Monday, June 30, 2008

One year anniversary, part 1

It was a year ago tomorrow that I wrote my first post to this blog. Technically, I created this blog a few days before that, and I started thinking about creating the blog several months before. But the first post sounds like a good enough date to use. In that year I've written 66 times - a little over one a week is about what I had originally aimed for, so I'm happy with that.

Anyway, I wanted to formally mark the occasion of one year. Note in the header that this is "part 1" - I'll write a related post tomorrow (or the day after at the latest).

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Boston testing is hiring

I touched on this over a month ago when I talked about moving to my new job. But it really bears repeating: there are plenty of test jobs available in the greater Boston/north of Boston area. Over the past 5 to 6 months I have averaged at least a call a week from a recruiter - just this past week I had four. And I'm not counting the emails I get from recruiters.

Now, I could be full of myself and say that I get all this attention because I'm just a great guy... But in reality, recruiters are looking for specific skill sets. For most contacts I've had, they want someone with a) several years experience as a test engineer, b) good knowledge of LabVIEW, c) some sort of engineering education, and d) live in the area (relocation is expensive right now). So, if you fit that criteria, come to the Boston area and you'll get an interview.

What do I base this observation on? First, the two companies I have left in the last 6 months are still trying to fill my old position. Second, over the last two weeks I've asked several recruiters if the test engineering field is busy. They have all replied that the market is tight and they are having troubles filling the open reqs. So, there you go.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Test Engineer Humor

While looking for software drivers I came across this page at Cal-Bay Systems.

I cracked up, especially at the shot of the PXI chassis with a tap in the middle. And the "BXI Chug 'n Play" standard in the specifications page was even better. It struck just the right tone to mimic a NI press release.

This is a great example of humor developed by a test engineer: obvious reference to the industry, plenty of spec details, and playful.