Tech Tuesday! : Wizard of Oz GPS Shoes

So what do I do when i'm extremely bored and my credit card is calling my name? I order shoes. Not them high heeled back breakers, these would be nice nike high tops with .....i'm getting off topic. Well, on my search this week I came across these shoes by Dominic Wilcox:

Not only are these shoes classically stylish, but they're the perfect shoe for direction challenged folk like myself. Inspired by Dorothy's heels in the wizard of Oz, one click of these heels and they'll guide you home; all you have to do is upload your destination and you're off. No more wandering down streets attempting to look more lost than you are, miming looking in different directions hopelessly in hopes some poor local will take pity on  you. 

These are currently on display at the London 2012 Design Festival. You can check out his project HERE.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

Resume

It's that time of year again....updating your resume! All of the large companies (especially oil companies) start their recruitment in early October, and September is a great time to add your summer experience and get someone to critique your current style.

Danielle has already done a previous post, but here are some links that I like to look at:

Career Resource Manual, UC Davis Internship and Career Center
This is a GREAT resource! If you need to format your resume or cover letter, or if you need a list of verbs to look from, be sure to look at this. This is usually where I refer people first.

Ask A Manager
One of my favorite blogs. People submit questions (many including, "Is this legal?"), and she answers them. The first time I found it, I was absorbed for a couple of hours.

        Good thing to note: she always advocates the use of a cover letter...even if it's not required. If I don't have an option, I'll usually upload a resume with the cover letter in the same document....that way, they won't miss it. The only exception: when the application says, "No cover letters, please." I've seen it once.

Look out for resume workshops. Potential places to have your resume looked at:

• Career Center
• Academic Advisor
• Recruiting companies that hold "resume workshops"- I had Chevron look at my resume a few years back. My main tactic: let them meet me and see my qualifications before I apply, hehehe.
• Friends

       Good thing to note: Please, Please, Please, Please, try your best at a resume before you have someone look at it. It's really annoying to see an un-formatted list of jobs without descriptions, dates, and formatting. The reviewer is reviewing your resume, not creating it from scratch.

Good luck with the job search!

Serena

Looking Ahead

As many of you know, I spent a quarter/semester in Washington DC last Fall. I worked for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

I had a friend who wanted to know a good timeline for officially applying for everything. So here's my timeline of events for large "life" events:

Fall 2010: Decision to take a quarter off in Fall 2011 decided (Washington DC or Co-op elsewhere)
Late Fall 2010/ Early Winter 2011: applied for Washington Program
Late Winter 2011: Acceptance into the Washington Program
Spring through Summer 2011: Applying for jobs/internships in the DC area
Fall 2011: Worked in Washington DC

So, you should plan for about a year in advanced. However, there are other programs and events that take longer. If you are interested in a specific program, it doesn't hurt to look ahead of time.

Also, I know many of you are rushing to graduate.  But just a reminder: it isn't a good idea to graduate if you don't have any job experience. If you can, I would recommend two engineering internships before you graduate. If you can't, one engineering internship is good, but two is better. And if you absolutely cannot land an engineering internship, make sure to have a job. I've seen people who don't have any experience whatsoever (no volunteer, no McDonalds, nothing).

In addition, I would be wary of Summer school. Working and attending school is often a good setup, but not always feasible. Use the summer to build your skills, even if it is flipping burgers. You'll be able to market your skills for punctuality, teamwork, handling money (trust), dealing with customers professionally and politely. It's way more than school will ever give you.

Adventures in the CAE, Part I

Last quarter, the subject of high school novels came up. Someone mentioned, "You know what book I loved? To Kill a Mockingbird!" Suddenly, people turned around in their swivel chairs:

"I hated that book!"

"I loved that book!"

"That book was okay...I didn't really get it."

"Poor Atticus..."

"I never really saw the importance of that book..."  

This continued for a few more moments until someone was frustrated enough to say, "To Kill A Mockingbird is about civil rights!"

The CAE got quiet, and everyone put their head down acknowledging that he was right...maybe in that moment, some students finally understood the meaning of the book.

It's moments like these that stick in my head. My combustion homework was no longer important. It was realizing that, again, life goes beyond engineering. Tolerance and civil rights are part of an ideal picture of our world, and we strive for it no matter what our scientific situation looks like... and I think our high school English teachers would be proud.

Times change, people don't.

-Serena

Adventures in the CAE, Intro

The Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Computer Lab at UC Davis is an interesting place where I get my homework done started. The room is called "Computer Aided Engineering," or the CAE. It reminds me of my trip to NASA JPL during my sophomore year in high school. The lab is filled with computers and engineers, and as my mother would say, "has enough brain power to-blow-the-roof-off." There are students in the lab from open to close, some students working in there all day.

Since this room is filled with students from dawn until dusk (and afterward), there are many scenarios that have occurred during my tenure as an undergraduate. This series is devoted to those situations (some serious and some hilarious), but I want to shine a light on the fact that more than engineering occurs in the CAE....actually, we could probably do more engineering....but regardless, the CAE is where one goes to hear people's dreams and aspirations...and college shenanigans. :-D

In the CAE, I've met the following people:

• the future Naval Officer
• the veteran (War in Iraq)
• the comedian
• the rapper
• the pilot
• the person crazy about NASCAR
• the protester (yes, he was sprayed with pepper spray)
• the political activist
• the athlete
• the mid-life crisis
• and of course, the girl.

Over the years, I've tried to show people that engineering is more than just engineering. People don't really understand that. So here I stand write this "Adventures in the CAE" series as a witness to show you that life goes beyond the homework, formulas, projects, and all-nighters.

Be sure to look for future posts regarding the CAE.

-Serena

Tech Tuesday! USB Cuff Links

So at some point or another I think every little boy or girl wants to be James Bond, or Lara Croft, or some other international badass with spy gear. While perusing my very extensive list of geeky gear sites I came across these.

USB cuff links. RIGHT?! Just in case you happen to be dressed up for some fancy shpancy event and decide its time to play James Bond. Not particularly useful, they're only 2 gigs each for a whopping $250, but it would definitely boost the Bond factor. They also can function as a wifi hotspot and could be used in a business meeting to bring along documents I suppose.....personally, I prefer my James Bond suggestion.

Until next week.

Cheers,

N. Riazi

GRE Tips and Tricks!: Quantitative: Numeric Entry

The newest question type to the GRE is the Numeric Entry. You are given NO answer choices and must calculate and enter your answer. Pretty straightforward. I only have have a few basic tips to share with you on this question type.

Tip 1
READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY. I cannot stress this enough as this is something I have difficulty with as well. Are you answering the question asked?

Tip 2
Estimate. Make a rough estimate just by reading the question as to whether the answer will be large or small.

Tip 3
DO NOT ROUND UNTIL THE END. Do all your calculations using exact answers until the very end. The instructions will sometimes include an instruction for rounding. Did you follow this? If no instruction as to rounding is provided (double check your answer) enter your exact answer.

Tip 4
Check your solution with Tip 2 above. Does the solution seem to "fit" what you expected the answer to be?

Until next time.

Cheers,

N. Riazi