Works Cited

Works Cited

"Mechanical Engineering." Personal interview. 10 Nov. 2014.

"Inspiring the next Generation of Female Engineers: Debbie Sterling at TEDxPSU." YouTube.        YouTube, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.

Interview Answers

Interview Questions for a Mechanical Engineer:

1. What company do you work for, and how has your experience been there so far?

I am currently working at Caterpillar Corporation. I enjoy working at Caterpillar very much.

2. Have you had any previous jobs related to mechanical engineering?

I have worked mechanical design engineering jobs for the past 25+ years.

Other companies like:

Caterpillar, Argonne National Labs, Hamilton Sundstrand-United Technologies, CNH Corporation, IBM Corporation, BAE Systems, Rockwell International

3. What aspired you to become a mechanical engineer?

I actually started out in Architectural drafting and then Civil engineering, but I enjoy Mechanical engineering field gives me the opportunity to 

build machinery and off-road equipment that helps build the worlds infrastructure that helps improve the lives for many people on earth.

4. Was there any motivating people or factors that helped you become a mechanical engineer?

I would probably have to say that it was my father who was a tool & die machinist from Europe and he was in the Air-force was able to take apart 

and rebuild mechanical parts on airplane engines.

5. What exactly do you do as a mechanical engineer at your company? (Do you design parts, work on the machinery, build the machinery, etc.?)

I work on new product design projects for Medium size wheel loaders that are used specifically in the heavy construction industry build the nations 

infrastructure that includes roads, buildings, and homes. I do design new parts for introduction of new products to the Caterpillar dealer network 

that is driven by the customers needs for new improved technologies within the vehicle.

6. Overall, how much do you enjoy your career and what type of person would you recommend your job to? Do you ever regret your decision of choosing to be a mechanical engineer?

I enjoy my career very much and do not regret it at all, it gives me the opportunity to work with my design team on specific projects that will help come up with new ideas and improvements  to the overall product. It is nice to try out new ideas before it is released to production.

I feel a person that has a good mechanical understanding and enjoys working with components, parts and assemblies would be best suited for the mechanical engineering. They should also enjoy working with other system engineers to make sure that everything goes together well.

7. How hard or easy was it to find a job and what are some steps for a college student to take to get a mechanical engineering job?

The overall job market for mechanical engineering technologies is currently excellent. There seems to be opportunities all over the country for mechanical 

engineers  working for many very good companies

8. Are most mechanical engineering jobs the same or does it depend on where you work?

Mechanical engineering jobs can vary depending on the the product that is being designed.

9. Do you feel that there is a need for mechanical engineers in today's and tomorrows society, or do you feel as if the demand for them is decreasing?

There seems to always be a need for mechanical engineers for many different industries like Automotive, Construction, Agricultural, Medical and Food Industry.

10. How are the hours and workload of being a mechanical engineer?

Workload is no different than any other type of job, usually 8 hour days, normally Monday through Friday. Projects requirements and production deadlines can have an impact on schedules once in awhile.

11. What college did you study mechanical engineering at? Do you also have another degree (Example: Physics or a Math based degree?)

I actually never finished my degree, I went to a 2 year college on the north side taking general classes and studies. I had a lot of training on the job. 

12. How well have your studies during college prepare you for your job?

Actually my studies in High School helped me quite a bit like math, science, design drafting is one thing that really is used in Mechanical Engineering.

13. How much of what you learned in college do you actually use on a daily basis? (For example: Being that mechanical engineering is highly physics and math based, how much do you actually use on a daily basis?)

I feel that college is very important today in this industry because it helps open up more opportunities for the engineer where companies use to not necessarily recruit  from schools as much as they do now.

14. Is there any class you would recommend to a student in college, outside of math and science courses, that you feel would be necessary to be a mechanical engineer?

Absolutely, Some of the most important classes an engineer should take is Computer Aided Design since it is a very important tool that is used in mechanical design and engineering on a daily basis today.

