Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
(OP)
Greetings everyone! My name is Brian and i graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering in 2010 from Polytechnic University in NYC, this is my first post. This forum appears to have quite a wealth of information and i can't believe i didn't join it sooner. Please forgive me for a lengthy post but it needs to be in order to explain my situation!
The reason im posting today is because i am in need of career advice. Since graduating in May 2010 i haven't been able to find engineering opportunities and just worked various odd jobs. Right out of college i worked as a census enumerator and after that a customer service rep at a insurance company's call center. I was just laid off a couple weeks ago from this naval architecture / marine engineering firm in manhattan. Now i wasn't an engineer there, i was just a temporary configurations management assistant. I worked there for 6 months and for the last 3 months my boss had promised me full time employment as an engineer. However the complete opposite had happened and they abruptly ended my contract due to lack of work.
Ever since i was laid off i've been coming up with all these new ways to find employment such as through newspaper ads, googling companies and calling them, through friends, etc. but a part of me still worries quite a bit about my career. I can't say its working out just yet because i started this new method not too long ago so only time will tell. Now since i haven't had an engineering position yet my career hasn't officially started. Its starting to really freak me out that employers will start to say that i've been out of school too long. However im assuming that going back for a masters wouldn't really help since i wouldn't have any real world experience and they'd just have to pay me more for the same job. So i feel as if my engineering career is coming to an unfortunate end before it has even started. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what i can do in between jobs or atleast provide more employment advice? I do have my Engineer In Training Certificate if that helps. Any answers are greatly appreciated!
The reason im posting today is because i am in need of career advice. Since graduating in May 2010 i haven't been able to find engineering opportunities and just worked various odd jobs. Right out of college i worked as a census enumerator and after that a customer service rep at a insurance company's call center. I was just laid off a couple weeks ago from this naval architecture / marine engineering firm in manhattan. Now i wasn't an engineer there, i was just a temporary configurations management assistant. I worked there for 6 months and for the last 3 months my boss had promised me full time employment as an engineer. However the complete opposite had happened and they abruptly ended my contract due to lack of work.
Ever since i was laid off i've been coming up with all these new ways to find employment such as through newspaper ads, googling companies and calling them, through friends, etc. but a part of me still worries quite a bit about my career. I can't say its working out just yet because i started this new method not too long ago so only time will tell. Now since i haven't had an engineering position yet my career hasn't officially started. Its starting to really freak me out that employers will start to say that i've been out of school too long. However im assuming that going back for a masters wouldn't really help since i wouldn't have any real world experience and they'd just have to pay me more for the same job. So i feel as if my engineering career is coming to an unfortunate end before it has even started. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what i can do in between jobs or atleast provide more employment advice? I do have my Engineer In Training Certificate if that helps. Any answers are greatly appreciated!





RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
Don't give up...keep looking and be aggressive.
Good luck.
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
I must admit it was tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it did come along. If you really want to work as an M.E., just put your nose down and plod along; something will turn up and you'll be glad you did. You have to ask yourself whether or not your negativity towards the situation is possibly because you really don't have any passion for the M.E. profession??? If that is the case, you may not be happy once you do land a job.
One note on job searching: don't expect much from the Googling routine. It doesn't hurt, but usually that approach gets you stuck in a pile in Human Resources that never gets looked at. Remember who actually decides a new headcount/replacement is needed; it is the manager of the Dept..
Human Resources merely carries out the paperwork end of hiring. Through friends and contacts find out who the Engineering Mgr is and send a personal cover letter and resume letting them know you are willing to take any position available that would lead you to Engineering. Become aggressive, target several companies you want to work for, do some detective work to find out who the Eng. Mgrs. are and find a way to get resume to them.
Times are tough right now; pound it out a little longer and GOOD LUCK.
