Ask a RoadRunner

[RoadRunner79]

If I remember correctly, you've remarked that you're an engineer.  Why did you pursue engineering? 

P.S. If I have remembered incorrectly, then please forgive me and please disregard my question.

I am an electrical engineer... controls engineer to be more specific.  Electrical engineering is actually a fairly broad field.

And I kind of fell into it.  I went to a tech school for an associates in electronics technology.  From there I was recruited to a steel mill.  They came to our school, because they could normally get a couple of people to pass the test.  At my time, I was the only one who passed the test (although there was another guy who wasn't interested, but I know would have made it.  The reason why I chose an electrical field, was probably because it was the least understood in my physics classes.    Anyway, I move from good old PA to near Chicago to work in instrumentation as a steel mill.  The had training for the first 6 months with four days in the classroom, and one at our assigned location (this steel mill employed about 6500 people).  It was a good job, and I worked with a bunch of good "old guys".   Instrumentation was the geeks of the redneck world, so I fit in well.    After a few years, I decided I missed family, and moved back to PA, where I worked on X-Ray film handling equipment.  The original plan was to train me on the the X-rays machines themselves, but my bosses changed quicker than trumps cabinet and that never happened.  So as a person, who was being over-payed and under-worked (working from home and the film side of x-ray going to digital) I was laid off. 

From there I found myself in my current job.  It started out mostly as troubleshooting machine controls, with a little bit of engineering/ programming for small machines.  Now the engineering has increased quite a bit.  We hired another engineer, and are almost in need of another (or someone to do troubleshooting).  We do programming, design machine controls, CAD, make graphical machine interfaces, and troubleshoot machines that we built, as well as others.   We work in motion control, safety systems, and have done camera inspection and other test systems.   We try to do anything controls and electrical wise for industrial.

I took some programming (pascal) and drafting in high school.  There was some CAD in it, but for the most part it was pencil and paper.   I lucked out, in getting in at the steel mill, which prepared me for the troubleshooting, and taught me to look at how stuff works, not just to memorize specific problems.  I realize this is probably longer than you where looking for.  But everything just kind of fell into place for me.  Right now, I facing some decisions between money, and health and happiness.  I'm not necessarily gong to quit doing what I'm doing, but I may need to make some changes.  I have long hours often, and the troubleshooting and controls stuff does put on a  lot of stress.

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When I first started posting on forums, it was in the ACE750 group on delphi forums which was my first bike.  When I made my account, I was trying to come up with a username.  I had a mouse pad from my internet provider which was roadrunner cable.  This seemed like a good name for a motorcycle forum (I'm may not be the most creative person).  Plus, as a 38 year old man, I'm not ashamed to say that I still love Looney Tunes.  Even the ones that are now banned for being politically incorrect.

Looney Tunes are where it’s at! I used to watch them before bed when I was little.  They were pretty sick in hindsight, lol.  Poor Bugs Bunny was always getting boiled alive!  They just don’t make cartoons like they used to.  😝

From some of the youtube videos here, I started watching some of the old Private SNAFU army training videos by Mel Blanc.   It is interesting to see Looney tunes in them.