CU: Do you think school prepared you for your first job, or was it more "on the job" training?

Richard: more "on the job" training but school expectations are not far off from corporate expectations. replace homework and exams with training and certifications and they are very similar especially in terms of team projects, deadlines, and organizational structure.

CU: What inspired you to do Engineering?

Richard: I've always had a curious mind. I was taking things apart and attempting to put them back together (not always successfully) for almost as long as I can remember. As a teenager I combined my passion for music and engineering curiosity and started to build my own equipment. That led me down an educational path that allowed me to be where I am today.

CU: What advice would you give to current students?

Richard: Focus on your studies but pay attention to how you learn and work on developing that as efficiently as you can. you will most likely be expected to learn things very quickly and this is a skill you really should master. Also network as much as you can.