My Story: Hobby: Crystal Radio Kits: Transistor Circuits: 5yr Electronic Apprenticeship: Electronic Test/IT Support Engineer: Technical Writer:



   My Story
From Hobby to Engineer to Writer
By Eric Sutherland


 

© 2020 - 2022 by Eric Sutherland

T / A Biz & Techie Writing Services Ltd

 

Published by Eric Sutherland T / A Biz & Techie Writing Services Ltd

 

The intent of the Author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you gain the knowledge about

making choices on your career.

 

“My Story – From Hobby to Engineer to Writer”

 

In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the Author and Publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

 


 

Contents

My Parents. 5

Paper and Veg Rounds. 6

Apprenticeship. 7

SGS Fairchild. 7

Hewlett Packard. 8

UK and French Contracting. 8

UK and Europe Contracting. 9

Military Contracts. 10

USA Holiday. 10

Canada Holiday. 11

Working in the USA.. 12

Returned to the South of West Germany. 13

Returned to Croydon, UK. 14

Changed technology. 14

BP, City of London, UK. 15

Changed industry. 15

Next a mix of contracts. 15

Shell, London, UK. 16

Capita Insurance & Investor Services. 16

Microsoft System Builder. 17

IBM/AstraZeneca. 17

Upwork / MASTA Ltd. 17

Upwork and PeoplePerHour Biz docs. 18

Global Immersion. 18

Upwork and PeoplePerHour Tech docs. 18

Upwork Dev Project. 18

Sapient ERP. 19

Upwork Rest API 19

Upwork Telematics. 19

SMFG Trade Sale. 19

Upwork and IBM... 19

PeoplePerHour Dev Projects. 19

Mendeley Ac Search. 20

Upwork IT Security. 20

PPRO Financial 20

Fiverr and Upwork ITTs RFPs. 20

360 Cross Media. 20

Intercomms. 21

TES Global 21

Summary of Experience. 21

Side Hustle. 21

My Books. 22

New Challenges. 24

Hash House Harriers (H3). 24

Offer and Contact info. 25

 

My Parents

Met and married in Stromness, Orkney and later produced me and my brother Ron. After about 4 years my father changed jobs from a Lighthouse Keeper to Seamanship Instructor on the Dolphin Training Ship based in the Lieth Docks, Edinburgh, UK. Most of the students gained roles in BP and Shell Tankers.

For some unknown reason I picked up Gaelic and the Island dialect from my Granny, but my younger brother escaped. On arrival in Edinburgh, I had to attend classes to learn English as a foreign language.

The family then moved to Oxgangs, when my father joined the 50 Housing Association, and everybody applied their skills to building houses. At 5 attended Oxgangs Primary School a short walk down the road. Then later my brother joined me at the School.

Nothing much happened until 11 my father bought us a small mongrel dog. Which got named Lulu. Then with friends and other dogs, we started playing in the woods and the Pentland Hills to the South. We started helping injured animals and gathered pets to occupy our time.

One of the classics being when a bit of fluff jumped towards our mother while cleaning her bedroom floor. On looking under the bed found the fishbowl with tadpoles in it. Another when we all had colds and my mother gave less than an eye drop, of whiskey to our White mouse, Green budgie, and Lulu the dog. We all laughed at the dog trying to catch the budgie and the budgie trying to catch the mouse.

Paper and Veg Rounds

At 12 started High School (Secondary School) and doing a Sunday Paper Round. Used the pocket money to buy a two-man tent and rucksack. This led us to camp in a valley in the Pentland Hills with 4 of us and 4 dogs. The fresh air and nightlife made the dogs excited and they licked our breakfast out of the frying pans regardless of the heat. This made us give up camp and go home.

Then discovered the Ham Shop in town opposite the Central Library. Started buying and assembling Crystal Radio kits. Connected one end across the water pipes in the bedroom cupboard and the Headphones across the other end and picked up a range of long and medium wave radio stations. The BBC World Service has the strongest signal and US, German, French and Russian stations.

In my second year at High School started veg round after school on Tuesday and Thursday and all-day Saturday. Able to borrow the Mullard Transistor Circuit Red Book and use the extra funds to build the transistor circuits and learn to draw the circuit and test the theory.

