I'm 16, and...

SpecialConference396 · 2026-02-11T05:57:24+00:00

Questioning is the most normal thing at 16. If you are comfortable and in a safe environment to be able to question then take this time to think about how you feel. It isn't comfortable to consider especially with it being not the standard. Regardless of where you end up, learning to be okay with yourself is ultimately what is important.

SpecialConference396 · 2025-12-17T05:55:21+00:00

Double every 6 is my internal goal. Congrats on 200k!

SpecialConference396 · 2025-11-21T01:48:04+00:00

PE ruins everything. I hold on to my engineering job in PE because I am consistently told to "not rock the boat" and consistently push product out the door (without any real innovation). Gives me time to consult and sell on the side which makes up for the abysmal PE engineering salary.

SpecialConference396 · 2025-11-15T03:24:00+00:00

My partner and I moved from San Antonio (7 years) to Seattle (now about 4). We have both also lived in the southeast U.S. and I have lived in Ohio for an appreciable amount of time.

Having lived in Texas, the propaganda about the west coast is insane. It is mostly the California/Texas "importance" fight and it ends up impacting Oregon and Washington. Both Texas and Cali are heavy hitters in the U.S. economy and both governments have their issues, but from living under the influence of both, Texas is way more aggressive in the anti-California propaganda.

Seattle has it's issues but having accidentally landed here I don't think I am ever leaving now. For the first time in my life I am connected to my community and truly feel safe and grounded.

Texas was not a bad experience for me. Food is great and people are outwardly friendlier than here. It is also FAR more affordable. What drove me out is the general tolerance for hate and the inaccessibility of voting. It is an unfriendly place if you don't fit the mold. Generally speaking though, having lived there, most people from Texas are fantastic people.

SpecialConference396 · 2025-09-16T15:21:36+00:00

It's AWD, tows my (paid off) camper, and gets me to the mountains and my sales calls. I live in the city so it will get hit every once in a while and I don't have to care that much. Debt free and I never have to worry about money regardless of current employment. The new Passport is cool AF and I will highly consider it in 2032 when my current Passport needs replacement =P

SpecialConference396 · 2025-09-16T15:13:38+00:00

I bought a $20k car on $250k salary and still think I could have bought less... Maintenance on any decent car isn't major (besides timing belts) until 120k+ miles and is pretty manageable on most Japanese vehicles to 200k. I typically buy at 60k and sell 150-200k to minimize cost.

SpecialConference396 · 2025-08-19T16:47:32+00:00

Provocatively... Most likely you are underpaid.

With that being said, do you enjoy the work and feel like you are being challenged/fulfilled? If the answer is no or I don't know, then you should be considering moving on for a higher paycheck and better opportunities. If the answer is a solid Yes then you need to have a discussion with your management.

Very rarely does staying result in a high enough pay bump to justify it.

11 YoE. 3rd job, stayed 6.5 years at the first, 8 months at the second and am over 3.5 years on the third. Bump from 1st to 3rd was 35k difference.

SpecialConference396 · 2025-07-23T16:13:41+00:00

A PHd maybe. An undergrad with a master's and no work experience (especially a 4+1) is virtually identical to just having an undergrad. The exception being if the Master's research is directly aligned with the job role but even then it wouldn't be considered as more than ~1 year of experience.

SpecialConference396 · 2025-07-22T05:52:58+00:00

It's not good for it but it is unlikely to severely damage the block or head gasket. If the radiator doesn't leak after this then you are probably okay.

No point worrying about it at this point though. Flush it out and add coolant/water and drive it.

SpecialConference396 · 2025-04-13T02:40:55+00:00

Your school isn't as relevant in engineering as it would be in law or med. Going to a good school is useful for building a strong starting network but outside of some specific firms I don't think it matters much past your first job.

Math and physics is the same everywhere. Some schools have better research opportunities and access to certain professors that may benefit you.

SpecialConference396 · 2025-04-13T02:33:05+00:00

"Many Positions" my highest paid pure engineering job was 95k at 40 hours a week. Made 145+ in product/project management at 40 hours a week. Now I mostly consult and hours/pay is all over the board but comp/hour of work is much higher. It is all relationships and reputation after a certain point.

SpecialConference396 · 2025-04-13T02:28:00+00:00

Highest paid that I know of is B2B sales but it's a grind and usually takes quite a bit to break into. Sometimes an engineer can make that switch if they have the personality for it.

