So far, I have been working as hard as possible on the high voltage system, but with the deadline looming closer and closer, I had to switch gears. If anything, I have started to work more hours. My schedule now looks like this:
- Morning – 5 PM: Logistics work, with 1 hr. lunch break
- 5 PM – 7 PM: Dinner in apartment (I had an eating-out spree last month, so I definitely need to pull back some)
- 7 PM – 11 PM: Work on high voltage system and NI CompactRIO
It is quite a tiring schedule, and I wish more people would help with this project. I also (somewhat foolishly) signed myself up to give high school students some presentations via the Women in Engineering Program (WEP). I signed up because not many student organizations are active during the summer. More importantly, I believe that it is important that I pass the baton to a group of younger students. In any case, I followed through today with the presentations and learned that I love audience-presenter interaction! Besides talking about the solar car team, I gave them some takeaways for their education now:
- Be involved: It will give you the chance to learn things that are not in the books and give you hands-on experience with what has been discussed in the books.
- Take pride in your work: You will set higher standards for yourself and be able to achieve more.
- Don’t be a fair-weather fan in projects: Never, ever let a project fail without putting up a good fight and giving it everything you got. You just might be the person who will make or break it.
- Be patient: Innovation rarely happens overnight, and what you do may contribute to something bigger.
- Take chances! Make mistakes! Learn from them!: Innovation does not happen without people pushing their luck, blowing something up (by accident), falling flat on their faces, etc.
- Your education is a two-way street: Interact with your teachers, and you will be able to stand on the shoulders of giants.
- Consider Every Option (even if it is not engineering): Find your passion and pursue it. Choose a career path that makes you happy. There are many needs that need to be fulfilled, and many of these needs require people with special qualifications.
Here are just a few pictures from this week:
Looking good, Bunny!