Dave Cooper: Navigating from student to engineer
From Beers with Engineers by Bert Uschold
February 16, 2026 · 60 min · Episode 57
About this episode
Dave Cooper shares his journey from a struggling high school student to a university engineering teacher, discussing his diverse experiences and insights on education and networking.
#57 – Dave Cooper: Navigating from student to engineer Dave Cooper went from barely graduating high school to teaching university engineering students. In between, he was a navigator for the Marines and worked on refrigeration systems for NASA. We also learn that Dave and Bert share an affection for animated cubic sponges with a palindromic name. He hopes to soon form a father/son engineering team. Also: After leaving Marines, he decided to study aeronautical engineering largely because it was first alphabetically. Switched to mechanical because aeronautical engineering wasn’t available at the university he chose. Loved learning in college; in high school, not so much. Design project was a UAV. As a teacher, Dave struggled with fighting cheating. Students were more interested in the grade than in the learning. He still has a sextant. Started his own firm a few months ago and wants to work with his son. A lot of the world suffers from short-term thinking. Found his technical expertise was secondary to relationships. Linked In is useful for networking. Likes jujitsu and it is good for networking. The more fun you are having, the quicker you pick up a new skill. Dave and Bert both…
People in this episode
Host: Bert Uschold
Guest: Dave Cooper
Topics covered
- engineering education
- career transition
- networking
- military experience
- teaching challenges
Keywords
- engineering
- education
- military
- networking
- UAV
- cheating
- father-son team
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NASA, Linked In, Beers with Engineers, dexterityeng.com
Books & works: SpongeBob SquarePants
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