assured me that I'd have a job at year's end. (I called it the leapfrog 
system.)

In the end, my folks and inlaws covered the rent and food after the 
first year. I finished in three years and two summer sessions. Ann's 
endocrinologist had told her that if she didn't get pregnant right away, 
she would probably never conceive at all, so the first was on the way. 
(We almost lost him.) three more followed in rapid enough succession to 
that one year they were all in college.

Jerry
-- 
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
�����������������������������������������������������������������������

Grant Edwards schreef:
> On 2009-06-02, FreeRTOS.org <noemail@given.com> wrote:
>> "Tim Wescott" <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote
>>
>>> Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>>>
>>> For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the
>>> "help me I have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.
>>> I always start by pointing them to their prof/teaching
>>> assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's hard to decide just how
>>> much help to give these guys (none is too little IMHO,
>> That really depends on how the question is asked.  If its an
>> "I'm an embedded systems master and have an emergency, I need
>> to implement USB.  Now I see USB but have doubt.  How I
>> implement USB?" Then 'none' is definitely not too little.
> 
> I sometimes get those sorts of e-mails (almost always from one
> of a small handful of Asian countries).  The "student"
> apparently has absolutely no technical knowlege/skills, and
> always demands "please send me source codes" or requests
> step-by-step instructions on how to design something. There's
> obviously no hope for a poor kid who's managed to make it
> through 3+ years of engineering school without learning much of
> anything.  They appear unable to even use Google, which raises
> the question of how do they find the e-mail addresses of people
> to whom they send questions?  Sadly, I've learned to ignore
> those e-mails.

Funny that You already put "student" between quotes. I wouldn't be 
surprised if the person who sends You the question is not a student at 
all but a "programmer" at an Asian company that companies in the US and 
other countries outsource programming jobs to ;-).

Yours sincerely,
Rene

On 2009-06-04, Rene <a@b.c> wrote:

> Funny that you already put "student" between quotes. I
> wouldn't be surprised if the person who sends You the question
> is not a student at all but a "programmer" at an Asian company
> that companies in the US and other countries outsource
> programming jobs to ;-).

If that's the case, then our jobs are secure. :)

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow! My BIOLOGICAL ALARM
                                  at               CLOCK just went off ... It
                               visi.com            has noiseless DOZE FUNCTION
                                                   and full kitchen!!

zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:
> cincy...@gmail.com wrote:
> 
.... snip ...
> 
>> At my school, we were presented with a list of available projects
>> at the beginning of the year and were asked to pick the three that
> 
> Interesting. I'm currently a junior at a ferociously expensive,
> third-rate private college in NY (paying for a misspent youth by
> having to finish my EE degree at the ripe old age of 35). I'm
> wondering how they will assign projects here. I have a fairly
> good communications channel to the dean of engineering and I
> might use this to try to sidestep any canned projects to do my
> own - I have lots of R&D projects on the boil at any given time,
> and I'd rather not try and slot in a toy school project as well.

Interesting.  I am wondering if this is your own project or the
result of prodding from your recently added wife.  I believe she
persuaded you to learn to drive :-)

Incidentally I went through roughly the same thing at roughly the
same age about 45 years ago.  I didn't follow my wifes advice.  I
didn't need it, since I was doing fine.  I already had three years
of an honors mathematics and physics degree, so I had adequate
knowledge for what I did.  About 25 years later I regretted my
failure.

-- 
 [mail]: Chuck F (cbfalconer at maineline dot net) 
 [page]: <http://cbfalconer.home.att.net>
            Try the download section.

On Jun 4, 4:51=A0pm, CBFalconer <cbfalco...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Interesting. =A0I am wondering if this is your own project or the

The school thing? No, that's really my project though my wife supports
it. The grand master plan for world domination, of which the school
thing is a part, that's inspired but not exactly prompted by my wife.

> result of prodding from your recently added wife. =A0I believe she

Recent???? I'll be celebrating my seventh wedding anniversary in four
months...

> persuaded you to learn to drive :-)

Yes :) Mind you, I got my license before she did!