Youth Hostelling around the North and South of Ireland and running away from the Marches in the North and the colleens in the South. Visited Paris for a weekend and remember unisex toilets and being lifted by the police for sleeping on the grass that faced the Eiffel Tower. Then put on the train back to London in the morning.

 

 

Apprenticeship

The Crystal Radio and Transistor Circuit experience helped me pass the Electronic Apprenticeship Tests and become 1 of 10 people out of 600+ applicants to be offered a position. Throughout my 5 years, the Team Leader or Manager asked for a weekly report on what I did and what I had learned. This helped me throughout my working life and to write this book.

Learned how to assemble and test Radar and Auto-Pilot Systems in-flight up and down the Highlands of Scotland and the Atlantic and the North Sea. Smaller projects covered a Star Identification computer for the Observatory and Laser Cutting. Installed an Autopilot and flew in Concorde.

Nobody in the company told us about doing the third year City & Guilds Technician course that would have put us in the Electronics second-year degree course at Heriot-Watt or Edinburgh Universities. Since we all felt let down we found other roles.

SGS Fairchild

My first role as Special Products Team Leader, they produced a full range of semiconductors. Enjoyed a week in Paris learning about Automated Test Systems. My products protected electronic circuits if the power supply voltage increased or a short circuit occurred and the current increased. They worked with both DC and AC supplies. When the industry took a downturn left to find another role.

 

 

Hewlett Packard

In my next role working on Microwave Link Analysers this lasted about 18 months. They sold over a million at £250K each. Paid a profit-sharing bonus twice a year. Then moved to London with digs in Brixton. The software course then helped gain a role testing ATMs (Hole in the wall cash machines) at Burroughs Machines. After 5 months, all workers given a days-notice and then obtained a contract agency's details.

UK and French Contracting

Started contracting in the South East with digs in Croydon. Worked on Radar and Medical Systems for a range of different companies that all got taken over and changed locations. Responded to an advert to work in Paris for UCC looking after Satellite Terminals running oil and gas well simulation applications, motorway construction simulation applications, and global news for Le Figaro Newspaper journalists.

My flat overlooked the Longchamp racecourse on the other side of the Seine and a short walk to Le Defence business district and based there for 9 months. Nearly every weekend acted as a guide for daughters, nieces, and their friends of the other Engineers. They enjoyed seeing the sites and entertainment. My neighbors had listened to the crumbles from the Concierge. But her son helped me out. This kept them entertained and they lent pull-out beds. Collected and delivered visitors to Gare de Nord station for the train back to London. Swapped roles for a month with the Dutch Engineer based in the Hague. My terminal went on fire while I was flying there.

 

The UK and Europe Contracting

Returned to the UK and contracting and within a week on my way to Frankfurt for a role with GE. Installing Process Computer Systems around Europe and working in 3 to 5 countries each week. Once signed-up off to Kentucky, the USA for a one-week Process Computer Course. Returned to Europe and based at Exxon Euro-port, near Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Worked with the European Instructor. With trips to Luxembourg, Belgium, and France.

Then down to Italy with a Power Station in the North. Which had to be rebuilt! The Earth Grid was Open Circuit on all floors, so the instruments and computers would have no earth reference.

The last project involved a Nuclear Power Station in Switzerland on Red Alert! Both the Live and Hot Standby Process Computers faulty, due to an Italian Engineer taking the good spares and replacing them with faulty boards. After a week of no progress, resigned and returned to the UK.

Obtained a contract with Varian TM interviewed all the staff and Managers and drafted the 400-page Service Manual for an X-Ray Simulator. The manual covered the setup, calibration, maintenance, and servicing.

Military Contracts

Next applied for a Support Engineer role working on the mobile computing and communications systems for the Army based in different locations in the South East and then the Northern part of West Germany.  Enjoyed two holidays during this time crossing the USA and Canada for 3.5 weeks in each country.

USA Holiday

Robbed in New York, but it’s a lot better now. Visited each state in New England as they had a good mix of things to do from History to the countryside. Boston and Chicago the main Irish Cities of the USA. Enjoyed New Orleans for Jazz and Texas for Country & Western music. California a welcoming state with lots of people making conversation. Great views on the coasts and beaches in the North and South. Orange County had the easygoing feel with dancing in the bars and cheap food.

