Complacency vs paying bills 7

[kawh1]

I am about to decline a job offer since it is not what I am looking for longterm. I will be doing CAD drawings, with not much engineering done within the company, as told by the interviewer.

I feel bad about it, since having a steady paycheck is good given current events.

This is my first job offer out of school with a BSME, but not out of college. I am still awaiting replies from other prospective employers that promise more professional development and use of my engineering degree.

Or I could accept the offer and quit when opportunity arises, but that's a bit unethical and I don't want to be seen as a job hopper. And besides, that's being optimistic that something I'm more interested in will come along.

Anyone else have faced the same dilemma? I don't think I'm being too demanding in terms of employment.

It's not the CAD that gets to me, but the lack of any engineering calculations or engineering principles being applied. At the most, I'll be doing a lot of geometry. I’ll be essentially taking an existing part and drawing it in CAD.

I’m trying to get a job involving fluid mechanics, in the energy industry, or transportation - but no luck so far. I don’t want complacency to set in, but it may have to do in order to pay the bills like everyone else.

 

[MintJulep]

Unethical?

Unprofessional, maybe. Impolite, definitely.

But not unethical.

Do you think for an instant that the company would hesitate to lay you off if next quarter's numbers were really crappy?

 

[ctopher]

You applied for the company. In today's economy it may not hurt to take the job. Who knows, it may be the only offer for a while. It also be better than you think.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08; CATIA V5
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion

 

[Bribyk]

As Mint said, it's a freemarket economy and employers get the employees they deserve. You don't know whether they'd drop you once someone better comes along and they don't know if you'll stick around if another job comes along that pays $1 more an hour.

Give it a go and maybe you'll like it and/or the experience will pay off. My previous job I took solely for the money and said screw gaining engineering experience (I was still in school and sick of being broke). It was a field job running engines and compressors. I now work for an engine and compressor company and the experience turned out to be invaluable.

Also, coming out of school you think you know what your dream job is but you really don't. Don't be too closed-minded. What have you got to lose, really? A year or two of experience? You've likely got another 40+ years to make up the experience.

You'll also make contacts and network as part of your job so, if you do find another path or field of interest, you'll have an "in".

This is getting kind of rant-ish but there's a lot of nose-thumbing at CAD work on here and I think it's a self-perpetuating cycle. Another self-perpetuating cycle is "I don't have a home 'cause I can't get a job. I can't get a job 'cause I don't have a home".

 

[amorrison]

Take the job - you will learn a lot doing CAD - some "good" designers do calculations to take some of the workload off the engineer.

Even if you do get an "engineering position" you may be doing CAD for the first six months.

 

[kawh1]

Thanks for your input everyone. I may be over thinking the whole scenario.

 

[ScottyUK]

Even if you don't want to be a CAD guy in the long term, understanding their job and understanding the things that make their life easy or make it hard will be invaluable. The best way to understand that is by doing their role, even if it is only for a relatively short time. When you have CAD guys working for you in the future you will be better equipped to deal with them because you have seen things from their perspective, and little choices you make can have a big influence on whether the guys working for you look forward to working on your jobs or dread them. Many people aren't even aware that the little choices exist, with predictable results.

Anyway, being able to produce a professional quality drawing right when you need it is never a bad skill to have - sometimes your deadline won't wait for an opening in the CAD guy's work schedule.


----------------------------------

If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[GregLocock]

The best job I ever had involved me designing 3D models and chucking them over the wall to the Autocad guys. I may occasionally have given the impression I don't rate CAD as a career, but that is not true, designing parts (in the true sense of design) is FUNDAMENTAL to mechanical engineering. And you haven't designed a part unless you can communicate that design to somebody else, which means CAD, or a pencil, or you make it yourself.



Cheers

Greg Locock

SIGlease see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[ivymike]

I got my foot in the door at least once in the past by taking a CAD job. It was always a nice change of pace when an opportunity to do CAD for a few months would come up, and being good at it certainly helped later.

 

[TheTick]

Making CAD drawings is beneath you. You can't read them, so you certainly don't need to know how to make them.

 

[Drumchaser]

kawh1
Please do not take this as a slam.
The above very accurate and germane responses are certainly all you require from your OP.
However, here is a skewed view:

Maybe you owe on student loans/maybe not.
Maybe you still reside in the nest/maybe not.

What ever happened to going to work/job to pay your bills? Starting at the bottom, and working your way up?
Just because you have a BSME does not mean you are necessarily home free. This is where the "what you put into it is what you will get out of it" comes in to play. Of all the young engineers I have worked around, "lately",
very few appear to be hungry. They seem complacent, even lazy. They have not paid any dues, which you will have to do unless you are one of the chosen few.
You have got to dig in, make it happen. The real world is full of gray, not black and white.
I do not fault you for waiting on a better opportunity, at all. But I would be doing something (for $ and experience) in the time being.

I do not know your situation, just saying you should "expect" to work hard for quite awhile if you expect to make it to the next level.

Believe it or not doing CAD may be best for you at this time.


Good Luck

The sun never sets. It is we who rise & think to shine.

