Professional Interview
For this assignment, I interviewed a professional in the field of electrical engineering. I learned a lot about how arduous the actual getting of a degree in electrical engineering (apparently 2/3 of students drop out). Overall, It was a very informative email.
Eric Quinnell, Electrical Engineer
Timmy Pollard-Grayson
POE B.2
Interview on 10/28/15
(Phone)
Submitted on 10/29/15
General Information
Eric Quinnell
Electrical Engineering
SARC
[email protected]
512-736-1488
Professional Interview
My phone recorder died on me, so I’m doing this from memory. These are not his exact words.
1. What field(s) do you have a degree(s) in?
Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering.
2. Can you describe that field, in general?
The engineers make and design electronics.
3. What is your current job title and duties?
I am a micro-architect at Samsung. I link together three different groups. Performance, who make things efficient and get it all working, and (another group that I forgot the name of -Timmy), who are known as polygon pushers, or as we call them, glorified Tetris players. They make sure that all of the physical components can fit together and will still work. Finally, there is Verification, who try their hardest to break it. They look at everything and find any flaws. These guys are the largest because they are the most important. These are the guys who make sure that your missile won’t go off target or your bridge won’t collapse. In the end, I am the mediator between the three.
4. What is your average work schedule?
I actually do not have a schedule, or at least the 8-5 generic one. Basically, I am given a deadline and have to get to it. That may require working on weekends and after-hours, but most of the time it means that if I want to go watch my kids’ soccer game, I can. No one really watches the hours, as long as it gets done.
5. Can you describe your engineering background, starting with highschool?
Before college, I tinkered a lot and I liked to play and hack video games. I was also into math. So when I reached college, I chose EE, because it seemed like a good fit for me. Right out of college, I had five job offers, so I really got to choose. I ended up working for AMD, and the projects that I worked on were for the Xbox and the Playstation (I had a lot of fun with that. We would hook up the the systems and run Playstation stuff on an Xbox and vice versa. Neither of the companies knew we were working for the other, which just makes it more fun). After that project, I went over to SARC, and that is where I am now. (At some point he got his PhD in only nine months, but I can’t remember where that fits in chronologically.)
6. If you had the chance to do anything over again, what would it be?
I finished my PhD in only nine months, which was fun, but I didn’t feel like I got the experience (You know, kegger parties, coffee shops, beards).
7. Finally, do you have any advice for someone like me who is interested in engineering?
Don’t give up. Engineering school is very hard. Only a third of students make it through the electrical engineering class. You won’t have much social time. Sure, you’ll be able to go to some parties and football games and the like, but the general college experience that you see in movies won’t be there. But in the end, it’ll all be worth it, because you spend the next forty years doing what you like to and getting paid for it. Overall, hang in there, because it is all worth it in the end.
(Also, the guys at Ubisoft are super wound up.)
Personal Reflection
8.
- What surprised you the most about the interview?
b. What was the most important piece of information that you learned?
The most important piece of information I learned was that college is going to be harder than I expected, but the job will be easier and more fun than I expected.
c. How has this interview influenced your feelings about your future career?
If anything, I’m a little excited, and a little worried. I am not really looking forward to the grueling conditions of college, but the next forty years of doing what I like to do sound awesome.
d. How has this interview changed and/or confirmed your plans regarding your future career?
For the most part, I don’t have many plans. So far, I’m going to finish high school, go to college, get a degree, get a job, live. I have been planning to get degrees in one or more fields of engineering (Mechanical/Aerospace/Electrical), and one or more in a natural science field (such as astronomy/astrophysics/physics), since they all interest me. With this new information, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get two or more degrees at once, but I think I will cross that bridge when I come to it.
e. What is the next step for you to pursue your plans? Who do you need to talk to? What information do you need?
For me, the next step is to just do good in school, apply to colleges, and get in. There isn’t too much for me to do at this point in my life.