Best vocational guidance books according to redditors
We found 94 Reddit comments discussing the best vocational guidance books. We ranked the 42 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 94 Reddit comments discussing the best vocational guidance books. We ranked the 42 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
I am a big fan of Electrical Machines, Drives and Power Systems by Theodore Wildi.
For me, this is one of the most well-rounded and applicable books on electrical engineering. The concepts in the book are well explained and the in-chapter examples are set up extremely well based on the previous paragraphs that lead up to each example.
It has a large chapter dedicated to synchronous generators and control, which is the type of machine used by most large power plants to generate power. I believe it also touches on the different types of basic power generation equipment and the basic heat cycle used in thermal power plants: energy to heat, heat to water, water to steam, steam to drive a turbine, turbine to drive the rotor of a generator.
It is also heavy on distribution and very in-depth on transformers. In my opinion, this is one of the best transformer and rotating machine books out there, period. It is usually the first book I reach for.
The Author (Make sure you click translate on that Wikipedia page) owned his own machine shop in Canada back when this type of technology was new (imagine that), the book was essentially his life's work and based on everything he discovered working with electrical machines which he also taught. He had 17 patents.
Source - I have read and worked through a very large number of electrical engineering books almost cover to cover.
Bebop to Boolean Boogie is pretty good. Very easy and fun book to read. Covers a ton of great entry level topics.
https://www.amazon.com/Bebop-Boolean-Boogie-Unconventional-Electronics/dp/1856175073/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=bebop+to+boolean+boogie&qid=1573568129&sr=8-1
Then move towards something more FPGA specific like
https://www.amazon.com/FPGA-Prototyping-Verilog-Examples-Spartan-3/dp/0470185325/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=fpga+verilog+examples&qid=1573568177&sr=8-2
Knowing C will probably hurt you more than help you. Forget what you know about C when learning Verilog.You need to approach learning Verilog in a different manner. Verilog is not another top-down procedural language expressing instructions one after another. There are some general programming tenets that still hold true, and attention to detail in regards to syntax is important. But forget about line-by-line procedural execution because that's not how these hardware description languages work. You need to learn DIGITAL DESIGN before you learn Verilog....EDIT: for clarity and to tighten up my thoughts.
A general book about writing things in a clear fashion is "The Craft of Scientific Writing" by Micheal Alley.
One consideration is cost. Funding for PsyD students is much more limited than for PhD programs. There are also many counseling focused PhD programs, where the focus is more on counseling then research. If you're interested in applying for a psychology doctorate, I recommend this book hands down as the best guide for getting in to the program. This is a book you want to look at long before you begin the application process.
Alternatively, you could apply to masters level clinical and counseling programs which would be less intense, less schooling, less expensive, but would not be that different in that you'd be doing counseling work. Other graduate programs to consider are Social Work or Marriage and Family Therapy... each is unique, so one may appeal to you more than the other.
Use this book:
Electric Circuits Problem Solver (Problem Solvers Solution Guides) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0878915176/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_aiVUAb1ZA4DPV
30 minutes to an hour of problems every day, and you'll pretty much be able to deal with any problem that will be thrown at you in 35 with no trouble. Do the problems that they give you for homework too, basically just get as much practice in as you can before quizzes/tests
What's your budget?
How old is your friend?
What equipment do they have already?
Regardless of age, I would recommend this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Bebop-Boolean-Boogie-Third-Unconventional/dp/1856175073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314736370&sr=8-1
Some other ideas:
Try very hard to get to wire an entire house from start to finish. It's the best experience possible.
For old work, see these:
Old Electrical Wiring
Your Old Wiring
Circuit Down: How to Solve That Household Electrical Mystery
Honestly, I feel a little weird about answering these questions, because if you are asking these questions, you should not be fooling around with electricity.
Get yourself a good textbook and go from there.
Here is a suggestion I have. It's from a post I made a few weeks ago.
I went out and bought an AVR butterfly microprocessor from mouser.com for $20.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVR_Butterfly
Then I went and bought John Morton’s book on programming AVRs in assembly language. Short, easy and fun. FUN.
http://www.amazon.com/AVR-Introductory-Course-John-Morton/dp/0750656352/
Next, I will work through a C book on AVR:
http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Microcontrollers-Featuring-Butterfly-Compiler/dp/0976682206/
And finally to tie it all together, I am becoming one with this website:
http://www.avrfreaks.net
Learning AVRs and assembler and C on those devices has been one of the most educational and fun things I have ever done. It just added life to my programming (I’ve been coding for 11 years). On top of all that it's cheap, the development environment is free.