Mechanical Engineering Ted Talk Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEeTLopLkEo

Questions for a Mechanical Engineer

Robert Caridi
Interview Questions for a Mechanical Engineer:
1. What company do you work for, and how has your experience been there so far?
2. Have you had any previous jobs related to mechanical engineering?
3. What aspired you to become a mechanical engineer?
4. Was there any motivating people or factors that helped you become a mechanical engineer?
5. What exactly do you do as a mechanical engineer at your company? (Do you design parts, work on the machinery, build the machinery, etc.?)
6. Overall, how much do you enjoy your career and what type of person would you recommend your job to? Do you ever regret your decision of choosing to be a mechanical engineer?
7. How hard or easy was it to find a job and what are some steps for a college student to take to get a mechanical engineering job?
8. Are most mechanical engineering jobs the same or does it depend on where you work?
9. Do you feel that there is a need for mechanical engineers in todays and tomorrows society, or do you feel as if the demand for them is decreasing?
10. How are the hours and workload of being a mechanical engineer?
11. What college did you study mechanical engineering at? Do you also have another degree (Example: Physics or a Math based degree?)
12. How well have your studies during college prepare you for your job?
13. How much of what you learned in college do you actually use on a daily basis? (For example: Being that mechanical engineering is highly physics and math based, how much do you actually use on a daily basis?)
14. Is there any class you would recommend to a student in college, outside of math and science courses, that you feel would be necessary to be a mechanical engineer?

Interview Time

Interview Time with a Mechanical Engineer: Sometime during next week depending on his schedule. He is an mechanical engineer at Caterpillar. His name is Andrew Kwiecien.

The Summoned Self Summary

Robert Caridi

CW1 Dr. Walts

“The Summoned Self” by David Brooks Summary

The Destination Vs. The journey

The main purpose of the text is to show the difference between two different types of living. The writer describes the path chosen to take the journey of life but in the end he is not interested in the journey he is interested in the destination. The author starts out by talking about the more organized version of life, then later switches to the life that you basically fly by the seat of your pants. After explaining both life styles the write compares the two lives and states how it doesn’t matter which life you live as long as you reach the same endpoint. It is ironic that he starts of his paper with the organized life then switches to the unorganized life while still maintaining flow and organization in his paper. The examples in the evidence are experiences that are happening in the moment but you cannot look at the moment to see if you truly did a good job, you have to look back well after the matter is over to truly evaluate your success of the event. The author is trying to say that regardless of how you live your life you really can only fly by the seat of your pants even if you are organized and prepared. Life will throw many challenges at you and how you handle them will depict your ending point in your life.

Do What You Love

Robert's Custom Woodworking

Doing what you love you will never go wrong. Considering my options on how to make money in my high school and college years but not wanting a job at McDonald's I decided to use my talents to start my very own small business. Currently I own and operate a small on man business out of the basement of my home. Doing what I love, my job doesn't feel like a job. You truly can not and will not be happy unless you love what you are doing. You shouldn't listen to anyone else and you should follow your heart on what is best for you.

Work of Life By Robert Caridi

Robert Caridi

Personal Narrative

CW1

Work of Life

The beginning of a child’s life sets the stage for the kind of person he or she will become. Early on in my life, I was my dad’s “little helper.” Taking the first steps into my fathers’ auto repair shop was daunting, hundreds maybe thousands of cars all lined up in a row, the sound of hammers pounding on metal, loud pops followed by whining when the acetylene torches were lit, pneumatic impacts hard at work loosening and tightening bolts. The floor was like a polluted ocean, perfectly blue but stained with spots of many different fluids; smelling of exhaust and musky Chicago air. I knew there wasn’t anything my dad couldn’t fix.  I started helping my dad at about the age of 5, and it has changed my life ever since.

                When I was young, I was only concerned about how much play time I would receive and if I could stay up later than my 8:30 bedtime.  At first I used to complain that it was mind-numbing to work on his latest project, which at the time was finishing my basement. Fortunately, by the time he got home from work, it was already so close to my bedtime that I didn’t have enough time to help him work. The weekends, on the other hand, were a different story. Every weekend, in the span of about two months, if my dad was working on the basement, so was I. I used to nag and complain that I just wanted to play and not work, but my hairy, gigantor of a dad would turn to me and say, “Man up.” I eventually stopped nagging and started focusing on the task my dad gave me, such as driving a nail into the wall every so often. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the basement was finished. With its blue-gray walls, a dark blue carpet, and smelling of freshly dried paint, the basement project was pure success! I was positive that my days of working were over forever.

