[Nfb-science] [nfb-scinece] professional networking

Mon Feb 16 17:20:34 UTC 2009

Hello,
There is a lot of building and growth in the university system in Canada
going on right now.
An advanced degree program like a masters may be a solution to gaining
additional experience.  Long-term, I encourage focusing on a federal job
and particularly one at NASA.
Mark Riccobono and our Jernigan Institute should be able to offer some
good NASA contacts.
Very best,
John

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
aerospace1028 at hotmail.com
Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 12:20 PM
To: nfb-science at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [Nfb-science] [nfb-scinece] professional networking

Hello David,
I am not opposed to relocating, I just need the money to afford rent and
the like.  I have been searching all fifty states (and a few times the
Canadian provinces).

Thanks for the tip on Emery Riddle, I will look into that.  

I have thaught about returning to school for a masters, but I'm nervous
that a graduate degree still without work experience would box me into
an academic career path.  I don't think I would do as well there.  I was
better in my lab courses than in the lecture and book classes which
focused more on theory than application.  I think I would do better
getting my hands dirty in industry first.

--Paul

> Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:33:27 -0500
> From: "David Evans" <drevans at bellsouth.net>
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-science] [nfb-scinece] professional networking
> To: "NFB Science and Engineering Division List"
> <nfb-science at nfbnet.org>
> Message-ID: <D98EAB32380D41B890D0B9D67D6EF047 at DAVID>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="Windows-1252";
> reply-type=original
>
>
> Dear Paul,
>
> I think that proccemity could have something to do with it also. You
may
> need to think about moving from where you are at, to an area where
there are
> businesses that could make use of your skills.
> Florida, California, Texas, North Carolina might be better hunting
grounds.
> You might even check with Emery Riddle in Daytona Beach Florida as I
think
> their aviation program has a Blind Professor teaching there.
> There are some other Blind engineers in the NFB who work for the Navy
and
> Aircraft makers.
> Just don't give up and keep plugging away. You will find it or it will
find
> you somehow.
>
> Look at NASA jobs and the Army Corp of Engineers.
> It is out there somewhere.
>
> Your friend,
>
> David Evans, NFBF
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <aerospace1028 at hotmail.com>
> To: <nfb-science at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 2:34 PM
> Subject: [Nfb-science] [nfb-scinece] professional networking
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear List,
>
> I apologize in advance for the lengthy post.
>
>
>
> I have been lurking here for the past couple of months now
> and feel I should introduce myself. My
> name is Paul, I am a recent college graduate and I have been visually
> impaired/blind since birth (for those of you that are curious, I have
> ?retinopathy
> of unknown etymology?). I have some
> usable vision, but I travel with a cane, read Braille (g2, Nemeth, and
> recently
> I?ve started dabbling in UEB), and I use a screen-reader to access a
> computer
> (I?m most familiar with JAWS, but have also recently familiarized
myself
> with
> Orca on Ubuntu).
>
>
>
> Like many persons with visual disabilities, I am unemployed.
>
>
>
> Ever since my childhood, I have had a fascination with spaceflight. In
> primary and secondary school, I did well
> in the sciences. When I graduated high
> school, I enrolled in college to study engineering. I successfully
obtained
> my undergraduate
> degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering, with a focus on
> structural mechanics.
>
> Unfortunately, during my term of study, I was unable to
> obtain any relevant work experience--and not for lack of trying. One
of the
> prerequisites for internships is
> 1-3 years previous internship experience.
> Upon graduation, the prerequisite for an entry-level engineering
> position is 2-5 years previous experience.
>
>
>
> I remained persistent and kept applying everywhere; from the
> big-name contractors like Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, and ATK Thyakol, to
the
> smaller sub-contractors like Analytical Mechanical Services, and even
some
> of
> the newer private-sector companies like Armadillo Aerospace, bigellow
> Aerospace, and SpaceX.
>
>
>
> On several occasions, I was able to land an interview. The question of
my
> lack of employment always
> came up, some companies were even less critical than others that it
was not
> an
> oversight in updating my resume. But I
> always ended up getting a letter, "regretfully informing me that the
> position to which I had applied was being filled with another
qualified
> candidate."
>
>
>
> I am working with VR, but they seem to have trouble with my
> education as an aerospace engineer. They
> recognize me as being "smart,"' and they see my resume has a list of
> "computer skills" and seem to be herding me towards software
> engineering and network administration positions.
>
>
>
> I had a recent close call with a job. I found a start-up company in
> Portland
> Maine that was willing to hire me for
> structural consulting, but they have since folded under.
>
>
>
> I am finally willing to admit, the clich? is correct; who you
> know, is more important than what you know. My problem is that I have
no
> network of "whos"
> inside the engineering industry. None of
> my relatives works for any aerospace companies, and living in a rural
> community
> on the Maine-New Hampshire border, there just isn't much aerospace
presence
> around.
>
>
>
> Finally, arriving near the end of my post, is there anyone who
> can help? Does anyone on this list have any
> contacts with whom they could put me in contact?
>
>
>
> Thank you
>
> --Paul Boucher
>
>
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