> didn't need it, since I was doing fine. =A0I already had three years
> of an honors mathematics and physics degree, so I had adequate
> knowledge for what I did. =A0About 25 years later I regretted my

My grand master plan requires two specific pieces of formal
certification for which the BSEE is an initial requirement.

zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:
> CBFalconer <cbfalco...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
>> Interesting.  I am wondering if this is your own project or the
> 
> The school thing? No, that's really my project though my wife
> supports it. The grand master plan for world domination, of which
> the school thing is a part, that's inspired but not exactly
> prompted by my wife.
> 
>> result of prodding from your recently added wife.  I believe she
> 
> Recent???? I'll be celebrating my seventh wedding anniversary in
> four months...

Oh my.  The years seem to just be slipping away.

-- 
 [mail]: Chuck F (cbfalconer at maineline dot net) 
 [page]: <http://cbfalconer.home.att.net>
            Try the download section.

On Jun 5, 7:22=A0pm, CBFalconer <cbfalco...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> > Recent???? I'll be celebrating my seventh wedding anniversary in
> > four months...
>
> Oh my. =A0The years seem to just be slipping away.

That's exactly what I said when I recently had to photocopy my birth
certificate. So much has changed, and in little way for the better...
I guess modern certificates say "FIRST NAME" not "CHRISTIAN NAME", and
I'm quite sure Hamburg is no longer in WEST-GERMANY.

Jim Thompson wrote:
> On Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:35:35 -0400, Phil Hobbs
> <pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:
> 
>> Jerry Avins wrote:
>>> zwsdotcom@gmail.com wrote:
>>>> Interesting. I'm currently a junior at a ferociously expensive, third-
>>>> rate private college in NY (paying for a misspent youth by having to
>>>> finish my EE degree at the ripe old age of 35). I'm wondering how they
>>>> will assign projects here. I have a fairly good communications channel
>>>> to the dean of engineering and I might use this to try to sidestep any
>>>> canned projects to do my own - I have lots of R&D projects on the boil
>>>> at any given time, and I'd rather not try and slot in a toy school
>>>> project as well.
>>> It seems that you're ahead of me in the delay department. I graduated at 
>>> age 30. There was a kid on the way when I went full time, and another 
>>> just born when I graduated 3 years later. (It was all worth it.)
>>>
>> My #1 daughter was born when I was in grad school.  Good financial 
>> training for when they hit college--"Don't panic, it's not as bad as 
>> when...."
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Phil Hobbs
> 
> Our #1 daughter was born end of January of my senior year at MIT ;-)
> 
>                                         ...Jim Thompson

I was in school for another 20 months afterwards.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

-- 
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal
ElectroOptical Innovations
55 Orchard Rd
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
845-480-2058
hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net

On Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:06:23 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
<mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote:

>
>Jim Thompson wrote:
>> 
>> On Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:45:52 -0500, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com>
>> wrote:
>> 
>> >Getting the heck out of engineering school while he's still young!
>> >
>> >For some reason, this year I'm getting mail directly from the "help me I
>> >have a month to get my senior project done" crowd.  I always start by
>> >pointing them to their prof/teaching assistant/tutor/whatever, but it's
>> >hard to decide just how much help to give these guys (none is too little
>> >IMHO, but I certainly don't want to spend _much_).  (It's a bit too late
>> >to point out that it's a bit too late to be starting -- but then, senior
>> >projects are about learning things like when to start, I suppose).
>> >
>> >There needs to be a generic "So you need to finish your senior project"
>> >FAQ out there.
>> 
>> Tim,  You're wa-a-a-ay behind.  I'm getting tons of "o-mi-gawd, I
>> can't find a job" inquiries.  It's terrible this year... anyone
>> surprised ?:-)
>
>
>   Not me.  I get them too.


Yikes!  Buddah help them if they are so desperate as to ask even
Terrellable.
If they don't pay attention in class, why should they be different on
usenet?
Mike, I know you are ubiquitous and can't shut up but...
Do you ever post ANYTHING helpful reguarding technology?

Maybe the help requests are just a new form of spam based on frequent
posters.