Just Graduated college and lost 4

[DenRud]

Hello everyone,
I'm new here and thought this would be an excellent place to get advice on my current situation. I have just graduated in December with a BS in Electrical Engineering at the University at Buffalo and am honestly very lost on what path I want to take with my degree. My problem is I have never had any work experience which hurts my current chances of finding a job now. I have been on a few interviews since I graduated, but with no luck and sometimes even question if I would be able to perform my job duties.
I am currently looking into volunteer programs for engineers that will help me gain some experience while traveling to other countries. If anyone here has been in a similar situation or knows of a program that would help me I would really appreciate your input.

 

[IRstuff]

There's a fascinating book called "He's just not into you." which, while addressing male/female relationships, perhaps will provide some insight here. The book basically says that many excuses for not calling a girl are essentially indications that the guy is simply "not into" the girl.

Your job experience, while a negative factor, should not really be a hindrance. You're a new grad, job experience is an icing, and not the cake. Your own doubts suggest that perhaps you are "not into" EE. Most interviewers can sense your enthusiam or lack thereof during the interview.

I suggest that you review what you really want to do with your life. Does the prospect of spending the next 40 yrs doing EE give you thrills? Does the prospect of designing a new circuit make you leap out of bed in the morning? Can you picture yourself pulling all-nighters working on a circuit design or building or test it? Your investigation of travel opportunities suggest that your interests lie elsewhere than EE, at least in the office setting.

If the answers are "no;" so be it. It's then just question determing what you really want and what makes you tick.

I had a freshman roommate that wanted to be a physics major. 3rd quarter, when he had to declare, he declared for English Lit; this, at a hard-core engineering school. He eventually wound up doing Peace Corps work in Africa.

TTFN

 

[lostsailor]

DenRud,
I was in your shoes nearly 20 years ago and wish I had it to do over again. I'm not sure what I would be doing today but it probably wouldn't be engineering. I consider myself fortunate in being able to provide for my family in a career that I don't dislike. How's that for enthusiasm? IR's suggestion of the Peace Corps is a good one, I know a few people that went that route and it did a lot for them. You need to decide if you are going to live to work or work to live. I wish you luck in your career path.
Regards,
RLS

 

[plasgears]

Many years ago I was conferring with a fellow ME grad, and he confessed a hesitance to enter aero-weapons, where the jobs were.

I recommended considering bio-eng, but they didn't call it that at the time. He went on to med school. I was not at liberty to make decisions like that because I was committed to Corps of Engr obligations.

Would you like to see yourself developing diagnostic machines for the medical field? That would be a more lofty goal than aero-weapons in my view. Use those words, and you will get the attention of HR in that industry.

 

[TheBlacksmith]

To some degree, a degree just means you have "learned how to learn". I have a BS in Wood Products Engineering, but after 30 years of "work experience", I am the lead for a new medium voltage (15 kV) generator design, sort of stradling the line between a mechanical engineer and an electrical engineer. If you do what you want, you'll be a lot better at it, do a better job and get more satisfaction.

Blacksmith

 

[Maury]

Not having work experience has to make it hard to decide which direction to take. You'll have plenty of time to alter your career path if the first direction doesn't seem right. Just be reasonable about your expectations. Every day isn't going to be full of excitement and challenge. You have to try something, even if it turns out to be wrong. Sitting on the sidelines hoping for a flash of insight won't do you any good.

