David Abbott
Profession/Title: CMP/Implant Engineering Supervisor at Texas Instruments
Business/Company Name: Texas Instruments
Date of Interview: 10/26/20
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Assessment:
My second interview was with David Abbott, a CMP/ Implant Engineering Supervisor at Texas Instruments. Considering that this was my second interview, I found myself feeling confident and excited about the prospect of learning more about my field. One of the major things that I have been so curious about is the versatility of chemical engineering which is something that I learned alot about from this interview. The previous professional I conversed with has been working on a big research project for ten plus years, while this professional, David Abbott, works on multiple projects at a time for a much shorter time period. This got me thinking about which route I would rather go down. While I enjoy understanding and spending time on a project I sometimes worry that I will find myself bored working on a very specific topic for such a long time. I think this is something that I need to look into and understand what particular part of this field I want to pursue. Perhaps this is something that I can learn more about through more research interviews and possibly my mentorship.
I have been trying to decide if getting a master’s degree is truly necessary to success in my field. This is a question that I asked Mr. Abbott, and he explained that while a master’s degree could further my opportunities in the profession it is certainly not necessary. He explained that he decided not to get a master’s degree and it had no impact on the opportunities he experienced in his profession and he has been quite successful. This is somewhat of a comfort to me as I have been agonizing over whether or not I need to definitely plan to get a master’s in college. I am glad to know that I have options as I enter college and have so many options regarding finishing college and starting my career.
Another one of my major questions that I made a point of asking every professional I talked to is, what is the most important skill they want in a coworker or prospective co worker. Mr. Abbott explained he values communication above almost all else. To him it is important that a person be able to communicate with their team members as it is vital to the productivity and mutual understanding of a team. It was quite interesting that David Abbott had the same piece of advice that several previous professionals I conversed with gave me. Considering this emphasis on communication, I think it is something I should work on a more regular basis. I know there are some courses online that work on soft skills such as communication, and I wonder if I should really look into them. There are times where I feel like I am a good communicator but I worry that in stressful situations my communication deteriorates. This is why, before I enter college and the professional world, I think I need to focus more on these soft skills. I was extremely grateful for this advice from Mr. Abbott and will definitely be interested to see how professionals from future interviews answer this question.
Overall, this was a very successful interview where I learned a lot and was really able to reflect on some of the experiences I have had in the past. I am definitely looking forward to future interviews where I can ask questions and really compare the different experiences that different professionals have.