Intuitive Surgical

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit Intuitive Surgical, a medical device company located in Sunnyvale.  I had met with one of their employees at a coffee shop some time ago, just to talk about life after college and the transition into industry.  It was a very relaxed meeting and I ended up with the name of one of the senior engineers working under this lady.  We got in contact and decided to meet up at the office so I could have another perspective (the first lady went right from undergrad into industry, while this more recent one went the other route and did her masters and PhD first).  It was nice to know that there is no one right way of doing things and that there are positions out there that will suit my interests...I just have to keep my eyes and ears open at all times and take advantage of even the smallest of opportunities.

After the small talk, she decided to bring out one of the manuals for their product and started pseudo-quizzing me on engineering principles.  It was a little intimidating at first and I didn't feel prepared at all, but I guess I did fine in her eyes because after we talked for awhile she told me her group might be able to use my help.  She gave me a packet to take home and is giving me a chance to watch a couple of films, to make sure I don't get squeamish.  If I pass that test, I'll email her and we'll "work out some hours" where I can help out and get some experience!  It was a very exciting morning and I left feeling pretty great.  I watched the shorter of the two films while I was eating last night and everything was fine...I think I'm going to be okay!  We'll see what happens, but in any case it was an exciting step and my foot is now in the door...I'm not planning on taking it out any time soon :)