A Speech to a 7th Grade Career Class: Automation Engineering
In support of a local junior high school Steve G. was requested to speak to a class of 7th graders in a Career Exploration class. The presentation was made on December 4, 2008 with the title of ‘Automation Engineering’. The following is a summary of the information provided to the class.
Slide 1: What is an Engineer?
Engineers solve problems. It seems simple, but it’s not. Engineers solve special problems using specialized skills and knowledge attained through higher education (university) and sharpened and improved by experience and application.
Slide 2: Engineering Fields
The primary, or most common, fields of engineering are Civil, Electrical/Electronics, Mechanical, and Industrial Engineering. Civil engineers focus on building things like bridges, highways, dams, and other structures. Electronics engineers develop electronic circuits and circuit boards. Electrical engineers work with electricity in various ways such as working in power generation stations that provide the power for the lights in this classroom. Mechanical engineers design and develop mechanical hardware such as parts of an automobile engine or mobile phone housings. Industrial engineers focus on resources and allocation of those resources. An Industrial engineer may work in a factory and needs to assess how many and what types of equipment are present and how many people are available. The Industrial engineer determines the most efficient way to use the available resources to meet production schedules at minimal cost while delivering good quality. There are many areas of specialization in engineering (a list was provided).
Slide 3: Education Requirements
Strong math and science capability are essential. A four year university program is typical. For students wishing to attain additional education there are Master’s and PhD programs available. Students attaining PhD’s may wish to work as a professor at a university and teach the next generation of engineering students.
Slide 4: Other Requirements
Engineers are usually very interested in ‘How Things Work’. Engineers must be Creative in solving problems. Engineers require good communication skills, both verbal and written, to explain and advance their ideas. Trustworthiness and Integrity are also important for engineering as they are with all careers. Your opportunities for advancement are improved when you show yourself to have good integrity and be trustworthy.
Slide 5: My Engineering Field: “Industrial Automation”
Automation Engineering - A combination of Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Industrial, and other fields of Engineering with a focus on developing automated methods of high volume and/or precision assembly machinery and processes.
Slide 6: Salary Info
A chart of a survey conducted by Automation.com in 2007 was posted for review by the students.
Slide 7 - 8: My Position - President and Engineer
Employees of small businesses often ‘wear many hats’. My primary responsibilities are Engineering, Sales, and Project Management. Other responsibilities include employee management, financials, and marketing. My primary efforts involve working with the customer to understand the problem that they need to solve and working with our team to develop the best solution to that problem. A quotation is provided to the customer that explains the solution and the customer, after asking questions, decides whether or not they will proceed. Once a project has been ordered I work with our team to manage the project and communicate with the customer regarding our progress until the project is complete. A short explanation of trade shows and how they work was also provided to the students in a discussion of marketing efforts.
Slides 9 - 13: Nautilus Systems, Inc and our Products
A brief overview of NSI, our PL100, PL165, and JAZZ Cell products was provided. Included in the presentation were pictures of the equipment and videos (as posted on our website) of the PL Series Applicators and JAZZ Cells. (Note: 7th Graders like video!)
Slides 14 - 18: Our Customers and Application Examples
In this section an overview of the customers we’ve worked with, the various countries where are systems are in use, and the types of projects that are typical for us was reviewed. The students were educated about adhesive components and labels and the various uses for these items in products from virtually every industry. Actual part samples for applications produced by NSI in 2008 were reviewed along with pictures and video of the machine solutions that were provided.
Slide 19 - 20: Things I Like and Dislike About My Job
A portion of the worksheet filled out by the students required discussion of likes and dislikes. Likes included the opportunity to be creative and innovative, the wide variety of projects and industries where we work, the opportunity to make friendships with people from all over the world, the chance to constantly be learning new things and see new products, a chance to travel, and a sense of accomplishment. Dislikes included global job outsourcing, free trade that is not fair trade, and some other demands that can be difficult to handle.
Slide 21: Summary
A word of advice to the student’s to choose a career based on finding something they enjoy. A recognition that, for most people, more time is spent working each week than in any other activity so it is wise to find something that you enjoy and not to make salary the main criteria. A few extra minutes were available for discussion of additional projects completed recently by NSI. Each student received a customized sticky note pad with NSI logo info in appreciation for their interest, good questions, and good behavior during the presentation. If all of America’s 7th graders are as focused as these kids our country has a bright future!