I need advice to decide if I accept taking a project or not

[StefanCZ]

Hi,

I have to make the decision if I take a project or not.

I have worked with LabVIEW for less than a year. I'm a CLAD but I only have experience in one project, which involved only using modbus tcp to communicate with a controller, so I don't have any experience (aside from taking Core1 and Core2) with data acquisition.

I was offered a project which consist on acquiring sound. The hardware used is a microphone connected to a cDAQ, and then a cRIO is connected to the cDAQ. Periodically (about 5 mins) the data is sent to a local database. If the sound is higher than the maximum dB level allowed, then the system should record the sound for X seconds. Then that audio file (it can be wav) must be sent to a Web Server, via HTTP or FTP. The last requirement is that the maximum level of dB allowed should be a parameter that can be changed remotely.

I don't have any idea on how to do any of that stuff (except reading and writing to a database), and I have never worked with cDAQ or cRIO. The ideal is that the project lasts about 1,5 months. I have to tell them soon how much time I think I would take, and that's where I'm complicated. I know the LabVIEW enviroment, and I know there are APIs for almost everything, and I'll also have the cDAQ and cRIO for myself to test everything I want, so I know that eventually I could finish the project. But my main concern is that since I don't know how to do anything of this project, I don't know what's the learning curve for all that and much time would it really take. I'm inclined to take the project to win experience, but I don't want to tell them a deadline I won't be able to meet. I was thinking in telling them 2 months. Is that unrealistic? How much time do you think I would take to learn all that stuff if I don't have any experience at all with their requirements for this project?

I know that there's not a clear answer for this, in the end everything depends on me, but any estimation you could make based on your experience is very welcome.

Thanks in advance. 

[Bob_Schor]

Oh, dear.  Without having any idea how much (non-LabVIEW) programming experience you've had, or what (LabVIEW) colleagues you have around to help you if you "get stuck" (and you probably will), if I were in your shoes, I would not take this job, particularly as it involves unfamiliar hardware, an unfamiliar paradigm, and your LabVIEW experience is limited.  What you could do is to get as many specifications for this project as possible, tell the Customer that (at present) you don't have the skills to give a reasonable time estimate, and ask to be contacted in a month if they haven't found someone to do the work.  Then spend that month taking classes, searching NI's site for How To papers on cDAQ and cRIO, sound, etc., and get yourself "set" to take the next opportunity.

BS

[johnsold]

That sounds like a great project for learning a lot of new things. 

But, as Bob Schor pointed out the risk is also high.

If you are a young engineer or scientist, and will have bosses that understand that you are getting on-the-job-training, and will allow you enough time to do it, then maybe it would be OK. The amount of support you have available is critical. Do you have experience with sound measurements? databases? web servers? Are there people there who do and who will help you?  How likely are the requirements to change while the project is in process? Will the deadlines change when the requirements do? Will you be the project manager and have to make all the system architecture decisions or will someone else do that? If someone else, what is that person's experience with LV and measurements?

I have had opportunities like that. The first one was right after I completed my degree.  I had a great boss, very supportive management, and weak deadlines. That helped make my career. I have had others which were complete catastrophes.  The intangible things like the quality of the support are the things I would examine most closely.

Without more details it is very hard to estimate the time. My initial reaction is that 1.5 months is a very optimistic ideal and that 2 months does not allow you enough "wiggle room."  What if you find that you need to take a cRIO class or a database class and it is not available for 4 months?

Lynn

[mikeporter]

I would say the time schedule is VERY optimistic. There are way too many things that you could get stuck on.

This my sound like a strange question, but are you married? Young single folks have few commitments and more time. I remember one memorable contract where I overheard a coworker say that the last time he saw me work a 40 hour weeks was when I went home sick on Wednesday.

Beyond that I would second the comments from Bob and Lynn. Consider the work environment, support, available hours and remember that in an opportunity like this pay is just one part of your compensation.

Mike...

PS: I noticed the CZ in your user I'd. Are you Czech? My grandmother's family (Mekota) came from near Prague.

