Meet Electrical Engineer I Hayley Langley. We asked her about her career in engineering, how she got her start, and more!
How'd you get involved in engineering?
“I decided on being an engineer in high school, after joining FIRST Robotics. While on the team, I became extremely interested in the wiring of the robot and learning how all the different electronics worked together. I then went on to college at Bradley University to get my electrical engineering degree. The four years of college were not easy, but I continued my want to learn and be an electrical engineer. For the first year and a half of my engineering career, I worked for Donaldson – Filter Minder, where I helped develop sensors for the air filters that are produced by the company. At Donaldson, I did both software and hardware work. After realizing that I was wanting to explore more of the hardware side of electrical engineering and get back to what created my initial interest, I decided to come to Vermeer.”
What does an average day in your world look like?
“I am currently working as an electrical engineer in the utility systems team. My main focus since I have started, is working on the RTX1250i2 and RTX750SOC ride-on utility tractor projects. I have also been helping improve the way the group does harness and schematic reviews. From day-to-day, I can find myself working on routing the electrical harnesses for a machine, reviewing a peer’s harness print or helping to install a new electrical harness on a machine. My days really are just dependent on what needs to get done and how I can help someone else accomplish their tasks.”
What do you like most about engineering?
“There really isn’t just one thing that I like the most about engineering, but if I had to choose it would be solving the different challenges that I come across and trying to find the best possible solution to them.”
What advice do you have for someone interested in an engineering career?
“My advice to those who are interested in engineering, is to find what type of engineering is both interesting and challenging for you. The best way to grow as an engineer is to always be challenged to think outside of the box but also within the limits of reality. I would also say to find someone who you would consider a mentor, that you can talk to when the challenge is just a bit above where you are. The biggest piece of advice that I can give, is never let someone else tell you that you can’t be an engineer, those who say that are just trying to discourage you.”
What’s your favorite thing about working at Vermeer?
“My favorite thing about working for Vermeer is how easily and quickly I was accepted into my team. I also enjoy how others will listen to any ideas that I have of how we can improve a process that we currently use and then help me make that idea a reality. There are probably a dozen other reasons that I enjoy working at Vermeer, but it is hard to put all of them into words.”