Nick
Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician by Richard Cadena. Understanding electricity and electrical safety is big, and a shocking number of technicians lack what I consider crucial basic knowledge.
Also, if you have interest in automated lighting, a decent grounding in electronics can be useful for troubleshooting and maintenance, and I'd start with Introductory Circuit Analysis by Robert Boylestad for this - you'll get a much more thorough grounding in circuit analysis than from Cadena, even if you don't work your way through the whole text.
For what it's worth, the book that kickstarted my interest and understanding in digital electronics was a weird little book called Bebop to the Boolean Boogie. The one I read was the first edition; I stumbled on it randomly on a bookshelf (back when we had these things called bookstores; get off my lawn).
It managed to be a perfect mix of entertaining and informative, and helped the concepts sink in.
here you go
Read Bebop to the Boolean Boogie, it'll give you a basic run through of the hardware basis of modern day computing. It's a fun read too.
Pretty sure this is it. Cover is different, but same book from the US Navy.
I used AVR by John Morton in a lab I taught. It was an assembly language class, hence this book.
AIf it is more about the hardware of microprocessors, I personally have enjoyed The Elements of Computing The website has all the course materials and book chapters online. Check it out.
I'm not sure a single book goes through all of the abstraction layers, from ASM to the C++ Arduino uses. In all the embedded systems classes I've taken, we just used the datasheets, learned about data structures related to embedded systems programming, and did lots of hands-on examples.
As far as the C compiler goes, I learned using codevisionAVR It is slightly different that the GCC used in AvrStudio but there it uses wizards to help set up timers etc.
Honestly, I'd say that the datasheet is the best bet, then just show examples of how to do functions you want to teach, like interrupts, timers, etc. in ASM, C ,and C++ (Arduino)
There is a really good book out written by "Randy Slone" called the "Audiophiles Project Sourcebook" It has every circuit design in there that you could want from headphone amps to power supplies to full range or custom equalizers. The circuit designs are very straightforward and there are many different ways to build them. He even lists the exact part numbers you can use. There is a big following of this book so if a part isn't made anymore it's really easy to find the equivalent replacement for it.
I would definitely recommend this book as a must if you're looking to do your own circuit building. Even if you don't use any of the schematics there is a lot of good information on audio design.
These two books are what I used in my first year, includes all those topics you mentioned above:
Introductory Circuit Analysis - Robert L. Boylestad
Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory - Robert L. Boylestad
http://www.amazon.com/Introductory-Circuit-Analysis-12th-Edition/dp/0137146663/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346794054&sr=8-1&keywords=circuit+analysis
Read this cover-to-cover, and you should know as much as a 2 year degree student.
Competitive GPAs really depend on the program. 3.0 is usually the absolute bare minimum. Our program rarely considers anyone below a 3.5 and 3.7+ is standard. However, keep in mind that GPA is a small component of a competitive application. I wouldn't consider someone without other relevant experience even if they had a 4.0.
CV is a curriculum vita. It's basically a long resume that includes all of you academic experience/achievements. You add to it throughout your education/career.
Yes, I realize club sports are different than NCAA but that really doesn't matter as far as your application. Your research experience, interests, and research match are much more important.
If you are interested in applying to clinical psychology phd program I'd highly recommend getting this book: http://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Graduate-Programs-Counseling-Psychology/dp/1609189329
"The Craft of Scientific Writing" is a book I used in an undergrad class and still peruse occasionally. The author also wrote a couple of companion books on presenting and editing, both of which I've found useful over the years.
The price on amazon seems a little high to me, my guess is you could find students selling used copies for cheaper online somewhere.
One thing that stands out to me is that there is wood exposed inside the box even when the receptacle and cover plate are put back. This is not up to code; you need to further trim back the wood and then use a box extension. See Example 6 in this piece except you need a metal one.
How are the wires attached to the receptacle itself? This looks like BX cable (no ground wire; the metal sheath of the BX cable provides the ground) and the wire coming from the top, with the cloth insulation, looks older, and the cable on the right, with thermoplastic insulation, looks newer.
Is the copper wire in the kinked, cloth covered wire from the top (and on the right) actually broken? If the power to the receptacle comes in from here, and if this kink is the problem, you could cut the wire at the kink (with the breaker off!), carefully strip back a bit, then splice to it another piece of wire (use the same gauge, it's OK to buy a coil of Romex and disassemble it) with a wirenut and attach that to the receptacle.
