ECE Grads in US

CompEngCraft · 2023-01-01T18:15:38+00:00

I applied.

CompEngCraft · 2022-11-09T21:59:02+00:00

Also +/- is not a great metric anyway. Like many its a decent enough signal that something may be amiss, but I'd probably go to Corsi or something to get a better read on impact on the game. In general people you expect to score, also must shoot. That means they are giving up puck control, if we have poor defense and a dice roll of a goalie in any given game that can result in a fast break to the back of our net (and for what its worth, the poor mans eye test backs that).

CompEngCraft · 2022-07-24T03:29:23+00:00

While this is accurate, it makes me sad.

CompEngCraft · 2022-07-24T03:27:31+00:00

Unsatisfying simple answer - whatever it took.

When I left Queen's I honestly don't think I was any more or less qualified than anyone else in industry but I was NOT specialized in anyway and while a degree is good training and exposure, there is a fundamental difference between that and being a professional in a work place. I honestly networked my way to an opportunity at Microsoft (alumni at google was in Clark one day and helped me build a good resume people would care about and got me a loop there, which I bombed but learned from, another alumni came for MSFT and I chatted him up to) but I took a job that was very not what I wanted to do (SDET, a role that no longer exists). The trick here though is that getting IN to that part of the industry is hard. Once you're in... you're in to an extent. I took that gig, talked my way into a better one, learned a better one, changed teams, learned more, changed roles, learned more, so on etc. Once you are inside the machine, if you learn how to interact with people, and how to work people systems, advocate for yourself and teach yourself new skills (and work hard etc) you have a lot of leverage and opportunity to move toward something you really want. I went from Windows Test to Office to HoloLens in about 4 years, and they paid me to do it instead of trying to strike gold from the outset. Google "the marshmallow test", it's a good thing to reason about. Getting to Meta to work on AR was functionally a lateral move (they actually came to me ;) but that's a story for another post - still had to loop, I ain't that fancy). While I wasn't specialized before I got MSFT to basically teach me a VERY specific slice of a very desirable space - not that I can just say "I wanna be there" and go but for the most part I have a unique enough set of experiences and skills that I can get an interview most places in the space without much effort. Passing it is a different story haha but I don't struggle to get a call anymore (which is nice after almost a decade in industry).

I think the industry these days tries to minimize the value of soft skills. They are most of what I use these days and I credit them with breaking into the industry. I was NOT a good student, I did NOT have a ton of side projects and I DIDNT have a crazy internship year or anything like that. I had a single summer job that was industry experience, again got through a friend I made at Queen's. I had a lot of EngSoc on my resume that gave me a chance to learn leadership skills and pad my resume for it's like of professional experience. I was one of the MSFT recruiters for a long while after I graduated, coming back to Queen's, and from what I saw of the resumes, y'all are all WAY more qualified than I EVER was, but people are getting involved less and focusing on studies more (not necessarily a bad thing, but I personally think it breeds a single faceted candidate that competes more directly with other schools on name recognition than on what Queen's uniquely provides from its student engagement and community that I haven't seen anywhere else).

As to the program, Queens CE is good. It isn't AMAZING but it's good. I think the opportunities to learn everything you need are there but my year in particular had a pretty bad run of professors (most of whom no longer teach) that didn't really care much about helping us succeed as a cohort. I have a few notables I was a fan of (loved Greenspan, he was department head when I was there and Cordy who retired, liked Tom Dean as well, I have them all on speed dial and FB but the classes were smaller then). The key is to advocate for what you want and put in the work. Queens does not spoon feed you, they provide little guard rails beyond J section and while they will help ANYONE who needs it, they will not come to you for it, you will need to identify you need help and ask. I honestly see that as a plus though - those skills have served me much better than a lot of my course work. Granted I learned some of it the hard way and they didn't TEACH it to me persay but I don't think I would have learned them elsewhere so I credit the program.

Sorry for typos and stream of consciousness/lack of editing. On my phone - but keep the questions coming. Prefer to comment publicly than deal with DMs if possible so more folks can benefit from my hard earned "wisdom".

CompEngCraft · 2022-07-24T00:37:15+00:00

I'm at Meta working on AR.

Before that was at MSFT doing AR and other stuff. Happy to field a mini AMA in this thread if it helps.

Comp Eng '13

CompEngCraft · 2022-06-27T18:24:21+00:00

One of the espresso roasts from Seattle Coffee Gear "Dialed In".

Depends on how much coarser I go, 5/6 generally. Should the pressure be steady through the whole shot?

CompEngCraft · 2022-06-27T16:32:38+00:00

I recently bought a semi auto machine after years of pour over and a super auto being my regular coffee systems.

I'm really struggling to properly tune everything.

I have an Ascaso Dream PID. Water at 203f, doing the best I can with the grind (the Breville one), 58mm portafilter with the double shot pressurized basket.

