Name: Brandon Jones
Employer: Hegel Holdings, LLC
Position: Applications Engineer
Education: B.S.G.E. – University of Illinois 

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing engineers today?
In the past, it was about finding a job that offered what you wanted in terms of working with something you were interested in, the schedule and demand, location, and the atmosphere. But in this economy, now it’s about just finding a job period.

What do you think has been the biggest development in motion control technology over the past five years?
In the past 5 years, there hasn’t really been a major breakthrough. I’d have to say it’s the ability to put so much into smaller packages as compared to years before.

What is one thing you wish you knew at the beginning of your career that you know now?
That you don’t have to know everything. In the real world, you can always look it up. What’s important is your work ethic, ability to learn, and being able to develop enough of a friendship with coworkers to make your work environment an enjoyable place….and networking.

How do you think young engineers today differ from the older generation of engineers?
Mentality wise, there’s no difference. We’ve always been people who wanted to learn how things worked and tried to make them better. But there is something to be said for the advancement of technology and how engineers today have to adapt and interact with it. It’s not enough to know the science and math, you need to know the programming, software, and a communication tools to apply them.

Would you encourage your kids or grandkids to pursue an engineering career?
If it’s what they’re interested in, then absolutely.

What is the coolest project you’ve ever worked on in your career?
American Control Electronics developed an app to run on an Android system to control a custom AGV we built via Bluetooth.

If you could have coffee (or a beer) with one engineer, scientist or inventor, living or dead, whom would it be?
Sir Isaac Newton