brainstorming about carrier options; should I learn a second computer language? :)

[drjdpowell]

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@Blokk wrote:

I am a 37 y old physicist by qualifications (MSc and PhD in physics) but recently I would say, work more as a "technician"/LV programmer in a research center doing some technical physics experiments. This involves a little project management (meaning some paperwork to give reports for the budget responsibles), building up experimental rigs, programming them usually with LabVIEW (otherwise other colleagues manage this part using Siemens platforms, PLCs and PCS7 soft). Also, I supervise ongoing experiments/projects, analyzing data, and writing either publications (or supporting others writing them) or giving reports. So in a nutshell, this is the kind of work environment I am in the last 6-7 years until today, lets say.

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I was in a very similar situation ten years ago when my wife wanted to move back to the UK from California.  I made the jump to being a self-employed consultant doing LabVIEW full time.  This was aided by my wife getting a well-paid (and, more importantly, reliable) job.

It was also aided by the fact that I was "the LabVIEW expert" and could get considerable paid hours with the people I had been working for in California.  You should take a moment to consider if your current employer is going to regret letting you go, if you are the only person there with significant LabVIEW experience.   If so, there is a possibility of converting them to a client, if you were to go the consulting route.   It is very difficult to start consulting, but if you can build up clients it has the advantage of lots of interesting variety.  

The "second computer language" I would suggest is actually SQL, and databases in general.  Highly complimentary to regular programming languages.   The problem of learning Python or C++ is that those are alternatives to LabVIEW.  Learning multiple such languages is great education (you'll learn about weak versus strong typing, for example), but you'll end up with multiple ways of doing the same thing.  SQL, on the other hand, has very different strengths.

There is also the web technology languages: HTML/CSS/Javascript.  I have no expertise in that at all, but I know other very capable LabVIEW programers who swear by it as a "front end" to a LabVIEW "backend". 

[Hooovahh]

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@drjdpowell wrote:

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It was also aided by the fact that I was "the LabVIEW expert" and could get considerable paid hours with the people I had been working for in California.  You should take a moment to consider if your current employer is going to regret letting you go, if you are the only person there with significant LabVIEW experience.   If so, there is a possibility of converting them to a client, if you were to go the consulting route.   It is very difficult to start consulting, but if you can build up clients it has the advantage of lots of interesting variety.   

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This varies from state to state and company to company.  But I worked somewhere, where when the PO is signed to do the work, it also has a non-compete clause saying the new client cannot hire you for any work if you worked on their program for some amount of time.  I can't remember if it was 1 year or 2.  The penalty was if you were hired to do some work they had to pay the company you used to work for, your one year salary.  When I started getting job offers at companies I'd done work for, my current employer gave me a raise, it is possible they did this so they could get more money if I left.  But that client just waited out the non-compete clause anyway.  Apparently the client highly considered just paying the fine since I was underpaid at the time.

[drjdpowell]

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Hooovahh wrote: 

This varies from state to state and company to company...

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I don't think Blokk is working for a company, not one that has clients anyway.  I was suggesting he could possibly have his old employers themselves as a client.  

[Hooovahh]

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@drjdpowell wrote:

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Hooovahh wrote: 

This varies from state to state and company to company...

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I don't think Blokk is working for a company, not one that has clients anyway.  I was suggesting he could possibly have his old employers themselves as a client.  

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OHHHH.  Yeah I've always given that option to companies I've left and they've never taken me up on it.  Shame since I know the systems inside and out and could even be used to train others on how to update the systems.

[Gregory]

Hi Dr. Blokk,

Trying something new

I have had some similar considerations of my own. The first was staying in a PhD program or dropping out with an M.S. I took a leave of absence to see if I enjoyed an industrial setting better than an academic setting. I did, and never went back to the university. That's not to say your experience will be the same, but whatever you choose, it's not permanent! If you decide in 6 months that it is absolutely not the place you want to work, you can pack up and go somewhere else. You have stayed where you are for 7+ years, if you leave somewhere after 6 months, future employers will understand that it just wasn't a good fit, not that you are a job-hopper (in my experience, at least). I would recommend finding something with a little variety, probably with an R&D component. I once had a "LabVIEW" job that was mostly just keeping the manufacturing lines running, and I found that the physics part of my brain was not challenged in the way I wanted.