Visited Lake Tahoe and enjoyed the entertainment in the Casinos with the Three Degrees and good food. Made friends with a local and visited them for breakfast. The wife screamed when a bear started banging its head on the doorway! Attracted by the smell of good food cooking. At their suggestion took a two-week Horse Back holiday from California into Oregon with about a week in each. During this holiday the two guides always asked for our food to be placed in a sack and pulled up a tree to prevent Bears from eating it. One of our party was eating chocolate biscuits in the corner of her tent and a bear nearly took her head off. Her screaming and the guides firing their rifles into the air caused it to run-off. Everybody had signed a letter confirming the terms of the holiday and the need to place all food in the sacks. Mexico for the day through Greyhound Buses and experienced food and brown beer instead of larger in the US.

 

Canada Holiday

Started the Canada holiday by flying into Toronto and asked the New Stand person for directions to a pub that did food and he responded in a Glasgow accent. Then took the train to Halifax and found a gravestone with my name on it. Life seemed quiet here, but that changed when a man appeared who looked like he fell out of a Rob Roy movie. Slapped me on the back and offered me a dram and stated the Highland games would start soon and be followed by Scottish dancing with a cèilidh Band. After this took the train to Quebec and after seeing the sites, on another train to Montreal. The New York of Canada with lots to do and see. French Canadians speak slowly so it was easy for me to speak French.

The plane to Ottawa very quiet, so took the train to Calgary and watched the Stampede as the guest of the star with the same name as me. His family trying to work out how if we were related! During the Highland Clearances, lots of Scots went to Canada and my Grandad and my fathers’ cousins worked for the Hudson Bay Trading Company. Back on the train through the Canadian Rockies and in the late evening sent downstairs by the guard with my female friend. Then in the morning arrived in Vancouver and after walking around took the ferry to Victoria Island. Spent the last three days here and then flew back from Vancouver to London, UK via New York.         

Working in the USA

After 2.5 years moved to the US AFE in the middle of West Germany and then transferred to the US for 8.5 months and worked in every state except Hawaii. Discovered a huge difference in cultures and dialects with people from Canada, East and West Europe, China, India, the Caribbean and South America. The Great Lakes attracted me with lots of Scandinavians, fishing, and the sound of waves like Orkney and around the coast of Scotland.

Spent Xmas and New Year in Kentucky and enjoyed the company of Hill Billies with their hunting, training skills, and the Horse racing. Visited National Parks and found Yellow Stone the most interesting. Hiking trips in Texas, Oregon, and California presented a good range of challenges, and the need for Guides saved my life more than once. Understanding the different ways people worked and how to explain different approaches increased my knowledgebase.

Process and Manufacturing Plants control systems and their sensors require a lot of analysis and testing to ensure the replacements and solutions improve outputs and quality of the manufactured products (for example, cars and buses). Building a Hydro Power Station with an Oil&Gas Drilling Farm taking out the Water Supply. After Legal Action and examination of Planning Consents, it was discovered that the route of the water supply started with two sources. One about 10% of the other The source of the larger was missed, but after surveys identified and prospecting by the Oil&Gas company halted.

This shows that both large and small companies make mistakes and until something which represents a Business Continuity problem is accepted and identified. This means the Security and Risk Models are re-engineered and checked. Changing normal processes and standard operating procedures forces both human and system changes that take time to be installed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) will aid the monitoring and regulation of these changes. Confirming expected performance with quality vs cost.

Returned to the South of West Germany

Stayed with a friend outside Ulm. Helped him become a contractor with AEG and he only worked 30 hours per week. Then I started working for AEG on Cabinet Cable Harnesses with automated wiring machines. Spending Friday afternoon/ evening doing German to English technical translation and drinking beer. After 9 months laid-off and went to Koln to document switch-mode power supplies for another part of AEG. This lasted about 6 months with the Rosenmontag Festival taking out about 1 month in the middle.

