My name is Norman Levy and I am currently a student at New York City College of Technology (City Tech) studying Computer Engineering. This is the best career path for me because there are job opportunities available due to the fact that technology is always changing. There are options available for me to further my education and also the salary, which are the benefits that will support my lifestyle and family. In this essay, I will discuss the background and context of Computer Engineering, support my argument with three paragraphs of supporting evidence, describe how to prepare for this career and finally list my sources of evidence.

Vorhees Hall (Technology Building)

This paragraph is about the general research that i conducted about my major and career choice. Electrical Engineering is a good career choice for me because there are always job opportunities available, this is due to the fact that technology is always changing. City Tech Course Catalog 2014-2015 states that, “Manufacturers and users of computers and electromechanical equipment are potential employers of graduates. Among the employers of the graduates of this program are IBM, Verizon, Con Edison, Canon, Eastman Kodak, The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Xerox Corp, and the Elevator Industry” (City Tech 230). I learned a lot of things in this major. The requirements to be in it is to have an Associates Degree in Electromechanical Technology which is also offered at City Tech. I learn how to build programs, measure resistance, current and voltage (which is really dangerous), and many more interesting course. I want to use the education that i received here to work well with co-workers in the future and also to know exactly what I’m doing at all times.

Electromechanical Class

I love my major very much and I will do my best to see this through to the end. There are a lot of job opportunities available in this career path. According the article Computer Engineers by, Moncarz, Roger states “There will always be an increasing need for computer engineers by many large industries, such as government agencies, manufacturers of computer related electronic equipment’s, and colleges and university”. There are wide varieties of jobs available for this major in which you can choose a job that focuses mainly on your strengths and succeed at that or choose a job that focuses  on your strengths and weaknesses, but having good communication skills in which you can work together to solve problems and in that process you will learn things you didn’t even know you could do.

There is always a chance or opportunity for me to further my knowledge in this major/field and also my position in the workplace. According to the article from the school library, Differences between the personal, social and emotional profiles of teaching and computer engineering professionals and students, states that “emotional intelligence and personality traits are important qualities that workers need in order to successfully exercise a profession”. In which the right attitude and drive to work and learn in the workforce you will pick up a few tips and tricks added to your knowledge that will aid you in either completing a job or to better your future in your career path which can lead to receiving a promotion or the possibility to further your education which can lead to a raise in your work status and pay.

Finally the fact of the salary. The benefits which are very appealing to me that will support my lifestyle and family. According to the article Computer Engineers by Moncarz, Roger, Computer Engineers states, “computer engineers with a bachelors degree have a higher starting salaries than do bachelor degree graduates in many other fields”. Electrical Engineer salary in the (US) most of them are men. In this career path you can earn an average salary of $70,000 a year. The pay is also determined by what education level you are and also the amount of experience you have in this field. How well you can work with others is also another fact that can determine your pay.

To prepare for my career path in this major i went to my adviser Prof. O. Kwon whom I respect very much as he’s been a huge help to me. I ask a lot of questions about things im not sure about and also to ask for tips and what did he do to to prepare himself back then for this career and asked for pointers. I also held group sessions with friends to discuss what new things we learned in class and share it with others and if we have any problems we help each other example, I had problems with soldering, which is the melting of a compound to connect wires to switches etc. I couldn’t hold my hands straight and could not get a clean job done but with help from my friends they showed me step by step and eventually I got it. In college it will not help to be antisocial, so a personal tip from me to all of you out there, make good friends in college, it will aid you greatly.

Prof. O. Kwon teaching Electrical Circuitry

Go down this career path for the love that you have for it. Six-figure salaries are achievable after many years of education, such as for lawyers, who require four years of law school after college, or for doctors, who have four years of medical schools, and three to eight years of residency. Computer engineers can start on the high-earning path with only a four-year bachelor’s degree for most entry-level positions. A master’s degree can increase pay by 16 percent, according to the 2011 degree salary survey by Georgetown University. Students also develop the useful skill of computer programming, since software knowledge is needed for engineers to get their computer hardware components to function. In addition, they can gain practical experience in school through internships or co-ops. Professionals in computer engineering will not want for jobs, with an expected average growth rate of 9 percent from 2010 to 2020, according to the statistics bureau. Though the outsourcing of computer manufacturing to foreign countries may affect employment, many companies are now contracting out their hardware designs. This provides opportunities for those working in computer consulting firms. From their present positions, hardware engineers who gain experience or show administrative acumen can become computer managers, who enjoy greater challenges, more responsibility, and higher pay. As of 2011, computer managers made an average $129,350 per year, or $62.29 per hour.