 

[Yagonyonok]

I went with a job similar to the one you described out of college. Mostly cad, prototype assembly and testing. Not much for engineering calculations.

I've been with the company for 2 years now, and while it isn't rocket science, it is good experience. I have taught myself to machine 90% of the parts I design. while I don't want to be a machinist for the rest of my life it has changed the way I look at designs and drawings now.

I don't want to do this kind of work for the rest of my career, but like Drumchaser said, you have to pay your dues. Now that I have a few years experience and a steady paycheck, I am in a position where I can look for a job that interests me more. I don't have to take an offer that isn't ideal just because I need the paycheck.

With the current economy beggers can't be choosers. A mediocre job is better than no job. Get a few years experience and then keep your eyes open for your ideal job.

 

[DesignerGuy16]

There is experience in anything you do. Designing in CAD can be as valuable as you want to make it. In all fields of engineering it's valuable to know how to make and read a proper blue-print.

It can also be a new perspective if you're working closely in tandem with a machine shop to create the parts. I can't tell you how much the feedback from welders and machinists have shaped my designs. If I have something crazy up my sleeve, the first guys I talk to are the ones making them. It just so happens my degree in industrial engineering plays favorably to the manufacturing environment I'm in. I may not be using the "core" IE skills daily, but I can use the theories with my design background to do some pretty cool things.

Too many people play down the need for designers, when there really should be more love our way. It may not be crunching numbers all day, but sometimes the numbers don't matter as much as the thought process in some of these applications.

In my world a gearing/torque calculation is only 10% of the battle, the other 90% is designing a simple, easy to install product that won't fail. Common sense goes further than you may think if you have a sound grasp on most engineering theory.

I guess what I'm saying is, don't take it for a paycheck. Take it to better yourself. If you won't make the most of any opportunity, you won't end up as much of an engineer. This is coming from a "CAD jockey" with 10 years experience, an industrial engineering degree, and that's working towards a masters in mechanical engineering.

James Spisich
Design Engineer, CSWP

 

[ornerynorsk]

Do you have a set amount of time in which to accept or deny the position? Buy yourself some time in order to follow up with your more preferred prospective employers. I believe "over-qualified" goes out of vogue when the economic situation demands it, as well.

 

[MechEng2005]

I think a lot is learned in the first couple years (and hopefully the learning continues). From my experience, and in looking at the number of postings for 2-3 years experience versus entry, it seems that companies are hesitant to hire somebody directly out of school. There are details that don't get taught in college that are the backbone of engineering and design. Simple things to pick-up, but it does take time. For example, I don't recall ever having a course that discussed standard fastners (UNC & UNF were new to me!) or weld symbols. I could perform a stress analysis of a structure, by hand or PC program, or determine the minimum diameter of a pin needed in a shear application, but I still needed to learn the day-to-day practical items.

That said, I think that getting a little experience from this opportunity is a good idea. Even if it isn't your idea of a long-term position, it is very rare for people to work in the same position (or same company) for more than 5-10 years it seems. The first job (I think) is often even shorter. Get the experience and keep an eye out for something better. Maybe you'll move into a different role in the offering company, maybe you'll switch companies, maybe switch industries.

I was unemployed for about 6 months and a recruiter set me up for a job that I didn't think I'd like, but I took it to pay the bills. The contract stated that if I left prior to 2 years, I would have to pay the recruiting fees. Well, I immediately had that changed to allow a 1 month period where I could leave without penalty. Since I had other resumes out there, this gave me an opportunity to see what else came along. It turned out that I would have went back to being unemployed after one month before I was willing to stay there for 2 years. Luckily, I did find something else within the month and didn't have to make that decision.

I only tell that story because I don't think that "dropping in" at a job makes me unethical or unprofessional. There are reasons that I didn't want to stay in that position. There are reasons that they took me on even though I think they realized that I wasn't a great fit. And there are reasons they had that clause in the contract. These are the same reasons that most of the co-workers wanted to know where I was going at the end of a month and if they had any more openings. Employee retention is under the employor's control.

I still consider myself a very loyal person, and will do a lot for a company if I think it is appreciated and that they value me.

-- MechEng2005

 

[KENAT]

Frankly, and especially in this current environment, "A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush".

Unless you're very confident that one of these other jobs is definitely going to turn out in the very short term you'd almost certainly be better taking the job you've been offered.

Don’t over think the CAD part, there are many different CAD systems, however really learning to draw/communicate your design (or interpret other peoples) is a very useful skill for all but the most analytical Engineers and one that often isn’t well taught at university because of course, drafting is below Engineers.

Except for the issue of finding time for an interview, it’s considered by many to be easier to find a new job when you already have one.

As my current job I got hired to be a designer/drafter/CAD expert but with in weeks the Director of Engineering wanted to get me onto Engineering which I did for a couple of years. Then when folks started to get laid off I got to fill one of the design related positions which frankly has probably saved my job.

So having more than one feather in your cap may be useful in the future when you have more pressing financial commitments (mortgage, family etc.) and can’t afford to be out of work for long.

Just don't get your engineering get as dusty as I did, it's not like falling off a bike;-).

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:

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