A Research Engineer's Journey - Nathan Tsou

My Career Shop

Do you love physics, possess critical reasoning, and want to solve problems? Well you may want to check out the career of a research engineer? Today on the My Career Shop Podcast, I am joined by Nathan Tsou, a research engineer who works with the J. Sterling Jones Hydraulics Laboratory at the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (U.S. Department of Transportation). In this episode, we will discuss Nathan's journey from being inspired in high school to working with the U.S. DOT, the prerequisites to becoming a research engineer, importance of getting an internship and advanced degrees (Masters and PhD), types of engineers, the various tasks a research engineer performs, stress in their life, type of characteristics that help a research engineer flourish, why some research engineers fail, pros and cons about the profession, engineering judgement, and tips to help you succeed and much more.
More details regarding this episode and the career of a Research Engineer at https://mycareershop.com (Under Construction)
Guest: Nathan Tsou
Instagram: @madognate
Email: [e-mail]

Support the show

Thank you for listening!
Contact me at [e-mail]
Please provide a 5-star rating, subscribe and leave a comment on the platform you are listening on! Also, let me know what other professions you would like to hear from!
More details regarding each profession can be found at https://mycareershop.com (Under Construction)
THE MY CAREER SHOP PODCAST (“PODCAST”) DOES NOT WARRANT, GUARANTEE, OR REPRESENT AS TO THE ACCURACY OR SUFFICIENCY OF THE INFORMATION FEATURED IN THIS PODCAST. THE INFORMATION, OPINIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST ARE FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND ANY RELIANCE ON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS PODCAST IS DONE AT YOUR OWN RISK. THIS PODCAST SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. UNLESS SPECIFICALLY STATED OTHERWISE, MY CAREER SHOP, LLC DOES NOT ENDORSE, RECOMMEND, APPROVE, OR CERTIFY ANY INFORMATION, PRODUCT, PROCESS, SERVICE, OR ORGANIZATION PRESENTED OR MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST, AND INFORMATION FROM THIS PODCAST SHOULD NOT BE REFERENCED IN ANY WAY TO IMPLY SUCH APPROVAL OR ENDORSEMENT. MY CAREER SHOP, LLC ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENT CONTAINED IN THIS PODCAST.

अध्यायों

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Nathan's Journey (00:01:57)

3. Prerequisites to becoming a Research Engineer (00:07:55)

4. Time to choose engineering disciplines (00:09:20)

5. Importance of securing an internship (00:11:07)

6. How to get an internship? (00:12:11)

7. Benefits of getting an advanced degree (Masters & PhD) (00:15:05)

8. Professional Engineering License (00:15:36)

9. Summary of steps to becoming a Research Engineer (00:17:24)

10. Regional limitations of the Professional Engineering License (00:18:10)

11. What does a Research Engineer do? (00:19:16)

12. What are hydraulics? (00:22:43)

13. How is research implemented? (00:24:24)

14. Is a research engineer's job redundant? (00:25:32)

15. The various tasks of a Research Engineer? (00:26:27)

16. Characteristics to succeed as a Research Engineer (00:33:34)

17. Characteristics that do not suit a Research Engineer (00:36:59)

18. Why do certain people fail as Research Engineers? (00:39:45)

19. Is the job stressful? (00:41:56)

20. Workload of a Research Engineer & Work-life balance (00:43:54)

21. Team work vs Independent (00:46:30)

22. How much do Research Engineers earn? (00:48:36)

23. Special Perks of being a Research Engineer? (00:55:14)

24. What Nathan loves about being a Research Engineer (00:56:56)

25. What Nathan dislikes about being a Research Engineer (00:58:10)

26. Technical tools that help in the field (00:58:44)

27. What is engineering judgment? (01:01:07)

28. What advice Nathan would give to himself when he was starting off (01:03:08)

29. Best & Worst Career advice (01:06:01)