Keep career on track 2

[huskybuilder]

I've recently (2 months ago) made a very rash career choice that I'm regretting. I left my job at a consultant close to home, where I had established friends and family and took a job in the public sector 1300 miles away. Deep down, I had a feeling the job wouldn't best use my skill set, but the attractive benefits, tough financial times at the previous employer, and opportunity for travel were all attractive to me. I left my old employer on good terms with the offer to return down the line. I don't think they would take me back at this time due to their financial situation.

So I struggle every day to keep my sanity in this new city with no friends in a job I now realize I should have never taken. My options as I see them are tough it out indefinitely and try to make myself happy, or cut and run, moving in with a friend or parents back home, in a rural area with very few other opportunities in my field. Also, if I decide to look for a position back in the private sector, I have to notify my current employer to mitigate any potential conflict of interest, which is basically a deadly blow to my credibility here. The choice seems obvious but I have never been so unhappy in my life.

I'm 24, so I would like to be able to chalk it up as a lesson learned, but at the same time two wrongs don't make a right. Thoughts?

 

[flash3780]

I say tough it out where you are for a while, but look for another job. I can't see the "conflict of interest" bit holding any water unless you have direct dealings through your employer with the company who offers you work.

I worked for the government for a bit and I found it to be utterly useless to my skillset as an engineer. Maybe it's different elsewhere, but in my mind the government is where engineers go to die.

Whatever you do, a paycheck is better than the alternative. Don't quit your current job without another one lined up.

 

[MadMango]

I say get out of your shell! You're 24, the world is your oyster, yadda, yadda, yadda. Are the benefits, and travel opportunities still there at the new place? 2 months is too short in my opinion to decide if a new city is good or bad (unless there are dead people/vagrants on your doorstep every morning), at this stage it is just different than what you were used to.

A bigger concern would be keeping sharp the skill set that the new place won't utilize, but that doesn't seem to be your main focus, though it was the title of your post.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of these Forums?

 

[KENAT]

Sometimes for some reason we find our selves doing a job we don't enjoy etc.

To some extent that's why it's called 'work', not 'happy fun time'.

Certainly running back to Mommy wouldn't enhance my perception of you, though of course I don't know just how rough things are etc.

Seeing something like that on a resume I was looking at would give me second thoughts about proposing you for hiring, though you'd probably be able to hide it quite easily.

I'd suggest toughing it out while you look for alternate work. Now you may be contractually/ethically/legally obliged to tell your new employer that you're looking for private sector work (though I'm not 100% sure from what little you say) once you get to the interview stage or something, maybe even submitting resumes but I don't see how they can stop you from reading the jobs section of the newspaper etc. I'd look to get clarification on what exactly the rules are, and if they're legally enforceable etc.

One fairly short term job on a resume isn't too bad, unless perhaps it's the latest one, a string of them starts to smell like a job hopper though which is often viewed negatively (unless it's clear it was contract work or similar). Many folks prefer hiring already employed folks rather than the unemployed, or certainly long term unemployed, so keep that in mind.

Oh, and while I'm hesitant to bring it up because I'm more of the 'pull you socks up and get on with it' camp and think we in the Western World are a bit too quick to pop pills like candy just because we don't slide into work on a giant rainbow every day, you may want to consult a physician to make sure there's no medical reason for you misery.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

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

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

 

[tygerdawg]

Of course, being 24, one wants to fully use all those skills learned in school. And if not fully utilizing, then it's a perceived need to jump off a bridge. Not really. The world hasn't ended, you've got 40 years of active employment in front of you. There's plenty of time to make mistakes, and to recover from them gracefully.

Working in a public sector gig will gain you some insight into the workings of a bureacracy that could very well prove to be very useful later on. It would probably also teach a lot of much needed patience, diplomacy, office skills, etc. Take it as a painful but useful 18 month or longer assignment on the career progression path. Character building is rarely fun and never easy.

And like the old adage goes: "if you're bored, then it's probably because you're BORING ." Get out and circulate, develop new interests, make new friends. You may be surprised at what happens.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[SLTA]

It totally sucks being in a new town with no friends, especially if you're going from small town to big city. Have you tried forcing yourself to get involved? My town has a young professionals group that is great for meeting folks of my age and mindset. Try your local ASCE group, find a church/whatever, join a hiking/biking/skiing/whatever club. I found that getting out instead of sitting and stewing on a crappy situation really helps. And believe me, it takes about a year to feel like you "belong" in a new town, so I'd recommend sticking it out. Good luck.

 

[huskybuilder]

One of the problems I'm having is that it's a rotational program where I move around every year, so about the time I get settled somewhere, I move again. That's really hard for building a social circle. And with the work not being what I expected, or maybe hoped, it seems pointless to me.

How would a 2 year job out of college, and then 1 year at the next job look to potential employers?

 

[csd72]

Huskybuilder,

On the work front - dont stress!. I have had eight jobs in 13 years and have been involved in some very specialist fringe industries such as telecommunications, gas, signs... I have never had a problem picking up a new job. Focus on the new skills that you will be developing there and develop them to the fullest. Too many engineers think of engineering as just crunching nuumbers but the soft skills are often even more important.

On the personal front - join a club. I am am living in my fifth major town/city and my third country. One of the first things I do is join the local climbing club - what is your passion?

Also I would recommend getting skype, some of my best friends live a 24 hour flight away!

The world is your oyster, you just have to grab it with both hands!

 

[B16A2]

If you're a civil engineer, use the time to learn as much about the government side as possible. ie, the red tape, make connections, etc.

I dont see what the big deal is about the 1 year rotation since youve only been there 3 months. I mean, you havent even rotated yet!

