I work as a Senior Design Engineer in the Research and Development group. My primary role is to serve as a group leader for a team of very talented engineers and designers. We develop new types of high-speed memory products. New product development includes overall product and architecture design, design of individual circuits, device simulation, device verification, and product debug and characterization.

I started college enrolled in an architecture program. Most of the courses in the program were art based and as a result were graded subjectively. I realized that the absence of objectivity was going to drive me crazy, so I jumped into an electrical engineering program and immersed myself in science and math disciplines with right and wrong answers.

My job exposes me to state-of-the-art design problems in a cutting edge environment. Since every day brings new problems to solve, my job stays fresh and exciting. A side benefit to the project that I am currently on is the opportunity to travel to various destinations in the U.S., Japan, Korea and Germany for meetings with other engineers.

I feel that all of the college prep courses contributed to my preparation for college. These included math, science, and English. I especially liked high school physics and an advance composition course my high school offered. The latter course paid big dividends to me in college, since I tested out of the normally required freshman English classes.

I received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1982 from the University of Idaho. I started this program straight out of high school. I also earned a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1996 from the University of Idaho while working full-time at Micron.

Take as many college prep courses as you can. They will ease your transition into college level coursework and help accelerate you through your freshman year.

I love spending time with my family. My personal hobbies include bodybuilding, photography, tinkering with cars and riding my Harley—especially on winding mountain roads.

The degree typically sought for this position is a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering.

I am an Equipment Maintenance Technician in the Test department. My responsibilities include making sure that the equipment is running properly, trouble-shooting failures, performing preventative maintenance and calibrations, and providing support for production needs.

I have always had an interest in electricity and originally wanted to become an electrician. Once I learned more about electronics, I knew that's what I wanted to do in college.

What I like most about my job is each day I am faced with a new challenge. Every day is different and things change all the time so my job is never the same. I was involved in changing the step-by-step process used to perform temperature calibrations. Once the process was in effect, I was responsible for re-calibrating all of the equipment using the new process.

I had the opportunity to take a basic wiring and electronics course in high school that directed me towards electronics.

I have an Associate of Applied Science in electronics technology degree from Boise State University.

If you are interested in a technical career, definitely pursue it! Research, talk to people, and get the information you need to further your education. Our world of technology is growing so fast and there is such a high demand for people with the skills that you couldn't go wrong.

I enjoy fishing, camping, bike riding and spending time with my three-year-old daughter.

The degree typically sought for this position is Associate of Applied Science in electronics. Candidates with a military background as an electronics technician specialist are also considered for this position.

I install and maintain personal computers (PCs), laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and printers. I also work with many telecommuters who work for Micron in different parts of the U.S.

I chose a technical career because of the future it has to offer, the opportunity it gives me to learn and test my skills, and the fact that I find it very rewarding.

I enjoy working with other groups within information systems (IS) and meeting people all across the company. One day I may work with personnel team members and the next I'm solving problems for people in sales and marketing.

One of my current projects is working with the PDA team. The team consists of people from network services, IS logistics, and the e-mail group. We work together to implement PDA usage among Micron team members and standardize PDA technical support for end-users, so the PDA can become a commonly used tool.

My high school didn't offer many technical classes, but I found taking a higher-level math class prepared me.

My education over the last few years includes taking math classes at BSU and networking classes at Treasure Valley Community College. I've also taken some Micron-sponsored classes.

Take classes that are technically challenging. Don't be afraid of learning something new.

I enjoy spending time outside. I spend my time away from work running, mountain biking and snow and water skiing.

A Bachelors of Science in Information Technology/Information Systems is preferred for this position. A+ Certification and the Microsoft Certified Service Engineer certificate also demonstrate skills needed for this position. Candidates with an internship in a related field have a strong advantage.

For the most part, I am a "Supervisor of Resources." I manage million-dollar tool sets, ensuring that engineering is aware of production needs and, most importantly, effectively managing area employees on the production floor. There are many different factors that influence the decisions I make, but my main focus is running the right mix of product in the area to meet weekly and quarterly goals for product shipments.

I was not entirely sure that I wanted to work in a technical career when I was going to school. To help get a better understanding if this was something that I wanted to pursue, I interned at Micron's Boise site. The way the internship was laid out, the amount of interaction I had with all levels of management and the types of projects that I worked on made for a very impressive internship. I did my internship the summer before my senior year, and after I finished, I knew I wanted to pursue a position at Micron.

The thing that I like the most are the "fires" that flare up that need immediate attention. You will have issues on a weekly and sometimes daily basis that become your number one priority. These are things you typically can't plan for - personnel situations, equipment going down (resulting in bottlenecks), and fulfilling your boss's requests.

