A LOOONNNGGGG LOOOONNNNGGG time ago (October 2014 to be exact), I created what I call “The Embedded Engineers Club” or E2C for short.
It was my way of paying it forward, let me explain….
Decades before I created E2C I was lucky enough to have my own personal Jedi Master (My Uncle) teach me the ways of the engineering force.
In fact, I can vividly remember the very night I decided, “Yup… this is EXACTLY what I want to do with my life”.
It was the night he showed me what a “crystal radio” kit was (looked something like what you see below).
Except the one he showed me, had this little green glowy thing on it… little did I know that little green glowy thing (Green LED) would spark an insatiable need to create infinitely cool electronic projects for the rest of my life.
And it was all because my uncle (personal yoda) was always showing me the COOLEST electronic stuff on the planet.
And so… once I was at a stage in my career where I had enough time, I knew I wanted to pay it forward to the next generation.
And so I did.
In October of 2014 I started to teach a STEM based class (called the Embedded Engineers Club) from my home.
And I did so once per week and did so for a full 10 years
Every week we would meet and build various projects, from a custom rocket launcher called the Ruby Launcher (which just so happened to get featured in EETIMES), to a custom built multi colored lamp which danced to the beat of the kids favorite music.
Below is a photo of the day we launched out Rockets!
Fast forward 10 years later and they have all graduated as either an Electrical Engineer, Software Engineer or Electrician.
It was an honor to be part of their journey and something I will personally cherish for the rest of my life.
It was just such a cool way to honor something which was once handed to me.
And now today, I have another opportunity to do this once more!
You see, recently I reconnected with an old work colleague and he mentioned that his son was really into electronics but didn’t really know where to start.
So I offered to teach him the ways of the Embedded Engineers Club.
And so for the first time in over 10 years, the Embedded Engineers Club will now gain a new member as we embark on another Embedded Engineers Club adventure.
Pretty awesome right?
But before we start, I have pretty strict rules when it comes to taking on new students and so I am having him (and parents) sign what I call the Embedded Engineers Super Hero contract.
It boils down to this…
Learning electronics and coding really is like gaining real life super hero powers, but like any good super hero, with great power comes great responsibility.
So the contract requires the acknowledgment of this awesome power and to ONLY EVER DO GOOD with them and never evil.
And so, the Embedded Engineers Club takes flight once more with a brand new student!
I’m also toying with the idea of opening up this program to other students.
So if you know someone who has a child 12+ who would be interested in becoming an Embedded Engineer Club Member, I’m currently taking applications.
Just enter your email below if you would like more information on this program.