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1. What made you want to get into engineering? And specifically, your specialization?
This is a tough question to answer. I knew as a child that I would be interested in engineering, since I was interested in and good at the core components of engineering such as math, science, and physics. I was a very hands-on child, interested in the mechanics of just about anything; especially automobiles and anything with an engine. With that said, I went to school for Mechanical Engineering as it not only matched up with my interests and capabilities, but was also a versatile degree from a practical standpoint.
It has, without a doubt, been a very good choice to pursue mechanical engineering in my career with Littelfuse.
However, I honestly did not envision myself working for a fuse company when I was in high school or even throughout my early years of college. I was at a career fair at my school during my Senior Year and stopped by the Littelfuse area. I spoke with the engineers who were there. The internship sounded quite interesting and far less electrically-inclined than my first impressions led me to believe. I left my resume and was eventually offered an internship with the Industrial Business Unit (IBU). Being a mechanical engineer has been very useful working for Littelfuse.
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2. What advice would you give freshly graduated engineers?
Littelfuse is a great company that takes very good care of its employees. My best piece of advice to a
new engineer would be: don’t be afraid to ask questions. New engineers don’t have to be experts in the products they’re working on, so asking questions and doing research or experiments on your own is the best way to get up to speed. On the same wavelength, it’s important to try and be involved in design-related meetings as often as possible.
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3. What has been a project that you have worked on that you are proud of or that has been most interesting to you?
My current project n is a high current and high voltage (by automotive standards) fuse design for Hybrid/Electric Vehicles (HEV). I had 3 years of experience in IBU before being hired by the Automotive Business Unit, which has helped with this project. However, HEV fuses are something new and upcoming in the automotive market and I’m excited and proud to be able to be involved designing something that could be a major seller for Littelfuse. It is very interesting seeing
all the factors that affect the performance of these high-power fuses.
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4. What is your favorite part about your job? Why?
Design is the favorite part of my job because it involves critical thinking and problem solving, which many engineers (including myself) are good at and enjoy very much. Designing parts in 3D CAD and making drawings of parts is a major component of design, but it isn’t the only aspect involved. There’s prototype builds, failure analyses, product development testing, and many more aspects that go into design engineering. Tying all these different aspects of design together results in product that works and meets (or exceeds) requirements, which is something to be proud of.