Learning a new language

I like MATLAB and am learning a little Python, if for nothing else than to make nice looking graphs! I see many test engineer positions that also want experience with Python, C++, C#, Visual Basic, and others, so if you enjoy learning new languages, it certainly wouldn't hurt. It also might be good if you can find a copy of TestStand to play with, since of a lot of companies that use NI hardware also use TestStand. For test engineering in general, it is definitely good to have knowledge of databases, at least how to write some SQL queries, as well as some CAD software like SolidWorks. I'm not very good with SolidWorks, but it would definitely come in handy to make some custom fixtures for things.

Becoming a CLA

I would say you don't need any more training classes to pass the CLA. If you can write an application that uses some queued message handlers to send data back and forth (and I'm betting you can!), then you can pass the CLA. I'm not that great with many of the more advanced LabVIEW features (like object oriented frameworks, actor framework, etc.) and I still passed easily. At first it was hard to create a skeleton of the program in under 4 hours, but after 3 or 4 practices, you can probably get your time down to 3:30 or so. 

[Blokk]

Nice! 🙂

Lots of good info you guys just threw at me!

Hooovahh, drdjpowel:

well, this is a governmental research facility joined with a technical university. Here it is not an option to get hired back as a consultant. Actually most of such places in Europe do not really consider using consultants/third party firms to do projects/develop LabVIEW solutions. The common approach is that "we have stuff here, we have students, they should do it". This ends up in enormous time and efficiency losses at many research centers and universities. I have seen crazy things in the last years, and not only here 😄 But I guess you also got such experiences...

LabVIEW is abused in every ways we can just imagine. Then some people get an impression, LabVIEW is not reliable, not effective 🙂 The recent project I work on with some colleagues here is to completely rewrite an application which became a memory bleeding spaghetti monster over the years under the hands of many people who were more or less qualified in LabVIEW, apparently less...I would even not consider the wasted man power over the years. Yes, they were students. But still, they could have had more time to do physics instead of timeless programming...Well, this is how these places run, even companies do not recognize their failures how to be efficient, what can we expect from non profit oriented universities? 🙂

gregoryj:

Yes, I imagine my future work place where I can do R&D, and not pure manufacturing. I did that in the past, for a short time before my PhD, and it is not that interesting. A place where I can learn lots of new things would be very nice...

About database learning, it is a good idea, I might check out some introductory courses 🙂 We have here also options to do beginner course in CAD, that would be interesting too! (here the popular choice is Catia)...

CLA: yes, I have to practice better documentation, and gain speed in setting up a framework. What it's in my mind is maybe not taking full classes, but get myself reviewed by professional instructors to see where to fill gaps in my programming skills before exam...

Thanks guys again for your valuable comments and insights! 🙂

[Blokk]

I just registered and asked for a quote for NI Week. Actually it is also possible to take the CLA exam there with 50% discount. I also added the "Build Your Own Embedded System" section to my basket.

Lets see if I get the money to go... 🙂

[Hooovahh]

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@Blokk wrote:

I just registered and asked for a quote for NI Week. Actually it is also possible to take the CLA exam there with 50% discount. I also added the "Build Your Own Embedded System" section to my basket.

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Oh very good choices.  I've always wanted to do the build your own embedded system partially so I could go home with a cheap RT Linux device to play with.  But now we have cDAQ with Linux RT and the embedded display.  I was going to do it last year but my flight got delayed and didn't make it there until Monday afternoon instead of Sunday night.  As for the exam I wouldn't want to take it any day other than Monday if you have the option.  I remember seeing a few choices in previous years, and one was in the middle of the week during sessions.  It seemed like a waste to go to NI Week but to not go to the sessions.  And then there is the fact that I'd be constantly studying and worrying about the exam instead of enjoying my time there.  I ended up taking my CLA a few months after an NI Week, back at home for that reason.

[Blokk]

I could not get the budget, so i had to cancel my NIWeek. Anyway, maybe in the future!

I have left a bit than two months at my recent employer. I just signed the contract today for the new job. Feeling very strange, big change after quite many years I spent in Germany...

No more LabVIEW as job. I will work in a team testing and developing semiconductor characterization systems, like deep-level transient spectroscopy. Lots of new things to learn! 🙂 Feeling again like being in the university!

But I really want to keep using LabVIEW, at least for hobby projects, and beta testing fun 🙂 Plan for the close future: LabVIEW controlled Peltier-cooled cloud chamber! What is more awesome in a house party than an own cloud chamber in action?? 😄