My Engineers Notebook Rhea Naidoo

My Engineers Notebook Rhea Naidoo My Engineers Notebook Rhea Naidoo Rhea Naidoo Rhea Naidoo is a mechanical engineer from South Africa who graduated from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 2010. She currently works for the mining company Xstrata Alloys as a project engineer in its capital projects division. In 2010, after leading an Engineers Without Borders project at herbei university, she became an ASME volunteer. She now chairs an ASME Affinity Group, Early Career Connect, which links a global network of early career engineers with opportunities and resources to help them take advantage of all ASME has to offer. ECC identifies talented young engineers and deploys them as correspondents and champions to further ASMEs strategic goals locally in their Districts. Rhea is also a part-time blogger. Her blog, EngineerChic, follows her experiences as a young, female engineer finding her footing in the world of engineering. Through her blog, she hopes to inspire other young wom en to pursue careers in engineering. Whats inside your engineers notebook? In projects, every day presents a new challenge which is the thing I love the fruchtwein about my job. My notebook is where I keep track of all the tasks I need to follow up on. Also, as an engineer, I communicate through drawings so when I walk around the construction site, I always have my little black Moleskin notebook with me. Its full of sketches and drawings Ive made helping others work out problems to help them complete a job. The drawings are little more than scribbles, but they do the trick I also have a white board in my office which is always covered with lists and sketches. Co-workers walk in, grab a marker and start drawing its a wonderful collaborative tool. Whose notebook would you most like to peek into? Why? The head of my division, Mark Henrico, is a brilliant project manager with decades of industry and project experience. I would love to peek into his notebooks for previous projects as they would contain priceless lessons learned. Mark has a memory like an elephant and is able to recall an unbelievable amount of detail on large and highly complex projects. I would love to binnenlandsee how he structures his notes and memory joggers.How and when did you know you wanted to become an engineer? I come from a family of medical professionals. In high school, when I said I wanted to be an engineer, my parents and friends were seriously against the idea, saying it was a very manly and unattractive profession. This didnt deter me at all as I had a passion for physics and math and was always fascinated by how things worked. I lied to my parents that my medicine application had been rejected the truth is I didnt write the entrance exam on purpose. I think it was partly their fault though for giving my sisters and me Legos to play with as kids instead of dolls. My youngest sister has just started mechanical engineering at UCT and my dad now boasts ab out me being an engineer Rhea Naidoo Whats the most exciting project youve ever worked on? The project I am on right now involves the engineering, procurement and construction of a chrome ore beneficiation plant. It has been an incredible experience for me since I was involved in every aspect of the project right from early planning. I have worked closely with the design team and quantity surveyors and have gained valuable experience with cost and schedule management. I was very fortunate to travel to India and China to inspect equipment we were importing. It was really interesting to see how engineers and factories in other countries do things. Now were in the construction phase of the project, and with commissioning around the corner, I cant wait to flip the switch and see the plant up and running after so much hard work Although really challenging at times, this project has pushed me to step up and become better and I appreciate all the lessons I have learned alon g the way. What do you think youd be doing if you hadnt become an engineer? I probably would have done something in business. Economics fascinates me and I want to own my own company one day. Inspector Gadget Whats your favorite activity when youre not working? I love being outdoors. I enjoy rock climbing and hiking. Luckily I live in the province of Mpumalanga - a beautiful part of South Africa with so many gorgeous waterfalls to explore. I also love travelling and eating good food - I am completely addicted to both. Was there a book or a movie that piqued your interest in science or inspired you to become an engineer? My sisters and I loved watching Bill Nye the Science Guy and Inspector Gadget when we were kids. Maybe this had something to do with it. I hope there is an equivalent for kids these days. Emilie du ChateletWho are your heroes, either within the engineering profession or in the rest of your life? I am in awe of women in history wh o have made contributions to science and engineering. Living decades or even centuries ago, it was much harder for a woman to become educated, so I have a lot of respect for the incredibly strong and independent ones who did. milie du Chtelet is my favorite, who published the first French translation and commentary of Isaac Newtons Principia Mathematica in 1759. In my life however, my dad and my godfather are my heroes - my dad for being the most caring and compassionate doctor I have ever known, and my godfather for his anti-Apartheid activist work in the 1980s as well as his inspirational career in development since. Whats the most meaningful or rewarding aspect of being connected to engineering? The most meaningful and rewarding part about being an engineer is knowing the impact that is made to society through engineering. Through my work with Engineers Without Borders, I had first-hand experience on how someones life can be improved through innovation. Even the pla nt I am building is helping society by providing jobs and investing in growth to uplift my countrys economy. What does ASME mean to you? Through volunteering for ASME I meet, connect and learn from engineers of all ages, from different parts of the world. For me, its a network - made up of human beings, each with a wealth of knowledge and experiences and who are all making contributions to society every day. Connecting these engineers - especially early career engineers - to all that ASME offers is an opportunity for me to help them make those contributions more effectively. Personally though, I have made some good friends through ASME from all over the world.

