Our success comes from technical capability and a really great team. We are building a culture at MicroEra Power, Inc. with innovation, resilience and impact. Meet Mohammad Ariq our Co-op Intern studying Computer Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology.
What made you choose Rochester Institute of Technology?
Honestly, the RIT Co-op Program is what attracts everyone. I found MicroEra Power through the Career Connect page. My title is Computer Engineer but my primary work here is controls engineering. There are so many facets to this technology and we are enabling facilities managers to have more control over their systems and enabling this kind of autonomy requires controls engineering.
Where did your interest in Computer Engineering come from ?
I took my first programming class as a freshman in high school. I had an amazing teacher and he created a community. We liked what we were doing and we liked each other. There was programming, there was laughter, there was discovery. We were doing simple stuff like “Hello World.” But as a 14 year old it was amazing to see your computer talking back to you for the first time. Later in the class we even made programs interact with users. I like structuring ways the computer can support what we are building and it is beyond just entering data, the computer can really organize the data and create very useful prompts.
What is one of the most important things you learned from your teacher?
He liked to break problems down to their bare bones before trying to find a solution. I often would overcomplicate my homework or projects and he taught me how to break complex things into smaller bites and solve problems piece by piece. The skill of chunking I use this in my work and in my own life.
What Emerging Technology inspires you the most?
I have been tracking and am very interested in VR. I see how much VR has improved since it first came out and how much more realistic it is becoming. The other day I saw a video of a self-driving Uber and it was completely automatic. The passenger sat in the back the whole ride. That is just amazing.
What is the most important aspect at work for you?
I like being on small tight knit teams. Working together, sharing information and asking questions are really important for me. I feel that sense of teamwork here.
How do you manage information overload?
That’s a good question. First you have to take it all in and then you will start to see a pattern. After a while you will be able to tell what is credible information.
I think a lot of people overshoot their needs. If you want to work on a project, you don’t need the most sophisticated hardware, you need the most relevant or helpful. There is a lot of hype about why certain things are better because of various features. You might not need all of that. You need to take a look at your requirements and look at what you need and see if you can simplify things. My success comes from subtraction, not addition.
Thank you, Jennifer