Works Cited

Kwon, Oh. Personal Interview. 5 Dec. 2014

Moncarz, Roger, “Computer Engineers” Web.3 Dec 2014

Pertegal-Felices, Maria L. “Differences between the personal, social and emotional profiles of teaching and computer engineering proffesionals and students”. Web. 3Dec 2014

United States, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dept of Labor. 8 Jan 2014. Web. 30 Nov 2014

New York City College of Technology. (City Tech). Course Catalog 2013-2014.2014. PDF. 230. 30 Nov 2014

Kirschnoff, Peter B. “Engineers today”. New York Times. 30 Nov 2014. Web. 5 Dec 2014

Levy, Norman “Learning electrical circuits”. Flickr. 6 Dec 2014

Levy, Norman “Vorhees hall the technology building”. Flickr. 6 Dec 2014

Levy, Norman “Electromechanical class”. Flickr. 6 Dec 2014

Introduction.

I was given the opportunity to do this project to better understand my self by understanding where my mental thoughts are right now. Is it in a state of readiness for college? Questions like this is answered further in this project along with visual aids using pictures to relay my thoughts along with a log of my daily thoughts. In which every half hour i recorded my thinking.

Thinking and Writing

My Friday Log
6:00  -I woke up
6:30 -I wondered how to bathe and brush my teeth
7:00 – i wondered if I will get to the train station on time
7:30 – In a train thinking about if I have any home work due for today
8:00 – The next stop I will get off the train
8:30 – In circuitry class trying to learn OHM’S LAW
9:00- Trying to stay awake in class
9:30 – Cant wait to get that new I phone though
10:30 – Wondered if I should buy lunch or just save money
11:00 – Class is over, should I take the elevators or the stairs to the first floor.
11:30 – Remembered I have an assignment to write a log of my thinking for English class.
12:00 – Went to the library and slept.
12:30 – Friend woke me up so I thought why do you hate me
1:00- Went to the electrical laboratory
1:30 – Thought about how I should connect these resistors to this circuit correctly
2:00 – Measured the amount of current going through the circuit
2:30 – In my head I calculated the color codes for three resistors to see if they have the correct value
3:00- DAMN my group member is cute, but she got herself a boyfriend already… oh well
3:30- I packed up my bag and walked out because I finished early
4:00 – Met up with my friends in the library
4:30- Thought about my plans for the future to make a good living.
5:00- Thought about getting that new i phone again
5:30- Got on a train
6:00- Two more stops and i get off
6:30 – Wondered if any of my friends were online
7:00 – Played my friend in fifa 14 and defeated him 6-0
7:30 – Turned off the ps4 and called my girlfriend
8:00 – BED LOL

Thinking Visually

College is life.

Circuits class.

The library where i spend most of my days.

The book that opens minds.

Thinking Rhetorically and Reflectively.