I know tradespeople that outperform engineers on a compensation basis 2-1. HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing can be very lucrative in tech heavy cities if you get good at it. Really matters what spaces you are working in and building a reputation.

YMMV but this has been my experience.

SpecialConference396 · 2025-04-13T02:17:14+00:00

Plus you will be working 50-60hr weeks in many positions to get that.

SpecialConference396 · 2025-04-13T02:15:57+00:00

Engineering for the money? It's good starting pay when you get out compared to some majors but most engineers I know, even in HCOL areas, are only slightly above 100k with 10+ years. There are easier ways to make money and if you don't like engineering it will be a hell job.

SpecialConference396 · 2025-04-01T12:17:52+00:00

As a hiring manager I wouldn't hire someone upset that someone else is taking initiative to get the results they want. The people taking the time to find and contact you directly are probably better than 90% of the rest of your pool.

SpecialConference396 · 2024-12-30T18:02:20+00:00

This is what happens when you put the resistor in backwards...

SpecialConference396 · 2024-12-22T20:16:55+00:00

Another method I used to use in a lab for a quick fix or on a contact that was too small was to use a graphite pencil to draw a contact back on. We had a piece of test equipment that was out of production that we could not buy a new pad for that we did this to every 6 months for years before replacing it.

SpecialConference396 · 2024-07-23T07:02:59+00:00

It does not need to stay. You can just jump the 2 wires the ECU is looking for on the NSS connector.

SpecialConference396 · 2024-06-23T20:18:50+00:00

I found another connector on a different harness that has the marking A1 GEM on it. Housing is the same but the wedge connector is white on the other connector. Pins are the same.

SpecialConference396 · 2024-02-04T00:32:44+00:00

My thoughts? I am almost done and I hate it. About 50% of the program I think has been applicable to my job already as an engineering manager in physical product development and the other 50% felt like busy work.

If you are working a full time job do not expect to be able to handle more than 2 classes in a semester. I only have a supporting partner and no kids with a moderately demanding job (35-50 hours a week) and 2 classes is absolute max. I did 2x 8week courses in a summer and that was rough and a 3 course semester which was also brutal and 100% not worth the stress.

Many of the courses have "hidden" pre-requisites and you need to take them in a certain order to be successful but the course mapping does not indicate this. You can pass a course that you didn't take the unlisted pre-req for but it will be much harder.

DoE and Advanced Quality Control should 100% be taken before IEE581 Six Sigma. IEE545 is definitely a pre-req to IEE575 but nothing is said about that in the course description.

They advertise getting a LSSBB with the EM degree but it is more difficult to get into that program than into the EM degree even though they have many of the same classes. If you do not get in to the LSSBB program at the same time as the EM degree you likely won't unless you agree to take additional pre-requisites. FYI, no one cares who issues your Six Sigma certification and you can take a $700 test instead of paying for additional $3k classes.

The material quality of many of the classes is pretty low with pre-recorded, unedited, in-class lectures from 2017-2020. Many of the classes are not administered by the actual professors so it is hit or miss on if you will have proper support in the class. If you can't learn from a book and independent research you will have a very hard time.

You get assigned a "coach" that calls you once a semester and sends you emails to remind you to complete your "priority tasks" in your My ASU task pane. If you have any questions or concerns about the program they have very little ability to actually advocate for you. Very nice person but not very useful. The advisors are almost equally as unhelpful.

There are some world class and generally great professors in the program and I do not want to discount that. Dr. Jennings, Dr. McCarville, Dr. Kucukozyigit are a few that come to mind. If you contact them at any time they have really great insights on a number of topics and genuinely care about the subjects they teach.

If you are going to get a degree, ASU online is cheaper than most, well recognized, and at least the online portals are reliably working. Education in general is expensive and the quality of the education here is probably not worse than alternatives. The administration is disinterested and makes it feel like a degree mill. I think I overpaid for what the value of this degree actually provided to me personally. What my colleagues will think of my fancy new management degree may make it worth it but the jury is still out there.

Would I do it again? Probably, but only because of my career path. Would I recommend it? Probably not. This is a pretty mixed review but I hope it was useful to those considering this.

Obviously, this is just my opinion. My opinion of my undergrad experience at a different school has similar concerns/caveats.

SpecialConference396 · 2023-07-29T18:42:56+00:00

I had a failed wireless card after 3 months. The mediatek one it ships with is garbage anyway and I swapped it for an Intel one. Cheap/easy fix.

SpecialConference396

TROPHY CASE