If you have a lot of questionable old wiring in your house, you might want to look at David Shapiro's Your Old Wiring. He has instructions for splices in this type of situation.
I hung out on the studendoctor Psych forums a lot before applying to Clinical PhD programs, and while you might claim they have a strong anti-PsyD bias, they all seem to feel that a PhD will get just as good clinical training--if not better (but again, that could be their bias :p)--than the PsyD. But you definitely wouldn't want to go a research-oriented school if you hate it. I'd check out the Insider's Guide book if you haven't?
http://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Graduate-Programs-Counseling-Psychology/dp/1609189329/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1374273749&sr=8-2&keywords=insider%27s+guide
The book lists all the PhD and PsyD programs out there right now. For the PhD programs, it ranks each institution on a scale of 1 to 7 from totally couseling oriented to totally research oriented. It could definitely help you if you decided you wanted to throw some very counseling oriented PhD programs into the mix. :)
Edit: Here's a thread similar to yours where master's-levels clinicians discuss not wasting time with a PhD program if your heart isn't in it, though. Just in the interest of seeing both sides of the coin.
I found this book extremely helpful- there are also questions at the end of each section.
Try looking at the used copies for better pricing.
Electrical Machines, Drives and Power Systems https://www.amazon.com/dp/933251853X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_NcoRBbEWEQ4WX
I can recommend some of the books from when I went to school 2010-2012. These were some of the core books in my program. I just linked to the first google search I found for each book.
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-Introduction to Biomedical Equipment Technology by Carr Brown; might be one of your course books. It's kind of a overview on the biomed field in general.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/introduction-to-biomedical-equipment-technology-joseph-carr/1100503966/2661299500947?st=PLA&sid=BNB_New+Marketplace+Shopping+Textbooks&sourceId=PLAGoNA&dpid=tdtve346c&2sid=Google_c&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5NPjBRDDARIsAM9X1GIC_sHHPSHdMwt0u0BrsIhJg__N4g5Y2dK01chpSr2UO-TYOb2cn00aArgIEALw_wcB
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-Principles of Electric circuits; pretty sure this one goes over AC/DC circuits
https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Electric-Circuits-Conventional-Current/dp/013507309X
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-Electronic Devices conventional Current Version (Goes over resistors,capacitors, diodes, transistors and other small electronic components)
https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Devices-Conventional-Current-Technology/dp/0134414446/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Electronic+Devices+conventional+Current+Version&qid=1551179367&s=books&sr=1-1
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-Digital Fundamentals; I think this one goes over logic gates, binary code,hexadecimal code, etc).
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/digital-fundamentals-thomas-l-floyd/1100057465/2660322216626?st=PLA&sid=BNB_New+Marketplace+Shopping+Textbooks&sourceId=PLAGoNA&dpid=tdtve346c&2sid=Google_c&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5NPjBRDDARIsAM9X1GLtz4Ccxu7Ss-gazYGrsZtRkxJ8ZVzOqTAOen3BvpJq9MxdtMz_t18aAjjeEALw_wcB
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Also I found a game on google play the other day that uses logic gates, kind fun and worth checking out; it's called Circuit Scramble
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Suborbital.CircuitScramble&hl=en_US
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There is a set of books available that covers all parts of the oasc that has all the military aptitude tests in.
RAF OFFICER OASC Platinum Box Set: RAF Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre OASC, Planning Exercises, Armed Forces Tests, Speed, Distance and Time and ... Questions and Answers: 1 (Career Kit) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910202932/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tIKMyb6ZSX1FF
I would also recommend checking out the book Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology to help you get more information. This book will describe differences between PsyD and related programs and will provide the average GPAs of different programs so you can get a sense of what to shoot for. In addition, there is also a nice section toward the beginning of the book that describes what programs are looking for in addition to good GPAs and GRE scores. It's not just about getting good grades, so if you decide you want to go for a psych major, you will want to know what else to do besides doing well in psych classes. Good luck!
Check this out for a newbie friendly introduction to digital systems:
https://www.amazon.com/Bebop-Boolean-Boogie-Third-Unconventional/dp/1856175073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494656076&sr=8-1&keywords=bebop+to+the+boolean+boogie
Well, I just got accepted to the clinical psychology doctoral program at Texas Tech to work with Dr. Joaquin Borrego. I'm interested in PCIT (parent-child interaction therapy) and it's applications for children with autism. So I sort of understand where you're coming from. Have you considered applied behavior analysis, if you're seriously interested in autism? I plan on completing enough coursework within the ABA program at TTU that I can still obtain my BCBA (and maybe my BCBA-D) while still taking the clinical psychology coursework. Fortunately my mentor has a background in clinical behavior analysis so that works well for me.
