Third Cubicle On The Right Essays - , Term Papers

Third Cubicle on the Right The doors open, you step off the elevator. You pass the vending machines, coffee makers and a box of glazed donuts. Veering to the left, you enter the array of cubicles from wall to wall. Something catches your eye. He's young, really young and he has his own desk here at Bell Helicopter Textron. No way you think to yourself, he must be somebody's kid playing on the computer. To be sure, you approach him and introduce yourself. As the two of you converse he tells you that he is an intern and will start at Texas AHe also mentions that this is his cubicle and he actually helps design certain parts of the helicopters on the CAD (Computer Aided Design) system. You sit down as curiosity takes over. The conversation continues, describing how he got the job and internship. He states, how in high school, he filled out an application. As you listen to his testimony, a question starts to form subconsciously in your head. In the middle of his sentence you ask, ?How do you know mechanical engine ering is right for you He jokingly answers that it was the research paper. You take another sip of cappuccino and a small bite of the donut you snagged on your way in. For the next twenty-five minutes you drink your drink and eat your eats as this boy described the pathway for his future. It sounded something like this. Determining if this is the future for me or not is a difficult decision, due to the fact that this is the rest of my life we're talking about. I have contacted a few Bell employees and some that are not associated with the Bell program. During these interviews, I collected information from various databases including those off the Internet. Three I intervewed gave me both odds and ends of mechanical engineering (M.E.). Each of the three works in a different type or division of M.E. One orders necessary materials for every part of an aircraft. Another designs and constructs medical equipment. The third, tests materials under stress for the helicopters at Bell. The first of these interviews was with Mr. Jeff Moorse. Mr. Moorse is a Senior Engineer at Abbott Laboratories in Irving. Mr. Moorse is one of the head designers of medical equipment. Mr. Moorse was the easiest to talk to. He has great communication skills. He answered every question and left nothing unanswered. He stated that communication is the essential factor in his line of business. When you design something, you cannot make it perfect by yourself. You need outside input to help complete a design. The only way that is possible is through communication. If you cannot complete an idea or explain what you are looking for you will never have a completed project. Mr. Moorse also included another important element in success, education. Mr. Moorse received a bachelor's degree in M.E. from Buffalo University in New York. He then moved to Irving and received a Masters in Business Administration at University of Dallas at night. The CAD system currently at Abbott Labs is a different ve rsion than that of Bell's. Mr. Moorse was very enjoyable to talk to. I interviewed him at a cross-country meet so the interview was not set in a business setting. It was a very comfortable setting and atmosphere. The interview went quite well from my point of view. The next engineer was Mr. James Foster of Northrop Grumman. He is also an M.E. and his title is Staff Engineer. He's the guy who orders and researches every single material or product used on an airplane. Mr. Foster gave me a negative look at M.E. since he seemed unhappy. The interview was a telephone interview, which made me feel uncomfortable because I feel like I do not have the person's full attention. This was especially the case with Mr. Foster. He seemed unpleased with his schooling in that he feels that the university concentrated on subjects unneeded in his work force. He went on about UTA, where he received a bachelor's degree, implying that they emphasized only mechanics instead