Job Dreaming

As I sit here at work, trying to focus on today’s task, I find my mind drifting as usual. I have a really hard time focusing on work most of the time. There’s just too many other things to think about! My work often requires so little effort that it tends to lose the battle for my attention. But that’s not what I’m in here to write about. I want use this moment of distraction to jot down what’s distracting me.

I don’t recall what triggered it, but I was thinking about the electrical problems of the old Datsun I drove to the commuter lot this morning. One of the products of day dreaming I did weeks ago was the idea that I could some day attain enough knowledge of electronics and mechanics to replace the old electronic control module in the Datsun with a completely custom module that could also handle what is currently controlled by vacuum lines and pumps. The car was designed during the transition from vacuum control to electronic control with the increased need for polution controls, so they threw a lot of both on there and really made a confusing mess. The electrical problems are on the verge of getting out of control and the vacuum system has its own problems as well. I’m sure part of my trouble is that I’m not a trained mechanic, so a lot of it is pretty daunting to look at. Although, no offense to mechanics, but I don’t think even they have the knowledge I’m looking for. It’s one thing to learn how to fix something like a car or computer, but it’s another to know how to redesign it. Those who are into building or modifying cars for racing are more the type I need to start spending more time with. There are actually two of them here at work, but don’t I have enough distractions here? 🙂 They are really good people to know and will generously spend hours on end chatting about cars and discussion my various mechanical quandaries, but as much as they seem to want to infuse one from the next generation with their knowledge, I don’t like to burden them too much. For them it’s a good hobby (especially for such engineers,) but I need some real training at some point.

I’m learning enough as I go, and I know they have better ways of designing these things today. I’d really like to be able to design a kit that replaces all the existing, aging systems in the Datsun with a much more modern, streamlined version that eliminates a lot of the headaches. It might even something marketable if I thought it could make a buck or two selling the designs to another company to manufacture. With cars that age (1982,) it’s signficant effort just maintaining the body and interior in good working order. I love the car, and I’d like to see it last a long time.

But again, none of that is really what distracted me today. A moment spent reflecting on all the little quirks I encounter when I warm the car up in the morning got me thinking about that dream of redesigning the electronics, and that is what got me thinking about maybe a job in the auto industry someday. With all the computerization of design nowadays, I wonder if there is something out there that would combine my love of good engineering, cars & trucks, programming, and tinkering. I probably wouldn’t like working for one of those big corporations any more than I like working for this one, but maybe it could lead to more that I’d enjoy down the road. Who knows? But at least it might be a reasonable compromise that leaves me with enough knowledge to tinker with related hobbies at home. There are some many things to do, such a variety of jobs to choose from! Something to day dream about anyway, or job dream. 🙂