Lost Engineer...career crisis?

[Guitarguy_82]

Hi, enotalone. Please help me here...I need your expert advice.

 

Current situation:

-Relocated from Dallas to Atlanta for new job in “software” (I basically read emails for 8 hours a day and log into a server or a database here and there. For some reason they label me as a developer).

-Unhappy with job/don't see a future here/don't want to be here any longer than I need to be.

-Couldn't care less about this job

-Boss does not promote growth at all/don't get along with co-workers/started not going into the office altogether.

-I work from home. What is the point in making me move out here in the first place? (I used to go into the office, now I see no point and nobody has brought it up otherwise. As long as I'm logged in, that's all they care about).

-Basically just took the job for the pay and to add it to my resume. Previous job before this was even more of a dead end (Mom & Pop company writing technical documents).

-Lease on my apartment is for 6 more months. So I need to ride it out until then, but I'm already looking at new jobs as of this month.

 

Here's my dilemma(s):

-I have a degree in Electrical Engineering (EE)and I feel I've lost my way. I'm not doing what I wanted to do with my degree or my career (all while realizing that there are twists and turns in one's career).

 

Since I graduated from college I've worked in:

-Supermarket deli slicing meat and cheese

-Tech Support for a popular music company

-Phone support for a popular security company

-Machine technician (see contractor story below)

-Document writer (job before the job I'm at now)

-Software admin

 

I see other people that I graduated with and they are doing very well (at actual engineering companies) and starting to move up the ladder.

 

I've recently started wondering just what exactly I want to do with my life. Initially I wanted to stay on the EE path, but so far its gone nowhere. I was not the best student in college and my GPA reflected that (It was around 2.5/2.6). Just as in other fields, your GPA coming out of college 9 times out of 10 determines where you go (from what I've seen in engineering at least). If you are below a 3.0, you are immediately skipped over at most engineering companies. I did not have an internship either. As of today I have not used my degree once (In terms of circuit design/theory/complex math). I graduated in 2008.

 

I sort of squeaked my way into the software arena with a company that took in “fresh engineers” and trained us in Java/SQL/Unix (over about 6 weeks), and the like, and then sent us off on assignment. My assignment is here in Atlanta with a large telecom company. As mentioned at the beginning, I mostly just read emails and MAYBE use a SQL query here or there...MIGHT log into a unix server occasionally. I've been here for four months.

 

The point is I thought I could perhaps do something with software because I had been so frustrated with my EE degree getting me nowhere. I convinced myself over time that getting into software would be a better pathway (and in all fairness, it might be with the right company). As of today, I barely remember any of the EE theory I learned.

 

I love math and science and it was always my dream to be a scientist and do research....but now I'm not sure anymore.

 

My mind starts to wander...

 

Sometimes I think I could be a musician, or a sci-fi writer, or (if I continue on the software path) get into game design. I realize that all of these paths require deep practice and devotion, which makes me hesitate and get frustrated at the idea of starting over from scratch and essentially throwing my degree in the trash.

 

The thing is that ALL of these things interest me. I'm all over the place.

 

I'm starting to wonder if I have some type of attention disorder. I also notice that my motivation wavers from day to day. Anyway, that's for a different thread perhaps.

 

I like to think I'm capable of great things. I want to contribute to society somehow. I want to be involved in science....but I'm sort of wandering in limbo.

 

I realize I've made some bad choices when it comes to the jobs I've taken, and that my schooling was a direct predecessor to this....but where do I go now?

 

I've worked at one particular company involved in “defense” as a contractor where they focused on engineering technology & design and I had a blast there. This is a very prestigious and internationally recognized defense company that has equipment in many different aspects of land/air/sea/space operations. Mind you, I wasn't an actual engineer, (I was basically a machine technician), but I had a sense of “OK, I have my foot in the door, now I just need to move up the ladder”. I even saw some of the people I graduated with working there. This company is a major recruiter for engineers. Well after a year, they let the contractors go, and that was that. Nothing even remotely close since then. To be honest, that contracting job did not require an actual engineering background either way. It was just a job that happened to be at a place I had wanted to work at since I was in school and they were hiring people who could operate a machine (push buttons).

 

I would LOVE to work there again (NOT as a technician). I even have a friend that is a manager there (though in a department completely unrelated to what I want to do).

 

The point is, to be there as an engineer, I feel like there is no way I could get there from here.

 

My measly “software admin” experience does not relate what so ever.

 

My electrical engineering degree, however, does relate.

 

The engineering degree that right now is basically just a piece of paper.

 

Do I need to go back to school?

Do I need a master's degree?

Should I just start over and get a whole new degree in Computer Science or Physics?

Should I look at different companies and not get tunnel vision with one place?

Do I go to community college and get a certificate?

Do I study at home?

Do I retreat into the wilderness and live off of the land and befriend the local wildlife?

Am I over thinking things?

 

What does everyone else do when you're thinking that the field you're in might not be the right one?

 

In all fairness, I would be very happy at this particular defense company, but, I would also be happy in a place where I'm being challenged and also directly contributing to something worthwhile and meaningful. Not updating some pointless database stack...

 

 

To summarize,

 

I'm very unhappy where I am now. I want to have a CAREER and be happy....but I feel like my poor performance in college is haunting me no matter what I do. There needs to be a “next” step. There must be....

