Getting back into IE - Please Help!

[TM12345]

Hello everyone and thank you in advance for your help! I apologize if this is not the right place to post this but I’m looking for some guidence.

I graduated in 2022 with an ISE Bachelors degree. Right out of college I got a job working as an IT Consultant for a firm that configures SAP (ERP System) for clients. I have been working there since I graduated and it is not something I want to be doing as a career. I’m looking to get into an IE position but I feel like being out of that realm for 2+ years has hindered my chance of landing a decent position.

I have a Yellow Belt Certification and interned at an automotive assembly plant as an IE for a summer before I graduated college. I reminisce about that internship and all the IE related things I would do (even though I had to be in office at 6am lol).

I was wondering what are some things like courses or certifications that I can take that will help me refresh some of the thing I’ve already learned. Also, if it’s ok to leverage the internship during any interview. My main concern is my lack of experience and not having the right tools, knowledge wise, to get my foot in the door at any company.

I’ve been looking into taking the FE Exam and the CQE Exam but I saw you need work experience to take the CQE. Would either of these benefit me?

Any kind of advice on what I should do would be a huge help

 

[Stick.]

Also, if it’s ok to leverage the internship during any interview.

You absolutely should leverage your internship in an interview. Don't oversell it and claim to be an expert now, but at least show that you've got some (even minimal) experience.

My main concern is my lack of experience and not having the right tools, knowledge wise

That's a valid concern, and it's good that you're thinking about trying to improve that situation, but don't just focus on your weaknesses. While you've spent 2 years not doing industrial engineering, you've also spent 2 years (presumably) learning about ERP systems. Learn to leverage that somehow and also think up other strengths that you now have.

As an example of the above: My company is currently in the middle of transitioning ERP systems and my department has a few engineers that are heavily involved in that project, and other parts of my company have moved engineers to now work full time on the transition project. Say if you had applied to my company early on in that project and I'd been roped into the interview process, I'd potentially view your ERP experience as a benefit (depending on how you sold it during the interview) with the idea of you working on that project once you got up to speed on the rest of the business. I know that might not be your ideal scenario if you're looking to get away from ERP stuff, but it could be a way to get your foot in the door so you can eventually transition out of that role/industry.