Derek Kane, Deka Research and Development Avoiding boredom was my earliest career goal. My undergraduate degree was mechanical engineering, and my brother got me a job with him at Itek Optical Systems. Itek made cameras and telescopes, largely for the Department of Defense. The engineering challenges were fascinating, but the analysis and algorithm aspects of the work excited me much more than traditional mechanical engineering. However, my lack of deep mathematical training limited the analyses and algorithm development I could handle. At this job, I also noticed two career paths: one group of older engineers became middle managers whose work looked unbearably dull and who seemed very vulnerable to layoffs. A smaller group of engineers, including my boss, served as technical experts. When a new and innovative solution was required, or when a program stalled because a physical or computational challenge could not be overcome, these experts were consulted. I wanted this job.