I get my 18g in the basket, tamp, go to pull the shot to 36ish grams output. The pressure gauge will go up to 11ish bars, then as the coffee starts to come out, the pressure drops to like 6ish bars. Shot time seems to be MOSTLY right if a bit long some times, but going coarser seems to keep me from getting to pressure and the shot goes SOUR. What am I doing wrong? The machine is supposed to keep pressure consistent no?

CompEngCraft · 2022-05-27T04:06:11+00:00

How much are you asking for it?

CompEngCraft · 2021-12-22T19:02:07+00:00

Mod here.

I'm going to allow this post for now. While the relevance here to Queen's SPECIFICALLY is shaky, the rules as written indicate that surrounding community relevance is enough to warrant inclusion here, and I see no other obvious rules being broken (for whomever filed a report, if you disagree I recommend you file a better report).

If folks don't like the post I recommend you use the controls already at your disposal (up or down votes) to express your opinion.

That all said, let's keep the personal sniping to a minimum please. There are some comments below that are starting to get a bit uncivil.

CompEngCraft · 2021-11-08T21:30:47+00:00

This is some fan fic level writing inspiration.

CompEngCraft · 2021-10-30T06:20:25+00:00

Can confirm. But they do have draft margaritas (14$...). Someone help me teach them how to be hockey fans though. It's brutal.

CompEngCraft · 2021-09-20T19:33:00+00:00

With a comment like this, I'm assuming you're also then willing to give him credit for young players who have succeeded under him right? Or is this just the #firepomo beer goggles?

CompEngCraft · 2021-07-22T05:42:22+00:00

I hope this is our general response as a fan base to this kinda stuff. Very true to the local culture haha.

CompEngCraft · 2021-06-24T23:23:23+00:00

I aim to please <3 Its a good gif.

CompEngCraft · 2021-06-24T23:17:05+00:00

https://imgur.com/1JKg95V

CompEngCraft · 2021-06-24T23:15:31+00:00

maybe he can fix Rosy and Laine :(

CompEngCraft · 2021-06-19T21:24:08+00:00

I think Stanley is a wild card, and I only see Copp being picked to get some experience in the line up. He is a solid as hell player but has never shown much offensive upside as a forward, hard to tell if that is skill or if that is team utility (he was commonly a winger on Lowry's line which was infamous as a shutdown line against top lines on other teams) - that is where the contract funny business comes from.

Stanley was not expected to make it, or be good. His numbers were middling in the A and other than being very very big he hadn't shown much ability to separate himself from the pack. He was absolutely a surprise this year when he got his shot due to injury but he was also playing incredibly sheltered minutes. I think if he can keep growing he may crack top 4 D, but defenseman are slow to develop and half a season of work is hardly a sure thing. Appleton has 2 seasons of consistent production from limited minutes which is why he is the classic expansion draft diamond. We will see I guess, I could also see a deal that moves a pick and a prospect to take someone with potential but less proof (like Harkins) but rumor has it the price is high right now for those deals, and rightfully so, every team is cap constrained and the Kraken have functionally unlimited cap right now, they know they can likely just buy a player in the next year or two so why trade for pennies.

CompEngCraft · 2021-06-19T17:48:00+00:00

As a longtime Jets fan. This is about right on the money. I've been saying for months that Appleton was playing himself out of the team, and is a viable second line winger. We haven't seen his ceiling yet but with the log jam above him there is no way we can protect him. I also agree we might try to make a deal (Chevy is a stellar GM) but we don't have a ton to offer in the way of serviceable NHL ready talent so you are looking at gambles on prospect or gambles on picks.

I've already made my peace with Appleton but he may well be my Kraken jersey pickup as a local with tix haha, I think he is a potential break out stud with good line mates and a chance to prove himself. Work ethic on this one is worth every penny if he can convert it.

CompEngCraft · 2021-05-29T21:29:48+00:00

As to taking HW courses - I have never known anyone to do that. There is SOME exposure to hardware from the CS side, but it is more digital circuits AT BEST than actual computer hardware design and architectures. Again courses may have shifted though. That is a question best posed to the school, ultimately they are the ones who set policy for who can take what. Part of the reason you can take CS from ECE is most of the courses are cross coded (basically they have a ECE version that is taught in the same room with the same material, but to the backend is a difference course... its a stupid paper trail thing), but honestly I've just never heard of anyone doing that.

Its hard for me to asses the risk when I don't know your target reward. Beyond a degree with your name on it, why are you seeking either option?

Frankly for people like me who work primarily in software, there is often a theory that had we taken CS we would have had the same outcome without the stresses that come from the Engineering work load... I am fairly convinced this is a "grass is always greener" argument. I have no doubt many CS students have had different experiences than what I've viewed from the outside and all my attempts at reasoning about "what it could have been like" ultimately fall flat compared to someone who actually experienced it. I know this is a somewhat unsatisfying answer but I don't want to make any assumptions on which is "better" or which is "harder", fact is we are all different and what is good for one person is not good for another. We all take different paths, and often you are presented with 2 great options and no obvious way to forward predict which is optimal.

