New job not what I thought it would be
New job not what I thought it would be
(OP)
I took a new job a little while ago. I thought I would be taking them into new areas but they need me to do a lot of CAD, which I'm not very good at. I might build enough new stuff so I can stop doing CAD, but that might be a couple years away. I feel like there was a miscommunication and we're both losing.
What should I do?
What should I do?





RE: New job not what I thought it would be
Meanwhile use the time to improve your CAD skills.
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
However, if you feel you may be getting pigeon holed after a few months, follow CBL's advice and go talk to them. Bring a positive attitude and talk to them about your own path for growing and where do they think you can work to become more valuable.
With everything in the last few years, the engineering staff you work for may have fallen behind on the drafting responsibilities and you may be acting as a relief valve for a while until things normalize a little. I wouldn't get too discouraged too quickly.
PE, SE
Eastern United States
"If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death!"
~Code of Hammurabi
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
If it's in the engineering field, you should expect CAD to be a tool.
Chris
SolidWorks 11
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
What is your ultimate goal as an engineer? Do you want to be more of an analyst, or an all round designer or what?
Is there any path at this employer that would get you there?
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer
http://bwengr.com | http://bwstructuralengineer.com | http://bwcivilengineer.com
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
Thanks for the feedback. Some more info: I have several thousand hours running CAD. It's a mechanical design job. I'm really good at FEA and modal analysis. My goal is to be in a position where I can motivate and inspire people through leadership. My main concern is that such an opportunity may not be there. In the mean time, they could get a person to do CAD out of school for a fraction of what I cost.
I'm seriously concerned I'm not adding value and I can't possibly be fast enough at CAD to be profitable. I met with my boss a few days ago and he shares my concerns. I have to get to the point where I'm bringing in more profitable analysis work but in the meantime they need me doing CAD. Problem is I'm worried I may not last long enough to bring on the analysis work.
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
That said I prefer to work with a good designer, two sets of eyes and two lots of experience and all that.
"My goal is to be in a position where I can motivate and inspire people through leadership." Please never say that while I'm around if there are sharp instruments to hand.
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
Thank you for your advice to let them handle the decision on what I should be doing. You're right that they know what they need me to do.
Regarding your thoughts on leadership, I can see from your posts here http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=133213 that you're not a fan of the idea. I would briefly encourage you to read the book Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey. That said, I doubt I'll convince you in an anonymous forum. I would ask that we not hijack the discussion topic.
You obviously have some experience, so do you have any other thoughts about how I can make the situation better for my employer?
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
Quite how you offload/satisfy your other commitments is between you and your boss, I'd seriously think about hiring a CAD guy as a short term relief, who hopefully will be able to take over more and more of the work you don't want to to do.
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
Anyway, just another thought to the idea that doing CAD work is not the end all of your profession and may be a very beneficial period of growth for your career.
PE, SE
Eastern United States
"If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death!"
~Code of Hammurabi
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”
Perception is reality: Your reality is how others perceive you, not how you think of yourself.
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”
Perception is reality: Your reality is how others perceive you, not how you think of yourself.
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
This is the scariest thing i have read for a long time !
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
I would have thought if they just wanted a CAD guy fresh out of school who they could pay less money too they would have employed one from the start.
You do say that you have thousands of hours CAD experience so maybe they just assumed you were better at CAD than you say you are. Or maybe they want you for analysis work but the CAD is just a needs must short term thing.
The only problem I see with the idea of doing both side by side is basically you are there to do what they want / need not what you want, so if the CAD work needs doing and especially if you are not very good or quick at it the last thing they would want is you doing extra work that they do not want or need and slipping further behind with what they do need.
As always these things are best discussed
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
I'd say it's a done deal for aerospace. We have had no one who was primarily a drafter in nearly 20 yrs. This applies to both EE and ME design work.
TTFN
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
Automotive is only different in the largest of OEMs that have staffs large enough to divide the work. In the suppliers and aftermarket or smaller OEMs the engineering does everything. The giant aerospace OEMs maybe the same. In 15+ years I've only worked one place that had draftsmen and there is only one left there now to support the EE and changes from outside engineering.
RE: New job not what I thought it would be
Back in the late 80s, in our office there was a blueprint machine, a photocopier, and the secretary's typewriter.
To issue a report, the engineer wrote it longhand, had it typed by the secretary, proofed for errors and then released.
As the 90s progressed, a generation of engineers who could type faster than they could write emerged AND desktop computers on which they could type became prevelant, so the way reports were released changed.
I believe the same progress (?) has taken place with the practice of design - used to be a prolific engineer could keep a dozen draftsmen busy with layouts and detailing because that was the quickest way to get the work done; now that work can be done by the engineer -faster to model than sketch on a napkin? A shame really because I think you lose a lot of the collaboration that came from passing the design task from engineer to designer.