Ah, soldering. That one skill every young electronics engineer thinks is their golden ticket—or at least, that’s what 22-year-old me thought when I joined ISRO back in 2001. Back then, soldering wasn’t just a task; it was a rite of passage.
Before ISRO, I spent four years at an engineering college in Sidsar, Bhavnagar—a campus so isolated, it felt like Hogwarts minus the magic. My engineering education was built on two pillars: flipping through Electronics For You (EFY) magazine and soldering circuits copied straight from its pages. To me, EFY wasn’t just a magazine; it was the Bible for electronics enthusiasts. If it said a circuit worked, it had to work. Right?
Fast forward to my first day at ISRO, and a mentor shattered my illusions with these words:
“Your job as an electronics engineer isn’t to solder—that’s for technicians. Your job is to design.”
And for the next two decades, that’s exactly what I did. Soldering? Not my department. Until life threw me a curveball in Australia.
The Australian Startup Reality: Soldering 101 for Engineers
During an interview for a consulting role at an aerospace startup in Australia, I was hit with an unexpected question:
“Can you solder PCBs?”
Wait. Soldering? Isn’t that what technicians do? Not here. In the fast-paced world of startups, engineers are expected to do everything—from designing circuits to soldering components smaller than grains of rice.
Suddenly, I was back at the soldering table, armed with a magnifying glass, a soldering iron, and my trusty spectacles. Let’s just say, soldering after 40 is a comedy of errors. Components are tiny, hands are shaky, and motivation requires a lot more coffee than it used to.
Why Engineers Procrastinate (and Why It’s Okay)
Soldering became my favorite thing to procrastinate. “Just one more coffee,” I’d tell myself, only to end up deep-diving into the thermodynamics of why coffee cools faster than my willingness to start.
Here’s the thing: procrastination isn’t laziness. It’s your brain’s way of processing. Sometimes, stepping away gives you the clarity to approach the problem anew—or forces you to finish when the deadline’s breathing down your neck.
Lessons from Procrastination and Soldering
Procrastination is like soldering—it requires precision, patience, and sometimes, a bit of luck. It also reminds us that taking a break (even if it’s to read articles like this one) can recharge our creativity.
And for my fellow engineers: can we agree that soldering after 40 should come with hazard pay? Or at least a magnifying glass that doubles as a confidence booster?
Share Your Stories!
What’s your go-to procrastination tactic? Is it brewing another cup of coffee, rearranging your workspace, or doomscrolling on your phone? And for those who’ve dared to solder after years away, what’s your secret? Drop a comment below—I promise I’ll procrastinate long enough to read it. 🤣