Committing to the mission

 

While talk continued amongst my classmates about the up-coming interviews and job offers each was entertaining, my focus shifted once I committed myself to the pursuit of graduate school.  This time, however, unlike the college search in under-grad, the process, procedures and outcomes were far more refined.  Like before, I had to decide what schools I wanted to apply to.  The type of program offered at each school was an important factor because I would devote the following years to the mastery of the specialization I chose.  Still, a university with breath, in addition to depth, could give me a broader, inter-disciplinary competency and offer more opportunities if I didn't know exactly what research I intended to conduct.  So the choice I had was not as simple as looking at national rankings, physical environment and support services.  With advice from my professors, campus career counselors, friends and family, I gradually developed boiled-down criteria for my decision process.

1.  Environment and location:  I quickly narrowed down the scope of graduate school inquiry to exclude all out-of-state programs.  Living in Santa Barbara was far enough from home to travel for my taste.  So I cut out southern California from my considerations.  After all, I had already determined that the only good engineering university South of Santa Barbara was not warm to the idea of a blind student on their campus unless he had a thick pocket book.  So this left between the bay area, and Santa Barbara open for possibility. 

2)  Increasing your opportunity via renowned research and graduate programs:  Once one has a graduate degree, nobody cares as much about where you went and what you did for your Bachelor's degree.  The choice of a graduate program, so my professors told me, would affect the quality of my specialized education, the chances for funding along the way, and most importantly the opportunity for references to jobs in academia or industry afterwards.  Going to a big name institution would carry a greater weight because the name would be more widely recognized by employers and review committees.  Professors who were well published would likely have more connections to institutions around the country and world and make it easier to publish your first papers.  Going to a top research-level institution with a doctorate tract in your field of interest was essential for anyone with the slightest aspiration of a career in academia.  My search for graduate programs in mechanical engineering at well-regarded institutions narrowed down to just three campuses in my target region.  I put U.C. Santa Barbara, U.C. Berkeley, and Stanford on my list of good candidates. 

3)  The research group:  Beyond the selection of a campus, at the graduate level prospective students should identify professors and research groups that are doing "interesting" research in a field you might want to specialize in.  Now sometimes under-graduates, I included, don't really know what sort of research they want to do or what even has merit.  But you can get a feel for the areas of expertise a department, and its professors have based on publications and course offerings.  After all, your faculty will be the greatest asset in mastering the field you choose.  Making contact and better yet working with research groups ahead of time will help in determining your match on an academic level and also on a personal level.  You will do best with a group that works in a way you are comfortable with (independent with few meetings versus highly collaborative with regular, mandatory meetings).

4)  Financial support:  Just as under-graduate education has a price tag, a graduate degree is not free.  That being said, depending on the type of graduate program pursued, there is a very different dynamic in the graduate level education than that of a Bachelor's degree.  The top students are sought after by all institutions and as such can expect some form of recruitment fellowship to be available.  Additionally, faculty with a flourishing research group are always looking for the next batch of students to bring under their mentorship, often in the form of a research assistantship.  While departments offer teaching assistantships as well, having a promise of an RA/TA position for the duration of your graduate studies is ideally what you want to receive.  Naturally this does not often get set until you officially begin as a grad student and formally select an advisor.  Still, knowing ahead of time may influence your manner of negotiation and final choice of school.

5)  Doctorial candidates:  The last tip truly applies most for the student who has potential for completing a doctorate degree.  So, while as a Senior frantically working towards completing your bachelor's degree the idea of a PhD may seem so far away as to be unrealistic, if you have the slightest idea of excelling to the pinnacle of the educational latter and gaining the expertise necessary to conduct research and teach at an academy, it is recommended that you apply for the doctorial program right off the bat.  Your chances for a good advisor's support and going all the way are much greater are you do.

 

With the pearls of wisdom from these four points imparted, I plunged on with excitement through the administrative part of the application for graduate school.

Deciding factors: Why choose graduate school over a job in industry??

At the beginning of my senior year of under-graduate studies, I was convinced of my destiny to work in industry immediately following graduation.  Heck, just a few months earlier the UCSB Outreach video man caught me on tape saying just that in reply to his question "What do you plan to do after graduation?""  For several years following this interview, Just about every freshman entering UCSB would hear me on the "Welcome to UCSB" video explain my plan to work in industry for a few years to get some practical experience before returning to school to get my Masters.  It was a done deal, so I thought.