My name is Norman Levy and this essay is about the reflection of my thoughts. I argue the fact that the current state of my daily thinking is lacking any constant drive towards my future or the successful completion of my major. My major is Computer Engineering in which I love very much. I have an associate’s degree in Information Technology and I want to pursue a deeper career in technology. You could say that I’m in love with it. There are multifarious reasons why I argue this fact and I will draw examples from my daily thoughts log post from open lab that I did earlier this semester.
The first reason why I support my argument is the thought I had in the morning at 7:30am, “in a train thinking about if I have any home work due for today?”, I should not be thinking about that, but not in that context. I believe that if I should have a focused mind in which in every course I do at city tech I should have some sort of checklist for all possible assignments or tests in each class. So when I get an assignment it’s already done so that worrying will not be needed as it’s already been taken care of. I should be thinking about, “I hope all my assignments are correct or will I be able to get more assignments so I can practice and be better at what I do”. In doing that I am setting up my-self in a state of mind to be ready for extra work so when I do get it I am not surprised or turned away from it.
My thinking is somewhat how you would say mixed up because don’t get me wrong I love my major and I want to learn and do much as possible so it’s good when I have thoughts like, “in circuitry class trying to learn OHM’S LAW” meaning I want to, and is trying to learn this new topic in circuitry class but when I have thoughts like this after “trying to stay awake in class” and “can’t wait to get that new I phone though” it makes me think and ask my-self, “am I serious about learning or not? I have always been a good student, I am always asked if I like school, I always reply with “I love school!” I am never late and I am trying my best to maintain an A average at all times but with this type of thought process I do not see myself succeeding any further, not only academically but mental wise as well. This can be fixed by simply staying focused in class and always remember why I am in college. If I can do that at all times I believe that I can go down the right path of truly becoming whom I want to be.
I love all my classes but the one that stands out the most in my perspective is my Electrical Circuits class where I make or build circuits and measure the current, voltage and resistance of it. In this class my thoughts are some-what professional as some of them are, “thought about how I should connect these resistors to this circuit correctly”, “measured the amount of current going through the circuit” and “in my head I calculated the color codes for three resistors to see if they have the correct value”. Thought processes like these I am proud of to call my own as I am literally looking at myself being very focused and hard at work but drawing near to the end of the class I find myself with a thought like “DAMN my group member is cute, but she got herself a boyfriend already… oh well” I am not saying this thought is wrong but I would be more impressed or would like to be thinking about did I understand the material that was taught today in class, am I satisfied with my readings/ results, do I have any questions I can ask my professor to make clear for me, but no. I waste that time to think about other things that will not help me in the long run or towards my future career.
I’d like to use this paragraph to comment about this essay being written. As I am writing this I am realizing more and more that my thought processes needs to improve and can be better. I know by reading this you have some questions why I’m not optimistic or is this a sad story, it is not. I’m really evaluating my-self to see areas where I can improve on mainly in factors of my thinking. In your quiet moments, what do you think about? How far you’ve come, or how far you have to go? What are your strengths or your weaknesses? The best thing that might happen or the worst that might come to be? In my quiet moments, I pay attention to my thoughts. Because maybe, just maybe, the only thing that needs to shift in order for me to experience more happiness, more love, and more vitality, is my way of thinking.
In an ideal world, my thoughts, experiences and beliefs would remain in a continuous state of refinement and renewal. I would frequently be exposed to new and interesting people and situations, and I would constantly discover and enhance new aspects of my emotional and intellectual life. However, this is rarely how life progresses. For many of us, personal ruts and situational repetition are the norm. Our focus narrows to daily stressors and events outside of our control. Our careers slowly push ahead, our circle of friends holds steady or shrinks over the years, and we content ourselves with familiar forms of recreation, mental stimulation and social interaction. Then, one day, we wake up feeling we need something … different. Perhaps we tire of dwelling on old worries or lost opportunities. Maybe we get bored of doing the same thing day after day. Or possibly we just want to see the “old” world in an entirely new way. Whatever the reason, it’s not hard to change the way I think but it does take some effort.
My thinking is ok, but it can be better. I realized that after coming to New York City College of Technology, my thinking was all over the place because for one, I am in a new country and I am going to be enrolled in college. That was a big leap for me towards my future. I just finished high school and with the mentality that I had, that if I continue how I did my school work I will continue to succeed. This is not the fact. I am not in high school anymore I have to work harder at everything I do and with the help from my professors and my peers and my family I know I can be successful at being the best engineer I can be. My thinking has changed to a great extent than before. But I believe and want it to be improved a lot more. This is my second semester at this school and I want to make sure that I do not waste any time that I could be using to further my development mentally and further my skills that will aid me in my studies in this College. I am very great full to be given this opportunity to reflect on my thinking as I am learning where is it I need to improve on and where I am proud of at where I have improved on already.

Work Cited List

Norman [Norman Levy]. “Re:Project 1: Thinking in Writing.” Openlab. ENG1101 D346 English Composition 1, FA 2014, 21 Sept. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Levy, Norman. “College is life.” Flickr. 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Levy, Norman. “Circuits class.” Flickr. 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Levy, Norman. “The Library where i spend most of my days.” Flickr. 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.

Levy, Norman. “The book that opens minds.” Flickr. 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.