One of the things that we as a company have set out to do is make a wide variety of parts available to our customers. One of the current items I am working on is keeping our low volume parts moving through all areas on the production floor at a reduced cycle time. The production fab I work in is currently running 14 different parts, which, for a production fab, is a ton! In general, the more parts you have the higher the number of processes or recipes that you have to run to make each part. My role is to coordinate with the supervisor for each area to get the necessary tools available to run the low volume parts in a timely manner.

I don't think there was one magic class that prepared me for my current position or even college. For me personally, the thing that I think helped the most was the diversity of classes available. Electives that I took in high school in philosophy, printing press and marketing along with the basic core curriculum gave me some basic knowledge in other areas. You hear talk of having a sound base to build from; this is something I strongly believe helps you prepare for college or a job with a company. Anything you can do at the high school level to broaden your knowledge base will help you be successful in the long run.

I attended the University of Idaho for four years and received a bachelor of science degree in business with a double major in information systems and production operations management. Since starting at Micron in 1998, I have taken classes to enhance my leadership skills, computer skills, communication skills and production-related knowledge and skills. In all, I've taken more than 434 class hours.

There are many different technical careers for people to pursue. You just need to find one that fits you and the skills that you bring to the table.

I enjoy playing golf, traveling (weekend trips to Sun Valley and McCall) or just shooting some hoops with friends. One of the best trips I took this past fall was to Stanley, Idaho, where we did a day hike and had some great views of the Sawtooth Mountains.

Degrees typically sought for this position are a Bachelor of Science in production operations management.

I write online documentation for all Assembly cleanroom processes, maintain the Assembly Intranet site, create graphics, and develop Web applications. I work with production personnel, technicians, engineers, training specialists and programmers. I gather information, perform usability studies, create presentations, teach classes, provide technical support, review new software and mentor new writers.

I enjoy building and creating things. I like to make an elaborate meal, design and make clothes or crafts, design and build cabinets or work on my car.

I entered college with a mechanical engineering degree in mind. I figured that I could combine my two loves of skiing and creating to get an engineering job with a chairlift manufacturer. After a few semesters, reality struck, and I saw how narrow my scope of career choices was. So I looked back at all my high school and college classes to see if any stood out as fun, interesting, and challenging. One did: technical writing. It's as methodical as designing a structure, but I can still be creative, and I can make a difference in people's lives. As for skiing, I do that for fun rather than a career.

I like the interaction I have with the engineers and production staff. They all have different perspectives and experiences, so I learn more about the equipment and processes than anyone else. From that knowledge, I can create documents that bridge the communication gaps while meeting everyone's needs and interests.

Every project is interesting. Most of the work I see involves the "next generation" or the "future of the department." Technology moves fast, and it seems like every week I see exciting, cutting-edge processes and equipment.

I took as much math, science, English and foreign language as I could. Each one provides skills in problem-solving which is valuable no matter what career you choose. However, the most influential classes for me were Spanish and French. After years of diagramming English sentences, I discovered that I didn't understand it as well as I thought. I understood the mechanics, but not the value. Learning a new language forced me to really think about the parts of a sentence and what each part means ("Aaah! So that's what you mean by future perfect progressive tense!"). After that revelation, language took on a completely new meaning.

After a short visit to the engineering curriculum, I set my sights on a degree in technical communication. I tried to keep my class load well-rounded. If you become a writer, you won't necessarily know the industry for which you will write. So I took history, marketing, communication, accounting, statistics, chemistry, calculus, art, and (of course) English--lots of English. Having some background in other fields helps me understand the material about which I write. It's gratifying to catch mistakes and inconsistencies because you truly understand the topic and the technical language.

Focus on a field that you enjoy and that you are willing to make into a career. Take every opportunity to ask questions of people in that field and volunteer to "job shadow" for a day. If your field has a local professional chapter, join, get involved, and make yourself known (most have reduced rates for students). Sometimes jobs are only advertised at professional meetings.

Make the most of your college education by getting excellent grades, but also build working relationships with your professors and fellow students. You never know when an opportunity will strike, and that rapport with the esteemed professor will pay off when you have the privilege to use his or her name as a reference on your resume.

I enjoy spending time with my family, skiing, water skiing, bicycling, and attending NASCAR events (I especially enjoy driving the stock cars). I also participate in the Snake River Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication. From my involvement with the society (which started in college), I've gained so many memorable experiences and friendships—not to mention wonderfully fulfilling jobs!

Degrees typically sought for this position are a Bachelor of Arts in technical communication.