Careers & education
Careers, craft & community
1,862 episodes across 49 shows cover careers & education. The shows that cover it most are Embedded.fm, The Amp Hour and Being an Engineer. The most recent, from 14 Oct 2026, is “Designing for Joy: Finding Meaning in Industrial Design with Daniela Garcia | S3E04” from Designing in the Wild.
Engineering and product careers, learning and teaching, STEM education, career changes and advice.
1862 episodes from 49 shows, most relevant and most recent first.
1862 episodes
Elif Miskioglu | The Science of How to Build Engineering Intuition
Elif Miskioğlu, an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Bucknell University, discusses her research on engineering intuition, supported by a $650,000 NSF CAREER Award. She defines intuition as the subconscious leveraging of prior…
S7E28 Justin Rittenhouse | What Engineering School Doesn’t Teach You About Industry
Justin Rittenhouse, a mechanical engineer and author of 'Secret Keys to a STEM Degree,' discusses the gap between academic training and industry reality. He highlights that while school emphasizes complex math, industry requires project…
#452: Switching Careers to MedTech: A Practical Guide for Engineers and Professionals
Etienne Nichols, a former aerospace engineer turned MedTech professional, explains how engineers and quality professionals from automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing can transition into the medical device industry. He outlines three…
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S7E11 Brad & Aaron | How To Accelerate The Speed of Engineering (Episode 1 of 3)
Aaron Moncur, founder of Pipeline Design & Engineering, and guest Brad Hirayama discuss seven strategies to accelerate engineering speed without sacrificing quality. They emphasize using direct communication for urgent issues, asking for…
AI in Computer Science Education
Brown University computer science professors Shriram Krishnamurthi and Kathi Fisler discuss their experimental 'AgenTic Studio' course, which integrates agentic programming tools like Claude into the curriculum. They detail their…
#435: ICYMI (In Case You Missed It!) Becoming a Regulatory Affairs Professional
Kavetha Ram, Regulatory Department Leader at Spectra Medical Devices and professor at Northeastern University, discusses the challenges new regulatory affairs professionals face, including overcoming imposter syndrome and building…
#433: ICYMI (In Case You Missed It!) Climbing the Medtech Ladder - How to Get to the Top
Elena Kyria, CEO of Elemed, discusses career strategies for medtech professionals, outlining three distinct paths: leadership, expert, and generalist. She emphasizes the importance of defining personal success, leveraging strengths through…
210 - The 8 Roles You MUST Understand in Pharma & MedTech
Subhi Saadeh, host of Let's Combinate and a quality professional with experience in large medical device and pharma organizations, explains eight core functional roles in life sciences companies. She details the responsibilities of Quality…
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525: Some Sort of Metal
Dr. Tom Williams, a computer science professor at the Colorado School of Mines and author of 'Degrees of Freedom: On Robotics and Social Justice,' discusses the intersection of robotics, ethics, and social justice. He argues that…
196 - How to Win Your First 90 Days in Pharma and MedTech
Subhi Saadeh, a Quality Professional with experience at major Pharma and Medical Device companies, outlines eight lessons for new hires in life sciences. She emphasizes understanding the broader impact of junior roles, adopting a…
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S7E9 Brad & Aaron | Top 5 Takeaways After Interviewing Over 300 Engineers
Aaron Moncur and Brad Hirayama of Pipeline Design & Engineering distill five key career lessons from over 300 podcast interviews, emphasizing that understanding business context and developing soft skills are more critical for advancement…
S7E8 Matt Ketterer | Professional Growth through Interdisciplinary Exploration
Matt Ketterer, a controls and mechanical engineer, discusses his career transition from medical device design to automation and software engineering. He details his early work at Becton Dickinson on extrusion and molding processes, and his…
Bonus Episode: Marine robotics' journey through different lenses
Claire Asher hosts a panel at AUV 2026 featuring Gwyn Griffiths, Daniel Hook, Emma Curtis, Sara Aldhaheri, and Edith-Clare Hall to discuss how marine autonomy is perceived by engineers, end-users, and the next generation. The group debates…
214 - The Best 5 Certifications for ANY Quality Career Path (CQE, Green Belt, CQA & More)
Andy Robertson, founder of CQE Academy, discusses how obtaining his CQE certification transformed his career by boosting his confidence and practical skills, particularly through applying Design of Experiments (DOE) to solve real-world…
S6E30 Jake Whinnery | Resources for Interviewing & Landing Engineering Jobs
Jake Whinnery, a mechanical engineer at Apple and co-founder of Hardware Is Hard, discusses his journey from internships at Tesla, Relativity Space, and NASA to leading a community resource for 13,000+ engineers. He explains how Hardware…
Ep. 44 - Are Degrees Worthwhile?
