EPTSo a bit over 2 months ago, I recieved a call from somebody to my personal cell, and it was for an interview request for a position at Blackberry. Didn't remember anything about the position, and job description when I went back to look was frustratingly vague. You really have to see in person before you understand what jigs and fixtures are, and how they work.
Somehow, I managed to pull myself together, write up all I knew and did the best prep I could and got the job offer a few days after the interview. (I actually had a second interview request come in about 3 days after I had accepted, but I had to decline that one for rather obvious reasons)
Fast forward to getting onto a plane at Vancouver, and flying out to Toronto. First time living alone, and knowing exactly one person in the entire province of Ontario at that point in time, I was a nervous wreck for about a week as I tried to adjust to everything from living with housemates to the water tasting different, not living near about 20 different types of food, and a transit system that moves minimally faster than walking speed.
Work surprisingly is one of the most relaxing parts of my day tbh(No pictures from there for obvious reasons). Coming from upper year engineering, where putting in 12-14 hour days(not even to attend most lectures, just to work) for weeks at a time is pretty standard, a 9-5 job is different. I have an objective in mind, and just do it. It took a couple weeks before I finally started to relax and pace myself to not burn out, and take a 5 minute coffee breaks(yay free coffee from a massive machine), or to eat lunch in the caf and chat instead of at my desk while working. Just one of the things that's hard to turn off.
While a lot of the job is working with reports and excel, CAD is really what I enjoy doing, and so far I'm 2/3 completed for fixture designs. One still needs to be refined, and possibly redesigned altogether. These things just get drawn up, sent to a 3D printer, and then a few hours-a day after they start printing, you get to hold it in your hand, and be like I made this. It's not a feeling you get after completing a report, and sending it off, because it's a tangible result.
My first successful one took one prototype to identify an issue, and then a second one that rectified that issue and became the first working iteration of the design. A day later, an order for 15 more came through, and got printed over the next week. That feeling that you get knowing that your work keeps other people in work is just amazing. It's something amazingly simple, yet effective. Simply needed a way to hold a POP(POPulated PCB), and connect a USB cable to it. Basically just a nest with a small toggle clamp. Second one(derivative of the 1st for another product), is pending orders, but it works.
As for what I do in my spare time, first week was Niagara Falls. That's where I figured out that renting a car, even earning a ton of cash, really, really hurts if you are under 25. Absolutely beautiful place. Was a hot day, ~25C without a cloud in the sky, and rolling down the windows, you slowly hear a roar as you approach the falls. My phone camera sucks unfortunately, but what can you do =(
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/NJqDPfk.jpg)
A couple weeks later was Toronto, to visit the one friend I had there. Was an interesting trip. Rental car broke down(filled up with smoke while idling in downtown toronto on a major street, not ideal), and ended up only going up the CN tower, but thankfully my friend was there with me to help calm my nerves and spend the afternoon catching up. That's where paying the extra $10 for roadside assistance really saved me big on money. Didn't cost me a dime to get a replacement car only time.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/47eDBgW.jpg)
My favourite shot from the CN tower
As for time spent at home, I didn't have stable internet for the first 3 weeks I was there. Found out there was an internet drop hidden behind a drawer, and ended buying a ethernet cable from Source(bleh) the next day, for about 5x the cost per ft. that a reasonably priced cable should cost, ordered one online and promptly returned it the next day in near original packaging form(cable ties are different, everything else like new).
Managed to finally get diamond in league of legends somehow on an unfamiliar setup, after 3 weeks of constantly disconnecting bot games for first win of the day, with 100+(up from 35-40) ping, as well as starting up World of Tanks because several of my coworkers play.
And finally, a panorama of my "backyard"(technically the trail leads down a few hundred meters away, but it's there)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/78wAvpR.jpg)
