I did some control theory, signal processing, communications. Now I'm doing my masters in statistical signal processing, pattern recognition, machine learning, information theory, audio processing etc. It's really a lot of maths and I'm sure it's used a lot and there's a ton of research on it but I've never been shown where or how it's used. I've only been taught the theory. So what can I do with it? Can I really use it safely without doing a PhD? Yet, people in the industry often don't have time to do very complex things because of time constraints. So even if you are an expert in these fields you might have to quickly produce a very naive solution because it has to be done "by tomorrow" or some other tight deadline. I really engjoy what I am studying and I found a job very quickly (I'm pretty sure my job will require nothing I've learnt at uni) but how am I to use it? Any examples?
So what am I to do with this education?
Started by ●March 2, 2012
Reply by ●March 2, 20122012-03-02
On Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:14:45 +0000, Benjamin S. wrote:> I did some control theory, signal processing, communications. Now I'm > doing my masters in statistical signal processing, pattern recognition, > machine learning, information theory, audio processing etc. > > It's really a lot of maths and I'm sure it's used a lot and there's a > ton of research on it but I've never been shown where or how it's used. > I've only been taught the theory. So what can I do with it? Can I really > use it safely without doing a PhD? > > Yet, people in the industry often don't have time to do very complex > things because of time constraints. So even if you are an expert in > these fields you might have to quickly produce a very naive solution > because it has to be done "by tomorrow" or some other tight deadline. > > I really engjoy what I am studying and I found a job very quickly (I'm > pretty sure my job will require nothing I've learnt at uni) but how am I > to use it? Any examples?You will get a job doing something mundane, that -- if you are lucky -- will occasionally benefit (perhaps vastly) from your skills and experience. Most of your time, at first, will be spent as a regular old programmer or circuit designer. I graduated in 1990, in the middle of a mild economic downturn, and moved back home to the Portland, Oregon area, where Tektronix was in the middle of hemorrhaging competent, experienced engineers. With the steam still rising from my Master's degree, my first job was wrenching on PCs for a company if 12 people. But my job title was hardware engineer, and while most of my time was spent assembling PCs, I was also responsible for choosing all the hardware and system software, and when some hardware bit got designed, I did it. It wasn't until my third job out of school, three and a half years later, that I finally ended up using my control systems knowledge, and even there management didn't realize that the job required it until I spoke up in a preliminary design review. -- Tim Wescott Control system and signal processing consulting www.wescottdesign.com
Reply by ●March 2, 20122012-03-02
>I did some control theory, signal processing, communications. Now I'm >doing my masters in statistical signal processing, pattern recognition, >machine learning, information theory, audio processing etc. > >It's really a lot of maths and I'm sure it's used a lot and there's a ton>of research on it but I've never been shown where or how it's used. I've >only been taught the theory. So what can I do with it? Can I really use >it safely without doing a PhD? > >Yet, people in the industry often don't have time to do very complex >things because of time constraints. So even if you are an expert in these>fields you might have to quickly produce a very naive solution because it>has to be done "by tomorrow" or some other tight deadline. > >I really engjoy what I am studying and I found a job very quickly (I'm >pretty sure my job will require nothing I've learnt at uni) but how am I >to use it? Any examples? >Somehow show your employer that you can actually apply all that crap you learned, someone will notice eventually. I find you have to be self motivated, nothing will miraculously just come your way at a company, you have to find it. I have also found that there are lots of people with Master's who really are not worth a crap and can't apply anything they learned so don't be one of those. But you are right, time constraints usually dictate who gets to work on what, so you have to show you can use your skills quickly, but also get it done right. It's not that glamorous out there, it sure seemed like it would be during university though.
