Latest / Black Box Theory Podcast / How to Actually Find Your Engineering Passion | Wesley Grammer
Transcript
- Malcolm: But I guess like kind of building on that an initial question, I wanted to ask like obviously like you had like bits and pieces and like you mentioned, like facets of maritime that you liked and you didn't like, but I wanted to ask like was there a specific class, a professor, a project, or just like like a very like specific, I think, kind of like time at ANT that pointed you toward electrical computer hardware? I mean electrical and computer engineering before you'd committee before you'd com fully committed to like that switch. So I don't know if there was like a something that you had worked on where you was like, you know what, like yeah, I I gotta like like like stick with this, or was it like more of like a you'd say like a gradual kind of like, you know, inclination towards electrical? Wesley Grammer: I I feel like it was gradual. Like I don't think it was something that immediately kinda hit me 'cause the grad school path in general wasn't something that I initially knew I was gonna do until like kind of midway through senior year when the opportunity presented itself. But kinda looking back, like I just said, like looking at back at classes like our Arduino project where it really wasn't too much curriculum based and we were just building Malcolm: Yeah. Wesley Grammer: a system that incorporated electronics obviously still had a mechanical aspect to it, but incorporated electronics and Arduino, whatever. Like I really enjoyed that process, kind of being able to lean into the the software coding with Arduino and then obviously the hardware building out whatever system that you were gonna kind of power through it. That looking back, I realized that that was kind of where my interest was and it kind of always has been. Like I've always, even like growing up, kind of been in that Like I did Lego Mind Storm growing up. So like doing stuff like that, programming hardware to kind of do whatever function that you kinda wanted to, but still kind of utilizing your hands and being on the hardware side, like that was always my niche. And I just didn't really wasn't really aware of it or keen to it until kind of looking back now, I started my degree and stuff like that. But I wouldn't say it was like a specific moment. It was more of a kind of gradual build up and now being able to look back on my life and my experiences, it kind of makes sense as to why I kinda ended up here. So yeah. Thomas: No, that that's that's valid. That's valid. I think, like as someone who knows you, right? I think for one, it's interesting to go this route, the electrical computer route. When, you know, as ME's, people went to school for mechanical engineering. You look at electrical engineers, you're like, bro, I'm not doing that. Like that, that's like one of the harder, Malcolm: Yeah. Thomas: like top hardest majors you can pick it from our perspective, Wesley Grammer: Yeah. Thomas: right? And also, just like the curiosity to do more. stuff as well. So I think like a key point in all of this is kind of separate yourself and do do what's different. A lot of people in our major, they're not really focused on learning about business. They're not focused on going more Wesley Grammer: Yeah. Thomas: into electrical. And I just I don't know, just listening to the origin and then looking back on history I think it's important to to share that for the audience. Like you actually went through a lot of iterations. Like we can't cover everything in the in the episode but Wesley Grammer: Yeah. Thomas: there was a lot of like corners that you had to turn just to even see what was for you, some doors and open. Wesley Grammer: Yeah. Yeah. Thomas: Even like you said, like the whole going to grad school thing was you didn't know until senior year, like halfway through senior year when the opportunity presented itself. So I guess I just wanted to ask kind of like outside of what we are on the path to ask, but how much did you kind of put faith into just trusting the process for where you are versus like sticking to a plan like I'm gonna do this and get it there. Wesley Grammer: Yeah. Like I mean you touched on it for sure. Like I feel like all at one point like during undergrad we were all kind of like question marks. Like we were sitting in class looking at each other like this ain't it. But like we also Malcolm: Well Wesley Grammer: we also like didn't really know exactly what direction we wanted to go. So we all kind of leaned into like more kind of like you said, business stuff, like just testing the waters with anything. Cause y if you don't I feel like That's one of the things that I see and I recommend to people still coming up and coming through undergrad. Like, if you do not know what it is that you want to do or your major Malcolm: Yeah. Wesley Grammer: isn't tied to what your interests are, use internships as your opportunity to see what it is that you like doing. Like Malcolm: Yeah, bro. Only way you're gonna know. Wesley Grammer: literally, like it's it's a three month period where you get to test the waters and figure out, okay, let me s essentially simulate corporate for three months at a time. doing this certain role and figure out if this is something that I want to be doing for the rest of my life. Or not even the rest of my life, but at least coming out of undergrad. Like you shouldn't necessarily like you should always be looking for employment and looking for opportunities every summer. But they don't always necessarily have to be tied to what your major is, especially if you don't enjoy what you're doing in school. Like that should be your opportunity to reach around, figure out, pivot, like get something on your resume that's different than what your major is, that you have a a a breadth of experience that you can kind of present to whatever direction that you want to end up going in.