3 years unemployment 4

[unemployedengineer]

Hello everyone,

Here is the story:

graduate with BS degree in 2006
graduate with MS degree in 2009

unemployed since graduation. by September 2011, i will be 3 years unemployed and 5 years of no experience since BS degree.

keep in mind that i am an immigrant (speak with an accent) living in DC where most of jobs are out of my field and/or require TSC. and jobs in my field are too far for me to be worthwhile of companies to relocate me.

does this sound normal, giving the current economic recession?

that was the reaction of one recruiter who contacted me recently.

thank you

 

[edcard]

I agree with csd72, I wouldn't pursue a PhD-unless I intended to do R&D or teach. Your MS degree is, however, a big plus in my opinion.

I think that you need to get out of DC and go where the jobs are, even if you just stay with friends for a few weeks. The reason is that even if relocation is not a concern, a company may feel no need to fly someone in for interviews if there are plenty of local candidates who can fill a position.

Also, you may want to consider casting a slightly wider net in your industry search. For example, I know that in the water and wastewater treatment fields there aren't that many control and instrumentation engineers, and an EE with I&C capabilities is highly thought of.

Finally, based on your posts, it seems like your grammar and written communication skills may need some improvement. I don't think that having a foreign accent is a problem, unless people have a hard time understanding you.

 

[controlsdude]

If you have a free ride for a PHD and you do like teaching and/or research then I say go for it. Have you taught some or tutored students? Just remember if you take this route, your on it for life I think. This is another fork in the road and taking it back is really hard to do.

I remember some foreign born professors with thick accents some were pretty good professors.

 

[csd72]

Dc is not so far from philadelphia, and new york that you couldnt drive up to an interview. The rest can be sorted after the job is secured.

 

[DesignerGuy16]

DC isn't really a huge hub of engineering, you may want to shift your focus to another major metropolitan area.

I live maybe an hour southwest of DC and there isn't much around here. Sure there are pockets here and there, but there isn't an area that has a huge abundance. Most of those are likely aerospace/defense.

Do some research for other areas around the US. There still are a bunch of manufacturing and engineering hubs around.

James Spisich
Design Engineer, CSWP

 

[casseopeia]

Must be an off day for KENAT. He's never rarely polite.

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[KENAT]

Apparently still not polite enough.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[B16A2]

Even if casseopia needs everything to be sugarcoated, I agree with KENAT on this one. I think the OP has other issues here.

 

[casseopeia]

The last thing I need is sugar coating. It rots my fangs and gums up my claws. I enjoy his acerbic responses, even when directed at me. But I enjoy them even more when they are directed at others.


.\/.

**
vvvv
^^^

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[ProEpro]

Relocation doesn't exist for anyone that is not an expert on a national level anymore and probably hasn't since the turn of the century. It has almost never existed for people fresh out of school that typically are expected to be moving away from where they went to school. Most people have to move themselves to where the jobs are.

DC actually has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the US but as the locals on the board have said there may not be alot of EE. (NHTSA was talking about hiring EE. NRC is also busy)

Doesn't your school have a placement center? There are support groups for the unemployed where you can get together and go over each others resumes, practice interviewing and swap leads. They are VERY useful.

Please take this kindly but why don't you go home? As Greg said most other parts of the world are doing better than the US for engineering jobs. Some of those places you have a better chance of an income that is above the local cost of living. You English skills are weak like mine but they will be valuable in a foreign land.

ProEpro

http://www.whitelightdesign.com

 

[ScottI2R]

Unemployedengineer,

i wrote in cover letter that i would relocate at own expense and that i would work 24/7 to make sure i compensate for any deficiency.

I understand that the psychological burden of being unemployed for such an extended period of time can be overwhelming, however, that quote above is very self-defeating! You mention deficiency in the cover letter and I would guarantee that I would NOT read on. While you are showing promise to be dedicated and hardworking, prospective employers will read that you have a deficiency as stated BY YOU and who would know better in their eyes? ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE and drop the negativity! It is self defeating and not healthy either. HR will hear it when they call you.

I cannot help but think that you are just sitting at home "whoa is me...ing" your days away. Find an area robust with your line of work, move there, restart your job search locally and go out and GET that job! Walk in to that interview knowing you are going to succeed! Granted the economy and job market does suck, so that is why you have to put yourself above the other candidates. You have to have that one thing to offer that the other applicants don't have, or aren't presenting to the hiring employer. Also, don't be too arrogant, because the employer KNOWS it is his market. At the risk of sounding insulting and crude, which is not my intent, you need to grow a pair and use them to get that job!

