Competed Once

In updating my resume, could add stories for the interesting bits done in each job. That would make my resume far too long. In each case found remarkable solutions to tricky problems.

Realized the story for each job mirrored the same story.

Just after high school, I had got my father (an engineer) into the new-fangled "10-speed" bicycles. In the late 1970s, batteries did not last very long, so we both got generator-lights for our bicycles. At that time, the generator-mounts were miserable things made out of stamped steel. The mounts were heavy, prone to rust and scaping paint from the bicycle frame.

Not satisfied with the stock mounts, I designed and fabricated a lighter/cleaner mount out of aluminum.

My father looked at what I had done, then designed and fabricated a much more complex mount. His mount was superior in design. His mount was much more complex in fabrication. In every respect, his work was superior.

A few weeks later, I came up with a new design.

Turned the generator upside-down, and made the mount out of a short stick of "L" shaped aluminum extrusion. Drilled a hole on one end for the existing brake frame-bolt. Carved a notch in the other end to nestle against the frame, and covered with a small bit of cloth handlebar tape. Drilled a hole along the side, to bolt the generator, so the generator wheel made contact with the tire.

Fabrication was dead-simple. Usage was much safer, as you did not have to reach near the (moving!) spokes to toggle the generator. The short stick of aluminum weighed near-nothing. In short, I had come up with a much simpler design, that was better in every way.

That was the first time I ever competed with my father, and the last. :)

My working life followed much the same pattern. Given a tricky problem, found a clever solution, often taking a somewhat-novel approach. Tended to end up with the problems that no one else could handle, and found solutions.

So ... that is pretty much my resume. :)