Back to my friends’ place in Ulm and then gained a new contract with Dornier at Oberfaffenhoffen outside Munich. As a Quality Control Engineer covering the build, ground test, flight trials, and sale run of complete planes. This was a challenging role with Boeing advising 6 German companies on different tasks. With Boeing Engineers saying when I smiled it was time to jump out the window. 300 people covering 06:00 to 14:00 and 14:00 to 22:00. The 737 planes arrived with the inner shell needing to be built and the equipment installed and tested during the ground tests. Chairing the Change Board and resolving 10 to 20 changes per meeting. This kept the 4 German Project Managers busy. The documentation had to cover the correct installation and servicing and maintenance requirements.

With the build and ground test stages signed-off, flight trials started, and fixes documented and approved by the Change Board. Next, the Sale Run started with a successful flight and a range of different tests covered take-off and landing and crew tasks listed and ticked off. These all had to be 100% before sign-off was given for the Sale Run of each plane. Next training the German Project Managers to do the same over the next 3 to 6 months.

Returned to Croydon, UK

Rented a flat next to the main London to Brighton rail line and everything in the kitchen shook when express trains passed! No alarm clock needed. After a year bought a flat on the other side of South Croydon on top of a hill. If the River Thames Barrier failed the water would only be half-way up.

Changed technology

Started doing Medical and Pharma contracts. Worked on financial analysis of R&D Projects at Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC),  Documented the IT systems for European Medical Device Agency (EMDA), Worked on Product Labelling quality for GSK, Pfizer clinical patient records storage procedures and then the US Food & Drug Agency (FDA) Technical Files for Transfusion Pumps made by Alaris Medical.

BP, City of London, UK

 IT Support role - Installed PCs, Laptops, Network devices and Hubs at different UK sites and rigs in the North Sea. With Leather and Chain Harness tuned Microwave Dishes with a Strength Meter for maximum signal. Required for reporting to the UK Treasury oil and gas outputs as they happened.

Changed industry

Working at the London Stock Exchange doing IT Support on share and bond reporting systems and ensuring these worked at all the Stock-Broker’s dealing desks in the UK. It was 1987 and the London Market crashed and the rest of the team went and disconnected all the dealing desks. Then we installed 4 times the number of servers, about 250 and performed audits on all the dealing desks to ensure we had enough processing power.

Then IT Support at First Equity an Inter-Dealer Broker and then a Technical Writer for UBS, NatWest, Barclays and FBCS.

Next a mix of contracts

Doing different roles in the South East. In the Home Office on Prison Simulator and Passport Office, Philips analog and digital processing cards, Phase A and B FEMA on Tornado Stores, Woolwich Arsenal company on my last day produced work. South West started an 18-month contract at National Power running the Power Station document team of 14, with 4 technical authors and 10 administrators. The Telecommunications Services Unit (TSU) had 100+ contracts including Energy Trading and obtained ISO 19001. The Netherlands documented the Oil and Gas Reporting System for Mobil and documented a small Commuter Plane for SAAB in Sweden.

Then a lot of 3-month Technical Writing projects for about 4 years. Followed by working at RBS in Edinburgh supporting EY on the Datawarehouse project and operations weekly and monthly reporting.

Shell, London, UK

Returned to Croydon and started at Shell in the Strand, London for 15-months. Supported the email team covering Shells’ global operations. Helped solve the Satellite Tracking System problem for Shell Trading to track its Super Tankers around the World, delivering and loading a range of commodities. Due Diligence on the project team ended their lack of deliverables, high pay, and large offices.

Capita Insurance & Investor Services

My second longest contract. Researching and writing IT Security Policies, Processes and Procedures on: Share Registration System with over 60% of the FTSE100 companies, this covered the buying and selling of their listed shares and the settlements between Institutions and Stockbrokers. Fund Management System listed mutual funds and their trading and IFA Portal System supplied a market for Independent Financial Advisors (IFAs) to buy a wide range of insurance policies and interfaces to CRM Reporting Systems. Every month worked on M&A Proposals, RFPs and ITTs.

Microsoft System Builder

Exercising Microsoft Office and Visio 2010, SharePoint Workspaces, Lync, and InfoPath on Windows 7, 64bit and 32bit Operating Systems. Ubuntu UNIX and OpenOffice on Sun VirtualBox and Windows 7 XP using the MS Windows Virtual PC.

IBM/AstraZeneca

Business Process Analyst/Technical Writer covering 200+ Sites and resolving the Outsource Contracts, process, and procedure issues. Using conference calls to communicate the changes for each document. Remedy Change Templates used for Workflow to notify the assigned groups:

Perform Group member selects Tasks Template to install a PC and starts the SLA clock.

