Design Methods

             essential skills & Elements page

Jim Mcmillan's  unique method of design & creative PROBlem SOLVING  plus career help & advice --> now free because "i've been theRE, done that" and just want to warn you of things you NEED TO know about. 

The "ESSENTIAL SKILLS PROGRAM" is a rare original design program that I developed over 30 yrs.  I'm now a retired R&D Engineer whose background includes Product Design & Development, Original Design Concepts and Inventions. I taught: special Creative Prob. Solving & Design Principles + many other topics for 28 YRS. at Private Schools & Home School Associations . SEE my BIO for what I did from age 9-18 that got me started and what I've accomplished since. Hopefully this will inspire you as well. 

Everything you need, to figure out my method, is on this website - IF You Can Figure It Out You Can Have It FREE. I retired in June 2019 and want someone to take up where I left off so my lifes work isn't lost. The website is paid to run until Jan 2023 with very little input from me. I'll keep it updated as needed but won't be actively involved.

I've designed & invented many things for the US Goverment and other American Companies. I developed my Creative Problem Solvng plus a Unique Essential Skills & Techniques Method of Design. Starting at age 9 and spanned a 60+ year career. It was a time in history that allowed me freedom to be on the leading edge of technology and to control most decisions affecting my work. Note: I never worked on the same type project twice this really gave me a wide base of knowledge. I had an amazing success rate and an extremely wide area of expertise allowing many choices of how to solve project or design related decisions. I have always been a problem solver it just comes naturally to me. Study my Essential Elements List - 

                 ???????????????????????????        STILL REWRITING FROM HERE ON DOWN      ??????????????????????????  

 I developed it as a core group of standards to use as the focus for my problem solving and design method. It's a way to live and think that draws you in a positive direction of success not random solutions. My natural ability to problem solve is a special gift but you also can learn to do it.  Once you develop the core elements and understand what areas they work best in you can more quickly understand which to use in different situations. There will sometimes be more than one way to get the job done. The secret is developing the understanding of how each element works in various situations and the skill to select and combine then for the best results. Trial and error will eventually teach you how to select the final combination of elements to apply them to fix your problem.  

              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\     ELEMENTS OF DESIGN    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
From here down is the original work that I was going to teach. I am leaving it here for you to have if there is anything to be gained from it. This is mostly not final edited and hopefully has been reworded in the above text.

Creative Design OPT: #3 this class is for very smart or experienced designers: My "Essential Skills" System is fantastic and could be a gold mine to anyone that can learn and understand how to apply it.  It's Now a FREE PROGRAM because I won't be able to teach the class. This was going to be a  $50/mo class with 25-30 each session setup to be a 2 year program.  I had to cancel the class due to the Corona Virus Pandemic and for age & health reasons, that's why it's NOW offered FREE but without my help. 

Note: The comparrison between what my Program would Cost ($600/yr) VS what an equivilant College would charge -it's astronomical and they don't teach you what you need to know or how to do it. Compare My Bk-Gnd to any typical college professor. Collages are just taking your money and not teaching you what you need to know.  My program can change your life if you are smart enough & willing to commit to the program. It's your life make it worth while, it's your choice.

To find out:  First study the website to determine if you think you are capable of doing the work. If not don't even try to become a Design Engineer,  find something else that you have a passion for. To do my system everything you need is on this website but you will have to work hard with many trials & failures to understand it, it could take 2-4 years. Read My BIO to see what I have to offer you then deside if it's worth your time to do it.  It's now free and you can work at your own pace. It could change your life!  

AS TO MY QUESTION OF SHOULD YOU GO TO COLEGE OR WORK TO GAIN EXPERIENCE FIRST? 
I would suggest you do both:  Go to College to get a chance. It will open doors for you.  Also Do My Program to learn what you need to be successful. College takes 4 years , You can do both at one time. My Methods will give you the tools, College only gets you in the door, you still need the skills that aren't being taught in the current educational system!   

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OPT NOW FREE:  Because Jim retired and is no longer available to help.  The information will be left on-line for you to figgure out, if you can(it's very complicated but has worked amazingly well for me - I have never shared it, taught or even told anyone it existed before I started writing details down to build this website.  I  am afraid that our educational system has fallen to the point that I don't know ifanyone out there is even capable of understanding & appling how to use the elements to create & design - to BAD, I had wanted to teach a group but had to cancel due to the Virius situation. I hope someone comes forth and picks up where I left off so this amazing system isn't lost forever,  JIM.

