Feature Story Brainstorm

1. My main subject is my dad, Mike Johnson.
2. For my other interviewees, I will interview possibly my grandparents (my dad's parents), my mom,  aunts and uncles (brothers and sisters of my dad) and possibly my sisters.
3. The topic is about my dad's experiences with growing and discovering that he wanted to be an engineer. There are key childhood experiences that made him who he is today.
4. I will be writing a more Personality story.
5. My questions for my dad:

1. Explain your profession/what you do.
2. What inventions/creations that you made as a child affect who you are today?
3. When did you realize you wanted to be an Engineer? Is there a specific moment?
4. What did you create/invent when you were younger?
5. Explain a funny experience that came out of one of your creations.
6. How did your family react to your creations?
7. Who has helped you along the way in becoming an Engineer?
8. What was going through your head as a child when you made these creations?
9. Have you ever reflected back on childhood creations to help you with a project?
10. Tell me about a time when a creation/invention didn't go as planned.
11. How did you learn from that failed experiment?
12. How is inventing/creating as a child different from what you do today?
13. Describe a proud moment from your Engineering career.
14. How did that change the way you performed your job?
15. Have you always wanted to be an engineer? If not, what other jobs did you want?
16. What did you learn from inventing/creating as a child?
17. Who do you work with?
18. Are you happy with your decisions?
19. Did other people influence/affect your creations/inventions/job decisions? Who?
20. Why did you want to create/invent?

6. Questions for my Grandma and/or Grandpa:

1. How did you react to my dad inventing/creating?
2. What funny experiences do you remember of my dad's creations/inventions?
3. Did my dad's inventions ever get him into trouble? Tell me about the experiences.
4. What went through your head when my dad was creating these things?
5. What is the most memorable thing my dad created/invented?

Questions for my mom:
1. Has dad told you about any childhood experiences? Which ones?
2. Has dad's job affected your life? How so?
3. Tell me about one of dad's experiences that you remember really well.
4. Can you relate to any of dad's experiences? Which ones?

7. Background Research:

1. There's approximately 39% of Americans that are Engineers.
2. Engineering is divided into 4 major branches, or groups: Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, and Civil, which all have sub-branches within them.
3. 30% of Americans have the job they dreamed of having as a child.
4. There are approximately 2 million practicing Engineers in the United States.
5. Engineering, unlike Science, is the creation of making systems to improve our daily lives.

8. I will conduct this interview anytime over the Thanksgiving break, either on Wednesday or Sunday, when my dad and I are the least busy. I will call my Grandparents when they're free over the break.

9. I will interview my dad at my house in person, as well as with my mom. I will interview my Grandparents over the phone because they live way out of state.

10. I will plan on recording the interview, as it's easier to get more information and have the quotes flow better. I might have to write down my grandparents' quotes because the interview will be over a call, but if I figure out how to record the call I will ask if I can do that.