 

Workflow emails Facilities. To check location, desk and chair and services allocated.

 

Emails Stock Controller/Procurement for PC and standard image build licenses. Build a PC, install it, and ensure End User satisfaction.

 

Then log on to Remedy to close the Change Ticket. The configuration team stops the SLA clock.

 

Upwork / MASTA Ltd

Freelance Writer drafting a B2B set of IT Policies covering:

PC, Laptop and Smart Phone Usage, e-mail, Internet, Working from Home, IT Security, Backup, and Storage Systems.

UPS, Encryption, VPN, Disposal, IT Product, Data Protection, GDPR, and ISO9001 / ISO27001.

 

Upwork and PeoplePerHour Biz docs

Freelance Writer doing the writing, proofreading, and editing roles:

Short Story, Mission/Vision Statements, Business Plan, and Enterprise Security, White Papers on Data Governance Application and Open Source Search.

Global Immersion

Contract Process Consultant drafting processes and procedures to enable implementation of SAP One for Immersion Theatre Systems support functions and applying LEAN PM to Finance, Mechanical and Optical, Electronic Systems plans.

Upwork and PeoplePerHour Tech docs

Freelance Writer doing the writing, proofreading, and editing roles, producing specs, User Guides, for JSON based APIs. Constructing Help files for software development and Web site product descriptions.

Upwork Dev Project

Freelance Writer working with Business and Technical Analysts, Developers, and Support Engineers, drafting documentation on Framemaker for client/server application Testing. Reading business and technical books between projects.

Sapient ERP

Contract Technical Writer producing an ERP software application specification with Backoffice APIs for Supermarket and its suppliers.

Upwork Rest API

Freelance Writer working on XML and REST API Test

Specs for payment, loyalty, and telecommunications projects. Reading business and technical books and doing MS and MIT courses between projects.

 

Upwork Telematics

Freelance Writer testing and correcting

Ship2Anywhere.com content and XML, R&D Plan for Grant. Reworking Study Guides on Logic, Thinking, and Strategy.

 

SMFG Trade Sale

                Contract Technical Writer working on B2B writing, proofreading, and editing Human Resources, Finance, and P2P / SAP documents with Business, Operations, IT, and Finance inputs to deliver a Trade Sale document set.

Upwork and IBM

Freelance Writer proofreading and editing Portal

content and, IBM Cloud/Premise Smart Metering Tender for Australian Water Board.

 

PeoplePerHour Dev Projects

                Freelance Writer working with Business and Technical Analysts, Developers, and Support Engineers, writing short and long-form articles for Blogs and websites.

 

Mendeley Ac Search

                Contract Technical Writer producing an API document for academic database document searching, creating test data sets for 100 search parameters, and updated bug lists. Development teams using Agile and SCRUM delivery process frameworks.

Upwork IT Security

                Freelance Writer improving and maintaining IT Operations and Security Policies, Processes and Procedures for products and services. Using HTML, XML, and Framemaker for DITA files.

PPRO Financial

                Contract Technical Writer Interviewing, Stakeholders and Subject Matter Experts in London, Munich and Koln. Producing Document Set list for FCA regulator certification. Researching and drafting 40+ Policies for review and approval.

Fiverr and Upwork ITTs RFPs

                Freelance Writer writing or responding to ITTs, RFPs, and SOWs. Covering small to large projects using Confluence, Jira, GitHub, and MS Project. Supporting DHS SAP Identity Mng. and USAF Mng. Office Workflow Solutions.

360 Cross Media

                Freelance Writer writing, proofreading, and editing for Financial, Technical and Legal Clients. Withholding Tax Harmonisation White Paper and Satellite application. Legal Practice interview, Moscow, and Paris offices Press Releases.

Intercomms

                Freelance Writer interviewed telecommunications products and services CEOs, VPs, and Subject Matter Experts. Using agreed questions and then expanded and improved their answers. Restructuring and reworking long-form articles for on-line Journals / Website.

TES Global

                Freelance Writer researching, writing (MS Office, SharePoint Admin, Photo Shop) and selling Business and Teacher Resources on a hosted online shop. Focus on Business and IT, recent sales Micro-Entity Accounts, and GDPR procedures.

