5 reasons why you should choose to be a Traveling Engineer

Post his engineering in Electronics; Deepak Gupta joined the Engineering and Commissioning Department at Siemens, India. His work required him to be at the client location 9 out of 12 months. He loved every moment of the 3 years at Siemens. Let us find out why!  We asked Deepak – Can you give us 5 reasons why you should pick a job that combines your passion for engineering and travel.

1. Variety

The primary appeal of commissioning for me was the variety of work  and the degree to which it engaged my creativity. One day I would be tuning the machine that packs your Lays chips, the very next day, I would be analyzing a cotton-spinning machine. If you love uncertainty, look no further!

2. Early responsibility 

I was surprised by how much responsibility I was encouraged to take on as early as possible. In my first year in Siemens, I was entrusted to work on relatively complex and innovative machine orders from Turkey. Travelling to client locations, working with international clients very soon into your career is a great learning experience.

3. Top-notch workmates

The people that I worked with were the most interesting and diverse individuals I have ever met. From the hardworking engineers in Coimbatore to the creative ones in Nainital, from the frugal engineer-cum- entrepreneurs of Nadiad (a tiny town in Gujarat) to experts in Turkey, I have learnt the most from my peers.

4. An impressive skills set

Through these experiences, I acquired the ability to think on my feet, as well as follow standard processes. Such profiles could open up interesting options in other career areas further down the line.

Above all, on completion of a successful project, there is immense satisfaction when I see that it has made a real difference and benefited a client.

5. Lastly, travelling is ESSENTIAL

Travelling to new places has shown me life in its truest, barest form. And, it has educated me like no book or degree. I strongly recommend travel at the start of your career because there will never be a better time. You are young. You are eager. And life’s diktat hasn’t been able to bog you down.

How do I build my FIRST project?

Kudos! You are on RIGHT track! You cannot become a good engineer without building projects. Before you make your first project, visit to the Lamington Road is a must! Pull out few hundred from your pocket money and head towards Sandhurst (central /harbor line) or Grant Road station (western line).

But, what do I buy?

Engineering students, 10 years ago, started out by building circuits for blinking LEDs, used the 8051, 8085 processors, fiddled with A to D converters In-system programmers and compatible power supplies. With the arrival of open source developer boards, things have got simpler.  I suggest – Buy a developer board.

Which one to buy?

There are numerous boards available in the market varying from Raspberry Pi, Arduino, BeagleBone, Netduino and the likes. Considering cost, complexity and ease of use, Arduino Uno is a good start. The original board (made in Italy) will cost you ~1400 bucks while the exact same Indianized version called Freeduino will cost you ~800 bucks. I love OPEN source :D

 

What project do I start with?

Click this post for resources on DIY projects OR check Arduino Projects. Start from lesson One.

 

So, here is your ‘shopping list’ for your FIRST project:

1. Breadboard (~ 80 Rs.)
2. Multimeter (~ 220 Rs. Get a basic one that measures voltage, current, resistance, gain, continuity.) 
3. Wire stripper (~ 80 Rs.)
4. Wire ( Single strand for breadboard ~ 4 Rs. per metre)
5. Developer Board (Arduino Uno/ Freeduino ) 
6. Components – Resistors, Capacitors, Transistors, LEDs etc. as per project requirement (~ 1 to 5 Rs.per piece)

I have intentionally not included soldering iron! It is essential but not for a prototype.

ED tip:

• Although Visha, Gala electronics, Vega Kits selling robotic kits are popular, try avoiding KITS! Explore the bylanes and talk to the shopkeepers…they are often full of insights!
• There is a Chinese version of Arduino Uno, which looks exactly like the original one for first time users. How to identify an original Arduino from a fake

Build your first project, click a picture and post on Education Debunked’s  facebook Page. It is time we refuse to become mediocre engineers, it is time to ignite the spark of engineering revolution!

Kudos! You are on RIGHT track! You cannot become a good engineer without building projects. Before you make your first project, visit to the Lamington Road is a must! Pull out few hundred from your pocket money and head towards Sandhurst (central /harbor line) or Grant Road station (western line).

But, what do I buy?

Engineering students, 10 years ago, started out by building circuits for blinking LEDs, used the 8051, 8085 processors, fiddled with A to D convertors, In-system programmers and compatible power supplies. With the arrival of open source developer boards, things have got simpler.  I suggest – Buy a developer board.

Which one to buy?

There are numerous boards available in the market varying from Raspberry Pi, Arduino, BeagleBone, Netduino and the likes. Considering cost, complexity and ease of use, Arduino Uno is a good start. The original board (made in Italy) will cost you ~1400 bucks while the exact same Indianized version called Freeduino will cost you ~800 bucks. I love OPEN source :D

 

What project do I start with?

Click this post for resources on DIY projects OR check Arduino Projects. Start from lesson One.

 

So, here is your ‘shopping list’ for your FIRST project:

1. Breadboard (~ 80 Rs.)
2. Multimeter (~ 220 Rs. Get a basic one that measures voltage, current, resistance, gain, continuity.) 
3. Wire stripper (~ 80 Rs.)
4. Wire ( Single strand for breadboard ~ 4 Rs. per metre)
5. Developer Board (Arduino Uno/ Freeduino ) 
6. Components – Resistors, Capacitors, Transistors, LEDs etc. as per project requirement (~ 1 to 5 Rs.per piece)

I have intentionally not included soldering iron! It is essential but not for a prototype.

ED tip:

• Although Visha, Gala electronics, Vega Kits selling robotic kits are popular, try avoiding KITS! Explore the bylanes and talk to the shopkeepers…they are often full of insights!
• There is a Chinese version of Arduino Uno, which looks exactly like the original one for first time users. How to identify an original Arduino from a fake

Build your first project, click a picture and post on Education Debunked’s  facebook Page. It is time we refuse to become mediocre engineers, it is time to ignite the spark of engineering revolution!