                As the days went on and a few years passed, no major projects were taken on by my dad. A few things here and there, like a broken faucet or a clogged bath tub drain, came up but nothing that took more than about an hour or two. Then a dilemma arose: my parents were determined to find a perfectly square table for our perfectly square dining room. The table, to my parents’ standards, didn’t exist, so my dad decided that he was going to build his own. When I found out about the upcoming project, I willingly volunteered. The reason I volunteered to help is still unclear to me to this day, but the decision I made, unknown to me, would change my life forever. My father built most of the table by himself, and after the initial build was done, it was finally time for me to step in. That was the day my father introduced me to one of the most useful and safest power-tool in all of woodworking, the palm sander. I put on some work clothes (also known as the clothes that I stained with food or drink or that had holes in them from age, the type of clothes that were no longer acceptable to wear in public anymore) and went into the shop. The shop was usually locked up for safety reasons— I was a pretty curious kid.

Taking those steps into what seemed the forbidden part of the house was a whole new experience for me. The smell of freshly cut red oak, the sight of an 8 foot by 8 foot beautiful, decorative, and hand-crafted tabletop sitting on the top of the table saw, and an endless supply of every tool known to man were in that room. Upon my arrival, I was equipped with a pair of safety glasses and a step stool; I was ready to work. After an explanation of the proper technique on how to use the sander and a short speech on safety, I got my try at using my first power tool by myself. I immediately fell in love with the loud yet soothing hum and the constant tingle that lead to the numbing of my hands coming from the little Black and Decker mouse sander that my dad bought for me to use. After hours at a time, I would emerge covered head to toe in saw dust and smelling only of raw wood. After the table was finally done being sanded my part in the job was over and it was time to move on to finishing. Unfortunately, due to the safety hazards of nearly every chemical being “Known to the state of California to cause cancer,” I was not able to help with the finish.

Year after year, my talents progressed more and more, but freshman year was the game changer in my life. It was Christmas time, and being in high school, I really wanted to make my mom something nice for the holidays. After discussing it with my dad, I decided upon a larger jewelry box. It was to be approximately 11 inches back, 13 inches across, and about 12 inches high. Being made up of a combination of ¾ inch solid red oak on the top, sides, and bottom with ¼ inch thick dividers and two smaller boxes on top of the dividers, its purpose was to store jewelry and watches. The outside was a beautiful golden brown with a layer of red felt inside the box. On top was my final personalized touch, my mother’s initials that I hand engraved. Although it wasn’t finished in time for Christmas, it still served its purpose on Valentines Day. She said it was the world’s best Valentine’s Day gift. The moment I knew that woodworking was going to be more than a hobby for me was the moment my mom instantly burst into tears upon seeing the box. Quite honestly, I felt terrible the rest of the day for making her cry before she had to go to work; however, I did later learn that they were purely tears of joy, so I was relieved. I never knew that I could create something that would have such an effect on someone.

Upon recognizing the quality of my work and hearing the endless compliments from everyone that my mom showed, I decided to start brainstorming ideas of other things I could build; I decided upon a picture frame, simple yet delicate but with a twist. I veered from the standard picture frame design and decided to create my own, which was versatile, stylish, durable, and most importantly easy to use. After completing my first picture frame, I made my design more efficient, and I made a few more frames. Needless to say, I continued making more and more items up to the point where I was putting so much money into making these items that I needed to start making money to fund my passion. Instead of going over to McDonalds or some other fast food restaurant, I did what no kid would think about doing, I started my own business. I had a couple hundred business cards printed, and Robert’s Custom Woodworking was started. Today I sell online and at local craft/art fairs as my main form of income as a college student.

I went from being a kid who didn’t want to work to a young adult who has his own business. The knowledge and experience I now have due to my persistent father is priceless, and working from a young age changed my life forever. The big, bearded man that I was once resistant to learn from has become closer to the image of my present self.