Is there more to engineering than this.? 35

[dhp78]

I graduated w/ my BSME, and have had 2 jobs since them.. But have been simmilar and quite unsatisfying.. Basicly, i have been sitting in front of a computer doing CAD design.. I have had 2 managers that had no degree, and one (current) that so belligerent that it is inpossible to converse with him...

My problem is this: I feel as if i am Stagnating. I expected to do more analytical work, and work in an envrionment where i would learn and develop skills.. This is not happening...

Am i expecting too much, or do i just keep getting myself in the wrong situation..

Here is a link to my resume, if that might offer any insight

http://www.geocities.com/dhp78us/Resume.html

 

JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE YOUNG AND ACTIVE AND PROBABLY FULL OF POTENTIAL THEY WANT YOU TO FOLLOW A PATH ALREADY ESTABLISHED... THE HECK WITH IT IF YOU GOT SOMETHING NEW TRY IT YOU'LL FEEL BETTER...MY ADVISE TO YOU IS TO FOLLOW YOUR INTUITION. TALK TO YOUR BOSS AND GET HIS JOB, AND KEEP MOVING UPWARD.. THAT WOULD BE THE ATTITUDE.

YOUNG ENGINEERS NEW VOICE NEW WAYS OF LIVING.

 

dhp78,
After reading your resume I see you're working for Cannon Industries. They'er a spin off of Joy Mfg? Over on River Road?

My advice would be to get out. There's opportunities in the upper valley. Fluent, Spectra, Creare... You get the idea.

 

[JamesBarlow]

hdp78,

My first job out of schoold was as an applications engineer. I was hoping to do more engineering work, as you described, but I spent most of my time on the phone. I hated the work and wanted to leave. This attitude came out every day until my boss made the decision for me. I also took this job because it was the first offer made to me. After several summers of painting houses for $15 an hour the offer I was made seemed like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

If you are in a bad situation you need to get out. It took me nearly 5 years to find the company I am with today, and you would have to offer me a lot of money to leave. Just the fact that I can wear jeans and sneakers to work every day is worth $10,000, at least.

My only advice to you is find something new. You already have a job, which takes a tremendous amount of pressure off you. You are also still young, (I am assuming you don't have kids, a mortgage and a 100 other bills to pay) so you won't have to be driven by money and benefits. You pretty much have everything you need to design your perfect life. Just take your time, decide on what you really want out of your career, and find it. If you are not tied down you could even move across the country if you wanted.

 

Hi dhp

I sympathise with you. but work is part of the learning process in many other ways.
EG: learning to meet tight deadlines, improving your people skills, keeping to a budget, and sometimes making others look good at the office.

You sound as though you're working in a production environment. Profit is King. There will be a lot of bosses who have worked their way up the hard route, through the school of hard knocks.

In my experience there are other places to work. You might try getting into research at a University or maybe into a Utility, salaries might be lower but there will be more emphasis on developing you as an individual.

Good luck

 

[jstanczyk]

My thoughts are these:

I am not currently, nor studying to be, an engineer. I'm just a CAD operator who has always worked in an engineering department. I have found that just about every Engineer that I've worked for is so wound up with numbers, formulas, and solutions, etc that the ability to have social interaction and/or to wind down and forget about work is gone.

I also pose this question: Do you think that any other particular profession - aside from lifeguard - has a truly satisfying, while completely enjoyable, day at the office? All bosses are a real pain to deal with - some because of personality, while others because they truly enjoy THEIR job and need to get the work done.

If you want that big paycheck, I guess that you need to make the sacrifices. Otherwise, life is what it is, and you make the most of it. THIS IS YOUR WORLD - I'M JUST A SQUIRREL TRYING TO GET A NUT.


(sunny, but cold) Thank you West Coast, look out East Coast because Chicago is ____________
today!!

 

[svanels]

jstanczyk, you took the words right out of my heart. I know engineers who only know how to comunicate with their formulas and computers, ever tried to pass a piano through a mailbox? Steven van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[Mavenius]

Well, this has given me great insight into where I want to go with my life. I am currently an intern at a major construction company and enjoy what I do, but I am curious as to where I want my 'real life' to go. This thread has really opened my eyes. Thank you all. _____________________________________________________

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
-Steve Prefontaine

 

[ivymike]

I used to be pretty bummed out about engineering work - the fun jobs didn't pay enough, and the well-paying jobs sucked butt. I've had the pleasure of building and installing engines in watercraft, then getting paid to test them (in a river) for hours on end. I've worked at a company where the machine shop, composites lab, wind tunnel, etc., were open for employees' use after hours, and where the company president would join us for 2 hours of raquetball after work every day. Currently I'm working in the first kind of job, but not at the aforementioned company. I like it enough to keep showing up, even though I don't make enough money to do lots of the other things I'd like to do (it's wierd though - my mom raised 3 kids by herself on 60% of what I earn, and somehow I'm having trouble doing the things I want to do w/ no dependants - maybe my sights are too high). At least I get to learn new things and muck about with some really BIG engines.

jstanczyk - you must work at a strange company, or with a bunch of designosaurs. I've rarely met engineers who didn't know how to have fun outside of work, excluding those in the "got great-grandchildren?" crowd (and I suspect that even they knew how to have fun, but refrained). Reminds me of a quote that I vaguely remember - "It's funny that 'mature wisdom' has the same symptoms as being too tired."

 

[haynewp]

Think your job sux, I was hired to be an engineer, now I do what little engineering it turns out we have, all the drafting, and I am also the receptionist.

