I really need some advice
I really need some advice
(OP)
I have a BS in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University. When I graduated in 2006, I left the school with $80k in loans. I took a job with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in RI, and have been working there for the past 5+ years. The reason I took the job was because of loans, and because the Navy pays for 100% of graduate tuition. I am due to graduate with a Masters of EE in Solid State Design in the spring, and my loans are down to $55k.
I've wanted to be a EE since I was 7. I always used to have my parents drive me to RadioShack and I'd buy those nostalgic protoboards and make all of the projects in the book. I've always dreamed of being a designer, of some sort.
I haven't done any engineering at NUWC. They don't design at all. In fact, they only act as middlemen for the program office to direct contractors to build parts for subs. I have been able to do some C and Python programming for testing radio receivers, but I figured it all out by myself. There is no mentorship, and zero EE.
When I get my Masters degree, I want to move on. But there are absolutely no jobs in Rhode Island, so Massachusetts seems like the closest option. The problem is, will I have to start over? How do I start over with no transportable experience? What options do I really have, and have I ruined the beginning of my career?
I do have a girlfriend that lives with me with a BS in Chemistry, and she can't find a decent job either.
And my most important question is: is my dream of being a successful circuit designer in America futile? The only design experience I've ever gotten are projects I make up my self in my own time, like induction heaters, tesla coils, and RF amplifiers. I have my own RF lab at home with a VNA, etc., but is a "hobby" as far as I can go? I have the ambition, but absolutely no professional outlet.
This has been putting me into a state of depression.
I've wanted to be a EE since I was 7. I always used to have my parents drive me to RadioShack and I'd buy those nostalgic protoboards and make all of the projects in the book. I've always dreamed of being a designer, of some sort.
I haven't done any engineering at NUWC. They don't design at all. In fact, they only act as middlemen for the program office to direct contractors to build parts for subs. I have been able to do some C and Python programming for testing radio receivers, but I figured it all out by myself. There is no mentorship, and zero EE.
When I get my Masters degree, I want to move on. But there are absolutely no jobs in Rhode Island, so Massachusetts seems like the closest option. The problem is, will I have to start over? How do I start over with no transportable experience? What options do I really have, and have I ruined the beginning of my career?
I do have a girlfriend that lives with me with a BS in Chemistry, and she can't find a decent job either.
And my most important question is: is my dream of being a successful circuit designer in America futile? The only design experience I've ever gotten are projects I make up my self in my own time, like induction heaters, tesla coils, and RF amplifiers. I have my own RF lab at home with a VNA, etc., but is a "hobby" as far as I can go? I have the ambition, but absolutely no professional outlet.
This has been putting me into a state of depression.





RE: I really need some advice
Expand your home lab.
Make some test equipment for yourself; stuff you'd buy if you could afford it. Add features that are not available in commercial units.
Make some electronic toys for your desk. They can be silly things, or they can do something useful, but should demonstrate your skill and creativity.
The important thing is, make sure they're out on your desk, with lights flashing and buttons beckoning, when the contractors wander by. They have subcontractors.
Stupid ideas:
Remote controlled paper clip dispenser. Push a button on the near edge of your desk, and a little box on the far corner with no apparent connection launches a paper clip up and in your direction.
Automatic pencil sharpener. An accessory for a regular electric pencil sharpener. Dump a pile of dull or unsharpened pencils in a hopper, and watch the machine extract each one in turn, measure its length, run it into the sharpener, extract it when done, and release it to a tray of sharpened pencils.
Follow-me robot. Add to one of those folding wheeled box carts, a battery powered front wheel that can steer itself, and follow a small box clipped to your belt. You could actually sell a bunch of these to teachers if you could get the price below $100 exclusive of the cart.
Granted, these have a lot of mechanical elements. Surely there's also a talented young ME bored out of his skull at NUWC; work together as an ad-hoc project team. That's also a skill that will be valuable in your future.
I.e., make lemonade.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: I really need some advice
For what it's worth in terms of what kind of EE work I'm talking about, we design control systems for hybrid/electric vehicles.
http://www.azuredynamics.com/
RE: I really need some advice
RE: I really need some advice
If you want a job, be prepared to move for one...
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This is normally the space where people post something insightful.
RE: I really need some advice
"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of these Forums?
RE: I really need some advice
HAZOP at www.curryhydrocarbons.ca
RE: I really need some advice
Meanwhile, try to make the most of where you are. Scoping out work for consultants and contractors is a really important skill. There are all sorts of nuances and details to this. Overseeing their work and extracting quality from them is very important too and very challenging. Try to turn this into a project and design the best way to do it.
I've been doing these things working for a public utility for the last 7 years and still have much room for improvement. Luckily, my job has a large technical component as well. The EEs I work with have a similar balance of tasks, but many of them are not so good at scoping and overseeing consultants. You would have a real leg up on them.
RE: I really need some advice
Every branch of engineering has multiple paths to pursue so all is not lost. You can plan your life but that plan will change over time. Decades ago, companies made longer range plans than they do today. I don't think as individuals we can accurately or rigidly make long range plans. The world changes too quickly today. Flexibility in life is a good trait to possess.
Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC
RE: I really need some advice
Done!
RE: I really need some advice
What will happen if I have to sit in a job that does no engineering while looking for a job that does? I could be here for years waiting and looking.
RE: I really need some advice
You won't find greater demand for EEs and BSc Chem than in Calgary. Suggest you consider becoming "Alberta Bound".
RE: I really need some advice
RE: I really need some advice
She could also consider becoming a P.Eng. through APEGGA by challenging the technical examinations. She would get credit for her degree in so much as it relates to a Chemical Engineering degree. You can read about it here:
http://www
RE: I really need some advice
RE: I really need some advice
Start looking instead for companies that look interesting and apply to them, whether they have open positions posted or not.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: I really need some advice
For your girlfriend, there are drug companies here that need chemists. Check out Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield (near Danbury).
Start making a list of all the companies you come across along with what they manufacture. As you create the list, you will see there are tons of companies in the area that need someone with your skills. Manta.com is a good place to start, it is similar to Dun and Bradstreet with listings of companies by their type of industry classification. Once you find one company, list out all of the companies in that group and research.