All of the professors I worked with while in undergrad (at WVU, a research I school) highly suggested I go straight into a PhD program rather than obtaining my masters degree first. This was mostly because I was completely uninterested in wasting 2 years and tens of thousands of dollars just to have to go back and complete a lot of the same coursework for my PhD.
I highly suggest the Insiders Guide to Clinical and Counseling Psychology (http://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Graduate-Programs-Counseling-Psychology/dp/1609189329/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369282225&sr=1-1&keywords=insiders+guide+to+graduate+programs+in+clinical+and+counseling+psychology+2013) as a reference. It gives lots of details regarding what sorts of research is being conducted at universities all over the US.
Hope this helped a little!
Bebop to the Boolean Boogie. A very fun and informative read.
An intro to circuits textbook? I have Boylestad, which is non-calculus based; and there is Hayt, which I believe is calculus-based.
It may be too late, but take a look at this book.
I purchased this book and solved 3/4 of all problems in there. There are step-by-step solutions and they explain everything very well. A lot of students waste their time solving easy circuits, when they really should be focusing on strategies for solving harder circuits. I highly recommend you do at least 3/4 of the problems in this book, or focus on sections where you think you're weaker in.
Do 100 circuit problems and you'll never be scared of circuits again. (Until you take 65, I guess).
looking for the following pdf textbooks (5$ each)
(btw these are for a Canadian college if that matters)
Principles of Electric Circuits: Conventional Current 9th edition isbn 10 :013507309X Author: Thomas L. Floyd link:https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Electric-Circuits-Conventional-Current/dp/013507309X Edit: Got it.
Physics For The Life Sciences isbn: 0176558691 Author: ZINKE-ALLMANG Link: https://www.textbooks.com/Physics-for-the-Life-Sciences-Canadian-3rd-Edition/9780176558697/ZINKE-ALLMANG.php
Technical Mathematics With Calculus isbn:1118962141 Author:Paul A. Calter, Michael A Calter Link:https://www.vitalsource.com/products/technical-mathematics-with-calculus-canadian-michael-a-calter-paul-a-v9781119272724
Despite that these references are more for "industrial applications" though:
http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Motors-Drives-Fundamentals-Applications/dp/0080983324
http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Motor-Control-Stephen-Herman/dp/1435485750
http://www.amazon.com/Electrical-Machines-Drives-Systems-Edition/dp/0131776916
You may be able to find a preview on Google Books to confirm suitability for your application.
You should probably check out this book.
http://www.amazon.ca/Electrical-Machines-Drives-Power-Systems/dp/0131776916
I'm setting the price as FREE for the e-book High Performance Engineer's Manual on Amazon for 5 days starting on 26th, November by 12am PST. Would love some reviews on my e-book, in order to discover what to continue to do and what to improve on next editions. I hope you enjoy and add some value on your career.
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G9P98S6
Learn from as many different sources as you can find. I recommend Forrest Mims's books (one) , (two) , (three)
Beware that most SPICE simulators focus on very simple 2-terminal and 3-terminal electronic devices: resistors, capacitors, inductors, transistors. But in today's modern world, we design electronics using VLSI integrated circuits, and these are seldom available as SPICE models.
So you will be able to SPICE simulate transistor circuits like the winkie-blinkie thing you built years ago. You'll be able to SPICE simulate opamp circuits, and 555 timer circuits. But not much more, because you won't have the requisite simulation models. Eventually you'll have to build real circuits in the real world and test them out in reality.
If you're an experienced software engineer then you can handle the calculus-I level math needed to understand "real electrical engineering" as practiced by non-hobbyists. After you get somewhat up to speed designing and simulating and building circuits that work (say, in 9 or 12 months), you can start to read college EE textbooks and begin to understand what SPICE ".AC analysis" actually is & why it's useful. You'll learn what SPICE ".FOURIER" is good for, and what it isn't. And so forth.
I took this exam in California (San Mateo) and I am an Ohio Resident so that meant air travel and space considerations. That's important because the number of references, for me, was limited as I was not willing to chance them travelling in a checked bag.
First, a little background: I started as an industrial electrician in 2006. I pursued my engineering degree part time starting in 2008. I earned my AS in 2012 and BS in 2015. I began working in the engineering space in 2011 at a consulting firm, then moved on to a large OEM then finally found myself at a power engineering and services company.
