Are you a hobbyist or a professional?

[mbu]

I’m new here so I've been searching thru the archives just to get the "feel" what is going on here. It's interesting to read about the different project you all come up with. So... why do you do it? Are you an electrical engineer and do this sort of thing for a living...or are you just someone that enjoys making things for yourself because you can't buy the "exact" thing you need? I'm sure there are many other reasons why you enjoy this either as a profession or a hobby. Care to comment? Maybe you could include what your main area if interest is too.

 

[AllVol]

Hobbyist.

Care to comment?

I would have been professional except that half a century ago, when I graduated from high school, the future of electronics was "the growing field of radio and TV repair!!!", or so the ads in Popular Mechanics said.

Only one who can look back to that phase of development and see the astounding progress that has been made can lament not being on that train.

 

[cadstarsucks]

I’m new here so I've been searching thru the archives just to get the "feel" what is going on here. It's interesting to read about the different project you all come up with. So... why do you do it? Are you an electrical engineer and do this sort of thing for a living...or are you just someone that enjoys making things for yourself because you can't buy the "exact" thing you need? I'm sure there are many other reasons why you enjoy this either as a profession or a hobby. Care to comment? Maybe you could include what your main area if interest is too.

Both. I was a hobbyist 30 yrs ago, turned engineer 20 yrs ago. I enjoy creating, pushing limits, and surprising others and hopefully myself. For myself the biggest surprise was when my design could measure 20pS repeatably when I fully expected there to be noise to filter out of the measurement.

D.

 

[ericgibbs]

hi,

I suppose I could call myself a professional engineer. [ now semi-retired aged 74]

Started my first electronics job in the R.A.F Ground Radar in 1950.

Been employed in the electronics industry ever since.

Been a Chartered Electronics,Radio and Electrical engineer since 1969. M.I.E.T.

Worked as Consultant, Technical Director, etc, still doing part time consultancy work.

Owned my own small international electronics company for the past 25 years.
Designing/Programming and Manufacturing electronic hydrographic surveying equipment.

My main reason for joining forums is I would like to give something back to the industry
and hopefully help the young engineers who are replacing me.

I only hope they get the same 'buzz', as I still get when a project goes well.


EricG

 

[jrz126]

I'm both well almost, I'm gonna grad-gee-ate in about 10 weeks. No job lined up yet...
I wouldn't have gone professional if it wasn't for the hobby.

 

[ericgibbs]

hi jrz,
Once you graduate, get into business for youself as soon as possible.
Along as you don't mind living on the edge. [Never, ever a business partnership!]

As the man said: "if your not living on the edge, your taking up too much space"

You may get some sleepless nights, but at least your future will be in your own hands.

Better than getting the 'brown' envelope at the end of month through someone else's mistakes.

Regards
Eric

 

[picbits]

Semi pro

I run my own company designing and using products with PIC microcontrollers. I also have in house PCB manufacturing capabilities (thanks to Ebay) with a few UV units and a couple of Mega etch tanks

 

[aibelectronics]

Reply

I'm an Electrical & Electronics Engineering graduate. I'm on the threshold between having graduated and getting a job or pursuing my Masters degree. Many I believe are currently students with a homework to fix, some are graduates like myself, some practising engineers, and some retired. Pray don't we have any Professor on this forum?

 

[chemelec]

I Was a Professional Design engineer in Analogue Electronics.

Now Retired and its just my Hobby to create Free Projects for persons with a hobby in Electronics.

Take care....Gary

 

[3v0]

Retired Professional Engineer. Now that I am a hobbyist I suppose that makes me a Professional Hobbyist.

I volunteer at the local high school where I teach CS and microprocessor development to a very small class.

I dabble in home automation.

3v0

 

[Andy1845c]

Hobbyist - and a novice at that. I'm not sure electronics would interest me if I wasn't able to just work on projects and concepts that interest me.

 

[Overclocked]

Both. I am going for my EE masters degree, but I also enjoy it as a hobby.

 

[dknguyen]

I curse the day that electronics as a hobby made me decide to study electrical engineering.

 

[fingaz]

well, I'm just a hobbyist. . . I've always been interested in how things work, then got interested in how to make broken things work again. then how to make new things
For me, it's mostly about the feeling of accomplishment. I can stand back and say 'I did that...'

 

[RadioRon]

I'm a Professional Engineer who recently left full time work and is now semi-retired. My specialty is managing RF designers, doing RF design at the circuit board level, and antenna design for portable electronics. I still enjoy small electronic projects, the kind of thing one person can do, and will do such projects for hobby or for commercial reasons. Either way it is creative and inventive work, and fun.

 

[philba]

Systems SW designer by day, hobbyist by night. And what ever time I can sneak during the day!

 

[OutToLunch]

...My specialty is managing RF designers...

that's funny!

 

[Hero999]

Both, but I wouldn't call my job proper engineering.

I'm an electrical vehicle systems enginner, which involves buying off the shelf equipment and fixing it together on a vehicle. I have done some proper electronics in my apprenticeship but when I qualified in 2005 there were no jobs available in the electronics department.

The company where I work handles MoD contracts so unfortunately I can't disclose any details of some of the more interesting jobs but I suppose I can say I've been involved in electric armour but that wasn't as interesting as it sounds.

 

[SPDCHK]

Hobbyist.

I've been interested in electronics since 1983, but unfortunately did not end up in the electronics field as a career. I'm in Process Automation, and have mainly worked with ABB equipment (PLC's and DCS's) for the last 14 years.

 

[RODALCO]

Hobbyist.
I have done N.Z.C.E. in power electronics, studied some advanced electronics, and like reading service manuals, Silicon Chip magazine, electronics schematics books.
I do the odd 110 and 24 volts battery charger repairs for the powercompany i work for as well as some SCADA repairs and alarm systems in substations.
I like using the older technology with discreet components like TTL, CMOS and normal transistors 2N3055, BC 547 etc, instead of using PICS or other type of processors.

I work mainly with 110, 230 / 400 Volts equipment as an electrician for the powerboard, normal wiring jobs, whatever has to be done, instrument calibration, pilot control systems for hotwater and streetlights, ripple injection plant, faultfinding in distribution cables, connecting up generators ( 100 to 1000 kVA )when there is an underground cable fault.
Work in 11, 22, 33 and 110 kV substations for all types of maintenance on OCB's, ABS's, electromechanical protection, testing and commisioning of substation transformers, and pressure testing of HV cables after a fault has been repaired.
Have over 20 years experience in kWh metering systems for revenue metering from the humble 1 phase one rate meter to the newer TOU metering systems with CT's currently in use at the larger customers. Done installation, calibrating, refurbishing old meters, timeclocks etc.