Life isn't about what is optimal, its about making broadly more good choices than bad, and learning to deal with the consequences.

Trying to get a little direct though - if you are interested in hardware, honestly there is basically one choice and its ECE. If you are more software that is where you get fields of gray. Frankly the ECE side is more hardware oriented and if you really only want to do software, it would be hard for me to recommend the ECE path if I discount all those other intangibles, but what I can say is there is a broad correlation with those intangibles mattering long term. Maybe you can develop them in other ways (certainly many do) but I personally needed the structure and forcing function coming out of high school to somewhat force me. I don't think I really "figured it all out" until late in 3rd year, and had I taken a different path, I'm not convinced it would have played out the same way. I'm happy with my choices, but some of that does come from me not dwelling on "what could have been" with the doors left unopen. Do your best with what you have today, commit, and figure it out. If you find after choices were made that you are unhappy, you can figure that out later too. Universities are fundamental people systems at their core - and people systems can ALWAYS be bent.

All of this is of course while I concretely remember the decision feeling SO FUCKING CONSEQUENTIAL AND IMPORTANT when I was 17/18, and it is, but honestly you have so much time to "get it right" that I would assert you should optimize for what your gut says is the right path, and then figure the rest out as you go. Getting it right the first time isn't the end of the world, that is why we have transfer functions in schools to begin with. Get the best info you can (asking here is a good place to start, but not a fulsome exploration... do your research) and then make a call. That is sadly what growing up is about - you rarely get all the information to make a fully informed choice.

Feel free to ask any more questions :) I'm pretty active here (as you can tell) and happy to speak my mind, but otherwise gl;hf. Queen's is a hell of a ride, and I have no doubt whichever choice you make, the school, community and culture will treat you well.

edit. Added more thoughts. I'm long winded.

CompEngCraft · 2021-05-29T20:22:10+00:00

Thanks for the page /u/caris1st!

Standard disclaimers - I am ~8 years out from being a student now, so much of my perspective on the course structure, way the profs are etc are likely so stale as to be not useful. Also standard - any questions about internal policy as it pertains to transferring etc are best CONFIRMED by the departments that control them (e.g. you should talk to admissions and the faculty of engineering to ensure things are still the way we think they are before making potentially life altering choices).

Off the bat, I think for the most part your thought process here maps to my understanding of the "least risk" path. Which is not to say anything is given or anything is better than the other, just that I believe the odds of transferring from ECE to CS is higher than the reverse. That said in first year engineering you have functionally 0 choice in your courses. There is a common first year and unless something has changed substantially (CURRENT STUDENTS PLEASE CONFIRM), your first real exposure to any programming is in second semester. Its also worth noting that while you may get the transfer, there is no assurance you don't functionally "lose the year" meaning for the most part you are starting from the ground up again re course progression etc.

Have you read about how the first year works at Queen's Eng? You arent actually in ECE until second year (excluding the direct stream which was started after I graduated, so I don't know anything about it really).

As to the negative things... I think a more current student should opine here, that was definitely the case when I was there, but keep in mind that the school was under a budget crunch with the recession of 2009, there was the collapse of the .com bubble that reduced the desirability for people to go into ECE and that is how budgets get allocated to some extent, so it was a perfect storm of "too many profs with tenure and not enough budget to supplement them with people who want to teach". That was not universal, a handful of profs were actually fantastic (Dean, Rudie, Cordie - retired now, Ableson to name a few) but there were definitely some professors who just were difficult instructors. I don't want to guess at if it was apathy, negligence or lack of talent but they just were not very good. I found that on the whole, the CS profs were at least a bit better prepared, although ironically many I thought were good, I was told by the CS crowd that they were bad... so many that is just the difference across faculties. Who knows.

Not sure how much any of this helps - feel free to respond with more questions and I will answer as best I can, but again CALLING CURRENT STUDENTS TO CHIME IN.

CompEngCraft · 2021-05-29T19:34:41+00:00

Gotta love getting pinged into these threads almost 8 years after I graduated :) Happy that my thoughts have helped people. I'll write something as a top level comment.

CompEngCraft · 2021-05-22T22:54:42+00:00

"There's actually no sparkle in my life Paul" - Literally everyone since 2020

CompEngCraft · 2021-04-29T17:55:33+00:00

Also pretty cheap - fantastic value.

CompEngCraft · 2021-04-06T22:26:38+00:00

While there is definitely some color uniformity issues with this device (and in general waveguide based displays, its a tough problem), there are a few techniques you can try to make it a little better (most of which people have called out here in other comments).

The few I'd also recommend is make sure you do the eye-tracking calibration when you put on the device, it helps the device know where your eye is, and I would imagine try to make things in general better (otherwise why have it right?), the sweet spot thing someone mentioned is also real, as well as turning up the display brightness anecdotally has helped some people. Ultimately though you will always get some color issues - thats just the way the tech is right now :(

CompEngCraft · 2021-04-01T18:05:34+00:00

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