Interim Job before Structural Engineering PhD 2

[mclare88]

I'm a graduate student in structural engineering completing my Master's degree in December 2012. I am planning on starting a PhD at a different university in Fall 2013. This leaves me with a gap of 9-10 months between degrees in which I'd like to work as a design engineer. I don't want to work as an intern with low pay and no benefits, particularly since I will have a Master's degree, but I don't want to mislead my employer and quit after less than a year. Is there a way that I could market myself as a short term contract worker for this time, or should I just apply to a full-time position?

I've worked two summer internships at very reputable design firms, specializing in tall building design and earthquake engineering, and I do have an option to return to one of them before I start my PhD. However, I am concerned that I will still be treated as an intern (and paid as one), as the company's structure is very corporate. If I work at a different firm, I don't want to burn bridges, since I ultimately plan on working in industry upon completing my PhD.

 

[kylesito]

Be upfront and honest and see what happens. If you aren't then you will likely burn a bridge and suffer down the road because of it. But, if you at least let them know ahead of time then you never know what might pop up.

Honestly though, I don't konw as I would hire someone for only 9 months because it seems to take at least 6 months to get them into the flow of projects, company standards, etc. And if I did have a need, it would most likely only be for intern level responsibilities or tasks. I just wouldn't want to invest the effort into a temporary employee.

Any chance you would continue working part time while in the PhD program?



PE, SE
Eastern United States

"If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death!"
~Code of Hammurabi

 

[KENAT]

I'd think the first thing is to talk to the one that you already have an in with and see what the pay would be.

You could waste months trying to find a fully paying short term job for someone with almost no experience.

Or, you might be able to walk straight into a slightly lower paying one.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

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

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[PicoStruc]

Your PHD completion date will be pushed so many time anyways... Why not start your PHD program earlier ?

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Or go to Hawaii for 9 months??

 

[Ron]

OK...let's look at the practicality, since we are, after all, engineers.

1. You have little experience...only a couple of summers with a design firm.
2. You will only be working for 9-10 months, so no long term commitment on your part, but you want to be paid as such by the employer.
3. Your Master's degree means very little for the short term that you are considering, particularly since you have little practical experience.
4. You expect more than employers are likely to give.

I would suggest that you re-evaluate. What can you offer any employer other than a bit of theoretical analytical capability that is, as yet, not greatly exercised in practicality?

If you get an opportunity to work in any design capacity, take it. An internship is not beneath you. When you get your PhD and get hired by a firm, you won't start out as a principal....you will still have an "internship" to serve, albeit probably at better pay.

Check your attitude at the door.

 

[PicoStruc]

Since your are specialized in High Rise (Your research project probably linked to that), try to work for your old intership employer for seismic/dynamic analysis & design.

Put your dynamic analysis knowledge (learnt from your Master degree) in practice with real three-dimensional building that have real stiffness-mass exccentricity causing torsional softening behiavor.

This is the first thing I did when I started working after my Master / Phd [Not finished due lack of motivation for 5 years studies ]

Understanding how a real 3D building behave is really important !

Keep your Wilson / Chopra / Clough books not too far

Good luck

 

[PicoStruc]

Don't forget to buy Seismic Design of RC building by Pauley & Priestley

 

[MrHershey]

I wouldn't rule out internships there. Market isn't strong enough right now for anybody to be willing to hire and train somebody they know has no future with them. And the benefits won't be that great. A lot of places the benefits won't kick in right away anyways. Where I currently am, you have up to a month before paid time off or insurance kicks in and a year until 401k kicks in. A lot of summer internships (or at least mine) paid nearly as well as full-time work, just without the benefits or PTO (that you won't get much to utilize much anyways).

 

[mclare88]

So consensus is: look for an internship!

I'm definitely not opposed to doing an internship, I'm just concerned about being able to meet living expenses and pay off part of a student loan while working as an intern. My last internship was in SF, so most of my money was going to rent and barely getting by. I'll be looking for internships that are near family, so I can hopefully mitigate that cost this time. The benefits are not as important right now; I'm still under 26, so I'm covered by my parents' health insurance. At the firms I've worked at, I've met some international students who were doing internships that were for longer periods of time (6-8 months), so I know that it's possible to do so.

Unfortunately, I don't have the money to take a 9 month vacation. I'm currently deciding between two PhD programs, one of which I'd be able to start much sooner (potentially in the spring with no break). The other one is overseas and would have a June start date at the earliest and October at the latest. Both of the advisors I'm looking at have a lot of connections to industry, so I can start there if necessary.

 

[Ron]

If you are looking at a PhD for academic pursuits in the US, stick with a US program. Too much hassle to determine equivalence in hiring.

If for professional resume padding, don't bother.

 

[fryed911]

Ron, what do you mean by "academic pursuits?" Plenty of engineering faculty completed PhDs outside of the U.S. That is not relevant though as the TS has stated that they plan on an industry career.

I don't see how a PhD overseas would cause any particular difficulty in determining "equivalence" in hiring in U.S. industry. Let's face it, the organizational structure of PhD programs within the U.S. often have nothing in common with each other. After completion of an M.S., acquiring a PhD in the U.S. can take anywhere from 3 to 6 additional years, for example.. quite a wide range..

I would expect that the committee in charge of hiring would place the most weight on the specific research that was done during the PhD. Publications would be important as well, and most journals are international if I'm not mistaken. The "professional resume padding" statement regarding doing a PhD overseas is presumptuous. The TS, like most who apply to PhD programs, is hopefully choosing the program based on specific research interests. Nothing in their posts suggests otherwise.