Leila Madrone does solar-energy R&D at Otherlab in San Francisco.
Photo: Gabriela Hasbun
Happy engineers are all alike; each unhappy engineer is unhappy in his own way, Tolstoy might have said.
Actually, the opposite is closer to the truth. Those who are dissatisfied all tend to spend their days pining for positions that are more challenging or fulfilling. Those who enjoy their work derive satisfaction in many different ways.
The profiles we present in this year's Dream Jobs report aptly demonstrate that proposition. Contentment can come from working with professional athletes, investigating scientific mysteries, improving access to space, solving the problems of renewable energy, or just letting your imagination run. Reading about these exemplars may help you to zero in on your own uniquely rewarding career.
Brandon Pearce's Avionics Guide SpaceX Rockets
Meet the man who keeps SpaceX's rockets on trackSony's Jun Rekimoto Dreams Up Gadgets for the Far Future
Inside Sony's lab for utterly impractical electronic wondersLeila Madrone: Solar Energy Roboticist
Otherlab's Leila Madrone is trying to make solar power finally workSignals Specialist Karin Sigloch Probes the Planet's Darkest Secrets
Sigloch's algorithms reveal the hidden forces that shape the worldSportvision's Mark Perry Tracks Baseball Players' Every Move
Baseball-fanatic-turned-engineer Mark Perry develops systems to track pitches and swings