This exam is not easy but it doesn't have to be brutal if you can properly prepare yourself. Take it seriously and you'll be fine.
My study schedule was more haphazard than most. I have 2 kids (8yo and 3yo) and an otherwise active lifestyle so finding the time meant just grabbing what free hours were available, when they were available. Basically, I studied for 1-2 hours a night (no less than every other night) for the 4 months leading up to the exam. 1 month out, I set aside 4 hours on a Saturday and 4 hours on a Sunday and did the NCEES practice test in two parts to assess my status. From there I focused my efforts on problem areas. All in, I believe I had some 200-250 hours if I include some pre-studying before the 4 month mark.
My primary resource was Engineering Pro Guides. I used the Technical Study Guide as the guiding document and supplemented with other resources. I used all of the following throughout studying but they are listed in order of importance relative to exam day:
Like I mentioned above, I was an electrician before I got into engineering so my base code knowledge was above average. That said, ENG Pro Guides has an excellent practice test. Find your way through that a couple of times and you should be fine. The key is to learn how to use the index and recognize key words, not memorizing the whole book, which is impossible.
Hope this helps. Feel free to ask anything else and I'll do my best to answer.
Thanks and good luck!
IT dudes and gals don't study physics, electronic technology or electrical engineering. http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Electricity-Science-Learning-Practice/dp/087891420X/ref=sr_1_2
This book is what I used to find programs, it has some Canadian programs, from what I understand, and is pretty well-organized. It also has overall tips on the application process, and was really helpful for me. As a disclaimer I'm not related to the author/publishing company, I just found it to be pretty solid. Good luck!
Edit: Formatting issues.
I have just recently jumped through these hoops myself so I'll share what little bit I've gleaned:
However, first a preface: As with many things in life, there is no 'cut & dry'/'black & white' way of looking at things - especially grad school. You may have an amazing GPA but horrendous GRE scores, or amazing work experience but a poor GPA, etc etc. Also, there are many different ways to go about finding an answer to your questions. I'll attempt to address these as thoroughly as I can (aka, this is going to be stupidly long).
Grades:
First off, unless you are trying to get into an Ivy League school, the 'usual' cut off for GPA is a 3.0. So, based exclusively off of that, you're looking good. Now, let's say your GPA goes downhill a bit more. Sweat & fear not my friend! While most schools tend to say that their "cut off" is a 3.0, they will still look at your application if you are kicking ass and taking names in other areas (GRE scores, work experience, volunteer experience, lab/research time, background, etc.) Speaking of GREs, have you taken them? If not, you are a bit behind schedule and should definitely start studying for them and signing up to take a few.
Masters then PhD or all out PhD:
I looked (extensively) at these options and here's what I learned/think I learned. If you are at a deficit in some area that won't get you into a PhD program, then a Masters would make sense. However, this has ups and downs. Assuming you take the average time for each degree, a Masters is 2 years and a PhD is 5, totaling 7 years. If you got into a PhD program from the start then it's only 5 years. You save two years of your life, school work, money, time, etc. However, upon completion of a Masters, your Undergraduate work means jack, so your current worries won't be there when you get the Masters. However! (so many 'howevers'...), unless the school you go to for a Masters (School A) -and- a PhD, then the likelihood that a majority of your Masters classes from School A would transfer over to your PhD program (School B). So, you'll end up having to retake classes you've already taken and just putzing around. Although if School A also offers a PhD, then it doesn't matter. That being said, I did not find many programs that offer a Masters as well as PhD during my search for schools. One advantage to getting a Masters first is it gets you more time in the field/lab/writing/etc. which not only helps with solidifying that Psychology is what you want to do but also helps you look good on paper for PhD programs. One advantage to getting into a PhD program and bypassing the Masters is the time you save. Your thought of getting into a lower tier Masters program then going to a PhD program makes sense, it just takes more time and money out of your life.
Funding
On average, you are lucky if you can get a TA/RA position that gives you a stipend for Masters programs. It is fairly common for Masters students to get loans. Tuition waivers are virtually non existent; however, this does not mean you cannot apply for fellowships, grants, scholarships, etc. With regards to a PhD program (one that has <10 students), it is fairly typical to either receive a full tuition waiver and/or some kind of stipend (typically in the form of a TA and/or RA).