 

What do I do?

 

Thanks for reading. Any similar stories or comments are appreciated!

[Guitarguy_82]

I should also mention, the engineering jobs I've looked at at the defense company have requirements that I do not meet. Whether as an "entry level engineer" or as a mid-level one.

 

If it is past 12 months since you graduated, you are not considered entry-level...even though that's the experience level I'd be aiming for (Given my job history).

[Somedude1234]

Definitely not over-thinking things. There's a couple things that I see you can do:

 

(We're engineers, so I'll use lists to get to the point )

 

Objectives:

1. Find out what you really want to.

- What are you interested in? Design, testing, control systems, programming?

2. Get experience in your specialty.

- What will make you look better on paper and to be better at your dream job in order to keep it.

3. Become more hireable.

- What will get companies to like you more and consider hiring you?

 

Options:

1. Get some experience as an engineer

- Be it stay where you are, or apply to a new place where you can get experience, at least on paper. A couple years of solid experience largely trumps poor grades.

2. Go back to grad school.

- Your grad school GPA will be looked at more than your undergrad GPA. Just make sure you kick ass! You can also get research experience in fields you are interested in and recommendations from professors, both of which go a long way...

3. Hunt for the job you want.

- Not much to this, just apply everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Last year when I was briefly unemployed, I was applying to around 70-80 positions a month.

[Guitarguy_82]

Thanks, Somedude1234. Much appreciate the list format! I'm going to follow up with your points with more questions

 

Find out what you really want to.

Excellent question! That seems to be where I get frustrated. I can see myself doing all of these things.

I think if anything technically I'm in the "programming" field right now...just at a very low level. If I took (my idea of programming) this to its logical extreme, I would love to develop this skill and say go into making apps for Android/iOS or at a video game company.

 

2. Get experience in your specialty.

- What will make you look better on paper and to be better at your dream job in order to keep it.

Honestly, I think I would need a Master's Degree. I could be wrong though.

 

What will get companies to like you more and consider hiring you?

-Not sure about this... More solid experience/time at a job? Volunteer work?

 

1. Get some experience as an engineer

- Be it stay where you are, or apply to a new place where you can get experience, at least on paper. A couple years of solid experience largely trumps poor grades.

-I agree. Experience should trump grades after a sufficient amount of time. I think right now I just need some stability. Longest job I've had was 1 year (the contracting job).

 

Go back to grad school.

YES. I would love to go back to school, which is why I threw it out there originally. I have no doubts in my mind that I would ace every single one of my classes if I made it back, just based on my enthusiasm with learning more and getting a sort of a "re-do" on my collegiate credentials. Not sure if I would stick with EE...or would that be my only choice? Can a BSEE go for, say, a MS in math(as an example)?

 

Hunt for the job you want.

Absolutely! As much as I would like to work at the defense contractor (pretty much my dream job...or NASA), as I mentioned before I just need some stability at this point. I know other companies will provide training on some level provided I meet a baseline criteria.

 

Thanks again for the response.

 

Any other input?

[Angler]

I am a mechanical engineer, and if I could offer some advice - Don't do engineering grad school, you'll further alienate yourself interns of education vs. experience, and it will make getting a job more difficult. Highly educated and under experienced is not a good combination...honestly, it's seen as an expensive liability.

 

If you're interested in continuing education, look at project management, operations management, etc.

 

Everyone is looking for B.Sc. Eng. + PMP right now.

 

MBA type courses are becoming over prescribed...IMO.

 

And, marks aren't everything. Don't sweat it.

[Guitarguy_82]

Don't do engineering grad school, you'll further alienate yourself interns of education vs. experience, and it will make getting a job more difficult. Highly educated and under experienced is not a good combination...honestly, it's seen as an expensive liability.

 

Thanks, Angler, I hadn't thought of that. I would definitely prefer to have more experience and if I had the chance to further my education concurrently, then all the better. I suppose I hadn't considered it from the side of the people who might be hiring me.

 

I can't say I'm particularly interested in project management...I want to be in the lab doing design or working on the nuts and bolts before I move into a managerial role. Of course, I'm aware that engineering naturally leads into management, historically. I just feel like I need to go through the process of doing the entry-level work (so to speak) first.

 

My dad was an EE and then got his MBA and basically was behind a desk for the rest of his career (he eventually went into sales...which I have no desire to do whatsoever).

 

What about certificates (community college)? Say a certificate in something specific like Java (which I do have some minor experience/training in)?

[nbr]

If you can afford it go do some EE stuf on your own. Build embedded controllers for holiday lights, whatever. Be creative.

Get your mojo back that way. Degrees aren't everything. I work for a large multinational in electronics and I started as a technician at the bottom, a college dropout, and a high school GPA below 2.0.

Thing is, I *love* this work. For me I go play all day. Now I am a Senior Software Tech (odd role) and I miss being a scope jockey, as nearly all my work is software, I am currently working on a transition plan with my manager to move me into an engineering role. I've been here 12 years and make pretty decent money.

 

PM me your resume if you want. I will put you into our system and see what might match. We have a site in North Carolina, so not too far away from where you are now.

-nbr