Homebrewing = career changer

I just posted this in the engineer/non-engineer thread, but thought homebrewing deserved a little more credit than that. I went to business school, but I've been selling engineering mechanical equipment since (family company). These items included industrial shell and tube heat exchangers, hex coils, vacuum and centrifugal pumps.

I had a mild interest in the stuff until I took up homebrewing. Hello CYNERGY!!! The challenges, principals and techniques (even is basic recipe formulation) have made me a clearer thinker even in my professional line of work.

Not that I ever plan on becoming a commercial brewer, but it seemed my only options of ever working at a brewery (and being paid well enough for it) were to be either a microbiologist (at least it seems), or a real mechanical engineer. So to further my current career and enhance my future options I enrolled in mechanical engineering school at age 29. I give all the motivation to the level of mental clarity achieved in homebrewing.

Truly truly bizarre.

Ohh, also when reading about styles it's practically a history lesson too.

Good luck with school and a new career

I apologize the title of my thread is misleading. I'm still going to sell HEX's in the meantime and foreseeable future.

petep1980 said:

Ohh, also when reading about styles it's practically a history lesson too.

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It seems like such a simple beverage till you realize it practically created civilization.

I thought it was chemical engineers breweries wanted?

Congrats on the career change. After graduating college with 2 electronics degrees, I got a job and after two years realized I want to be an ME also. Maybe I'll get the chance when some things are paid off and bean is a little bigger. Congrats and good luck.

I went back to school for an ME degree when I was 30. Good luck!

LeeF said:

I went back to school for an ME degree when I was 30. Good luck!

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Yeah, I'm 29. I've been told "it's gonna suck".

Don't listen to those who say it sucks. It is what you make of it and it sounds like you're excited. You will be taking 400 level classes before you know it.

I did the reverse, BS in Engineering Physics, then five years in the Navy and finally an MBA. Being older than most of the students and having real work experiences made graduate school a breeze. I took engineering classes for electives. I told the other students I was in the MBA program, but not about the BS. Really messed with their heads when I aced the courses.

The people who tell me it'll suck also finish the sentance "but do it at all costs, definately do it."

I actually have a bit of the course work done, unfortunately it's over 10 years old now and I will probably have difficulties with the subsequent courses so they suggest I do them again.

I'm ready to dominate.

Quick update gents. Spring semester was a *****. They made me re-take Che 1 and Calc 1,and I was doing fine, but than my dad died in March so I got 2 incompletes. I was able to fulfill them in the summer and walked away with an A in calc 1 and a b+ in Che 1. I am never taking Chem again.

Tonight is my Calc 2 final, and I am currently carrying an A. All I need is a D and I am off their probation for good. I think I got that covered. I didn't do too well in my classes in 1999.

This fall I have Calc 3, Phy 1 (re-take) and Differential Equations. Finally after that I can lay off the hardcore math and worry about hardcore engineering classes.

Calc 2 is gay, you can't apply any of this stuff to brewing.

I did write an extra credit report trying to minimize a yeast starter cost function. I was unsuccessful since you need differential equations to do it.

if you think calc 2 sucks....wait until diffeq....

motobrewer said:

if you think calc 2 sucks....wait until diffeq....

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I thought Calc 2 was a lot easier than Calc 1. Calc 1 was the first time I saw any math in ten years.

I also am doing a summer class which means I don't have to memorize any proofs and can just use the theorems. That saves a lot of work.