Looking for embedded engineers with nontraditional backgrounds

In my previous job, there was an accountant who turned programmer.

But her work was with the GUI client and not embedded stuff so it's not what you're asking. But I thought I'd mention it since it's rare enough to find a woman in my department but a certified accountant?!!

She ended up marrying the engineer in the cubicle next to her and got promoted to team/project leader.

I got into electronics by building some of my own electronic intrumentation while I was completing my Ph.D. in physical chemistry.

E-mail me for more detail - my e-mail address is real.

------------- Bill Sloman, Nijmegen

Who would be idiotic enough to leave a cushy number in the arts to work in a high stress underpaid sector like engineering that is managed by a bunch of know-nothing clowns ( the PHBs ) ? That's what I'd like to know !

Graham

That's interesting. I used to work with a guy who's degree was in classical languages. I guess a language is a language.

I've noticed that with the two of my children who are fluent in (Mexican) Spanish without ever having had a lesson. They're both also very good at writing software, though the daughter prefers politics ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Did you check the education of Dilbert's PHB?

Greek Philosophy ?

Graham

I sent my story to the email address. It bounced on the first try, but apparently got going the second time. Let me know if you don't get it.

Mark Borgerson

Hello,

Most careers go the other way. I have encountered several people where it went like this: Analog engineering -> digital -> software -> sales.

Cool. On my first job I also had my first experience with Marketing. She picked apart my design, criticized this, that and the other thing. Now we are married for a long time :-)

Regards, Joerg

Yes, but was she right ?

I suppose that means you shouldn't risk answering the above question... :)

-jg

Hello Jim,

Mostly yes. It was about the position of controls, their sensitivity, ranges. Stuff that we had arbitrarily set and knew that it would need fine-tuning.

Oh, she'd be cool with that. When it comes to the schedules of projects on the honey-do list that is a completely different matter.

Regards, Joerg

Well at least you knew what you were getting yourself into when you married her! ;)

Regards, Mark

Hi Mark,

I didn't get either copy, so I'm going to email you from my gmail account and see if that fixes the magic.

Whoa, there - I said they had advanced DEGREES, not JOBS in classical languages :) My wife had great difficulty getting a job with an english language major (art history minor)...

When you say "team/project leader" are you refering to the company or home life?

Rob

my boss is a biologist, couldn't find a job anywhere, started in embedded software with us through a contractor we normally work with (anyone can write software, no?, don't know how she pulled that off), I remember her first day, obvious she never programmed in her life, threw a couple manuals at her and she caught on very quickly, after 6 months she was better then everyone else.

One big difference I noticed is she's not "married" to any software languages or operation systems or tools like most formally educated software types unfortunately are. she uses whatever tools are necessary for the job without preference which makes her very efficient, its nice to not have that baggage

The criticism was her practicing to be a wife?

Hello Everett,

No, she didn't know that yet at that point ;-)

She doesn't criticize much, except when the steaks from the barbie aren't exactly done "as ordered" or if I made a serious mess somewhere. Like in the garage.

Regards, Joerg

Hi Bill,

Thanks, but this one borders on being mainstream :) I'm still collating replies.