 

[dvd]

Huskybuilder,

Your previous posts suggest that you might be a little manic: working lots of hours; taking on lots of responsibilities; not knowing exactly where/when to stop. You may have liked school so much because it coincided with your highs and lows. You talk about having to switch locations every year as a reason not to do something, but you're only two months into your first stint.

I recommend that 1.) you stay in your new surroundings 2.) you learn to enjoy your job with its inability to feed your need for extreme stimulation 3.) you talk to someone about how you treat yourself 4.) you find some interests outside of work, but do not over do it.

 

[SWmechE]

Huskybuilder,

As others have suggested I would recommend joining a club In a lot of the major Canadian cities there is a "Sport and Social Club" that has tons of different sports available any night of the week and for pretty much any skill level, often with "singles" teams highlighted for people in your situation. These often put an emphasis on playing for fun and socializing after the games.

I know when I moved for my first job this was a great way to meet people. It seems like almost all of my friends at work did this too whenever they moved here.

 

[racookpe1978]

Square dancing? Polka's and country dancing - I've been told - actually involved "contacting" nearby humans of the female persuasion. 8<0

Nothing wrong - and much "right" about simple working with your local church. Let people there know you're single. Reliable. Honest. Have a job. Like people. ......

No church interest? Kiwanis Clubs? Lions clubs? Rotary Club - or Canadian equal?

 

[lacajun]

Get involved locally.

Get ready for change because that is a large part of life. Even your old surroundings, i.e., job, friends, interests, etc. will change and will with or without you. People come and go as their lives change. Same with jobs. Hopefully your own life will change, too, as you mature. As someone else noted, you have 40 years to go in the workplace. You may not even do engineering those 40 years. You'll look back when you're 40 and wonder what the angst was about.

 

[ysm]

If you made friends at your first job then you can do so here too. See if anyone there has interesting work and offer to help. Stay busy with office work or with personal projects. This is the best time for you to perform well and do something more than expected. A little appreciation from your bosses and management will turn things around. You will feel like you do have an interesting job.

 

[EQguys]

Huskybuilder:

When I moved after Graduate school, I was in a similar position like you are right now. Fortunately for me, I found clubs and activities associated with my hobbies viz. running and photography. I met people in these clubs who have introduced me to other outdoor activities around this area. They also recommended meetup.com which is like a online forum to find people in your area who are associated with these clubs. I highly recommend it.

 

[controlsdude]

When I look back on all the jobs I have had over the years some were stressful and more anxious about those, but I always learned something in each one. If I was in a new place need to find something you like to do, sitting in your home with no friends is making it no fun. Use that internet to stay in touch back home.

I would stick it out for a few more months, I think if i was in your shoes, being 24 in new surroundings would make me anxious. I think if you communicated more to the homefront some of those feelings would subside. But get out more make friends would be a good thing.

 

[LaxeyTom]

I did what you have done, but the other way round - I left government for the private sector, and felt like that after 2 months. 2.5 years later and still going, the things that bothered me haven't gone away, but you are forced to re-evaluate what you want from work, and make something out of what's in front of you. If there was something that you wanted from the new role, make sure you accomplish that (which I doubt you can in 2 months). After a while the options will become clearer. Good Luck.

 

[huskybuilder]

Well, I'd like to follow up on this post. I've been offered a graduate research assistant position for my Master's study in an adjacent state to where I grew up, about 6 hours from home. My undergrad degree is in Civil Engineering and this would be a masters in Hydraulics. I get tuition paid for, a stipend, and health insurance. Does anybody have any advice on this move? I had applied to grad schools before the job this OP refers to came up and hadn't heard about any funding by Feb and figured nothing would come through. Here's what I know that I would use to focus my grad school study:

1. I want a job that allows me to get outside regularly, but doesn't necessarily involve construction contract administration or inspection.
2. I enjoyed my water resources classes the most in undergrad, specifically open channel hydraulics.
3. I would also like to be able to do computer modeling, GIS work, and CAD design in my future job.
4. I would like to find a job in either the private sector or the government after I would complete the degree. I don't want to enter academia, but depending on how much I like research, I may consider that path.
5. The work I have absolutely enjoyed the most at my jobs is processing data in spreadsheets or databases and interfacing with GIS software, as well as working in CAD.
6. I would like to minimize permitting work, and definitely don't want a job in water policy.

With this information being stated, what would you guys recommend I do? If I don't attend grad school, I would be looking for a job next winter back closer to home, probably in highway design, as I think that would be the transition I would be most qualified for. This would be a very risky move trying to get back into the private sector with the economy the way it is. I realize that but feel extremely lost right now.

 

[jmw]

I cannot recommend, only comment.
New employees should not expect to see the jobs they do in the first two months or so as representing their life's work.
This is the sort of time frame during which you should be learning about the job and showing what you are capable of and for the employer, it is a time of appraisal. It is also a period in which all the deadly boring repetitive scutt work gets dumped on the new person.
Be sure you know if this is the case here or not. If everyone around you is doing exactly the same then it may well be that it is the shape of your future there for as long as it lasts.

Ditto, new city.
As you become acclimatised and start to develop your working relationships and friends outside of work, you will have a better idea of things.
Hope for the best and plan for the worst.
So by all means be looking for other opportunities. But be sure that what you choose to do, you do for the right reasons.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[macmet]

In terms of the COI you were concerned about... I was under the impression that something like that only applies within a reasonable geographical range. So, perhaps there is no conflict of interest in your case (i.e. 1300 miles away). If it was me, I'd probably start looking and if I found something I'd quit saying it was for personal reasons. I'm sure most people would understand that.

Those are my thoughts. Not sure if it was mentioned earlier. I apologize if it was.

Good luck