 

[DenRud]

First off let me reply by saying thank you to all for your valuable posts. IRStuff I will certainly look into this book that you spoke of and will let you know how I feel about it. The Peace Core is definitely the direction that I was leaning toward and I have already applied 2 weeks ago. My only problem is that they really don't offer any EE volunteering work. Mostly teaching and IT related programs. As for the question on whether I like Electrical Engineering or not...I have been asking myself that very same question for quite sometime now. Although I love the idea of working on cutting edge technologies and developing new intruments I must admit that at time I wish I went into a different field of engineering like structural or aerospace. Perhaps my hesitations and anxieties stem from the fact that I never worked as an EE therefore I do not know what to expect. Anyway I do appreciate all of your posts and I thank you

 

[PSE]

Here is another organization you could consider. Engineers without borders.

http://www.ewb-usa.org/

I will echo the others in that lack of experience should not be a great factor in your employability as a recent graduate. Grades are likely to have greater weight at this time. You should also think about what your ideal type of work would be and look at companies that may offer those opportunities. EE's like ME's have a considerable range in which they can find work. Think about what you truly want, and then be persistent in going after it.

Regards,

 

[EngJW]

Hello DenRud

I graduated from UB in 1975. The semester before me the guys were all getting great offers and the salaries were up to $12,000, can you believe it? When it came my turn we were hit with a recession. I finally did get a job in Buffalo even though I was open to living anywhere. I really think the company wanted a beginner, because they payed much less and an experienced engineer would not have put up with their crap.

I must say though that it was valuable practical experience, and future jobs were much better.

Good luck

 

[MadMango]

As a fresh graduate, I don't think an employer would except much in the way of work experience from you. What I would look for would be to see if you had the aptitude and capability to do what you were trained for, and to see if you are "trainable". I'd see what hobbies you had, what your interests were and how they tie-in to your degree.

We just hired a December grad (ME), with zero work expereince. But he loved riding dirt bikes and rebuilding engines which showed he had the aptitude to do what we required of him. He was able to explain how to trouble shoot a mechanical problem we presented him with, and was able to work a few simple problems out on paper using free body diagrams.

What really go him the position was his confidence level. He knew he didn't have any work expereince, but was able to express to us his desire to learn and grow.

[green]"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."[/green]
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[IRstuff]

You seem to be suffering partly from "fear of the unknown" syndrome. This is typical and common. The same situation must have existed prior to college and you obviously survived.

The book I referred to was written for women who don't have a good enough schlock detector.

Anyway, since you've invested the time and money into this field and you are necessarily averse to working in it, I'd recommend spending at least a couple of years to find out whether it's what you really want. If nothing else, if you live frugally, you'll save enough money to go back to school for a different degree.

TTFN

 

[MikeHalloran]

Did you by chance use the Career Lab while you were in school? What did they say about your aptitude?

My son was pretty torqued that the CL said he should be a lawyer, because he wanted to be an engineer, or run an airline. So he got a history degree, decided he hated teaching, and eventually, went to law school. He loved it, and he's doing well now, a few years into it. We should have seen it; since he could talk, that kid would rather argue than eat; who else would you want for a lawyer?

So, what would you rather do, than eat? That's your career.



Mike Halloran
NOT speaking for
DeAngelo Marine Exhaust Inc.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

 

[HVAC68]

We all started without any experience and gained some as years went past. You are no different. Mu suggestion would be

(1) Identify your goals - both short term and long term. Put these things in a piece of paper, review it and arrive at something that you would be happy doing. Believe me - it would be great to enjoy your work and yet, get paid for it!!!

(2) Once you identify your goals, do a little bit of study/research on the industries which offer you employment in your chosen area.

(3) Develop self-confidence, you need lots of that to succeed.

Good luck.

HVAC68

 

[matthewj]

When looking for a job keep, in mind that you are probably applying for entry-level positions that are supposed to be filled by engineering grads with little or no professional engineering experience. Don't let the no-experience thing discourage you or get you down. If you are not getting hits on your resume, it could be for a lot of reasons, including the market conditions where you are applying, not just a lack of prior professional experience.

Another thing to keep in mind is that job titles are very transparent these days. Just because a person is hired to do EE, for example, doesn't mean they will necessarily be doing "hard engineering". A lot of the previous posts have made a great point, engineering schlool is just teaching you how to think analytically, among other things, it is not teaching you how to be an engineer. The point is don't fall into the job title/description trap.