 So naturally, starting with UCSB's Annual "Meet the Firms Business Careers Fair" on October 26, I lined up my calendar to attend all the info sessions and career workshops.  Its not that I hadn't been to many info sessions before in the Engineering II Pavilion and UCEN State Room during my previous three years.  But back then I was focused more on securing an internship or summer job than on full-time employment.  Now, however, it was time to do my homework on potential companies matching my interests and prepare the best I could, just as Don and the counseling staff recommended us seniors do.  Never mind that the company recruiters often enticed us college kids to come to their session with a nice Woodstocks or UCEN catering morsel and nifty corporate free-bee.  The HP and Microsoft sessions always were packed thanks to their laptop and palm pilot drawings. So, after making the rounds at the career fair, over the following week I sat in on the presentations given by Texas Instruments, Anderson Consulting, Raytheon and Chevron.

Then the graduate schools started their campaigns for attracting soon-to-be graduates like me.  The November 1st "Graduate school seminar" gave the counter-proposal for continued education.  Each of the schools represented had a compelling reason why I should come to their school.  Not only that, they presented an orderly plan of attack for how each of us "good" students should go about selecting and applying for graduate programs around the country.  Somehow this seemed less daunting than securing a job.  After all, just four years before I had gone through the same sort of process in selecting and applying for college. 

Well, the door of possibility had opened.  Even though I still believed industry was the right direction for me, I was intrigued by the polar perspectives presented by industry and academia. The flashy carrot of corporate sponsorship to go back to school on your employer's dime was no longer a big perk like I first thought before learning that many graduate programs offer full rides as well.  What then were the unspoken factors dictating a logical choice of heads or tails?  I decided I had better get to the bottom of my dilemma.

I set out to learn what I could from all the resources I knew to tap into.  My family, friends, career advisors, DSP, my fellow classmates and the ME professors were all on my list.  But the more I discussed, the better the argument for each side became.  I needed the nugget that would put this major decision into practical context for action.  Luckily for me, such a pearl of wisdom finally hit home during my meeting with the under-graduate department advisor, Prof. McLean.  This is what he said:

 

* If you are a good student now, have any intent or ambition for further higher education, and aren't burnt out, go to graduate school immediately after you finish under-grad.  It is far easier to get good letters of recommendation from faculty while you are taking classes than if you wait a few years.  Plus, the academy is primed for helping you with GRE preparation and polishing your personal statement whereas in a few years you would be on your own.  Additionally, many institutions can offer fellowships to top students like you to cover tuition and provide TA and/or RA positions for living expenses.  Finally, going to graduate school is much easier before working in industry because, as they say, ignorance is bliss.  Once you enter the life of a working man with bi-monthly pay checks, it's much harder to go back to the lowly life of a student.

 

So there it was: my answer finally came.  I concluded graduate school was the better path for me.

 

Advice from a Sage

The beauty of an institution is the institutional memory that years
of collaborative experience leaves behind even when its constituents
come and go. While each year, and each course, for the student is a
fresh and new experience, repetitive practice with the art of
education seasons both professors and academic counselors. And, this
is a good thing I say. For in the Fall many important dates must be
remembered in order for seniors to effectively navigate the waters
of post-undergraduate planning. First come the career fairs to
launch the employer's recruiting season. Then come the myriad of
"info sessions" hosted by all company recruiters with personnel
quotas to be filled. These sporadic events are followed soon after
by the job interviews. But, don't forget, in amongst all of this,
your trusty career counselors continue to hold specialized workshops
to help every pupil along each step of the process of job
placement. Is it any wonder that students start getting frantic
around the time of the first midterms with all this over-burdening
their already jam-packed and cluttered minds? Yet, this is only the
beginning. For not to be out-done by industry, academia puts in its
plug for fresh new talent each Fall as well.
University representatives, just like their industry counter-parts,
begin the info sessions for graduate studies as soon as the dust
settles from move-in week. Graduate school has a whole set of
considerations and requirements to be pondered as well. What field
do I want to pursue? Do I want to go for a certificate, masters, PhD
or professional certification in business, law or medicine? What
part of the country or world would I consider making home for the
duration of my graduate education? All of these questions toy with a
senior's mind as he sorts out the ultimate question: "What do I want
to do with my life?" Alas, if only difficult questions could be
deferred some more for another nice lark in the park of no responsibility.
Stepping in to help clear the abundant bewilderment, both campus
counselors and individualized department advisors make their annual
attempt at simplifying the decisions and steps of post-undergraduate
planning into a simple roadmap. First, line up the ducks with career
planning guides and academic check-lists. You do want to graduate on
time don't you? Second, study for and take the GRE. Third, attend
the info sessions and do your homework on the academic programs best
suited for your interests and ambitions. Then, it is never to early
to begin writing your personal statement and preparing application
materials. For if a senior thinks the first midterms come quick, the
second set of exams will arrive even quicker, and, right in their
footsteps are the first of the application deadlines. November,
December and January is when the pressure really picks up. Yet,
never fear. With all the help around and a clever initiative, there
will still be time for enjoying your last Autumn as an undergraduate
with your fellow friends and classmates.

