Writing
imahmoud3
TranscriptWithLee.docxMahmoud Almutairi
Sadnik
English 301
07 March 2020
Dr. Lee is a mechanical engineer, and a professor at California state university Fullerton He’s teaching specialty in senior design classes, which guides graduate engineering students to think, plan, and start making projects within one academic year. His knowledge has been positively shown on his students. His classes tend to have the most funded projects by the school. I discussed with him, his childhood in Korea, and his overall journey as an immigrant until he got his PHD.
Me: How was your childhood like in Korea? Did you have fun times beside focusing on school?
Dr. Lee: I have studied a lot, that’s just the thing in Korea. You go to school and then afterwards your parents sent you to after school programs. Repeat all that, I think education system is pushing students to be good academics. Some kids don’t have a lot of fun life outside of it. I had to do all of that after I finish school programs. Me: Can you tell us about how you chose mechanical engineering?
Dr. Lee: Oh, Long story. I originally wanted to be a music major. I had lot of resistance from parents saying that you knock your music nature. I ask if I can be a Science teacher they say” no don’t be a science teacher either”. They wanted to make sure that I have a profession that would pay the bills which I feel like I need protection can pay the bills. As an immigrant they wanted me to have high-paying position, because That's the standard that a lot of Asian parents have.
Me: Don’t you think your culture affected the shape of your degree option? We have this standard too as a middle eastern
Dr. Lee: Typically, what at least Korean’s value the professional wise are doctors, lawyers sometimes businesspeople, and engineers not in there, but I don't know what to do, so at that point. I thought maybe I’ll try I'm hearing because I like math and Science. I hated writing so I’m not into it.
Me: Did you had the chance to go for music? Or at least took courses?
Dr. Lee: Yeah, I still took a lot of courses in music. I still do performances.
Me: After following your parent wish to be an engineer, did you choose mechanical engineering because you wanted to be a mechanical engineer?
Dr. Lee: I like the hands-on part, so I wanted to do more building, so what I ended up doing is design, and manufacturing which is all hands-on. So, within mechanical engineering I had decide to go that route. I was not a fan of programming. So, I did not want to have to go to computer.
Me: Did you chose to follow the path of being an academic in mechanical engineering? I mean
Instead of going to the filed and get your hand-on. Dr. Lee: I did that for a little bit I worked in a compony where I help designee manufacturing. I really missed interacting with students, and i really like teaching so I wanted to go into teaching ever since I was younger, so that point maybe I can go back and get my PHD and go into teaching
Me: What obstacles have you faced until you reached you current position? Dr. Lee: Oh, getting your PHD, I don’t know how I should word it. It’s a terrible decision for a lot of people, because its so hard. Its one of the hardest things I have done. If I knew what I was signing up for, I don't know if I'd have done it, but because of the PHD I'm here. Otherwise, you can't be a professor. It's really challenging to go to the five years of PHD.
Me: so, a lot of working, and a lot of researching?
Dr. Lee: Well, a lot of work, a lot of research and a lot of stress. If you are not getting the results you are looking for, it's challenging to get through the PHD. The depression rate in PHD program is like 60% or 70% of all graduates have depression and, I think about 60% of the people going to program finished, it is pretty roug. Because if you are doing engineering you can get a job at the Bachelors, easily. so, people have this mindset of okay, I don't get out of his PHD I can still exit and get a job afterwards.
Me: So, what's your best advice for fresh graduate’s engineer’s? What are they going to expect to face on the market? Dr. Lee: my recommendation is it's hard to know exactly what you want to do when you are 21, 22 graduate with a bachelor's, but explore and try to really find something that you're passionate about because the first job as an engineer will set you up for the future jobs. It's harder to jump around positions that's outside of your expertise. So, what I mean by that is if you go into thermal fluid design, I have a friend who does power plant design that's his first job and subsequent jobs are still within that domain of power plant design, and then a friend who does CAD design and he does a lot of work in that domain, because if that's his first job fits his expertise so I'm not saying that the first job locks, but the first job really set you up with a future positions. It's something. It kind narrow your expertise, so find something you are really passionate about and how you do that is by experiencing of verities of things that's out there. So, go get internship, welcome project, talk to people who are working and companies that you're interested in working in,
Me: how did find the relationship between mechanical engineering and your dream which was studying music?
Me: How did mechanical engineering shaped you? what did you get out of it? Dr. Lee: You view the world through the lens of what you've learned. So what I mean by that is one class that I took in undergrads, vibration and I'm assuming you took that as well and you just start to see the world as dampers, and springs, after you take mechanics you start to see and analyze everything based on forces, and bending torsion. All these things that engineers typically analyze. So how you view the world changes because of the new information and the knowledge you’ve gained. And, then for my PHD I had to lead a lot of meetings. So, I think I've gained a lot more of interpersonal skills. I have become a better writer because of writing dissertation and communicating my ideas
Reflection