You mentioned an interest in the Clinical side of things. Speaking fairly broadly, a PhD in Clinical Psychology is fairly research heavy as well as fairly Practice oriented (think a 50/50 blend). A PsyD is much, much more Practice oriented (about 90% practice). There are many more doors open to you with a PhD than a PsyD. If your only dream job is to work with clients in a practice then a PsyD is worth looking at. In a PsyD program, you usually (I'd guess in about 98% of schools) have to foot the bill by yourself (all of it, sadly) and then your dissertation is typically a case study. In a PhD program, you are going to get a pretty heavy research caseload that have you churning our papers and research. You may or may not get many clinical hours, clinical supervision, practice time with clients, etc. in a PhD program. I can't say it enough, while the PhD has quite a hefty component of research to it, you can do many more things with a PhD than a PsyD (not to bash on the PsyD...).
Edit 2: While PhD programs typically offer a tuition waiver and/or a stipend for TA/RA work, it is typical that you still take out loans, albeit a smaller amount than for a Masters. However, a PhD program is twice as long as a Masters so depending on the amount you take out, it may be more expensive (loan wise) to go the route of a PhD.
Lastly, I would discourage you from even looking at schools that are not APA accredited. If you are unsure, you can either read the program description on the school's website (they will prominently announce their APA accreditation) or you can go to the APA website and search for accredited schools here.
I lied. One more piece of information. Go to a nearby Borders, Barnes & Noble, your college bookstore, etc. and read/look at the latest copy of this book. It's pretty thorough and lists out so much information for you.
Best of luck to ya.
I haven't read the book /u/logosogol posted, but I had this book for school and it's pretty in-depth, with a decent amount of AC/DC fundamentals as well. Sometimes it gets a bit involved but it is mostly pretty practical.
This Book was pretty spot on for my RT. Hope helps!
For my technologist program focusing on power systems (Canada) we used Electrical Machines, Drives, and Power Systems. It covers industrial control, generators, motors, power electronics, transformers, utilities and some PLC. It's qualitative and focuses on application, construction and operation. It does contain math but it stops at complex algebra for analysis with phasors. Not sure what level you're interested in refreshing but it can go pretty in depth with some heavy readings. I'm in eng school now and although it's not quite an engineering textbook, it kinda falls under the requested categories.
https://www.amazon.ca/Programmable-Logic-Controllers-Hardware-Programming/dp/1605259454
https://www.amazon.ca/Programmable-Logic-Controllers-Hardware-Programming/dp/1605259489/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=0WSX1EY5MAM95TR9R29J
I'm gonna work through these... Just for learning's sake
It sounds like you're in great shape so far. In terms of breaking into the research arena, taking a behavioral research class is an excellent start. Like I said in my previous post, do well in the class, express your interest to the instructor, and get to know him/her. This will open up doors for you. They are not teaching that class for no reason. They will have, at the very least, some connection to the research world. Once you show the instructor you can do well and are interested, approach them about any research opportunities he/she knows and you will hopefully get some leads.
Unfortunately, instructors at community college usually don't do their own research (I don't know where you live, but that's generally how it is where I am in the US). So you may not get a lot of opportunities out of that course (though you'll probably learn some great stuff).
However, once you transfer to a university, those opportunities will be far more plentiful as professors at big schools focus on research. Their jobs depend on it. So again, once you transfer, get to know all of your professors, express your interest, and approach them about participating as a research assistant. This will open doors for you.
Another good practice, once you're at university, is to look up the faculty members in the psychology department. Even if you haven't taken a class with them, you can email them and ask if they need help in their lab.
As for hospitals, there are definitely research opportunities there. However, at least where I'm from, most of those positions in hospitals are paid and require some previous experience. So those may be out of reach for you right now. Most everyone I know cut their research teeth at a university volunteering for professors.
Another thing that's very helpful is to figure out what you're actually interested in doing both clinically and research wise. That is, having a specific focus will help you immensely. The earlier you know this, the more of an advantage you have.
In my case, I knew I wanted to do drug and alcohol research. So I targeted professors at my university who did research along those lines. By gaining pre graduate research experience in that sub discipline of psychology, my application for grad school was stronger because it showed the schools I was applying to that I had a long standing interest in the topic and had actual lab experience to back up my interest (it's easy to say that you are super interested in a topic, but to be able to actually say "Hey, I've done work in this area!" is invaluable. I would argue that this will get you into a program more than your grades or GRE scores (though those are certainly important).
I would also recommend that you get this book. It really breaks down what you need to do to get admitted to solid programs.
Complete Guide to Fiber Optic Cable Systems Installation
[Complete Guide to Fiber Optic Cable Systems Installation]
(http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Fiber-Systems-Installation/dp/082737318X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1331621071&amp;sr=1-1)