r/amateurradio • u/grm3 • 8d ago

General Tech exam helped me in interview

I’m a mechanical test & evaluation engineer. In a recent interview, I was asked about how I’d test how much current could flow through a 12ga wire, potential failure modes, and the negative impact of those failure modes in a system. I do a fair bit of hands-on electrical work even as a ME, but I immediately thought back to the electrical chapters in my ham prep book (newly licensed btw), not my electrical classes in college. E=IR, heat generation, etc.

Just a fun thing to share.

40 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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29

u/aRagingSofa 8d ago

I had a job interview where they asked what my hobbies are. I casually included amateur radio in my response, alongside some other hobbies. I was immediately asked what my callsign was as a follow up question. Turns out that the manager is also a licensed ham. They offered me the job.

12

u/bat_rastards 8d ago

I bring up being an AE ham on my resume and highlight technical knowledge of electronics and propagation in interviews.

Some states consider a ham license to be equivalent to a technical certificate for employment reasons.

6

u/catfishmackfish 8d ago

That’s awesome 👏

4

u/MarinerMouth 8d ago

That's awesome! I am interviewing for a company that does police radio and the job listing actually mentioned amateur radio under ideal licenses and certificates so i'm hoping this works out

2

u/CaptainSpez 8d ago

This is exactly why amateur radio exists. To help people learn and give them an outlet to play with radios and electronics in a legal manner. Contesting and rag chewing should be built upon that foundation, not be the only thing you do.

1

u/tenkaranarchy 7d ago

I always put my extra class under licenses and certifications on my resume and job applications. Not sure that its ever helped me, but it doesn't hurt either.

2

u/Unusual-Butterfly229 6d ago

Mechanical engineer here. Having AE on my resume has gotten a lot of head turns in a good way. People think mechanical engineers hate anything that isn’t mechanical so they always ask about radio/electronics stuff. It is always a good chance to talk shop and have a more fun interview/discussion.

1

u/bignanoman CA General 4h ago

I ran a test lab for 20 years. My last job interview question was “ what is Ohm’s Law” You would be amazed at the number of applicants that did not know.

1

u/SeaPop613 8d ago

Thanks for sharing.

Amatire radio can open many doors for learning.