Hello, got out of college a while back and finding work hard to come by. Some contract work out there that doesn't really interest me and my engineering skills aren't impressive enough to secure the jobs I want.

I'm at a point where I could go back to school and brush up, or I could find something similar to do that requires the same technical mindset and less re-training. Not sure what avenues can be followed?

If you could go back to school it would only benefit you. I assume you have a BS? Go for ME you will be more marketable.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
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if your truly mediocre then shouldn't you go into management :)
I would take some of the contract work for a bit and work in some classes. If you can get a duration contract (like 6 months) you could switch off between work and school and look stellar by the end.

Luck is a difficult thing to verify and therefore should be tested often. - Me

Call the guys who have the jobs you want and ask them what's required.  Then go get it.

Of course, we're working mostly on conjecture here.  

 

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

KTechSci
Mike, that's exactly how I found my job.  I talked to a lot of interesting engineers in the process.  Of the 97 companies I called, about 6 of them were one person offices who really took some time and talked to me about their experience as engineers.  It really gave me some valuable direction which I would have to say has served me well.  Of course it wasn't in the middle of a recession.  Good luck.
Ron

Try to think a little out of the norm about what you want to do.  There are jobs that may not be as appealing but you could get that would be in the field you want.  Such as working off shore or a shift supervisor.  These are sometimes positions that are sometimes filled with engineers who can then go into the position they wanted to begin with.

What kind of degree do you have?

Why don't you fix the "mediocre" part?

What kind of job do you want?  Not everybody gets to be a fire-fighting rock star astronaut.

Why don't you show some confidence in your skills.  Who's going to hire someone who considers their own skills mediocre?

"What kind of job do you want?  Not everybody gets to be a fire-fighting rock star astronaut. "

Yeah, that is a tough one to come by.  There aren't too many fires in space.

Rock music is tough to hear in a vacuum too!

My suggestion? Go to school while working full time in an engineering field. That way you'll be getting experience (which employers love to see) while getting education (which is also cool on your resume).

Plus, big companies will pay for it, too.

I'd recommend that you identify the industry area you want to build your career in. Utilities and other regulated industries are often a good option as they remain fairly buoyant despite market pressures. Stick to permanent positions to begin with, as contractors are expected to hit the ground running and so must have a good deal of experience under their belts to succeed. As a rule of thumb I'd suggest:

1. Make sure you do continue your route to meaningful qualifications (Do follow the advice of others here and speak to the companies you want to work for to find out what they look for!)
2. Seek sponsorship from potential employers
3. Make sure you register on the right job boards and with a good number of decent engineering recruitment agencies
4. Persistence - Don't stop doing the above
5. Attitude and commitment - Mediocre isn't a word you should use to describe yourself ever...

Good luck!