 

Haha rokasaki, That was a great read... Apparently you understand to well... Thats funny

 

[JayMaechtlen]

Well
We can learn something from every boss and every job.
Sometimes we just learn some things to watch out for next time!

Remember, when dealing with disagreeable people, there are often ways to improve the situation.
There are books- "How to Win Friends and Influence People",
"Who Moved My Cheese?", "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", and many others!

What about consulting, or creating some form of business?
Engineering is a great background, and designing/testing things can be great fun- but can also be a springboard for the "next thing" on our lives...

Cheers
Jay
jmaechtl@quixnet.net

 

[yesway]

After spending a well worth late night hour I wish to thank everyone for a well balanced mix of experience! I dont have much to contribute with here, except a thought that struck me.
Some 5 or 10 years ago this discussion would never has taken place about the exclusive and desirable work as "highly respected engineer". I live in Sweden, perhaps things are slightly different here, but the thoughts of "Is this my life? I want to do more!" is a quite new phenomenon here. As sad as it may be to feel like that (I am one who sometimes do that) I must say that this (today) is a sign of society having made progress. It means that people have the freedom to think about choices and personal development/satisfaction, and not only the paycheck and the food next day.
After all the hammering from media it is easy to wish to become managing supervising director of future research, but reality always goes towards yesterdays high tech jobs being simplified by new tools, thus more routine based. I think I agree with some of the above, that the spice in life comes from elsewhere, and that the inner world is bigger than the outside one. Often there is more space to change things than one may feel, and which can make that routine job feel different, and eventually bring new visions, beginning with "what do I want to do?". Of course one should be a little cautious and take care of what one has, before risking it for something unknown.
Well, I am not sure it came out as I thought it. For sure I don´t mean to disrespect anyone. The best to all of us!

 

[aarti]

Hi,
Im working in a detail engg company in India.though i have worked on hysys, htri etc ( in bid jibs & feed verification basically) i was wondering if i can get a job overseas i mean usa, uk, australia etc.....Im an Indian national with 2 yrs exp...........please advise me.........im feeling stagnated past months.....im the highest paid employee at my level & am given plum jobs in the company to do. but even then im feeling tied & restless.am i expecting too much too soon? or there are further avenues?

please advice & guide me.

thanx

 

[JayMaechtlen]

aarti
Sounds like you are doing well, for two years out of school.
I'm not sure this is the best time to be looking for work as an engineer in the US.
Do some more investigating, see what additional credentials or certifications you can get THAT WILL TRANSFER TO THE US or other countries you might want to work in...
Take some time to figure out if you want to be an employee, or a consultant, or what... That will help you plan your career path!
By the way- congratulations on considering this early in your career...
Jay



Jay Maechtlen

 

[corgum]

Some random thoughts:

It has always been a mystery to me why companies hire degreed engineers to do draftsman work at a CAD terminal. Some like it and find the geometry and design/tooling coordination job to be very rewarding; but I’ve seen many excellent engineers become disillusioned and quit because there often isn't much challenge there.

I have never been asked by my employer to use any math beyond high school geometry, despite having years of advanced mathematical coursework and being involved in numerous new product launches; and I am only vaguely aware of anyone who has used more math than that in a product company setting.

Most engineering work seems to be based on applying handbook or code information, or on becoming fluent with a canned software package. Analytical engineering exists mostly in universities and research labs.

 

[GregLocock]

I disagree about maths, based on my personal experience. For many years I did noise and vibration work, which required absolute confidence with Fourier analysis, and a reasonable facility with ordinary and partial differential equations.

Now I find myself doing vehicle dynamics work, so at the grand old age of 43 I have to crack open my textbook and learn about Hamiltonians.

As to why companies want grads to run their CAD tubes, (a) they don't cost any more than experienced tube jockeys, (b) they may/should be able to analyse the part at a greater depth than a draftie.

The best design job I ever had was when I was doing the preliminary solid modelling and analysis work on the assembly, then I threw it over the fence to our drafties who would detail it and make the final drawings.



Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[corgum]

Yes, GregLocock has mentioned one area where math gets used in a production environment. I was remiss to not remember it. Dynamics work is quite interesting.

In my company, an effort is made to hire engineering technology majors (2-year diploma) for drafting work; but in a crunch a lot of the 4-year engineers get reassigned to drafting. A lttle drafting is good experience, but it all depends on the person whether it's his cup of tea.

 

[leanne]

If you are using a modeling tool like Pro/E or Solidworks & able to do some worst case analysis, working in drafting ain't too bad...BTDT...

Last Octogre when I got laid off, I'd have been thrilled to take a drafting position...Way better than substitute teaching...Yech...

 

[NRaaum]

Interesting thread....I'm a Junior in ME and I too am having similar thoughts to dhp78 about my first engineering job. I'm a Co-op at a small power company that is in charge of vibration analysis for Predictive Maintenance. Ths job in itself is not pure engineering per say but I do get to tag along with other engineers and am developing a good idea of what these positions involve. I think like dhp78, I was expecting analytical R&D work which I now realize is rare and highly competitive. I think melone had it right that these normal positions are what makes our world (or economy) work. I also agree that we should work to live. This puts me at a turning point, do I work a somewhat depressing job 40hrs a week to pay for a weekend/night life with a family, pursue a R&D career that may effectively consume the majority of my life, or seek some other compromise(most likely)? As a soon to be engineer I would love to hear more stories/suggestions on career/life paths.

 

[Lorentz]

Are you still out there dhp78?

It will be two years this month since this thread was started, and I am curious about how things have worked out for you.