Career:

When I was a young boy, I was very interested in how a television set worked. That interest is what inspired me to want to learn about electronics. I was always experimenting with batteries, light bulbs, and electric motors. In junior high school, a class was offered in electric house wiring. I took two years of that class and did very well. When I reached senior high school, I had to take a class in computer programming, which was required to do the homework for the physics class that I was taking also. It turned out that I liked the programming more than the physics. I was interested in electronics and computers; this is what my career is based on.
I received my initial training in electronics from the Airforce. My title, in the service, was "Television Equipment Specialist". While in the service, I obtained experience on all kinds of television equipment. Some of the things I worked on were televisions, videocassette recorders, surveillance equipment, and all kinds of television studio electronics.

After leaving the Airforce, I went back to school to learn more about computers and electronics. I was still experimenting with both on a larger scale. I was now designing and building electronic breadboards in my basement. I had also purchased one of the original TRS-80 computers that Radio Shack marketed. I was writing software just for the fun of it. When I was not in school or playing, I had a job working in a television production studio at the University of Pittsburgh. I got to maintain some very old equipment, which needed constant attention. Eventually they purchased all new equipment for the studio. I got to lay out and connect up the complete new system.

I have worked for the Ball Corporation for the last 17 years. Some of the tasks that I have performed include breadboarding, design, board layout, and testing of electronics. Other tasks include field service, system installation, and customer training. Presently I am writing software that will be used in the testing of spacecraft components.

I continue to increase my knowledge, especially in the computer field. Technology is constantly evolving; there are always many new things to learn. My career path has been interesting and has served me well.

TV station control room.jpg (18494 bytes)

TV control room electronics

TV camera

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