Is my current job right for where I want to go? 4

[samtheman]

I just graduated in May from the University of Nevada, Reno with a BS in Electrical Engineering, and have been working for a little over a year with a sub-construction firm as an assistant designer in order to learn AutoCAD. To make it clear, I perform computer assisted drafting to support the technical services of the Company. I use AutoCAD 2006 to generate various design/build construction drawings consisting of lighting, power distribution, fire alarm systems, renderings, report graphics and other digital images while using additional software systems to enter the required data for calculating loads, faults, photometric layouts, and sizing for wire and conduit.

So now, my AutoCAD seems well honed, I just passed the EIT, and now I want to pursue my PE. The sub-construction firm I work at doesn't have any PEs, let alone engineers....just my boss, a designer with tons of experience in the field and related work. I'm looking to get a job with an engineering firm so I can pursue my PE and use my degree to its full potential. All the engineering firms I've found require at least 2, if not 5 years experience along with CAD experience. I'm getting peanuts for pay at the moment, but figure I have to make the sacrifice in order to reach my goal.

Nevada just passed a new statute that allows people to take the PE exam once they have passed the EIT exam. However, this doesn't make the person a PE until they have completed 4 years of training under a licensed engineer. So my next step is to take the PE in October of this year, and get it done with.

The questions I have are:

1.) Is my current job right for the type of experience the potential employers are looking for or am I just wasting my time?

2.) Have I made the right choices and what else can I do to increase my chances of getting hired by an engineering firm?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
-Sam

 

[GregLocock]

Good time to ask. Check some of the other threads here on how to get your 4 years of mentored experience rolling, it doesn't necessarily involve working directly for a PE.

The rule of thumb is to ask yourself are you gaining experience as an engineer, or as a CAD operator? If the latter then you need to get out of Dodge.





Cheers

Greg Locock

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

 

[sms]

Get out of dodge. If you are looking for a PE, you won't get it where you are at, and you are not doing engineering, you are a cad operator with a EE degree. You also don't have to go to work for a engineering firm. I know PE's at Nevada Power, there are tons of PE's in the Nevada government, Go down to Minden and apply with Bently Nevada, I know a bunch of PE's there.

Oh and by the way, never take those experience requirements in ads too seriously. Apply anyway, you'll be suprised how often you'll be considered even without the exact requirements in the ad.

 

[IRstuff]

AutoCad is really unimportant relative to your CV for the purposes of PE experience. As a PE, you'd farm out these things to other people.

TTFN

 

[GregLocock]

Yes, but you can gain useful experience as an engineer while running AutoCAD. I certainly wish that more of our design engineers had spent enough time on a CAD tube to actually design a part from sketch to production.

Admittedly, the only times I've been designing stuff on the tube I've spent much more time calculating and sketching and so on than actually building the model.



Cheers

Greg Locock

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

 

[HgTX]

AutoCAD isn't unimportant; it's just unimportant for licensure. Likewise inspection, lab tech work, and many other areas that are great education for an engineer but not considered to be engineering.

Hg

Eng-Tips guidelines: faq731-376

 

[EngJW]

Autocad is not the end. Like Solidworks, it is just a tool and you can learn it on your own. You don't want to be just a computer jockey, although it sounds like you have picked up some good experience. You should make a move now while you are able and find somethng more in line with your education.

 

[weh3]

I have been able to improve productivity in my office by helping the designers with subtleties of AutoCAD that they did not know.

WEH, PE

 

[sms]

Oh, and if you are "getting peanuts for pay" I'd have to ask why? What exactly does that mean? Salary.com says that the median salary for a EE 1 in the Reno area is $56000. Not peanuts IMHO. That is about what we are paying new EE's as well.....

 

[samtheman]

Thanks for the input...It definitely helps when coming from engineers. I guess I have to explain the situation a bit more. Every firm that does the line of work that I want to get involved with (power) wants a few years experience and usually a good dose of CAD. You are right SMS, I feel like a CAD operator with an EE degree right now. I work in a sub-construction firm and I'm the youngest guy here. Not only that, but I'm the only guy with an engineering degree. The guys I work with pretty much build what engineering firms design, and sometimes the company does design/builds while having a city engineer stamp the plans. Most, if not all of the guys I work with, have negative attitudes towards engineers. I'm sure you've all heard it before such as, "Engineers think they know everything, but they've never been out in the field and seen what is actually going on." Or "Engineers only know theory and fundamentals...not common sense." I hate hearing this. As for pay...$50,000 would be 3 times more than what I'm making right now. If I was working with a firm I would probably be getting close to that type of salary. It's just frustrating...but then again, I'm not working with engineers that understand what I'm going though I guess. I'm not about to get in a pissing match with my boss....I just keep to myself when it comes to egos.

All in all, my current position is the best thing I have right now to get my foot in that door. If all these firms are looking for experience....well this is the best I can get next to working for a firm with licensed engineers right?

 

[CRG]

I would recommend keeping the current job until you start to level out on the learning curve. Do not stay there any longer than necessary, and from your comments, it sounds like it time to move on. My personal experience with consulting engineering firms is that the new engineers get the drafters and designers with the least experience. The most senior engineers have the most experienced drafters and designers working on their project. Typically, it is tough because there are no required engineering classes to set standards in communication using drawings as a medium. Often, you will get a drafter who is an ACAD jockey right out of school when you start to work for a consulting engineering firm.

Now with drafting experience in you field of engingeering, if you enter the engineering work force and are given a new drafter right out of the local ACAD academy, you will be much more comfortable. For myself, on my first few projects I had to do the engineering, communicate to the drafter/designer what I wanted, review the drawings for compliance with the firms drafting standards, and finally try to ensure that the drawing communicated the design efficiently and without confusion. In my opinion, drafting experience with document control is much more important than knowing all of the short-cut commands for ACAD. One year should plenty for an “on the job” introduction to design and drafting.

 

[DanDel]

samtheman, $50k is 3x what you make? And you are an EE and passed the FE test? I would expect that you must be able to find work for a real engineering firm for more than that, even if you just do CAD there.