hello from a student / FNG

[michaelj199]

HI all
I've been lurking around the site for a while now but have not had anything worth posting. I've now finished my first air motor so ill introduce myself.
My names Michael Johnson and ive been going to school to be a machinist. im currently living in Lewiston, ID
ever since i was a kid i wanted to design and build things so i started school to be a engineer. i soon learned that engineers rarely design and build things and i hate calculus so i transferred to a school with an Automated Manufacturing program. i like it so far but i hope i can get a job this summer lol.
i have several engines of my own design in various stages of completeness and i have bought Steve's' little daemon plans so i have lots of projects. now if i can get good enough to build them and find the time. especially since i don't currently have any of machines of my own.

 

[rebush]

Michael: Welcome, it's nice to hear your interested in being a machinist. Not enough interest in the trades these days. You've got desire and plans I'm sure you'll find machines to work with. There's more information from this group than you'll know what to do with, and everyone's more than willing to share their knowledge. Hope all you're engines run smoothly. Roger

 

[stevehuckss396]

Welcome Michael!

Have fun with the engines and best of luck finding a job!!

 

[JorgensenSteam]

Calculus is just a language.

You can do without it, but you can go much further and understand much more if you learn it. After four years of calculus, you will be fluent in it, and you wonder what the big deal was. It is not as hard as it looks, you just need someone who can explain it to you in plain english.

E=mc squared looks like just any old formula, but if you understand the meaning behind it, you have an extraordinarily powerful thing.

Many engineers design things constantly, and many others build things too.

Getting through the math in engineering school is no easy task though, but it opens up a lot of doors/possibilities, for instance, instead of using machines, you can design machines.

I guess it is all in where your interests are.

Edit:
When I was 16, I went to work in a plant that made cooking oil. The oil was packaged hot, and the insides of the building in the area that I worked on a cold winter day were generally around 130 degrees. One day, a beautiful young (blond of course) girl with a pristine white lab coat and safety glasses came walking through, glancing and checking off things on her clipboard. After a few days of witnessing this, I asked the person next to me "How do I get a job like her's?".
"Oh honey" my co-worker said, "you got to go to college to get a job like that".
So I said "well screw this, I will see you in college", and I never looked back.

 

[b.lindsey]

Welcome Michael, I work in the engineering technology department of yjr college of engineering at UNC Charlotte and the one thig I see every day is that your desire to excel and work towards your goals is 0/10ths of the battle, the rest can be taught but the best teacher in the world can't pour knowledge into a closed mind. Best wishes to you in school and in the job market. In your spare time you can hang out here

Bill