On a more fundamental note, what do you want to do? Don't think about it in terms of discrete duties (we as engineers tend to do that), but rather, more abstractly, do you want to help people in foreign countries, design rockets, or maybe some sort of marketing. Joining a volunteer-based organization is an excellent idea, and although the pay isn't good, the experiences are invaluable and I don't know of many people that money has truly made happy.

Best of luck!

 

[DenRud]

Although experience is not the number thing that employers look for to fill entry level positions, I would think that it does separated one person from another. It is true that when it comes to doing a job involving my field of study, my confidence level is not as high as it should be. I am sure that this may come out during interviews and affects my chances of getting the job, but it is very hard to gain confidence in something that I have no experience in doing yet. It seems like a "catch 22" situation. I do want to work for a large defense contractor, such as Lockheed or Northrup. I was on an interview with Lockheed Martin a month ago for a space systems position (pretty close to my dream job), but for some reason did not get an offer. I believe I annoyed their HR Rep. after many phone calls and emails but how else can I get their attention when they recieve thousands of applicants per week? I feel that a volunteering position would definitely give me that edge and confidence that I need in order to get a job that I would really be excited for. If any of you have done volunteer work I would love to hear some stories about your experiences and how it helped on your career path. Once again I would like to thank all of you for your posts

 

[MikeHalloran]

Sometimes you can find out what you'd like to know by the stealthy tactic of .. asking.

If you spoke with an HR weenie at L-M, even onsite, that's not an interview, that's a deflection.

If you spoke with an actual Decision Maker, call up that person and just flat ask why you didn't get an offer. Be nice, but don't phrase it so politely that the message gets lost.

Be sure to listen carefully to the response. Write it down immediately, verbatim, so that you may understand it better, later.

If the reason turns out to be something you can fix, fix it. If it's something you can't fix, deal with it.



Mike Halloran
NOT speaking for
DeAngelo Marine Exhaust Inc.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

 

[DenRud]

good advice and weenie is exactly how I would phrase it.

 

[EddyC]

Many folks feel a bit burned out as they near the end of their college education and are entering the job market. I don't think that this is unusual considering how demanding the engineering curriculum is. It certainly applied to me and I managed to rebound and have been doing engineering since then (Class of 1984). Engineering is such a large field that it can become very difficult to figure out what area to focus on, even within a discipline. Few engineers have a broad grasp of the profession due to the numerous industries that exist. I've ended up working for companies and in industries that I didn't know even existed prior to my employment with them. I think its the same with many other engineers. Don't worry about not getting an instant job offer and don't dwell on why. Some folks just take a little longer to find a job than others. You are now part of a profession that does more for the world than any other. Take pride in that and look forward to the chance to make your own personal mark on the profession. Engineering isn't about fame or celebrity, its about personal satisfaction in one's work. Even if society never even notices.

 

[JayMaechtlen]

Normally, there is on-campus recruiting in springtime.
Many companies are looking for newbies who are ready to continue learning. They know that a lot of new grads don't have job experience.
I the meantime, ANY job gives you some kind of experience.
Never held a job? Prove you can show up regularly at the local fast-food joint?
People skills? go sell cars or stereos for a bit, while you are searching.
Don't feel bad about your situation- You are aware enough to ask questions and search for answers- congratulations!
Regards
Jay


Jay Maechtlen

 

[MTPipeliner]

DenRud,

I graduated about 2 years ago, with a Civil/Structural degree. While in school it seemed that just about everyone, myself included, went through a "funk" and didn't know if they wanted to do engineering for the rest of their life, But by the time you're 3+ years into a degree there isn't really a good option out.

Even though I went to school for structural engineering I work for a pipeline company now. I'd encourage you to look outside of the "traditonal" job that can be obtained with your degree, if the prospect of working as a "traditional" EE doesn't thrill you. There are several industuries that are specialized enough that no degree fits them exactly, so they are willing to hire engineers from different backgrounds and train them to work in that particular industry.

There are all kinds of options for where to work and in what kind of job.

Pat