 Paul Wesling
Advisory Design Engineer
Tandem Computers, Inc.
Cupertino, CA
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 B.S. -
Electrical Engineering, Stanford University
M.S. - Materials
Science, Stanford University |
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Electrical Engineer,
working in Research and Development Education, developing and
teaching courses in reliability and availability. |
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"Keep looking at
other things that are going on. Take a course; go to a
conference. Read some of the literature about what's going on in
the field. Rub elbows with other technologists." |
Wesling:
"I became a director of a group called Product Integrity which worked with
customers, did configuration management, a lot of the support areas for
product development. And as, the next step was to become a vice president,
which I did. And that was good for a couple of years, but that's not
really my forte. So I made a transition back into, became a advisory
design engineer, and I've been an engineer, actually a technical person
now for about the last fifteen years. I enjoy it much more."
Over the past thirty years, Paul Wesling of Tandem Computers has seen many
different aspects of the industry. With degrees in electrical engineering
and material science, he has worked for large and small companies in
several areas in both managerial and technical positions. "One nice thing
about engineering is that the skills are very transferable. If you're good
at your technical skills and you're a good team worker a good communicator
it's very straightforward to find a new position that you like."
Wesling points out that engineers often move either within the same
company or from one company to another. And there are advantages to
different types of companies. "Small companies are really fun because
they're so dynamic. But they're very often hand to mouth." In large
companies, however, "very often other groups can take care of your lab,
setting up your network, setting up your computers. You also have the
benefit of having mentors and other resources within the company."
What the engineer needs to remember is to be prepared to take advantage of
the opportunities that arise. "In a company, as new opportunities open up
every three to four years, if you know something about those areas, you
can be the one that's selected for that new product team or for that new
project." Wesling explains that the engineer has to "keep looking at other
things that are going on. Take a course; go to a conference. Read some of
the literature about what's going on in the field. Rub elbows with other
technologists."
One of the best ways to stay up to date with innovations is through
professional organizations. Wesling says, "When I was a new engineer, I
joined IEEE, and they had a lot of local programs through their local
chapters. This has proved pretty valuable to me because I've met a lot of
people at different companies. I know people around the world now
technologists at various labs and universities." In effect, not only are
the programs useful, but the contacts as well.
Wesling likes to tell his students at San Jose State, "You're not going to
get rich in this career. You'll certainly make a good, healthy living.
It's a neat career. Your satisfaction really comes out of what you do and
how you do it and how you approach it." The opportunities are there.
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