 ENGR. DESIGN PAGE: Read & study this information several times, WHY?  I Want you to learn it and soak in all the details until you get an in-depth meaning of the word WISDOM. You need to know with understanding the 10 elements
& be able to select and use them in different situations so that you make the right decisions of which elements to use for different types of problems.

The elements I have identified have been enough to solve over 90% of the situations I have used them for sinse I first descovered how to do it.  But sometimesyou use one grouping and at other times you use a different combination. Only time and experience doing so willgive you the perception of which combinations to use for different problems. It's a long slow learning curve that eventually becomes automatic - because you believe in it. 

I ran My Wisdom Formula (really a method using variables) by  a professor friend (who has two PHD's) & he thought is was excellant. To use my method you must first learn to use the formula with  knowledge and understanding of how to select the right elements. To create, design or solve whatever problem you face. In our current broken down
system of education I doubt that anyone but the smartest and most dedicated is capable of doing it. 

TO GAIN WISDOM: you must learn the secret of how to apply knowledge into the skill of applying a mixture 
of facts, experience and creative imagination into a physical tangible end result.  My formula for wisdom is ....

WISDOM FORMULA = the Ability to Understand and apply knowledge to solve any problem/situation you have.   

 Wisdom formula word meanings =  (A Problem / Situation is anything that needs a solution).

        Ability means trade or work skills, school or job training & experience which develops or hones your skills.
      Knowledge means = Education, based on book learning from formal classes or self study, the Bible is a book.                           . .   Life experiences (the best teacher) includes skills & abilities learned through solving everyday life problems.   
      Common sense comes from past experience - the ability to find quick solutions using whatever's available. 

THE VERY ESSENCE AND THE MEANING OF THE WORDS AS THEY ARE DEFINED BY MY ESSENTIAL SKILLS ELEMENTS LIST AND APPLIED TO SOLVE THE DESIGN PROBLEMS IN ANY SITUATION. MY GOAL WAS TO CREATE A METHOD FOR PROBLEM SOLVING THAT WOULD ALWAYS WORK.  IT'S TO COMPLEX TO  WRITE DOWN BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO MIX THE ELEMENTS FOR DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. IT WILL TAKE TIME TO MASTER THE SYSTEM BUT YOU LEARN MORE WITH EACH TRY. EVENTUALLY IT WILL BECOME EASIER AS YOU BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH HOW THE ELEMENTS WORK IN DIFERENT COMBINATIONS.  IT BECOMES MORE OF A PROCESS THAN A FORMULA OR METHOD, YOUR REACH YOUR GOAL FASTER EACH TIME AS YOU BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE PROCCESS. COMPARE IT TO A COOK WHO HAS AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SPICES CAN CHANGE THE CHARACTOR AND TASTE OF HIS CREATION.

BY AGE 15: You need two possible careers to select from. This would give you a head start on picking a college that hopefully would be a good selection or either cxareer. Then if your first choice didn't work out you could move credit hours from one major to the other saving time & money.  Remember it isn't east to get into colleges, so apply early to have some options. For jobs: INTERVIEW at convenient places just to gain experience in the interview proccess. You don't want to have a "Deer in the headlight look" of someone that is nervious or scarred. You want to be smooth, smile and look confidient - don't oversale your skills or abilities or be boastful or you may not last past the 3mo. probation period.

See Link #2 about summer jobs (H-S & College years) Any experience is extremely important at a job interview it shows you want to work and have something to offer. Explain to interviewer how your work experience helped you learn about & prepare for your career.

Summer Jobs, Every summer if possible: Get a job in a company where you can observe other people doing what you want to do. Talk to people at breaks or lunch and learn what you can about their job and what they'd advise you to do to be successful. To gain good experience tell the interviewer your major and you'd work hard in any position to gain experience that would help you when you graduate.  Offer to work for them each summer if they like your work.

After college ages 22-25: you may have to unlearn bad habits or methods you've developed or been taught at places you have worked after college. You probably also missed the chance to better prepare for your career. Clk Link #2 and note the section on what happens if you get fired after the probation period - you DEFINATELY don't want that to happen. I give free advice on what to do - check it out before you even go to college.