Summary of Experience

Lived and Worked throughout Western Europe and across the USA. Then Globally over the Internet. Sectors covered Local and National Government, Defence, Transportation for Land, Sea and Air, Medical Devices and X-Ray Systems, Pharma, Oil&Gas, Utilities, Manufacturing/Engineering, Media, Legal and Financial Services.   

Side Hustle

Spent the 1990s producing and selling template management systems which saved the clients time and money to implement and then gain certification to the related ISO standard: Quality, Environmental, Health&Safety, Service Management, Corporate Communications, Service Management and IT Security.  

 

My Books

Cover different functions that a company performs. First Example RFP and Checklist An RFP is written and checked against the checklist to ensure it covers all the requirements like terms, specification modes of response with email and hard copy or electronic copy, with an electronic signature. The Request for Proposal (RFP) is then sent to suppliers or partners to obtain their price for supplying the product or service as stated in the specification part of the RFP. Companies and government departments might have a list of approved companies and send them an email containing the Notice describing what the RFP covers and a link to download the RFP.

Second How to do Requirements for your Project Product or Service Requirements cover:

Business Requirements – the cost of producing and maintaining it.

Technical Requirements – how to build, test, and install it.

Functional Requirements – what functions does it need to perform.

Non-functional Requirements – disaster recovery, business continuity processes to recover the product or service back to normal operating condition for the company providing the product or service. A bus is a product, but when it transports passengers it is supplying service.

User Requirements – cover how the product or service interfaces with users. The bus company and drivers operate the service and the passengers are end-users.

Third Product and Service Design Procedures cover corporate governance needs and the service management catalog. Governance relates to how products or services are designed with the maximum recycled parts and tracked as assets for accounting needs. With Service Management one or more approved suppliers are listed and specification states the applications for the product or service. A unique organization's number is allocated. With a software application showing the complete product or service and where this product or service is used. On a bus, there are multiple seat grips/handles with the same number.

Fourth Learn to implement LEAN Project Management like Agile Product Development the Project Management Methodology should not use too much of the developers' and engineers' time with processes, procedures, forms, and records.

Fifth Cloud Computing for Small, Medium, and Home-Based Businesses with an increase in virtual teams around the World. This is the route they should be taking, and Microsoft and Google apps enable it.

Sixth How to do Micro-Entity Accounts covers the format of the accounts and shows how the figures relate. This is how I do my company annual accounts and present them online to HMRC and CompaniesHouse.

 

Seventh Single Person Meal Planner covers 30 days Explains how to cook simple meals using a Microwave and Halogen Oven. With Meat or Fish, mixed vegetables, pasta or potatoes. Small Chicken, Fishcake, Pork Sausage, Haddock or Cod, Hamburger, Pork Shoulder Chop, Duck Leg, Meals Planner covering 30 days.

Eighth How you can manage your Event covers a pragmatic approach to Event Analysis, Planning and Tracking Costs of your Event.

New Challenges

Now researching and writing Lifestyle books with three others as Work in Progress.

New Technology applications using AI, ML, Blockchain, VR/AR and BOTS look possible towards the end of the year or next year.

Hash House Harriers (H3)

In 1980 my friend started the Ulm Hash House Harriers since he was running with Surrey H3. This got me started and I have nearly run in every European Group. Visited the East and West of Australia, Malaysia were, it started back in 1938, Singapore and St Petersburg, Russia on a day trip from Helsinki, Finland. Run 20+ Marathons, Red Dress Runs and 20+ Ball Breakers 3 to 4-hour cross-country runs. Nash Hashes around Europe, Inter-hashes in Malaysia, Cyprus and Cardiff, UK, and Euro Hashes.     

 

 

 

Offer and Contact info

Open to considering Joint Venture Book writing covering business, technology, engineering, and lifestyle subjects.

Now you have read my book feel free to connect on Social Media:

linktr.ee/ericsutherland

 

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/ericsutherland1

 

https://www.facebook.com/eric.sutherland1

 

@biznetworker1

 

Contact

email: ericsutherland@btws.co.uk

 

Mobile: +44 777 640 3252 


Skype: Eric.Sutherland1


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