S6E30 Jake Whinnery | Resources for Interviewing & Landing Engineering Jobs

Being an Engineer

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9d ago 53:14

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Jake shares his engineering journey, insights into technical interviews, and strategies for young engineers to succeed in the hardware industry. He discusses his experiences at companies like Tesla and Relativity Space and how he created Hardware is Hard to help mechanical engineers land top-tier jobs.

Main Topics:

Importance of internships in engineering career development
Technical interview preparation strategies
Emerging trends in hardware engineering (AR/VR, robotics, US manufacturing)
Balancing productivity and personal growth
Building engineering resources for students and early-career professionals

About the guest: Jake Whinnery is a mechanical engineer and hardware leader at Apple, driving innovation and empowering fellow engineers. A UC Berkeley graduate (B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, minor in EECS, 2023), he has contributed to cutting-edge hardware at Tesla, Meta, Relativity Space, and NASA Ames. In 2022, he co-founded Hardware Is Hard with Wilder Buchanan, a platform supporting 13,000+ engineers with tools like interview guides and technical resources. At Apple since August 2023, Jake works on camera hardware, integrating optics, design, and manufacturing. His blend of technical excellence and community leadership makes him a rising force in hardware engineering.

LINKS:

Jake Whinnery LinkedIn

Jackson Wilder Buchanan LinkedIn

Hardware Is Hard Website

Aaron Moncur, host

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About Being An Engineer

The Being An Engineer podcast is a repository for industry knowledge and a tool through which engineers learn about and connect with relevant companies, technologies, people resources, and opportunities. We feature successful mechanical engineers and interview engineers who are passionate about their work and who made a great impact on the engineering community.

The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment such as cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us on the web at www.teampipeline.us

Chapters

1. Jake Whinnery's Journey and Philosophy (00:00:00)

2. Internships and Early Career Experiences (00:03:27)

3. The Importance of Internships and University Support (00:05:26)

4. Starting Hardware is Hard (00:17:04)

5. Common Technical Interview Questions (00:25:22)

6. Growth and Evolution of Hardware is Hard (00:28:30)

7. Balancing Productivity and Personal Life (00:39:32)

8. Emerging Trends in Hardware Engineering (00:47:16)

9. Final Thoughts and Contact Information (00:53:50)

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