asking advice as a new grad 1

[GogiBOB]

Hi,
I just graduated with a B.E Mechatronics in Canada.
I've always wanted to go into space industry.

However, I ended up in a small company that manufactures metering pump accessories doing R&D work as my first job.
While I like people in the office and my boss I find my job boring and confused about my future career path.

There is no senior engineer at work who has P.Eng so I won't be able to get my P.Eng by working here.
(is it normal? I'm not sure what my boss is expecting from a fresh new grad )

I am only planning to work here for a year to payback my tuition since pay isn't too bad.
I am wondering if my experience at current place will be useful if I want to get into the field I want in the future.

My current job has nothing to do with what I want to do in the future and I am worried that I am wasting my time here and might get stuck in the industry that I don't really want. I'd like to think any experience is valuable but I don't know anything about the real world yet..

Any comment will be really appreciated.
Please give any word to this confused new engineering grad!
Thanks!

 

[MikeHalloran]

Aerospace guys, who may never even touch the stuff they're working on, and aren't allowed to experiment, would kill for an R&D job at a small company, where you can blow stuff up just because nobody said you couldn't.

Have you figured out how your company's stuff really works?

Have you examined field failures and understood what happened?

Do you understand why the production people think you're full of, er, beans?

Your job doesn't have to be boring.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[FeX32]

Sounds like you have a good job. I am also in Canada. I suggest that you stick with it. If you are concerned about getting your P.Eng. talk your boss about it. Even if he is not licensed, he may have suggestions on how to get yours.


Fe (IronX32)

 

[GregLocock]

Last time I looked a spacecraft is mostly a collection of tanks and pumps, you may be on the right path after all.


Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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

 

[CoffinsCorner]

I think it is perfectly normal that you "take what you can get" in the beginning of your career. I am sure that your current work experience will help you get closer to the position you are really looking for. In fact, this happened to me too. Had to work 1.5-2 years doing something "less" interesting, before I moved on to something better. And I can only agree with Mike that you better try to learn as much as you can now, for you can be almost 100% sure that one day you will run into a situation, where you will need some of the knowledge that you aquire NOW. There is nothing more valuable than diversified experience, and recruiters value this as well. Also keep in mind that you did study Mechatronics and NOT Aerospace Engineering...

Good luck!

 

[KirbyWan]

I had a very similar experience to yours. The problem with working for a small company is there are no 'grey beards' to mentor you and I've always felt this was a major loss for me. But any engineering job, if you learn it, will give you insight reguardless of what your career path is. The most important thing to learn is good written communication, which I think is as important as any engineering subject. Otherwise learn everything about your products design and it's limitations. I concur with Mick Halloran's suggestion to learn what failures have happened and why, which I think of as the essence of engineering.

Fail early, fail often, it's the best way to learn.

-Kirby

Kirby Wilkerson

Remember, first define the problem, then solve it.

 

[REDesigner09]

Hi GogiBob,

If you are really interested with the space industry, there's a company called Space Exploration or SpaceX, based near Los Angeles, CA. They were recently in the news too!

I don't work for them, but they did contact me for a prospective opportunity once.

As for opportunities - Get them where ever you can. Here's a few options (listed no particular order):
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Get affiliated with professional organizations - PMI, APICS, ASQ to name a few
Document "everything" you do while employed-training, software, accomplishments, etc. Later you can use this to strengthen your résumé
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Sometimes the most mundane jobs can lead to better opportunities. However, if one has a bad attitude towards it, it will show in your work & how others perceive you, which will not lead to better opportunities.

Good Luck...

 

[ZeeS]

u reminded me of my own time..... My education was by the military and after all the bright design and engineering performance at school, i was sent as a maintenace offr to the flight line.... where there is no design, no engineering..... just yells for getting the down birds UP...... and it continued till 4 years..... till i got myself into some wat better place...... (that too on the basis of experience of keeping a flying sqn)....

remember.... its the basics first and expertise later, which would help..... build ur experience and donot think more of here and there... time is precious and donot let it go wasted.....
though it maynot be my field but, in my opinion CoffinsCorner has conveyed a right direction to you

 

[GogiBOB]

I am so thankful to all of you. I really am motivated by your kind words.

It is very confusing time of my life since I just finished my education and landed on the first job.

The 'real world' is very different from what I expected..
I am still uncertain and confused about my job and future but who is not among people in my age?
I will take my current job as a stepping stone for my engineering career.

I am already missing student life so much...

 

[lisa247]

Hi Gogibob, whereabouts in Canada are you? Have you considered trying to get into Aircraft Engineering?

 

[GogiBOB]

Hi Lisa,
I live in Ontario. I looked in to aircraft engineering but I couldn't find any entry position for new graduates.
I am hoping that after gaining some experience I can find a work in the industry.

 

[Sparweb]

I guess you didn't have co-op placements or "engineering-like" experience jobs before graduating, which may be contributing to the surprise.

If the P.Eng is important to you, talk to the boss or a higher-up if he has a degree (he probably will). He may qualify, but doesn't bother with the PE membership stuff since he doesn't have to and it costs money. Small companies are not very oriented towards qualifications, but count this as a blessing in disguise! Seek a membership in the PE organization in Ontario anyway, as a way to discuss the subject with people in the PEO. You aren't the first to be in this situation (speaking from personal experience!) It may turn out that once you've done this much, you'll realize that you're not really rocking the boat to ask the boss to register with the PEO, if it helps a kid get a good start.

I can think of several ways you could apply a degree in mechatronics to aviation. Where were you looking for work? Hopefully not just at "MacDD". Are you free to re-locate from Toronto?



STF

 

[GogiBOB]

Hi SparWeb,
When I was in school I just wanted to get the heck outta there and start working.
Now I realize I jumped into the real world without enough preparation!.

Can you tell me more about the ways I could apply my degree to aviation?
I am currently living in Toronto but I am willing to move anywhere in the country(or where ever I can find a job!). I've looked into jobs in Quebec where space industry is big but since I don't speak French and don't have much experience I wasn't too sure if I could get a job there .

So I am taking my current job as my internship. Good thing about working in a small company is that I was able to learn a lot about how business world works.
Downside is that there is no one who can give me any technical advice other than mighty google god

 

[Sparweb]

Speaking only in general, because I don't actually know much about what's in a Mechatronics degree (I'm assuming it's 1/2 mechanical 1/2 electical and 1/2 math) then I'd guess that one subject that it will have in common with aerospace is summed up by the question: "Where am I?"

There are a number of avionic systems that are concerned with recording aircraft position, speed, status, health, plus any number of other factors, and processing that information to carry out a function, or just record it, or radio out telemetry. There are a lot of players in the aircraft navigation business, from mega-sized Honeywell, to individual inventors.

Even setting aside the subject of navigation, there are numerous other types of equipment needed on specialized missions, such as surveys, that combine data acquisition, instrumentation, controls, and mechanical systems. Don't forget helicopters, either. Fixed-wing and rotary-wing are used for VERY different things in Canada and demand different sets of equipment.

Lastly, when you put a robot in control of an aircraft, you get a UAV. You haven't mentioned that so far, but have you explored it yet?

STF