I will tell you that especially now-a-days your choice is between college or working first to gain experience and see where everything will settle out in the new world situation and economy. I had the advantage of having been in the Air Force then worked at Texas Instruments before going to SMU in Dallas. College prepares you to work, it gives you a permission slip (Diploma) to apply for a job. Based on what school you graduated from and if you can/cannot do the job they hired you to do. Clk Link #2 again on what your chances are. Bottom line it's your skills & ability that counts - not the Diploma, that only gives you a chance for success. What I offer you free will give you a heads up on what to expect & to avoid in the intervew proccess. New graduates without this could go down in flames - they won't know what hit them until it's to late. But you have a job! Now can you keep it? Revisit Link #2 the battle has just began.

In Education or Career choices my goal is to help you select the best path in either. clk: Link #2 there are both positive things to consider and negative ones to avoid. A lot of what I offer is on this website FREE for all to see but mainly I try to help you understand clk Link #3 Design Skills-1  Plan for Success not just for engineers but applys to many careers. I developed this over a 45+ yr career in Product Design,  Research & Developement and have designed, invented & worked on some very incredible projects, see Link #1, Jim's Background  and I want to pass on what I've learned to you the next generation. I'm trying to make most of it FREE but because of the personal time I will have to spend interacting with those in the Design Skills-2 advanced group I will have to charge a small fee, $xx/mo same as I charged teaching at both Private Schools and Homeschool Co-Ops for 28 years. 

I offer you many years of wisdom and experience developing a working method of how to succeed in your choosen profession or in technical fields such as engineering, how to create, invent or design.  FREE if you can figure out how to do it.  You need to be smart and able to figure it out by yourself, without my help!
 
TO GAIN WISDOM: you must learn the secret of how to apply knowledge into the skill of applying a mixture of facts, experience and creative imagination into a physical tangible end result.  

Jim's Defination of wisdom:      Wisdom = Ability to Understand and apply knowledge to solve problems.   Where Knowledge = combination of Book learning (educaion) & life skills (training & experience). Note: the Bible is a book and it defines wisdom. life skills is any training or experiences you may have gained in life. Both are very important.

OPT #2: THE ADVANCED DESIGN SKILLS PROGRAM:  I 'm offering you the chance to become one of the very best.  Only the most qualified deserve or get this opportunity.  I have had an interesting career and done many amazing things both for myself and for many other companies. I want to pass on my creative problem so;ving and Essential Skills ZDesign Method to the brightest students I can find. I have never before offered or explained my system to anyone - I never even told anyone I had developed it.  READ MY  BIO to see just part of what I've accomplished n the last 50+ years. For you, the students, find and learn te Essential Elements list, it's the heart & soul of my system - This is your ticket to success! 
I offer you the chance of a lifetime but it's up to you to do the work and make it happen. I suggest you do them both: Go to College and Do My Program. This will give you four years to learn both systems but mine is the one that will give you the best chance for success., the other just opens doors for you. (SEE COLLEGE OR WORK FIRST).

CAREER HELP/ADVICE  For major Money & Time saving suggestions & other  important facts you need to be aware of. 

FOR ENGINEERING STUDENTS: I know the secrets of Creative Problem Solving and Design and want to pass on what I've developed to you the next (and hopefully not lost)  generation.  IT'S ALL AVAILABLE to YOU & FREE ON THIS WEBSITE. It's dificult to understand especially without any experience in design or my help. My age (now 80) and the Pandemic has made it impossible to teach this as a class so I have retired to spend time with my family.  To give this to you I've paid for it to be on line for two years then its over! However it will probably be there if you can find it but I'd suggest you copy & save as much of the website as you can.

THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS  ELEMENTS OF DESIGN  & THE WISDOM FORMLA ARE THE MOST CRITICAL PARTS OF MY CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING AND DESIGN METHODS SYSTEM.   IT USES THE LIST OF 10 ELEMENTS I COLLECTED THROUGHOUT MY CAREER AND USED TO GUIDE MY THOUGHT PROCESS AS I DEVELOPED MY PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS FROM A VERY EARLY AGE.  My GREATEST GIFT IS PROBLEM SOLVING  AND I'VE USED IT TO CREATE MY AMAZING NEW  DESIGN METHOD .