7 ms·
What's Wrong with Me?
Well, here I am. I am 60. I had to drop out of engineering school in my 20's because my father got sick and I had to support the family. I excel at self-learning, so that wasn't a problem. Well, at least I thought so for 20+ years.
I worked as an engineers in a couple of industries for about 20 years. Did well. I launched my own business, designing and manufacturing electronic products (hardware and software-based) for that industry. Ran that for about ten years. The last economic implosion took us out (2010-ish).
Finding a job has been impossible. I have survived through consulting here and there, nothing crazy. Let's put it this way, I am far better value than the shit consulting gigs I have landed.
What can I do?
Assembler (ARM on-down to 6502). C, C++. Forth. LISP. Objective-C. Python. Django. PHP. MySQL. HTML. CSS. JavaScript. jQuery. JSON. OO, procedural, functional. Good amount of CS theory. I am also half way towards a Bs in Computer Science right now (not really learning anything I don't already know yet).
FPGA. Embedded systems. Analog. Digital. Communications. Control Panels, User Interfaces. Power electronics: SMPS, Motor Control, LED control, etc. I2C, SPI, RS232, RS422, USB, Ethernet, etc. SDRAM, DDR2, DDR3 memory layout, interface and FPGA controller design. SRAM, FLASH. DVI, HDMI, LVDS interconnects. Digital Filter Design (FIR, IIR, etc.). Sensors: light, temperature, acceleration, magnetic, GPS, etc. Graphics and text LCD interfacing and control. High-power LED light sources. Impedance-controlled board design. Transmission lines. High-speed board design (GHz range). Clock Synthesis, VCO. Clock management and distribution. SMT and Through Hole. Prototyping, testing and test fixture design. DFT (Design for Testing). Altium, KiCad. Component selection and sourcing. Full project ownership.
Embedded Systems. RTOS. DSP. Video and image processing. Genetic Algorithms. State Machines. Communications protocols. Embedded Drivers. Desktop applications and utilities. Database-driven web applications. Application automation scripts and plugins (Excel, Photoshop, GIMP, etc.). Native iPhone, iPod, iPad application development. Web application development. Linux server deployment and management.
SolidWorks. CAMWorks. FEA. Fusion 360. Siemens NX. AutoCAD. Parametric Design. Generative Design. Design for machining (CNC milling, turning, EDM, etc.). Sheet metal. Injection molded plastics. Laser-cut components. Elastomeric components (i.e.: silicone keypads, etc.). Composites. CNC (Haas) and Manual (Bridgeport) milling machine operation and programming. Welding. Anodizing, Powder Coating, Paint, Silk Screen, Laser-Engraving and other finishes. FEA simulation (thermal, airflow, motion, static loading). Photorealistic rendering for visualization. DFM (Design for Manufacturing). Prototyping. Manufacturing. DFM.
CEO (of my own company). CTO. VP/Director of Engineering. Research & Development Engineering. Intellectual Property. Sales and Marketing. Managing multidisciplinary teams. Extremely comfortable with customer-facing interaction. Distribution channel building and management. Supply chain management. Customer and Reseller training. Trade show organization, management and execution (national and international). International business (channel building, training, tradeshows, etc.). Languages: English, Spanish (fluent in both).
continues...
- tech_joe 3y agopart 2... I think it is beyond obvious I have not sat idle after having to drop out of engineering school in my mid 20's. The above isn't a list of things I touched superficially. Each of the above skills represents (and came from) having to learn in order to perform at different jobs or for specific projects. Starting and running my own tech company forced me to learn even more. It was self-funded, which means I had to do it all for a long time. ...so, why is it that I can count interviews from job applications in the last, say, ten years, with two hands? About seven or eight years ago a recruiter opened-up to me when he sensed my frustration. What he told me rattled me to some extent. He said nobody would hire me and suggested entrepreneurship was my only path. The way he put it was: "The owner/CEO of a small to medium company won't hire you because, given your experience, they will be afraid you will learn their industry and become a competitor. The manager at a medium to large company won't hire you because they will be afraid you'll take their job." That has been in the back of my mind for years now. At the same time, I hear so many stories from people who send out hundreds of resume's and never get so much as a smoke signal back. While I do wonder "What's wrong with me?", I also ask myself whether the problem really centers about hiring practices today. You'd think many companies would jump at the opportunity to have someone like me contribute to their mission. Yet, nothing... And there's the question of age discrimination, which is a real thing in tech.
- zhxshen 3y ago> "The owner/CEO of a small to medium company won't hire you because, given your experience, they will be afraid you will learn their industry and become a competitor. The manager at a medium to large company won't hire you because they will be afraid you'll take their job." I'm mid 40s & in the same boat. Entrepreneurship probably is the only option. It is what it is.
- d--b 3y agoAge discrimination definitely. But also, your resume is to stuffy to be true. I don't believe for a second that you can have proficency at all these skills. That's just not possible. You may have cobbled things using these techs or worked with people who knew these things well, but you can't possibly be an expert at all these things. Aim for an expert job. Find the skill you master most and look for the jobs who look for that. Look for jobs where being older is being better (Assembly, C++, for instance are technologies that younger people don't learn). Trim your resume to: "I am an expert at X, which I have done here here and there, I've also been doing some other stuff". Don't fall for "CEOs/managers wont hire me because I am too good". That's bullshit agent talk to hide their mediocrity behind a veil of praise. Good luck