This incredible woman is a self-taught successful engineer. She has videos on making her own chips and many other electronics subjects. She's a welder too.
This is her advice on learning electronics:
Good stuff.
Hear hear. One of her videos she casually mentions designing a simulator for a PC (using fpga I think) by slowly replacing each IC on the board (TRS-80 or something) - truly mind boggling how intelligent and capable she is.
It was the Commodore 64 that she emulated in 2004 --reference: Jeri Ellsworth - Wikipedia
I bought one at the time. I should dig it out now that I'm learning how to program FPGAs and see if I can tell what chip was used.
markhu:
It was the Commodore 64 that she emulated in 2004 --reference: Jeri Ellsworth - WikipediaI bought one at the time. I should dig it out now that I'm learning how to program FPGAs and see if I can tell what chip was used.
Nope, this project got cancelled. Here's the vid:
It was an Amiga.
No, it was a C64
"Engineer"... "Developer" or "Designer", fine, but she has no formal education since dropping out of high school, but I guess anyone can claim a title.
Employers don't care much about anyone's youtube presentations or any estimable achievements or experience without having that degree.
I think that she's "between jobs", since the valve gig cratered early this year - and sour grapes galore there.
Nope. Wrong.
Yes, she did do a C64 emulator, but it's not the video I watched, or am talking about.
In fact. I posted the video I am talking about. Perhaps if you go and watch it, you will see what I am talking about.
Steve Jobs.
Bill Gates.
Richard Branson.
Degrees don't mean squat.
aarondc:
Steve Jobs.
Bill Gates.
Richard Branson.
The first two graduated high school. Maybe Sir Richard did, too, but I don't know how the English school system works. Anyway, they do what they do, that's fine.
How many Jobses or Gateses did Jobs & Co. or Gates & Co. hire and promote?
The smart money is on none.
aarondc:
Degrees don't mean squat.
They do in matters of employability.
Pretty much every single tradesman on the planet would disagree with you.
I can't help but feel that men much more talenented than her get little to no recognition for their work simply because they're male..
But sure she's lucky enough to be female with electronics interest which got her connected and sponsored ...if equality truely existed would this thread be made?
cjdelphi:
I can't help but feel that men much more talenented than her get little to no recognition for their work simply because they're male..But sure she's lucky enough to be female with electronics interest which got her connected and sponsored ...if equality truely existed would this thread be made?
IMO her ability and enthusiasm trumps her gender.
aarondc:
Pretty much every single tradesman on the planet would disagree with you.
I doubt it.
Of course, the implication was the subject at hand: the "engineer" bit.
No matter.
"Tradesmen" as such have their apprenticeships, journeymen training and qualifications and requirements, too.
Tradesmen are imminently employable without a degree. A subject you introduced.
The implication of this thread is to keep trying, to allow yourself to fail, and fail often. Perseverance will win out in the end.
In my estimation, Jeri has done an apprenticeship, and come out of the experience with significant knowledge and experience. And employability.
I detect a certain lack of respect for what she has managed to do - am I reading that right?
Tradesmen are imminently employable without a degree.
Actually being employed is better, surely, than always being about to be employed?
Groove:
Tradesmen are imminently employable without a degree.
Actually being employed is better, surely, than always being about to be employed?
Being employable does not preclude being employed. They are not mutually exclusive states.
Imminent != eminent
aarondc:
In my estimation, Jeri has done an apprenticeship, and come out of the experience with significant knowledge and experience. And employability.
Apparently the job market disagrees. Where's triumphal "tweet" about the grand new job?
Few are the employers that allow comparable experience as qualifying, as in the case of "engineers", let alone buy into this "nerd girl" shtick in lieu of credentials.
Anyway, if she can make that work as an entrepreneur, more power to her.
I hope she's got a lot of that "64-on-a-stick" dough in the bank.
aarondc:
I detect a certain lack of respect for what she has managed to do - am I reading that right?
I don't know what she's "managed to do" that's so significant.
It's like the other guy posted - if "Jeri" was "Gerry" then there would be no fan-boy infatuation, absolutely nobody would give a hoot. "Gerry" would just be seen as an eccentric, a wannabe.
I don't want to be seen as attacking her personally, so my missives are bound.
My only gripe is with the "engineer" attribution.
So someone saw an engineer in her and that's to the chagrin (thanks google translate) to you.
Let me guess.
You're an engineer (or have any kind of degree alike) because you earned some paper telling everyone you know how stuff (in your field) works.
So everyone that did not fit the school system (that still happens now and then) and did not go the way you did is some kind of inferior, is that what you mean ?
Even if they did learn by doing and by making mistakes, understand what went wrong and learned from that ?
If so, you seem to need every one to fit the box you're in.
I can tell you, that box isn't large enough to have everyone.
I know a few engineers meaning they have a similar piece of paper telling they learned something and passed tests proving that.
I have and am working with them on a daily basis.
If those guys go out in the field to actually use their hands and produce something, they will fail and fail hard.
My point is there are more ways of learning things.
Brilliant minds that are incompatible with some of the settled teaching systems do exist.
And the persons that have been blessed with those minds are cursed with learning stuff outside of those settled school systems, the hard way.
Respect is something someone has to earn.
People holding some kind of paper they have earned years ago can wave that paper and demand respect today.
That doesn't work for me, but i'll respect the fact that they did the work to get that paper at that time.
My deepest respect goes to those that are proving their knowledge on a daily basis.
That includes the ones that have a piece of paper confirming a title, but it is certainly not exclusive to them.
And to those that show due respect to others (no matter how they earn it).
Gender or race doesn't matter in this, but i do recognize circumstances will make things harder.
Having studied MBTI quite extensively, it is interesting to see the manifestation of the underlying value systems that the different types prefer. Some are so alien that my initial reaction is WTF!? But after a good night's rest, I remember. Reminded yet again that some people are just built that way. And that that realisation can go both ways.
I do not care what your title is or where you are from, male or female. Certainly don't give a toss if you have a degree, PhD, etc. el oh el. I met some very dumb people at uni whose friends were only too happy to let them copy assignments and managed to remember a bunch of stuff for exams. BFD.
But if you are doing something with all your heart, 100%, then it is easy for me to respect you and your effort, failure or not.
For me, a degree and a job are the last things on the list. Far rather have 3-4 -20 years practical experience in actually doing something and my own ideas / business barely struggling to stay afloat than be an employee, a cog in some machine somewhere with 20 years "experience" that is actually 12 months experience repeated another 19 times. No thanks.
I've seen some dummies with degrees in programming. What you can do counts for so much, what you are doing counts more. But what you have sold, that's gold.
You have to somehow publish (even if it's only one copy you're paid to make) and it has to be accepted, getting paid and having references is proof that many degree holders seek whether in computing or journalism or writing the great novel. There's always a time on every new frontier when doing is the credential and a demonstration can open a door all by itself. A lot of big tech names got through back when it was easier.
I'd rather have a group of talented no-degrees that write games for hobby to try cutting an edge a bit than a room full of got-the-degree-to-make-money 9 to 5'ers without a single original thought between them except "what's for lunch?".