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
In the meantime, get your MSME because it will count as one year of experience towards your PE. Initially, the pay differential between a BSME and an MSME will not be prohibitive. Many employers want engineers with a master's degree. The MS reaps rewards over the long haul. The Ph.D. is an even slower ROI, which is one reason I didn't jump into it. My data on remuneration tied to education levels is old, as in pre-internet. There is probably more recent data on the internet somewhere. You can do that search and post it here.
Staying relevant technically is always up to the engineer, whether employed or not. You can:
- read technical journals
- attend technical conferences
- participate in technical societies
- contribute solutions at technical fora
- provide your engineering services free or for a nominal fee to a few small manufacturers in hopes of quickly working into a paid situation with them and/or others
- work problems in your text books that you didn't work in college
- attend trade shows to investigate new methods and technologies
- learn standards that apply to your area of interest
Volunteer to work problems for NCEES, if possible. You'll need to contact them to know the threshold for qualifications to assist them.
Check out www.nsf.gov and other governmental bodies down to local municipalities, if they align with your interests.
If you're going to be serious, you'll need to pound the pavement for the foreseeable future. There may be some small shops that can provide you with a start. If you don't look for them and knock on their door, you'll never know. As the others have said, be open to relocation.
Keeping your engineering skills sharp is always a challenge and you'll need to be self-starting and self-motivating to accomplish it. Through your self-initiated studies, you may find a new idea that may lead to your own startup.
I don't know that any of those are good ideas but if you've not thought of them, they are food for thought. You won't know until you try.
As for anyone commenting about you being out of school too long and lacking engineering experience, I wouldn't give that much merit or time. If you hear that, ask them why they would make that comment to you. Interviews are two way streets and you should ask questions to understand them and their culture. Hearing their answer may reveal their ignorance of the economy and what it really means or that they were trying to learn you and how you respond to a somewhat difficult personal question/comment. Being out of school for a couple of years is not too long. I know female engineers that raised their children for about 18 years then got back into engineering. That had to be tough but they did it.
Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
While roughnecking, I would fill out the driller's books for him (daily log of the last 24 drilling operations in detail), until I finally became the driller. I also took every opportunity to collect all of the data I could around the rig and do any analysis on my own to better understand the drilling procedure from the "real world" side. This would include constant mud weight, pump pressure, monitoring. Would practice on designing various casing strings for the hole I was on. I also learned every nut, bolt, pipe, manifold,etc. on the rig I was on (Rowan Gorilla class), and could take it apart in my sleep.
It was really a very unique opportunity as most Drilling Engineers would be lost on the rig floor and don't really know how to converse with the "hands". SO much valuable information is lost due to the lack of communication between the guys actually at the center of the work and the "suit and tie" guys. This is natural to every industry, and anyone that can speak the language of both crowds is a valuable asset.
I would much rather hire someone that has a couple years of prctical hands on experience to go along with his degree, than someone with just a degree. Get some field experience while you wait for the right job to come along.
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
Keep your chin up. The market is tough right now, but those that work at finding a job will get one.
"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."
Ben Loosli
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
One way to narrow down the choice is do you want to design 'products' that get made and sold - such as machine design, automotive, aircraft... This is generally known as 'exempt' industry and having PE is less relevant in these fields as the company carry's the liability (gross simplification for brevity).
Or, do you want to sell services to the construction and infrastructure etc. sector, such as HVAC etc. which would put you in non exempt which means eventually you probably want to get your PE. (again gross simplification for brevity.)
I'm not going to say there is no overlap between these 2 segments
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
(Sorry I lost track of what I was doing and hit submit post button, however, if anyone asks I did it on purpose to illustrate my point.)
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
@telecomguy, what is MCAD? I looked it up but only found various websites dedicated to CAD services or FAQs on multiple CAD programs. I've only ever used Solidworks and AutoCAD.
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
I'm tempted to say that to make yourself more employable you may need to 'get a clue'.
However, that seems harsh, instead I will implore you to poor over relevant trade magazines and websites etc, read some books, peruse this site even to get a better idea of how the real world works.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
Just what industry do you think those 'exempt' jobs are often in?
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
RE: Tips for starting career and in between jobs activities
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?