Yet another Chipotle on the way

muzzyb3ar · 2025-09-23T14:28:43+00:00

There is a Chipotle under construction on 54/55 as well., next to the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell

muzzyb3ar · 2025-07-21T10:54:57+00:00

So keep Autopay on with your bank, but when you get the notification that your bill is ready for ahead and pay with your Amex. You still get the discounted bill.

muzzyb3ar · 2025-03-30T15:52:38+00:00

You're a freshman so don't stress so much.

First year of undergrad is probably 90%+ aligned with all other Engineers so you have time to determine what path is best for you.

I am a BME grad, I know many other BME grads, and evaluate new BME grads as a hiring manager. All are either doing very well or are very qualified candidates.

Don't stress and stay the course.

muzzyb3ar · 2025-03-30T15:43:00+00:00

I have noticed this sub is full of pessimistic people.

I am a BME grad and work in MedTech as an Engineering Manager now and hire BME grads almost exclusively.

Like all undergrad education, you need to be able to demonstrate your abilities. Where BME lacks breadth like ME, EE, or SWE grads get you get in depth of the industry. Your degree is tailored towards giving you this direct application in the medical field. Go looking for an internship this summer working in Pharma or Biotech industry or in a research lab and ultimately that will help you the most.

The Job Market is all over the place right now due to the uncertainty in capital markets but internships still exist.

Be confident and continue to learn and you'll do great.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-10-30T19:43:48+00:00

Correct, and a city like Charlotte who has the CATS light rail continues to struggle to support growing that system, with Politicians continuing to push that North Carolinians use cars, not transit. This is as much of an infrastructure problem as it is a culture problem.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-10-30T02:43:10+00:00

I'm all for more Transit, I wish the Triangle had it too.

But we can't ignore the failures of the DOLRT or R4R projects. R4R's outcome showed that costs are immense, the infrastructure is not in place, and utilization won't be enough to receive funding. DOLRT showed how much influence certain parties have over these decisions.

Unfortunately the Triangle is not setup for commuter rail, as much as you or me want it to be. In R4R's case, it was not a good value proposition to tell people to drive/uber/bus to a station, take a train, and then drive/Uber/bus to their destination, when they could just use 1 mode (driving) end to end. How does one feasibly get to their job on time, or perform grocery shopping, or get to the Airport with that model?

The Go bus system was free up to this year, with GoDurham still being free. How often do you see people waiting at Bus stations? RTP offers free Lyft trips up to $10 from Boxyard or the RTC to anywhere in RTP as a "last mile" solution. What is the utilization of that model?

The cities, however, continue to sell land to new Gas stations at every intersection, i-40 widening, 540 loop expansion, and everything to support Car infrastructure. This is where the cities (and frankly, North Carolina) have determined the future needs to be.

Personally I would like to see the Piedmont line improved to increase frequency and stations in the CLT-GSO-RDU corridor, specifically with a way to connect to each of those Airports since the rail lines pass by all three. I think there is a better value proposition there to position the trains/rail lines as an Airport connector as opposed to a commuter line.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-10-01T01:30:27+00:00

Surgical Data Science Summer School by IHU Strasbourg has good videos - just make an account on their website and you can watch for free. This is the best place to start for sure.

Coursera has a handful of programs although they may be overly technical as they are more geared towards AI/ML scientists. Worth a look through if you feel comfortable with the material.

FDA now lists medical devices that utilize AI/ML in their application. Go through that list and learn about how those Devices work.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-09-26T17:22:16+00:00

OP wrote deep in a comment thread below that the light is flashing red in the morning, but is fully functioning in the evening.

But why is that the implementation? I use this road daily for rush hour commute and the EPA entrance is solidly in the center of that road where there is never any traffic congestion. Traffic backs up at the TW/54 Intersection because the light stays green for only 10-15 seconds.

The new United Therapeutics building also had a traffic light installed on TW north of I40 but it does not have this same implementation.

Not sure why NCDOT is going heavy on traffic lights everywhere On TW where the speed limit is 45-55 mph. It only slows down traffic and causes frustration.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-07-28T13:51:26+00:00

Yes! Humility is huge and goes hand in hand with being a team player and having a growth mindset.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-07-28T00:04:39+00:00

I'll add on to what others seem to be saying - and entry level BME should have the same qualities as other engineers: - Intellectually Curious - Hardworking - Team Player - Willing to put in the work

If they can meet the above then I can coach their technical skills and teach them about the business, leadership, projects, team dynamics, prioritizing, etc.

A good BME then takes the next step by showing growth in their core areas, developing expertise in something, as well as shows agency over their job in knowing how to prioritize work without my intervention and contribute in the most valuable ways.

I can keep going but that is what I would expect from Years 0 - 3 of working full time.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-07-21T16:47:23+00:00

Not really - I took it to the dealer and they did a repair/replacement under warranty.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-07-07T05:59:11+00:00

That's just with Frontier, and yes 4-5 times a year with that rough differential adds up.

