About 2 years ago one of my college friends died suddenly and unexpectedly from a meningitis outbreak. At the time his wife was 2 months pregnant with their first child, "Liam."
I knew Nick because we were mechanical engineering students together. We worked on the same senior project team. We built a small racecar. That was one the toughest things I ever did. It really pushed me to the limit and then a little further. Sleeplessness was the norm. One week I logged 122 hours of work. You really had to be on top of your game through it all too. Steel doesn't forgive. If you get careless when you are working things go wrong quick. A week's worth or work can go out the window in an instant because of a careless adding mistake. There is no one who can make it all better either. All you can do is suck it up and fix it. I learned alot from that year and I really regreted that Nick would not be there to tell Liam the tale. I told Nick's wife I would document it in case Liam ever wanted to know how this year played out. It was pretty dramatic.
Some people have a stereotypical view that engineering is kind of a dry, soulless field... I beg to differ. At the end of the day if there is one thing I learned from this it is to never give up hope. Things can look broken beyond all repair. Challenges can sometimes seem completely insurmountable. That is where Hope needs to take over. Never, never, never, give up. As long as you still have breath in your body it isn't over.
I really like telling stories and this is one of my most favorite. This will probably be a mix of the human element of engineering school mixed up with the engineering tricks we picked up "off the street." I hope you will follow along.
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