AgeXVII
Electrical
- May 8, 2012
- 88
So here is my predicament... I recently graduated in December 2011 and got hired at an Electrical Contracting business and it is a small business which I do not mind but they hired me as a project manager. Again not a big deal because they said they really wanted another EE on staff (there is only one other guy here that is a EE) so they could try to bid and take on more SCADA/PLC projects. I really like the engineering side of the job when I get to program PLC's and do wiring diagrams etc., but there has been basically zero training. If I have questions the other EE, who was here as an electrician for 7 or 8 years before getting his degree, says "that is what I need to figure out" or "you are the man for the job" instead of actually trying to help me figure out what I am doing. They did hand me a "student guide to estimating handbook" and said go for it and read that in my spare time to help figure out some of the ropes but I am finding that I could almost care less about the pre-bid meetings and estimating stuff.
I have been applying for other more design oriented jobs and even some software engineering positions but I am looking for some advice on A) what is a good way to go about asking for time off to go to an interview if one arises? (Another company contacted me to talk about a job and then called my references as well.) B) Is it true most engineering jobs are heading more toward project managers anyway and a better move would be to try to stick it out and learn what I can?
I do get some chances to use my engineering skills that I went to school for, but like I said making an excel spread sheet and trying to get suppliers to give me updated prices to come up with a bid just isn't my cup of tea...
I have been applying for other more design oriented jobs and even some software engineering positions but I am looking for some advice on A) what is a good way to go about asking for time off to go to an interview if one arises? (Another company contacted me to talk about a job and then called my references as well.) B) Is it true most engineering jobs are heading more toward project managers anyway and a better move would be to try to stick it out and learn what I can?
I do get some chances to use my engineering skills that I went to school for, but like I said making an excel spread sheet and trying to get suppliers to give me updated prices to come up with a bid just isn't my cup of tea...
thanks for the information I will look more into it. I found a few companies before I took this job I am at who were looking for "entry level embedded systems/software engineers" but when I applied and even interviewed for a few of them they had decided they wanted to hire someone who didn't require any training and was ready to be put into the fish tank to help code. They ended up not hiring anyone and reposted the job advertisement as "3-5 yrs experience in this or closely related field." 