Let me give you a quick example of what confidence does: In July of 2007, my company sent a couple local real estate people to me to sell my house. (As they were relocating me with the job). One guy came in and was like "eore" the donkey from winnie the poo. The first thing he started talking about was short sales and the market is bad and "well..I guess I could try to sell your house."
REALLY??? The next guy that came in exuded confidence to the point I was wondering how he was NOT a multi-millonaire and retired already!

Now, who do you think I hired??

Oh, and use this website in your background to keep your skills sharp. I do. Or I try anyway, there are a lot of people on here way smarter than I am. Am I being negative about myself? No, I am stating a fact, and I see it as an opportunity to learn more and better myself.

I hope this helps some...

Good luck,

Scott

Oh...remind me never to tick off mintjulep

I really am a good egg, I'm just a little scrambled!

 

[IRstuff]

"It has almost never existed for people fresh out of school that typically are expected to be moving away from where they went to school. "

Every company that gave me an offer on graduation included relocation. Many college grads are burdened with with up to $200k of student loans; they're just not going to be the people that can self-fund a relocation.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize

 

[ScottI2R]

IRstuff,

While I agree with your post, keep in mind that he does not fit the "on graduation" category any longer. And neither was mine. My company was a customer that tried 3 times to hire me previously, and they finally threw in a relo package. That is when I bit. I was told my relo cost my company over 20K, and my OOP costs were around 7K, with 2K being gasoline alone. Never did sell the house back there, I rent it out now. Could not have done it without them though..... Oh FYI, relo was from Detroit suburbs to Phoenix.

Scott

I really am a good egg, I'm just a little scrambled!

 

[csd72]

unemploayed engineer,

You have some good advice her but the crux of the matter is that you need to do something radically different.

Are you being too narrow in your job options, engineers have many skills and we often underestimate them.

Is your accent hard for the average american to understand? If that is the case it may be worthwhile trying to learn to speak a bit more 'american' I had to do it to a small extent and english is my first and only language.

Is there a professional society there that you can meet other engineers? If necessary volunteer to help out. This will be a good opportunity to keep in touch with the profession as well as to meet more contacts.

 

[beej67]

If you are a US citizen, look into government jobs.

Rumblings from the deep (GSA) indicate this teet may soon dry up.

Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East -

http://www.campbellcivil.com

 

[casseopeia]

I just started working in December after 15 months of unemployment. I applied for several government jobs, City Engineer, City Contract Administrator, Parks Director, and Housing Contract Admin. I've got a lot of contract admin experience with government work as an outside private consultant and I never even scored an interview. I think government work is a dead end right now, at least for non insiders.

I'd go for the job training. Unemployedengineer, you might consider trying to get some training in Revit. That's what most of the architectural firms here in Northern CA are using. They aren't looking for autocad. They need people proficient in Revit. I know one person who took a course at SF State for about $600. At least that's cheaper than a PhD.

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[vandal06]

Relocation doesn't exist for anyone that is not an expert on a national level anymore and probably hasn't since the turn of the century. It has almost never existed for people fresh out of school that typically are expected to be moving away from where they went to school. Most people have to move themselves to where the jobs are.

My experience has been the opposite for me. I graduated in 2006 and received relocation assistance for my first job. Granted, I just changed cities in one state, but when I moved back up to Alaska for my current position they gave me full relocation and this was back in 2008. I'm sure trying to find relocation now would be tough, but it was alive and well at least a couple of years ago.

 

[EQguys]

Unemployedengineer: Are you good at teaching ? Do you have enough patience to be a Science or Math tutor ? Try wyzant. Its easy to start with, its fast and its effective. Its been working wonders for my fiance. May be you can give it a shot.

 

[graybeach]

Hello Unemployedengineer,

First of all, think about changing your Eng-Tips name to something more positive. How about "PositiveMan"?

Find an english major to thoroughly check your resume for spelling, grammar, consistent format, readability, etc. We just got 30 in for one opening in my department. The poorly written ones (close to half of them!) when straight into the trash.

I keep hearing about the hiring boom for software engineers. Maybe those companies need and EE here and there. Or, maybe you could take a few classes to make yourself more marketable to them. Maybe companies like Google and Amazon need some entry level EEs to help manage their facilities.

Read a book on Feng Shui, and consider making some changes to your home environment that will enhance wealth.

 

[moon161]

Many college grads are burdened with with up to $200k of student loans; they're just not going to be the people that can self-fund a relocation.

PFFT. Senior year, I lived on $400 a month + state tuition and everything I needed fit in the back of a SAAB. I had some feelers from Robinson helicopter. If they offered, I woulda borrowed a grand and been in LALAland in a week.

Grats Cass, horrible wasn't it?

 

[SiliconeAurora]

If nothing else, this topic is teaching me that engineers are generally pretty lousy, or at least hopelessly inconsistent, with the types of advice they give.