 John Harding
Hardware Development Engineer
Hewlett Packard Company
Palo Alto, CA
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 B.S. -
Electrical Engineering, Howard University
M.S. -
Electrical Engineering, Stanford University |
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Hardware Development
Engineer working on developing software tools and hardware
designs. |
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"Some
non-engineering courses that have proved to be helpful are
management, business, and entrepreneurship classes." |
 
"Don't forget that you're black but don't make that the primary issue.
Make the primary issue the goal to succeed. If you want to be successful,
be technically strong and be able to prove to anybody or be able to rise
to any technical challenge. If you can rise to any technical challenge and
succeed, then being black is automatically secondary because this industry
is about being able to make money. And if a company knows that you're a
successful engineer, you're a good engineer, that's all they care about
because you're going to produce for them, you're going to make money for
them."
John Harding has been a hardware development engineer at Hewlett Packard
for two years. He has plenty of motivation to do his job. "I come in and I
play with next generation technology future technology. We're developing
technology here that people won't see for another two, three years. And
that's my job. I get to push the envelope of the technology, and I really
like what I do - and secondarily, I'm generously rewarded for it."
To achieve success, Harding emphasizes the importance of attitude and
knowledge of business and people. "For a successful career, you need to be
determined. And you need to be confident. But, at the same time you need
to avoid being arrogant."
Some non-engineering courses that have proved to be helpful are
management, business, and entrepreneurship classes. Harding adds, "I also
took a psychology class on behavior and personal adjustment which I use
almost every day. It teaches you about people and about your behavior with
people. These are very important because you're working with a team, and
you need to understand how to deal with other people."
As a young black engineer, Harding mentors elementary school children in
San Francisco. He also works with high school students and gives them the
following business advice, "Don't forget that you're black, but don't make
that the primary issue. Make the primary issue the goal to succeed. If you
want to be successful, be technically strong and be able to prove to
anybody that you can do your job. If you can rise to any technical
challenge and succeed, then being black is automatically secondary because
this industry is about being able to make money."
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