S1E05 From Genetics to Mechanical Engineering | Rafael Testai

Being an Engineer · 11 May 2020 · 22m · Episode 5

What this episode covers

Rafael Testai, a serial entrepreneur who switched from molecular biology and software to mechanical engineering, explains his motivation to gain tangible prototyping skills to reduce reliance on developers. He details his career transition, highlighting how his background in genetics instilled a high attention to detail that serves him well in engineering design. Testai shares specific workflows, such as planning the next day before sleep to leverage subconscious problem-solving, and discusses his current side project of redesigning a face mask using CAD resources like GrabCAD. He emphasizes the importance of defining the core problem rather than just iterating on existing solutions when taking over engineering projects.

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