I’m currently a full-time engineer on hand-held ultrasound devices. My career path has been more circuitous than many but looking back I would change very little. My degrees are in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan, but I’m now more of a Mechanical/Electrical guy.
I did remodeling full-time for 3 years while on hiatus from “official” engineering, and still hold a builder’s license in Michigan. Several projects have (and do) focus on efficiency improvements for this type of work. I also started (and shuttered) a laser cut lake maps business in this period (video) (photos)
From fall 2015 to spring 2017 I focused exclusively on mechanical projects. The standing desk was the most notable one. I also improved dramatically in machining and welding, skills that have been crucial to my current work. YouTube is often mocked for silly videos but has an an incredible amount of machining, welding and electronics knowledge available. From 2017 to 2019 I worked on laparoscopic surgical tools and in 2019 started a new position focused on ultrasound devices.
I am also assisted by my brother Eric, who also enjoys projects and went to trade school for machining and CNC equipment.