Standing in line

I'm standing in a que for my payment. This is one line i don't want to stand after next month, i want to move out of nal and be among the folks who receive their salaries in bank and the amount is such that one can give a party for the amount that i'm here to receive. Well amen i pray i get job soon and i'm preparing myself for it by reading and learning stuff. No longer one has to depend on dad's money and can do whatever i want with the money i earn. I want to earn this much money so that i don't feel any need on this side of my life. I want to fulfill the dreams of people who are around me. One wish that i have is that i can call didi to me whenever i want and she doesn't have to stay only because she has less money. Money shouldn't be any constraint.

Catia,Solidworks, NASTRAN, ANSYS they are just tools...

Recently i read bishnujee's email which struck a chord when he mentioned the value of hand calculations. Here in NAL i've seen people loose focus on this very important point in their attempt to get to know the tools like catia or nastran! They neglect the theory, their core domain in pursuit of getting a great mesh or perfect assembly!

One must remember all this computing power and the engineering software packages are just tools, and tools have meaning only in the hands of masters! Having the best analysis tool won't make you the best analyst but the engineering insight that you get from your theory will!

The tools certainly makes an engineers job easy but they are not the be all end all. So my advice to all the folks pursuing training here in Bangalore and elsewhere is along with your tools, do upgrade your core knowledge. You are an engineer and this is a profession you need to be constantly in touch with the core area that has earned you the title of engineer!

The tools increase your market but in the long run the base that you have studied is the one that will propel you to new heights. Perhaps in ouraesi we should discuss ways of upgrading our core knowledge.

As bishnujee suggested reading books of our course is one way to begin. Please do chip in with your ideas on this or any other topic that you might have.
Comments are always welcome.

5 things i need to improve in NAL now

People have begin taking me for granted. My boss began suspecting me
of not doing work. I need to do more work and less display. I need to
Carry on the good name that is there in every one's mind in nal for
us.

I have stopped learning and for the last 3 months i have not learnt
anything new which by any standard is bad. Worse if i look back at my
record at clocter.

I need to once again rise and be the best not in talks but in deeds. I
need to lift myself to a level of work i used to do here in NAL. I
need to learn and explore myself more. I don't enjoy teaching, i enjoy
the task of a magician. For a magician learning new tricks regularly
is the only way of survival, so i have to work on my new magic.... by
doing something new, by doing what i have not done before, by
spreading my wings and daring to jump.

It takes effort and will and i promise to apply these from now on

Resumes and cover letters

Job hunting has now become the first priority in my life now a days, so please don't mind if i devote my most of my posts here on this ventures! Well my last interview was long back, since then none of my resume has fetched me any interview call. I've been lucky with my resume and cover letter as almost all that i've dispatched from my mail had had an response. None i guess landed up in someone's trash folder. But still there are flaws i guess, that's why i'm posting this entry still as a trainee engineer of nal. Anyways first and foremost thing i have learnt by sending resumes is that a good cover letter is must. Have seen lots of people just sending there resume with just a line "please find resume attached " as cover letter, pleas don't do that. Show your interest in the job you are applying, highlight the most important aspect of your resume in it and most importantly remember cover letters are your means to let the recruiter notice your resume that will eventually grant an interview call.! I guess enough of gyan for today. Do write about your experiences and experiments with your resumes.:-) love to hear about it.

Solidworks vs catia

Won't be able to cut extrude this two popular solid modelling tools but will like to give my usage experience on working on this two tools.

Catia is vast but then is restrictive, solidworks is relatively compact and very intutive. Solidwork as i saw it works around you where as catia user interface i found was around catia.

And in terms of intelligence i found solidworks more knowing of what i want than catia. Giving relations, constraints is much easier and as i said earlier is much human way in solidworks.

Anyway this are just my personal views after being with both the softwares. Anyway i'm just beginning my journey with catia. I hope as i grow using it i'll find it as appealing as i find solidworks now.

Anyway folks do write me about your experiences with these tools. Would love to know what you feel.

Related links
What is NASTRAN?
What is catia?
Solidworks CAD video tutorials
EDST launches catiaa and enovia training center
Where can i learn NASTRAN and CATIA

One year review

Well i'll be completing one year in nal now. What have i achieved and learnt during this time. What areas i've become confident and what things and stuff i've learnt. I'm confident in solidworks, matlab and in design and performance analysis of gas turbines. This is the area i'm confident and would like to stretch myself in that area. Nal and under my boss i've learnt to apply my programming skills in aerospace domain. I've become more confident in languages like c, vb and fortran. And most important thing that nal has taught is the importance of what i've learn't. The broad knowledge that we get in aesi years was clearly highlighted in my tenure in nal. This has shown that i know something and the knowledge i've have gained is not wasted, and has use in all the work that i'll do in future.... Well will write more on this more. But from now i think i'll write more on my job search because this is where now my majority of my time is devoted.