Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

Register Log in

Developing and Working with other Engineers 1

Status
Not open for further replies.
Disgruntleddave

Disgruntleddave

Mechanical
Feb 4, 2007
8
0
0
CA
Greetings

I'm still new to working. I have an undergrad and masters degree and about a year of experience. I've been given an offer but am a bit unsure of it because of the environment I'd be in.

I came from a company where I was working with many other engineers directly that I liked. I thought it was good for development too. This would put me as the only engineer at a location, and I'd be working indirectly with other groups. The primary engineering work would be done in a different company.

It's in the right field, it's in the right geographical location, but it makes me nervous about potential development or lack thereof that I might otherwise get from a boss and coworkers with experience in engineering.

Does anyone have input on his others contributed to your development? Has anyone taken a similar job in a similar position as this?
 
Replies continue below

Recommended for you

Sort by date Sort by votes
You need more experience under the watchfull guidence of folks who have already made thier mistakes.

Moving to a position where you are forced to learn through the expensive school of your own experience does noone any good.

The company looking to hire you has already made the assumption that you have learned everything you need to know in school and will expect you to be successfull all the time with no problems. This is a bad sign and makes you wonder if they know what is involved in engineering. I would stay away.

Just my two cents work.

A question properly stated is a problem half solved.

Always remember, free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it!

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I don't think they've necessarily made that kind of assumption. As the 'main' company overseas has design authority, the liaising is probably the more important component, although they were looking for a 'design engineer'.

Thanks for the input though. I'm more or less in line with the school of thought that I'd benefit from working directly with people with experience in the field.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
With only a year of experience, you're pretty green to take on a job as 'only engineer'.

With the 'real engineering' (that phrase alone makes me suspicious) being done at other locations, you won't have mentoring available locally, and you'll probably end up arguing with the remotely located engineers and managers, and losing for political reasons, even when/if you're right technically, and you'll never know what the hell is going on.

I.e., you'll be "out of the loop", both technically and politically.

I've had a job like that.
It wasn't fun.
It didn't advance my professional development.
It lasted just long enough that I couldn't leave it off my resume,
but short enough for HR weenies to silently infer that _I_ was a problem, so the stink of it stayed with me for a long time.
It didn't pay squat, either.

Politely pass on that, keep looking, and good luck.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
For reasons given above, I'd pass. I've passed up on 'opportunities' before that I didn't think I was qualified for.

I don't think it really hurt my career, but who knows for sure. It certainly increased my credibility with one or two folks that knew.

Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Thanks for the input. I'm going to speak with them soon and bring up the issues I have directly in case I'm off the ball on some of them.

It's just a tough position to be in. Little experience (although it ended because of company issues, not my own). I felt so lucky to get that first job as it was in my industry of choice and I worked with great people. Part of my brain (not the logical side) tells me to take any realistic offer, I need work, and I might not get another offer for a long time. This would pretty much be the first time I'm turning down an offer.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hang on, this changes things, you're saying you're currently unemployed? Sorry, from the OP I initially thought you were considering leaving your current employer for this position.

While most of what has been said above still stands, if you need a pay check, then you need a pay check. If other offers aren't flooding in then you may be best to take it.

Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yes, I am recently unemployed. Guess I should have mentioned it. I have around 1 year of experience and no job (through no fault of my own). Technically, taking some time is NOT going to kill me, since I moved in with family temporarily now and have low living costs. I can go for some time without pay if necessary. I'm only getting into the job hunting so this is the first new offer. I have more work to do to talk to other companies.

From what I've just gathered, the job has more design work than I thought (which I like), but again the issue of not having anyone there to mentor me on it. I would have support on the liaising side, but would be on an island design wise. Salary isn't that great (better than the first job, but slightly higher living costs).

I understand the frustrations of liaising. I had some of it at my last job. I also understand the reality that if I don't have say, and final say is somewhere overseas, then I will be in a situation often that results in my frustration over ideas being thrown out by other people without my being able to learn from it directly.

I've also gotten the impression of some level of desperation. I've heard that they want someone with at least 2 extra years experience, want someone soon, there are other candidates, etc, but I never got the impression that there actually were other candidates at this point in time.

I have some time to think about the offer or come back with different numbers, but I'm still hung up over the issues brought up earlier.

Thanks again.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
In the current climate, I think it's crazy for an unemployed ME to turn down work, unless there are serious moral or ethical concerns.
I was out of work for 14 months, right now SWX and designer jobs keep me fed.

I look at ME profiles on LinkedIn and people with solid skills & experience have holes and downgrades all over the place.

Furthermore, you can make yourself ineligible for unemployment benefits by turning down a job, guidelines vary by state.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Also, being unemployed too long can start to look bad on your resume, even if financially you can manage it for a while.

Good luck.

Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Ah, right. There are of course issues with employment insurance, and I agree that being unemployed starts to look bad after a little while.

It's worth noting that I'm working (have worked, and hoping to work) in the aerospace field.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Unless you've actually done this type of job before, I wouldn't necessarily dismiss it as irrelevant or inconsequential. Any job that's related your chosen profession must contain some nugget of learning experience. And while this particular job appears to entail no design, per se, it does require someone with some design experience, and you'll possibly get to see facets of the overall product life cycle that you might not have otherwise seen, had you been a cubicle rat.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
As stated above, current unemployed status changes things drastically. In this case almost any job associated with engineering is better than nothing, regardless of how ill suited it may seem.

A question properly stated is a problem half solved.

Always remember, free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it!

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I hope that I'm wrong about this:
For reasons cited above, I predict that the extant offer, if taken, will end badly, and soon.

Pumping gas, or working as a mechanic, both of which I have done in between engineering jobs, will look less negative on a resume than a short-term engineering job. ... which also appears on my own resume.





Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I will disagree with the majority. Take it and run with it. The opportunity is largely what you make of it.

Which is not to say it won't hurt. A lot.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Maybe Mike, I actually almost missed out on my current job though cause the guy that hired me couldn't understand why I was currently working in a drugstore so was hesitant to hire me.

That's the trouble with trying to generalize the thought process of folks hiring/looking at resumes.

While there may be some general trends, and some 99.9% certain 'don't do this' type rules, each potential recruiter is an individual and have their own idiosyncrasies.

Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I would tend to agree with KENAT. If I saw a non-engineering job in the middle of everything, I'd wonder how bad he had to have been to not even wangle a very pitiful engineering job.

Some people like to see evidence of "hustle" from an applicant, i.e., will he "hustle" and get things done, regardless of the obstacles or circumstances.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

MRob909
  • Locked
  • Question
Managing Other Engineers (An Update) 4
Replies
1
Views
21
phamENG
phamENG
MRob909
  • Locked
  • Question
Managing Other Engineers 4
2
Replies
30
Views
31
LittleInch
LittleInch
Valerija
  • Locked
  • Question
Any Structural Engineers in Qatar?
Replies
0
Views
9
Valerija
Valerija
squmptilious
  • Question
MS MechE with Math Bachelors
Replies
6
Views
346
alchemon
alchemon
EdwardNigma
  • Locked
  • Question
How can I achieve mastery in a stress engineering role working in the aerospace industry? 4
2
Replies
22
Views
41
IRstuff
IRstuff
Back
Top