Hosts Stephen Hoss and Lucy Chafe Park of Opulo discuss the value of formal engineering degrees versus personal projects and job experience. They argue that while a degree is often a prerequisite for stable engineering roles and provides a…
Let the Experts Be the Experts: Leading Without Every Answer w/ Amy Mercante
Amy Mercante, General Manager of Specialty Products at PPG, discusses her transition from research chemist to business leader and her philosophy of 'letting the experts be the experts.' She explains how she flips the leadership pyramid by…
237: How Higher Education Is Shaping the Future of Manufacturing with MIT's Dr. John Liu
Dr. John Liu, Principal Investigator of MIT’s LEAP Group, discusses how higher education is reshaping manufacturing through programs like MicroMasters and TechAMP. He explains MIT's historical role in formalizing lean manufacturing and…
186 - 4 Ways to Future-Proof Your Career in Pharma, Medical Devices and BioTech
Subhi Saadeh, host of Let's Combinate and Quality Professional, offers four career strategies for bioengineering students and early-career professionals, drawing inspiration from Morgan Housel's book 'Same as Ever'. He advises starting to…
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RIP USENIX ATC
Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal of Oxide Computer Company, joined by Tom Lyon, discuss the discontinuation of the USENIX Annual Technical Conference (ATC) and its historical shift from a practitioner-focused event to an academic one…
S7E24 Larry Copponi | The Most Important Skill To Get Hired As An Engineer
Larry Copponi, VP of Staffing Solutions at Spanner Product Development, discusses the evolving landscape of engineering hiring, emphasizing that resourcefulness and strong soft skills are now the most critical attributes for getting hired…
S6E21 Ron Higgs | Systems Thinking, People Skills, & Executive Leadership
Ron Higgs, principal of Wolf Management Solutions and former Naval Flight Officer, discusses his journey from aspiring astronaut to executive coach for engineers. He emphasizes that technical proficiency is insufficient for leadership…
182 - 7 Powerful Ways to Find Amazing Mentors in Medical Devices and Pharma
Subhi Saadeh, host of Let's Combinate and Quality Professional at the Combination Products Coalition, outlines seven strategies for finding mentors in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. He argues against the 'self-made' myth…
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496: Beauty, Elegance, Consistency
Professor Shimon Schocken of Reichman University discusses his book 'Elements of Computing Systems' and the 'NAND to Tetris' course, which teaches computer science by building a modern computer from NAND gates up to a working Tetris game…
Antonio Valadez & Nate Post | Building Better Engineers Through Better Leadership
Nate Post, Director of New Product Introduction at Edwards Lifesciences and founder of Blue Collar Blades, and Antonio (Tony) Valadez, founder of Nexcellence Engineering Solutions, discuss their mentor-mentee relationship and leadership…
STL349: Finishers on Flexner
Mike Mascelli, John Coffey, and Mitch Kohanek discuss the legacy of Bob Flexner, author of 'Understanding Wood Finishing,' and his role in creating a community for professional finishers. The guests highlight how Flexner’s book demystified…
526: Take A Taste Of Engineers
Dr. Victoria Serrano, a professor at the Technological University of Panama and IEEE STEM Champion, discusses her work in STEM outreach and engineering education. She details her PhD research on PID controller tuning for degrading buck…
210: Technical Education, Apprenticeships, and Addressing the Needs of Industry Today and in the Future with Ashley Furniture and Western Technical College
Dr. Josh Gamer, Dean of the Integrated Technology Division at Western Technical College, and Kris Gengler, Education Foundation Manager at Ashley Furniture, discuss a decade-long partnership aimed at addressing the manufacturing skills…
AI in Higher Education with Michael Littman
Michael Littman, Brown University's Associate Provost for AI, discusses the profound impact of Large Language Models on higher education, contrasting the existential threat of students bypassing learning with the pedagogical potential of…
Terrible Habits of the Solo Developer
Jeff Gable and Luca Jani, both solo embedded software consultants, discuss the unique challenges of working alone, such as multitasking pressure and wearing multiple hats. They identify five bad habits: skipping documentation, avoiding…
S5E49 John Rogers & Sean Maciag | A Career Worth Engineering – From Graduation to Professional
John Rogers and Sean Maciag, authors of 'A Career Worth Engineering,' discuss the transition from student to professional engineer, emphasizing the importance of quantifying resume achievements and understanding business profitability…
STL318: Back to School
Ashley Pieper and Bonnie Elisabeth Hawk, two furniture makers at the early stage of their professional careers, discuss their divergent paths through woodworking education. Pieper, who is completing a two-year online mastery program with…
Changing Course with Shawn Hymel
Shawn Hymel, formerly of Edge Impulse, discusses his transition from developer relations to creating full-time educational courses in embedded systems and CAD. He explains why he is leaving corporate engineering to focus on progressive…
482: Reference the Same Dog Object
Professor Colleen Lewis of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explains her pedagogy for teaching computer science concepts using physical models, such as stuffed animals and bookmarks, to clarify pointers, inheritance, and hash…
169 - Should You Study Bioengineering in 2025? My Decade-Long Perspective
Subhi Saadeh, host of Let's Combinate and a Quality Professional in the pharma and medical device industry, shares his decade-long perspective on whether bioengineering is the right career path for 2025. He distinguishes between…
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196: The Skills CNC Machinists Need that You WON'T Learn in Trade School!
