Dallas Engineer Says Education Helps Extend Life Beyond 1 And 0
Marty Leister is an ASIC design engineer at Raytheon. He designs custom computer chips for various applications for the defense industry. Leister earned his master's degree in electrical engineering from Southern Methodist University (SMU).
"I felt that having a master's degree would help me in my work. At the time, I worked for Texas Instruments and they offered an at-work educational program partnered with SMU. It took five years because I would take one class a semester, but it was worth it," said Leister.
Leister's advice to those considering returning to school: "A master's degree can only help you if you have the desire to learn more. Many positions require additional education and there aren't enough people pursuing an engineering degree or a master's degree. The degree will help you and the world. You will expand your scope of knowledge and thereby be able to create more to benefit the world. Even if you have to take one course at a time because of work and family commitments, do it. It will only benefit you.
"My biggest challenge was picking courses. There are so many and I had to focus on a particular area. Deciding within a particular field of study and the specific courses helped me become an expert in my field," said Leister.
"The biggest reward for earning the master's degree is not being bored with my job. There is always a challenge. Between my sophomore and junior year in college, I spent the summer working on an assembly line putting together over 500 pneumatic-to-electronic transducers a week. It was repetitive, boring and offered no challenge or growth. I knew this wasn't the life I wanted. It was at that point that I knew I wanted to be an engineer. I wanted to get a degree so I wouldn't have to spend my life on an assembly line," said Leister.
Robin D. Everson is a native Chicagoan who resides in Dallas, Texas. Her appreciation for art, food, wine, people and places has helped her become a well-respected journalist. A life-long lover of education, Robin seeks to learn and enlighten others about culture. You can find her work at Examiner.com