Things I Endorse
books
I rarely read a physical book. Wikipedia and YouTube do the job almost all of the time.
These are the few exceptions. Ironically, all are written by YouTubers.
Engineering in plain sight
Grady Hillhouse
timeline of the bible
Matt Baker
humble pi
Matt Parker
the modern Engineering student fundamentals
Phenomenal tools you should not be afraid of. Use them when they are appropriate. Much like calculus or high-level physics, there are situations where they can turn a 10-hour job into a 1-hour job. Work smarter not harder.
amazon basics notebooks
Get the graph paper variant. Trust. I never write in anything else.
chatgpt
Don't Copy & Paste. Use it to generate fresh ideas, breathing new life or direction into a personal project.
chegg
Some professors are lazy and not truly interested in your education. Match their lack of enthusiasm accordingly. Time and mental stability are as important of resources as notes and books!
Musicianship
I considered myself a musician long before I considered myself an engineer.
I play percussion, electric and acoustic guitar, and sing all fairly well.
Promark rebound 5b long
My preferred drumsticks for most songs. Vic Firth and Innovative Percussion make great sticks as well. Ignore all other brands.
You always get what you pay for when it comes to musical instruments. Don't cheap out.
How to practice
When it comes to learning an instrument-- learning the fundamentals is for intermediates yearning to be advanced.
Before purchasing any instrument, ensure that over the past few months, you have consistently wished you could cover different songs. For a drummer that's beatboxing an enchanting rhythm you heard somewhere. For a melodic instrument, honing in and listening intently to the guitar or keyboard part and daydreaming about performing it yourself.
If you aren't having fun learning what you want to play, it will soon end up in the closet or on Facebook Marketplace.
connections
Even more so than in the corporate world, connections make or break you. If you haven't any charisma, you haven't any bandmates, and thereby gigs, and thereby money to put back into your music.
Music is a wonderful creative outlet that some can get rich off of. You know if you're one of those or not. I'm not. I'm too nerdy.