6 Reasons to Change Jobs in Your Late 20s

6 Reasons to Change Jobs in Your Late 20s 6 Reasons to Change Jobs in Your Late 20s When youre in your late 20s, you finally have perspective on your life. You know where you want to go more clearly. At this age, you know if the job or the career you picked right out of college is satisfying.If your career is unfulfilling, however, your late 20s are actually an ideal time to change jobs. In fact, 20-somethings (or even 30-somethings) early in their career, benefit from assessing their desired career path and often change jobs if they find their ambitions dont match their present reality. This age is the perfect time to find the right fit not just to stick to what you know.1. Your first job out of college doesnt always stickMost people dont stay in the same job their whole lives. In fact, younger Baby Boomers held 11.7 jobs from the ages of 18 to 48, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Take it from your parents, and recognize that interests can and do change. Perhaps you m ade a career choice at 18 that doesnt suit you anymore. Or maybe youre feeling like you arent challenged in your first job after college. Thats okay. Many people can and do change jobs at this stage of the game.2. You have plenty of time to do your researchIf youre unhappy in your career but youre not sure whether or not you want to change jobs, you dont have to quit your job today. Research careers that let you focus on your passions. As long as youre still committed to your current job (showing up on time and staying motivated), you can and should research other positions. Develop a search strategy in which you consider the factors you want in a position (location, flexibility, responsibility), research companies that interest you, and read trade journals and professional resource sides about your potential new field.3. You can take baby stepsIf your dream career is a completely different pathway than the one youre on now, your late 20s are the perfect timeto set mini-goals towa rds your larger ambition. You can get back in contact with helpful professionals whose careeryoure considering, set up informational interviews, and, if possible, even volunteer in a related field. If suddenlyswitching gears makes you feel like youvecompletely lost control, then setting- and meeting- your micro-goals will go a long way in keeping you motivated and feeling accomplished.4. You recognize the job market has changed considerablyThe job market has changed considerably since you finished college and began looking for work in 2009, 2010, or 2011. There are more opportunities for freelancing, working from home, or being employed at companies like Google with freer corporate cultures. If any of these changes appeal to you, consider if you might have to relocate, go back to school, or change fields entirely to create the kind of work-life balance youve always wanted.5. Youll only gain more responsibilityYour late 20s are a great time for a job change because you dont have the financial responsibilities you might have later in life. In a few years, you might have a mortgage, a partner, and even kids, but many people in their late 20s havent made those commitments yet. Plus, youll likely have some savings from your first career, so you can spend more time searching for your dream career andyour dream city without having to leap too fast. Now that you know what you dont want, its better to start your job search sooner, rather than one day live with regrets.6. Your current experience could fit with your dream jobDont let your quarter life crisis get you down. If youre not satisfied in your current career, get motivated to change jobs and do what youre most passionate about. Jobscan has all of the tools youll need to take the next step in your new job search. Take a look at our resume templates andresume writing guide to make sure youre hitting all of the most up-to-date features employers expect.Your job skills and accomplishments could be very persuasive to a new employer. Once youve created a resume with your accomplishments, run the job posting and your resume through Jobscan. Jobscan compares the keywords on your resume to those on the job posting. If you find that your job accomplishments dont match those desired by the job posting, you can replace words on your resume with similar ones suggested by Jobscan.

Instagram will let you track how much time you waste on its app

Instagram will let you track how much time you waste on its appInstagram will let you track how much time you waste on its appI have an Instagram account. Chances are, you probably have one too - just like the more than 500 million people who reportedly use the social media platform every day.But how much time is too much time? Instagrammers will be able to check out their time spent within the Usage Insights feature, according to TechCrunch.Its really happeningBut this isnt all hearsay - Instagram CEO and co-founder Kevin Systrom also said the news was true on Twitter, retweeting TechCrunchs story with a brief comment of his ownBut he didnt stop there Or there, for that matter.TechCrunch reports that app investigator Jane Manchun Wongunearthed the code featuring time spent withinthe Instagram for Android application package, or APK. But the publication also makes it clear that we dont yet know what time period time spent will be tracking.Either way, someday, you just might be able to tell how many hours youve spent checking out other peoples photos on Instagram.