Coop Job Perk

So I just found another reason why I enjoy cooping out in Seattle. In addition to a cooler climate there are tons of parks and trails to hit up. Last week I was informed my company was going to send me with another Otak employee out to a few state parks to do some site investigation tasks. So what does all this mean? Well, basically I’m going to get paid to go camping, hiking, and biking for the month of June. For me this definitely tops sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day. I do know which parks I’m going to be in which is cool, but what really would have topped the task is if the park contained a significant mountain (+8,000 ft) so I could work on my mountaineering skills. But either way not many coops will be able to say they got paid to go camping. I’m still a little unsure about what information we will be gathering. But I’m sure I’ll get more details in the next few days.

I’m a little concerned about the time frame because it tentatively looks like I’d get done with that task and then head immediately to Kenya for two weeks. In other words, I could be away from the office for 6 weeks and get paid for four weeks. With lots to do before we leave, the unclear nature of my communication abilities concerns me right now. But hopefully in the coming weeks we get everything to about a 90% completion level. I’m hoping part of the contract involves me getting camping gear or money for new gear. Nothings better than going to REI for gear and not having to worry about being completely responsible for the bill.

You might be an engineer if…

I got a funny email that I thought would be interesting to share. It was entitled “You may be an engineer if…” Although it is too long to post the entire thing here, I’ve picked out a few points to talk about.

1. You have no life- and you can prove it mathematically.
2. If it is sunny and 70 degrees outside, and you are working on a computer.
3. If you always do homework on Friday nights
4. If when you look in a mirror, you see a engineering major.

I’m not going to lie, engineering is hard work. Often times you have to study when non-engineering majors are socializing. However, being in engineering does not mean that you can’t also have a life. I’m actively involved in several student organizations outside of engineering. Many of my friends are not in engineering and I frequently spend time with them going to sporting events, events on campus, or catching dinner and a movie. If you manage your time wisely, there is no reason you can’t do well in engineering and have a life too. Another common misconception of engineers is that we all have horrible style. Although we can’t compete with the clothing choices of some of the art students (where do they come up with those styles?), engineering students are definitely NOT all Steve Urkle look a likes.

Most of the courses I’ve taken this year do not have a true midterm and final. Almost every class has several quizzes, 2 or 3 tests, and a final. This quarter in calculus my professor, Dr. Sontag, even drops our lowest exam and our lowest quiz. This quarter I’ve been really lucky. My exams have all fallen on opposite weeks. This means I haven’t had more than one exam in one week so I’ve had more time to study for each test. The downfall to this is that I’ve had an exam almost every week. However, I’ve scored exceptionally higher on exams this quarter than I have in past quarters and I think it is largely in part to the fact that I’m not stretching myself too thin. Speaking of exams, I have a Mechanics exam coming up so I should probably go study.