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US Student Seeking Education Advice
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onlooker:
In some of the posts, I can see the tendency to place work experience against college degree.

But the truth can be quite the opposite if one views the process of getting the degree as a big relevant project and experience. 

With this view, it is also easily understandable that after working in a field for many years, that relevant "degree" project becomes remote and therefore less relevant just like any other project one had done long long ago.
EEVblog:

--- Quote from: nctnico on September 21, 2014, 01:02:53 am ---Unfortunately sometimes it is hard to tell whether someone is interested in electronics or not. At one point my boss promised an internship to one of his relatives. The young man in question didn't make much effort to sell himself (rather the opposite) but I soon discovered he had a real talent for electronics.

--- End quote ---

Yes, I've seen that, and it can be an unfortunate problem for some people.
When interviewing people I have been able to pick up a "vibe" that it's just interview nerves or whatever. So if I sense that then I try various ways to coax some excitement or knowledge in them.
But for me, your work experience (or qualifications) isn't enough, if you can't at least show some promise in the interview then as an employer there isn't really anything I can do about that. I have to ultimately base it on the interview and the vibe I get.

Of course, it's also not just a matter of being enthusiastic and bringing stuff to show, you have to back it up.
I once had this guy who had a few years experience in micro development, was totally enthusiastic and confident, resume sounded great, good education from a top local uni, bought in his thesis project documentation which looked great, I thought he'd be a shoe-in.
I really liked him and was getting a good vibe, but then asked him some basic questions like "can you name some brands of micro's"? - zip!
Huh? I thought you were a microcontroller specialist?
Ok, so I opened random page of his thesis project project and asked him to explain some stuff - zip!
Well, ok, you can't remember everything, lets try again by getting him to explain what he wrote on a random page. Even when it was clearly written there in front of him he still couldn't explain it! Clearly he got someone to write his thesis project for him.
Couldn't boot him out of there fast enough. FAIL.
tggzzz:

--- Quote from: nctnico on September 21, 2014, 01:02:53 am ---Unfortunately sometimes it is hard to tell whether someone is interested in electronics or not. At one point my boss promised an internship to one of his relatives. The young man in question didn't make much effort to sell himself (rather the opposite) but I soon discovered he had a real talent for electronics.

--- End quote ---
I've seen that too.

One problem youngsters (like my daughter) have is that they don't know what they have to offer - until they've witnessed what other people don't have to offer. Youngsters tend to do /learn remarkable things without realising how remarkable they are.

The only way around this is to get some, any, experience of a workplace doing something roughly relevant to your field near to people that are working in your chosen profession (i.e. not bar staff, although a bit of that does give some useful "life skills" too!). Then you'll see how callow/immature others can be, and be able to ask/witness what employers value.
EEVblog:

--- Quote from: tggzzz on September 21, 2014, 08:13:40 am ---The only way around this is to get some, any, experience of a workplace doing something roughly relevant to your field near to people that are working in your chosen profession (i.e. not bar staff, although a bit of that does give some useful "life skills" too!).

--- End quote ---

A reminder - anyone who puts their primary or high school and/or non-engineering related jobs or hobbies on their Resume gets marked down!
tggzzz:

--- Quote from: EEVblog on September 21, 2014, 09:29:07 am ---
--- Quote from: tggzzz on September 21, 2014, 08:13:40 am ---The only way around this is to get some, any, experience of a workplace doing something roughly relevant to your field near to people that are working in your chosen profession (i.e. not bar staff, although a bit of that does give some useful "life skills" too!).

--- End quote ---
A reminder - anyone who puts their primary or high school and/or non-engineering related jobs or hobbies on their Resume gets marked down!

--- End quote ---
Oh, that's a little simplistic! There can be relevant non-technical "life skills" learned in non-engineering hobbies, and HR-droids love those (partly because they can talk about them).

Example: one of my daughter's hobbies allowed her to demonstrate teamwork in dangerous environments, and that she could competently handle unexpected problems (that caused other people to visibly blanch) on her own.
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