[StefanCZ]

Thanks all for your insight, it made me reconsider everything.

I'm still an engineering student (I'll obtain my degree this month though), and I would have 100% time dedication to this. I wouldn't ask to much money, I'm more interested in the experience I could get, since this would be my first job in a project like this.

In the project I did last year I worked with databases, and with the connectivity toolkit I had no problem at all.

I don't have too much experience in non-labview programming, but the client that wants to hire me (they are a software and hardware service enterprise, they aren't the final client) are programmers and they told that this project seems simple for them if they could use their own hardware and software, but the final client had the hardware so they are forced to use the cDAQ, cRIO and LabVIEW, and none of them have any experience with that. The good point would be that I would have their complete support about the programming theory, so they would help me with all the stuff about web service, remote conections, databases, etc.

PS: The CZ are my last names (Christiansen Zúñiga). I'm Chilean 🙂

[natasftw]

So I'm curious, what is the benefit to hooking the microphone up to the cDAQ rather than just connecting it to the cRIO and simplifying the hardware design?  Is there something you're not telling us that makes that part make sense?

If you can dedicate all of your time, it's possible to make the 2 month deadline.  But, it'll be a lot of work for someone that doesn't know LabVIEW Real-Time/FPGA.  You'll need to learn those programming paradigms.

Do you have SSP access?  Or, does your edu email let you get into the self paced online courses?  Both of those would let you take the RT1, RT2, and FPGA self paced courses.  You should probably get started on those ahead of the 2 months if you're able to do so.  Check out: http://sine.ni.com/myni/self-paced-training/app/main.xhtml

[mikeporter]

Stephan;

As I have looked over my previous answers I recognized two things:

1. The are all carefully thought out, and pragmatic and -- safe.
2. They are not how I have run my own like, professionally or otherwise.

It all came together for me when today I saw a quote on linked-in by Sir Richard Branson:

"If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you're not sure you can do it, say yes -- then learn how to do it later."

It's not pragmatic, and certainly not very safe. But boy it results in an amazing ride...

Mike...

[JÞB]

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@mikeporter wrote:

Stephan;

As I have looked over my previous answers I recognized two things:

1. The are all carefully thought out, and pragmatic and -- safe.
2. They are not how I have run my own like, professionally or otherwise.

It all came together for me when today I saw a quote on linked-in by Sir Richard Branson:

"If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you're not sure you can do it, say yes -- then learn how to do it later."

It's not pragmatic, and certainly not very safe. But boy it results in an amazing ride...

Mike...

---

Thanks for making the end of my work day a lot less tedious Mike!

I've actually been trying to figure out how to chime in with a dissenting opinion (and slinging mad bundles of wires all day) and then you came back and did it yourself.  

The Project Templates in this instance are absolutely invaluable!  "Yup, I know LabVIEW but, I Don't know how to use it for this" is a great opportunity.  Look through the sample projects:

• READ: the for information pages! 
• EXPLORE: the links to LabVIEW Features and Concepts Used
• WATCH: The developer walkthroughs
• POST: for clarification of what you do not understand
• REPEAT until you learn the concepts

Be honest with the client offering the opportunity- LabVIEW talent is in high demand lately.  You do not see many posts to the LabVIEW Developers Seeking Employment forum.  But, as always, you need to manage the client's expectation.  You are not a 20 vet CLD with a few 10's of Gbytes of LabVIEW tools on your keychain from scores of successful projects.  On the other hand, you do have a lot of ways to help you learn (Post 2013 Examples, Post 2012 Project Templates, Online Self paced Core I, II, Advanced, Embeded, OOP...) My friend, you have a lot of advantages over what we had!  AND SUCCEDED WITH!

Best of Luck!- Go Get'R'Done

[johnsold]

Mike,

Well said!

Lynn

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

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@JÞB wrote:

Be honest with the client offering the opportunity

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THIS is key.

The client is hiring you to get the job done.

It sounds as if he will be doing a lot of learning on the job.

Some clients may not look kindly on the LabVIEW person sitting at his desk viewing tutorials.