Career Change or Not? Getting into Engineering from Engineering.... 1

[Zorbu]

First off, any advice from engineers would be greatly appreciated. I need to figure out how you guys think.

I recently finished a second BS in Mechanical Engineering and passed the FE exam. My first BS was in Milling Science and I spent several years designing flour mills. I went back to school because I enjoyed engineering and also I'm allergic to wheat dust. On my last startup I ended up with pneumonia and decided to seek my fortune elsewhere. I did well in school and I would think my past experience would be transferrable to other industries.

My problem is every job I look at is looking for very specific experience. I have very specific experience but not in what I want to do. I have proven that I am willing and able to learn and I don't make any more than a starting engineer anyway. I keep hearing things like "we don't have that much work in foods" from potential employers. What can I do? I hope I haven't wasted my time with my second degree. I'm thinking about a masters in ME but I don't want to do that unless I'll be able to use it.

 

[MintJulep]

Zorbu,

You need to break down your specific experience into its constituant parts, and then emphasice to potential new employeers how those components are transferrable to what they do.

Process design requires a specific set of skills that are to a large degree independant of what is being processed.

Same goes for machine design and many other aspects of engineering.

 

[jsummerfield]

Employers look for very specific experience. Often employers accept the experience that best fits their needs when they have the need -- not when they find the ideal candidate.

John

 

[jay165]

Figure out how engineers think? Talk about mission impossible!

Some advice:

1. Forget about the master's degree. Totally useless and employers don't care - ie they won't pay you extra for it.

2. Sorry about your health issues. My guess is that you'll have problems in any typical plant environment with the usual stink of chemicals, etc. Try to find some consulting firms that specialize in the food processing industry and aply there. You may have to relocate, but it should keep you in an office environment, which is way preferable to working in a plant anyway.

Good Luck!

 

[VeryPicky]

Master Milling Engineer - this sounds great but I agree with jay165. I see no direct benefit in going there unless you really love it. I guess your health is more important than anything else so there is no issue to me regarding the choice of career. Flour is a no go! And again paraphrasing jay: if you are an engineer you have to be prepared to make your hands dirty - to go boldly where the flour is made. To me you have no choice but to seek another profession. I graduated as automotive engineer and currently my only contact with the cars is driving one. You wouldn't believe how much the cars and pressure vessels have in common. Just a bit of imagination. So, to recap this unnecesarily long posting:
I think you have reach the turning point in your career, you better turn around and find something that you like to do and are capable of doing. I don't think it will do you any good to proceed with qualifications in the field that you can not practice anyway.

GOOD LUCK.


Putting Human Factor Back in Engineering

 

[Zorbu]

VeryPicky,
My second degree was in Mechanical Engineering and the masters would be in Mechanical. Milling is far behind me now. I currently write batching programs for Bakeries and Mix plants.
jay165,
I'm looking at corporate engineering positions for food processing companies(not grain processing). If I could find a job I loved, the masters would not be so important but if it would make sense, I would like to do that some day. I haven't looked into consulting firms, that is a good idea. My only concern there is the same as with my current job, stability. I want to work for a company that makes money and will stay in business a few years. Consulting relies on the food companies spending money in their plants which doesn’t always happen. Two of my previous employers are no longer in business.
MintJulep,
I would have thought the same thing about process design but am finding that most process engineering positions want ChemE not MechE. I may take another stab at a resume rewrite to better highlight the skills I am wanting to use.

I could see myself going in a variety of different directions. I would enjoy product design as well but there is no chance of that simply because I haven't done it. I really just want to find something stable, dig in and make a career of it. That shouldn’t be so hard.

 

[buzzp]

Perhaps one of the concerns employers have is the pay they may have to pay you based on your past experience. You said you would take an engineers starting salary, which is fine, except your potential employers do not know that, I am guessing. Perhaps a wage should be discussed in your cover letter. This might back fire on you too, but if your not getting any hits now it may not hurt.
As far as the advise to find another career, hogwash. I have worn many hats at several different types of companies and there are jobs where no field visits are required or necessary.

 

[HgTX]

There are templates out there (check out a resume book) showing skill-based rather than experience-based resumes--skills listed first, with the work experience that you used them in almost as an afterthought. Sounds like you're exactly the kind of candidate that format was developed for.

How allergic to wheat are you? Can you be in some place that uses flour as an ingredient as long as the flour isn't being ground there? Sure, you *could* get a 100% desk job, but where's the fun in that?

Hg

 

[Zorbu]

HgTx,

I've got a resume book that says the skills based resume template is often eliminated without being read because it's unusual and they figure the candidate is trying to hide something.

When I'm around certain types of wheat my lungs fill with fluid and I cannot breathe at all. I do fine in Bakeries and even around the finished products of flour mills. Wheat dust kills me though.

I agree with the desk job comment. I want to be able to work in the environment, It's fun to get out and be involved in the processes. I ran a flour mill one summer as an intern and loved it. I have really enjoyed the startups I've done. I install batching systems in bakeries currently and like being around plants and training users and that sort of thing.

 

[HgTX]

If you have a shot at getting your cover letter read, you can explain some of that.

As long as the employment history is still there (I would never advocate just leaving it out), I don't see why they'd think you're hiding anything.

Maybe a compromise--a short listing of skills at the beginning and then right into the familiar-looking work history.

Hg