Reply by ●March 2, 20122012-03-02
On Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:48:04 -0600, jacobfenton wrote:>>I did some control theory, signal processing, communications. Now I'm >>doing my masters in statistical signal processing, pattern recognition, >>machine learning, information theory, audio processing etc. >> >>It's really a lot of maths and I'm sure it's used a lot and there's a >>ton > >>of research on it but I've never been shown where or how it's used. I've >>only been taught the theory. So what can I do with it? Can I really use >>it safely without doing a PhD? >> >>Yet, people in the industry often don't have time to do very complex >>things because of time constraints. So even if you are an expert in >>these > >>fields you might have to quickly produce a very naive solution because >>it > >>has to be done "by tomorrow" or some other tight deadline. >> >>I really engjoy what I am studying and I found a job very quickly (I'm >>pretty sure my job will require nothing I've learnt at uni) but how am I >>to use it? Any examples? >> >> > Somehow show your employer that you can actually apply all that crap you > learned, someone will notice eventually. I find you have to be self > motivated, nothing will miraculously just come your way at a company, > you have to find it. I have also found that there are lots of people > with Master's who really are not worth a crap and can't apply anything > they learned so don't be one of those. But you are right, time > constraints usually dictate who gets to work on what, so you have to > show you can use your skills quickly, but also get it done right. > > It's not that glamorous out there, it sure seemed like it would be > during university though.Yup. One thing you learn about hiring fresh college hires is to be leery of the guy who got straight A's and never did anything real. Design engineers who are charged with getting useful work out of you fast are going to be very impressed with senior projects, Master's thesis research, independent activity (like robotics clubs) or even hobby activity that actually coughed up something real. (Note that getting straight A's is just fine -- it's being one of those cocky bastards with the boss's respect and a penchant for destroying lab machinery that your prospective colleagues and mentors want to avoid). If you can show up at your interview with some working hardware in your briefcase (or a working app on your phone, if you're going for pure software), then you'll be ahead of the guy who got good grades but is unaware that a resistor gets hot when you run current through it. -- My liberal friends think I'm a conservative kook. My conservative friends think I'm a liberal kook. Why am I not happy that they have found common ground? Tim Wescott, Communications, Control, Circuits & Software http://www.wescottdesign.com
Reply by ●March 2, 20122012-03-02
Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote: (snip)> One thing you learn about hiring fresh college hires is to be leery of > the guy who got straight A's and never did anything real. Design > engineers who are charged with getting useful work out of you fast are > going to be very impressed with senior projects, Master's thesis > research, independent activity (like robotics clubs) or even hobby > activity that actually coughed up something real.> (Note that getting straight A's is just fine -- it's being one of those > cocky bastards with the boss's respect and a penchant for destroying lab > machinery that your prospective colleagues and mentors want to avoid).In phyiscs, that is known as the difference between theorists and experimentalists. (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauli_effect ) Before I knew about that, I remember my undergrad physics TA commenting about noticing some problems future experimentalists did better on, and others future theorists. That is, without actually knowing the students, he could see it in the score distributions.> If you can show up at your interview with some working hardware in your > briefcase (or a working app on your phone, if you're going for pure > software), then you'll be ahead of the guy who got good grades but is > unaware that a resistor gets hot when you run current through it.also, who know which end of the soldering iron to hold. -- glen
Reply by ●March 2, 20122012-03-02
On Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:48:04 -0600, "jacobfenton" <jacob.fenton@n_o_s_p_a_m.gmail.com> wrote:>>I did some control theory, signal processing, communications. Now I'm >>doing my masters in statistical signal processing, pattern recognition, >>machine learning, information theory, audio processing etc. >> >>It's really a lot of maths and I'm sure it's used a lot and there's a ton > >>of research on it but I've never been shown where or how it's used. I've >>only been taught the theory. So what can I do with it? Can I really use >>it safely without doing a PhD? >> >>Yet, people in the industry often don't have time to do very complex >>things because of time constraints. So even if you are an expert in these > >>fields you might have to quickly produce a very naive solution because it > >>has to be done "by tomorrow" or some other tight deadline. >> >>I really engjoy what I am studying and I found a job very quickly (I'm >>pretty sure my job will require nothing I've learnt at uni) but how am I >>to use it? Any examples? >> > >Somehow show your employer that you can actually apply all that crap you >learned, someone will notice eventually. I find you have to be self >motivated, nothing will miraculously just come your way at a company, you >have to find it.Hello jacobfenton, Your words reminded me of a quote: "Opportunity doesn't come knocking at your door. It beeps its horn as it's driving by." [-Rick-]
Reply by ●March 2, 20122012-03-02
On 3/2/2012 2:32 PM, glen herrmannsfeldt wrote:> > also, who know which end of the soldering iron to hold. > > -- glenIs the soldering iron thing still being used these days? I skipped all my lab classes for the computational ones :) --Nasser
Reply by ●March 2, 20122012-03-02
On Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:25:57 -0800, Rick Lyons wrote:> On Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:48:04 -0600, "jacobfenton" > <jacob.fenton@n_o_s_p_a_m.gmail.com> wrote: > >>>I did some control theory, signal processing, communications. Now I'm >>>doing my masters in statistical signal processing, pattern recognition, >>>machine learning, information theory, audio processing etc. >>> >>>It's really a lot of maths and I'm sure it's used a lot and there's a >>>ton >> >>>of research on it but I've never been shown where or how it's used. >>>I've only been taught the theory. So what can I do with it? Can I >>>really use it safely without doing a PhD? >>> >>>Yet, people in the industry often don't have time to do very complex >>>things because of time constraints. So even if you are an expert in >>>these >> >>>fields you might have to quickly produce a very naive solution because >>>it >> >>>has to be done "by tomorrow" or some other tight deadline. >>> >>>I really engjoy what I am studying and I found a job very quickly (I'm >>>pretty sure my job will require nothing I've learnt at uni) but how am >>>I to use it? Any examples? >>> >>> >>Somehow show your employer that you can actually apply all that crap you >>learned, someone will notice eventually. I find you have to be self >>motivated, nothing will miraculously just come your way at a company, >>you have to find it. > > Hello jacobfenton, > Your words reminded me of a quote: "Opportunity > doesn't come knocking at your door. It beeps its horn as it's driving > by." > > [-Rick-]I was so clueless when I first started in the working world. I'd get something done, then just out of curiosity I'd go down to the manufacturing floor or out to Service to see if it was holding up. It took me years to realize that what I was doing was "following through with stakeholders" and not "pestering". -- Tim Wescott Control system and signal processing consulting www.wescottdesign.com
Reply by ●March 3, 20122012-03-03
On Mar 2, 8:49�pm, Tim Wescott <t...@seemywebsite.please> wrote:> I was so clueless when I first started in the working world. �I'd get > something done, then just out of curiosity I'd go down to the > manufacturing floor or out to Service to see if it was holding up. > > It took me years to realize that what I was doing was "following through > with stakeholders" and not "pestering". >I am not a native speaker of English and thus am completely baffled as to whether Tim is saying that in the early part of his career, the manufacturing floor and Service appreciated and welcomed his visits or thought he was pestering them, and whether he means that he continues visiting them (though in a more clueful state), or has stopped visiting them since he is more clueful? How do native speakers of English (or American) interpret this response? Dilip Clueless
Reply by ●March 3, 20122012-03-03
dvsarwate wrote:> On Mar 2, 8:49 pm, Tim Wescott<t...@seemywebsite.please> wrote: > >> I was so clueless when I first started in the working world. I'd get >> something done, then just out of curiosity I'd go down to the >> manufacturing floor or out to Service to see if it was holding up. >> >> It took me years to realize that what I was doing was "following through >> with stakeholders" and not "pestering". >> > > > I am not a native speaker of English and thus am > completely baffled as to whether Tim is saying that > in the early part of his career, the manufacturing floor > and Service appreciated and welcomed his visits or > thought he was pestering them, and whether he > means that he continues visiting them (though in a > more clueful state), or has stopped visiting them since > he is more clueful? How do native speakers of English > (or American) interpret this response? > > Dilip CluelessI would read it as the manufacturing floor and the service department appreciated Tim's visits. It was Tim who thought his visits might be "pestering".