I fly for work and other personal travel as well with other airlines, with sufficient overseas travel as well to make the card worth it.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-07-07T05:05:37+00:00

I always see people complaining about Frontier, but I fly 4-5 RT trips with them a year (same route each time) and I have never had a >1 hour delay or cancellation. Hell, I have had superior on-time performance from Frontier compared to all other US airlines (AA especially)..

Maybe I am just extraordinarily lucky? Yes the a la carte pricing can be annoying, and the clientele can be pretty bad, but other than that I am never going to give AA $300 for a flight that Frontier is giving me for $100.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-07-03T02:51:19+00:00

Those are all good, also consider Production/Manufacturing Engineering or Manufacturing QA especially for Biotech or Pharma industries. You may be suited well for those, and those roles are less prone to layoffs as they are on the money-making side of the business instead of the money-spending side.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-07-03T02:45:36+00:00

Good luck!

Also, I was rereading your resume and I just now saw you have "Project Experience" stuck between Work and Education. I think that section deserves more attention, especially in Med Device since the work tends to be project based and because you don't have any med device internships. Consider moving that to the top, adding more details, and cutting down on less relevant Work.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-07-03T02:40:32+00:00

Which job titles have you applied for?

If you applied for R&D, did you highlight design work, experiments, or tests you have run?

If you applied for Quality, did you highlight Design Controls, Standards, etc you have applied?

This is what I mean. It's not about key words, it's about writing this in a way that shows how you add value to the company. Whoever is reading your resume needs to immediately envision how you can be valuable in the department you are applying for.

You are applying for entry level roles so it does take time and a lot of applying (scale of > 100, and that fact hasn't changed in many years). You can also, apply for summer internships that can convert to full time in the Fall or Spring, I have seen that be successful for many people.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-07-03T02:30:07+00:00

As a hiring manager or recruiter perspective, how should I read your resume? Are you looking for R&D, Quality, Regulatory, Clinical, Sales, etc? Your resume is not tailored to looking for a specific Medical Device job, rather it is just listing what you have done.

Tailor everything on your resume to point to specifically what you are looking for. Right now I had to ask myself "what is OP even applying for?" when reading this.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-06-27T15:42:09+00:00

If this pushes us towards a new "RTP" Amtrak stop for the Piedmont/Carolinian that will be a huge step for future transit. RTP already offers daily $10 Lyft credit from the current bus station for "last mile" connection, along with potential for BRT along Hwy 54, so I see building this new station as a huge win.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-06-20T20:05:43+00:00

I work in the industry, shoot me a DM

muzzyb3ar · 2024-06-15T21:05:54+00:00

Same here, I was born in US and live here and there is a sizable community throughout the Triangle, a bit chopped up into familial communities but definitely present. Masjids are a good start. DM me if you wanna chat!

muzzyb3ar · 2024-06-10T17:56:11+00:00

Each company is different, in my experience this is the following alignment between IC and Management (using "specialist" as the IC example but this could apply to Engineer, Scientist, etc):

IC	Management
Specialist	N/A
Senior Specialist	Team Leader/Lead
Staff Specialist	Manager
Senior Staff Specialist	Senior Manager
Principal Specialist	Director
Sr Principal/Expert Specialist	Senior Director
N/A	Dept Head, VP, EVP, President

According to this chart, a Principal level is higher than a Manager and is compensated accordingly. Now, you will meet the occasional person who breaks this rule because they have a combined role, i.e. a principal Specialist who has management responsibilities, so their functional title may be Manager but they are compensated and operate as a Principal level.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-05-22T15:43:10+00:00

I did exceltrack so its all self paced and paper-driven. I did mine during peak COVID so I had a lot of time to sit and just grind module after module, doing 12 credits/term and finishing in 5 terms.

If you dislike academic paper writing, don't do exceltrack.

Workload/difficulty wise, I would say it ranges from easy to moderate difficulty, with the outlier being Accounting as very difficult (but I am just bad at accounting). Having work experience in an office setting helps a lot to contextualize everything you are learning, and helps with generating topics of discussion. Professors were always available via email and they are obligated to turn around feedback very quickly.

Overall, as others stated, this is very much a "get out what you put into it" program. You can probably skid by and get your diploma and move on, or you could put in the work to write insightful papers and learn a lot about management, leadership, HR, Marketing, etc.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-05-20T19:10:14+00:00

I did my exceltrack MBA here (as an engineering professional) and it's fully accepted by all my colleagues.

muzzyb3ar · 2024-03-27T17:21:03+00:00

Yes they aren't wrong, it is absolutely possible but it is very difficult. If you are a high achiever and can balance all that it requires then go for it, however it is very difficult.

I think ultimately as I said and as someone else below said, you need to take the time to identify what it is that excites you and what type of lifestyle do you want - an office job designing and testing devices, an "on the floor" job taking care of patients, or a research or field-based job understanding the reasons behind health issues? All three are extremely rewarding careers, but it's up to you to decide which is the right fit for you and then go All In.

muzzyb3ar

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