Beginning The PhD Quest

An introduction to the quest:  Daring to dream

 

 

As the turning of the seasons brings life to Winter each year, as days lengthen and flower buds bloom, the Spring brings a time of excitement and rebirth.  The thoughts of studious students turn from their desk piled high with homework indoors beyond the window to the fresh air, grassy fields and sunny sky beyond.  For with rebirth comes change and with change comes consideration of the future.  What adventure shall I plan for the summer?  Where can I find a summer job?  Am I on track with my courses to finish on time and what do I need to take next Fall?  All these considerations start floating through the minds of college kids in their first three years as summer approaches.  And then the day comes in its full glory, and with it all worries are swept away.  Summer vacation has arrived.

Once Senior year begins , however, reality sets in again, tempered by the excitement of another new beginning.  For Fall brings both the return of shorter days, late nights in the library, and the kick-off of campus career fairs.  Every employer knows a fresh batch of college graduates will be needing something to do after graduation, whether or not the graduates themselves realize this fact or not.  All the big firms and local companies needing new blood have their reps on the road recruiting for the best.  But amidst the commotion of the Fall job recruitment campaigns, the academic world is sure to take their seat at the info tables.  The idea of graduate school may at first seem absurd to some.  As pending graduation forces the question of future career, those top students who have not yet burnt out completely from the rigors of under-graduate courses open their minds to the other possibilities before them.  Are there options besides taking a rubber stamped job after graduation?  What is this thing called "grad school"?  What does the civil service sector offer?  How can I gain experiences abroad before settling down?  Such questions are often asked, investigated and answered by the soon-to-be graduated senior.  All career counselors, department advisors, faculty, family members and of course friends are always standing by to offer their two cents worth of wisdom or advice.

 

What do I do after graduation?

 

"Surely the question of the future after attaining a bachelor's degree in college should be simple enough." Such was my attitude as Fall quarter began on the hot, sticky shores of campus point.  Like a puff of dust, any action on my career planning was pushed to the back of my mind as move-in day came that third week of September.  With memories of China still glowing bright, the spirits of both Mom and I were high.  After three years of moving into the dorms, we had the system down pat. All boxes were labeled; all my belongings had their prescribed place in my shared room. Even though the shear work of moving is a drain on one's energy, and cause enough for occasional short tempers, move-in day was still the easiest yet.  Finding Jack, the ever-watching, ever-helping facilities manager from my previous dorm there managing the move-in was a welcome surprise. The experience of an upstairs suite for eight was a new yet welcome one.  I quickly made friends with the little living room, containing the furnished card table and two adjacent sofas.  With a hug and good-bye, Mom hit the road again  , leaving me with a smile to embark on a final year of under-graduate, mechanical engineering studies.

With a blink of an eye, the first day arrived. Classes began the last Thursday of September.  Fortunately, most of my classes were on Friday. but by no means did this mean I could slack off the extra day like so many kids do.  No, as soon as I was settled, my coordinating and logistical arranging began all over campus.  The mailbox key had to be picked up; I needed my books from the UCSB Bookstore. Readers, note takers and home work assistants had to be recruited and hired at DSP.  I needed to meet with my Fall quarter professors to introduce myself and discuss the accommodations I would ask of them to make their courses a success. For once I was determined to have the materials, namely books, handouts and exams, ready in an accessible form before hand instead of the usual after-the-fact.  Fortunately, three years of trial and error had brought me far.  I now had a network of close friends and study partners. Still, planning and preparations only go so far.  When the real day comes, we're so often in for a surprise.  My career planning and the demands of four upper-level mechanical engineering classes were just that...a surprise, and shock.

Initiation of The Engineering Quest BLOG

Today I begin this BLOG, The Engineering Quest, as an avenue for sharing my personal story. "The Engineering Quest", as I now call it, is a journey from birth to graduation to realize my childhood dream to be an inventor and Engineer. This is a story of maintaining inspiration and hope despite the onset of blindness; it is a recollection of the challenges of paradigms and with technology encountered along the way. Yes, the quest is complete and I am enjoying the fruits of engineering despite my visual impairment.. The stories I share will not all be included here but some of the key highlights certainly can be expected to come over the days, weeks and months ahead. The eventuality of this work will be both a resource and narritive with the hope that others will benefit from the lessons I learned along my quest towards realizing my dream.