Chris Luecke interviews Christopher Zappettini, Nushrat Ahmed, and Danny Hill Jr., three CNC machinists who bypassed traditional trade schools to build their careers through alternative paths like engineering degrees, NASCAR tech programs…
Engineering Careers with Circuit Break & James Lewis
Chris Gammell of Contextual Electronics and Golioth joins Circuit Break hosts Parker Dillman and Stephen Craig from Macrofab, along with James Lewis of Bald Engineer Media, to discuss engineering career paths. The group shares their…
S5E30 Camden Shuman | Building a Second Brain, Co-ops, & Tools for Developing Your Network
Camden Shuman, a Mechanical Engineering senior at the University of Tennessee, discusses his co-op at Siemens Healthineers where he uses Siemens NX for mechanical design and testing fixtures, and his entrepreneurial venture, The…
PDX Webinar Trailer, Engineering Project Management
Mike Landis, Director of Engineering at Pipeline Design & Engineering, presents a practical project management framework for engineering development projects, emphasizing the importance of tracking budget, schedule, scope, and risk. He…
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Inside a Multi-$Billion IP Engine Driving IC and EDA Innovations
John Koeter, Senior Vice President of IP at Synopsys, discusses the evolution of semiconductor intellectual property, the shift to multi-die chiplet architectures, and the transformative role of AI in chip design. He details Synopsys'…
Code Reviews
Jeff Gable and Luca discuss the purpose, process, and culture of code reviews in embedded software development. They argue that reviews are primarily for knowledge transfer, shared understanding, and mentoring rather than just bug…
248. Xometry’s Oscar Lovera & How AI Is Rebuilding Manufacturing
Oscar Lovera, COO at Xometry, explains how the AI-powered manufacturing marketplace is digitizing the sourcing of custom parts by integrating design, quoting, and manufacturability feedback into a single workflow. He discusses the shift…
S5E16 James Rogers | R&D Engineering Series – Interview 1 of 6
James Rogers, a mechanical engineer with a master's in additive manufacturing, discusses the unique mindset required for R&D engineering, emphasizing the need to embrace ambiguity and failure as learning opportunities. He contrasts R&D…
STL329: The 1-3-7 Rule
Kate Swann, director of the Florida School of Woodworking, and Morgan Grove, a research scientist with the USDA Forest Service, discuss the value of woodworking education and community. They explore the '1-3-7 Rule' for teaching dynamics…
Agile Hardware Development with Gregor Gross
Gregor Gross, founder of Alpha-board, a Berlin-based PCB design and agile hardware development service, explains how his company applies agile principles to hardware projects where fixed-price contracts are the norm. He details practical…
#354: Advice for MedTech Regulatory Affairs Professionals
Kavetha Ram, Regulatory Department Leader at Spectra Medical Devices and professor at Northeastern University, advises new regulatory affairs professionals on navigating the MedTech industry. She emphasizes that confidence stems from…
193 - Bioengineering Grads: Here’s What Recruiters Actually Want to See in 2025
Kirk Petyo, Managing Partner at Talent Factory Medical, advises bioengineering graduates on securing entry-level roles in medical devices and pharma by emphasizing the importance of a clear career 'why' and specific resume objectives. He…
S6E15 Too Tall Toby | CAD Best Practices, Speed Modeling, & Gamification
Toby Schnaars, founder of TooTallToby, explains how he gamifies 3D CAD learning through speed modeling tournaments and community challenges to help engineers master tools like SolidWorks, Onshape, and Fusion 360. He argues that speed…
#421: Mastering MedTech Influence: The Power of Communication in Quality
Lesley Worthington, an executive coach with a background in psychology, law, and quality/regulatory affairs, discusses how quality professionals can build influence and a culture of quality through better communication. She argues that…
Sensing at the Control Level: Leveraging Data for Both Safety and Analytics
Kate Sokolnicki, Global Business Director for Rockwell Automation's Sensing & Safety business unit, explains the shift from simple on/off sensors to smart devices providing dual-channel process and health data. She details how IO-Link and…