David C Byram

In layperson terms, what do you actually do at work?

Up until lately, I was employed as a Design Engineer with a manufacturer of custom Tool Grinding Machines. There I was responsible for design and assembly of custom precision machine tool grinding machines and 2D CAD file conversions to 3D Solidworks, new equipment design, engineering, documentation, testing and implementation.

How did you pick your career? Did you know all along?

I started out as a welder and progressed up to welding fabricator and one point, welding manufacturing engineer. My real passion had been mechanical drafting having spent four years in high school being taught. I spent a great deal of my spare time learning how to become an excellent designer and draftsman, this even before availability of computers. I did what I could to make the migration from building the machines to designing them, later becoming a Design Engineer and so on until now.

What is the biggest challenge you had to overcome to get to where you are now professionally? How did you overcome it?

The fact that I did not have a degree. In fact, I had quit in my last year of high school to start work after getting married and decided to go into the welding field of work. Through many years I continued as a welder fabricator but I would still be very involved in my drafting discipline. Problem was, when I would apply for a position as a draftsman, I would be turned down because I did not have a diploma of graduation. The interviewers would not even look at my work that I would bring as proof that can do what the customer is looking for, to now eval. I went back to get my GED so as to overcome that hurdle. Later, I did land a position as drafter and I never looked back. On at least two of my positions as either designer or engineer, I was hired because of my experience as they did not want someone who had the degree, but not the experience.

How did you start building your network?

I have no network, per say, other than LinkedIn. I would however encourage anyone to have a presence on LinkedIn.

What is the one piece of career advice you wish someone gave you when you were younger?

I wish I was encouraged to remain in school my last year. I was never very good in math and was able to eliminate most math about after my sixth grade and that was a mistake. Now when I do any design or engineering related math work, I have to reference the internet. In the past, I had to teach myself the math I needed to function in engineering, especially when it came to calculations involving formulas. Remember, we did not have the internet back then.

What is the most useful piece of career advice you got as a student, and who gave it to you?

I really do not remember much, except the drafting teacher and I where very much in touch as to my potentional as it was evident in my work.

When you were a student, did you do anything outside of school to build skills or get knowledge that has helped your career?

I was always drawing, always sketching. I always had a large drafting board and drafting machine in a room or the basement. I always had something to design or draft, at one time, even drawing the Apollo command module. Unlike computers, when you are on a drafting board, line widths, even dimensioning styles provides some clue as to who the draftsman is that created it.

Did anyone ever oppose your career plans when you were young or push you in a direction you did not want to go?

No. They all realize where my potential was.

When did you get your first Big Break? How did you get it? How did it go?

It was when I was hired on a drafter even though being turned away because I did not have a graduation degree from high school. A friend told me about a position in his design group and was hired because of his recommendation. After that, there was no looking back or stopping me. Another big break was when I received a call from an Engineering manager that offered me employment with a division of Johnson & Johnson solely due to my experience and not a degree. It was the best place to work and a real pleasure working with so many engineers and scientists.

What is it like when your job gets tough?

Sometimes when you get frustrated because you can solve a problem, you just have to walk away from it for a time. More times than not, the problem becomes a little more solvable. The important thing is to not stress out. I did and it is not worth doing because it will affect your health. I found by managing things in small pieces, making sure I have the big picture and establish a priority, then it works best.