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| From One Techie to Another | |||||||||||||||||||||||
The Social Engineer To some people, that may sound like an oxymoron. After all, most engineers are pretty introverted and they typically are not described as being overly social. Take me, for example. I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and I had an aptitude for math and science courses. OK, I admit it, I was a nerd. I received a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I realize to some people that may sound like an oxymoron also. After all, Madison is known as the party school. Somehow I managed to graduate with a BS-EE (pretty decent GPA too), and I did partake in some campus festivities. I like to consider myself well-rounded. But, let me tell you, deep down I’m still that introverted engineer. Maybe it was my experience at Madison, or maybe I just got tired of all the theoretical engineering I studied, but in my last year of college, I decided I didn’t want to be a “typical” engineer. That’s when I became familiar with yet another oxymoron – Sales Engineer. This profession is ideal for those individuals who have a solid technical aptitude, but also possess a more social personality. And so I began interviewing for Sales Engineer positions, landing my first job selling motion control products. This was my entrance into the automation industry – and I’ve been here ever since. In my career, I’ve worked for a Manufacturer, a Manufacturer’s Rep, a Distributor and a Systems Integrator. Who would have ever imagined I’d be publishing an industry web site today? Certainly not me. So what’s my point? It’s been more than a year since we launched Automation.com’s professional (social) networking site at My.Automation.com. We were very excited about the possibilities of creating a popular MySpace-like web site for the automation industry. Of course, we weren’t naive going into it. We knew the automation engineering audience was going to be a tough nut to crack. It has been slow going. In the last year, the site has attracted nearly 1200 members from all over the world. Most of those 1200 haven’t done more than set up a minimal profile. Only a handful of people have actually used the groups and forums, and I’m the only blogger. I guess I’m feeling a little lonely. So I’m going back to the basics and introducing myself on a social level, as if we just met in person. I wanted to share my personal story of who I am and how I entered the automation industry. I’m not a high profile publisher. I'm just that small-town boy from Wisconsin who ended up publishing. Like I always say, “You can take the kid out of Wisconsin, but you can’t take the Wisconsin out of the kid.” You have your own story and I’d like to hear it. Tell me how you entered the automation industry in the Forum - How I got into the Automation industry. I invite you to join My.Automation.com and add me as one of your contacts. If you do decide to register, please complete your profile as much as possible because that’s how you can find others with similar experience, jobs, vendors, interests, etc. For example, if your job title is “Controls Engineer,” it will become a keyword hyperlink that links you to all other members with Controls Engineer as a job title. This industry is small and the longer you stay in it, the smaller it gets. I’d like to get to know as many other automation professionals as possible. I’m here for the duration! Bring out that social engineer. I know he or she is in there. It won’t hurt, I promise. Enjoy the rest of this Automation Weekly! Rick Zabel |
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| Featured Article | |||||||||||||||||||||||
XML Control Logic Standard Gains Acceptance as Digital Factory Interface Read full article by Bill Lydon, Managing Director of PLCopen North America Browse Portals for more articles, white papers and application stories by topic |
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| Salary Survey | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2008 Automation.com Salary Survey
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| Product Announcements | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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For MORE of the latest product announcements, go to our Daily News Headlines page. Product & Supplier Search
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Other Resources & Literature:
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Other Company & Organization News:
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Go to our Daily News Headlines page for the latest automation news. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Jobs | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Here's a list of new jobs posted on Automation.com:
To view other recent job postings, please use our Job Search Function. For recruiting and contract staffing services, please visit www.automationtechies.com. |
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| Humor of the Week | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Dilbert - Would your boss pass the Turing Test? |
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I hope you enjoyed this Automation Weekly update. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the content in this e-newsletter or on Automation.com, please don't hesitate to contact me. Rick Zabel For editorial inquiries, please contact Rick Zabel |
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