Leaving the first job and dramatic life decisions 4

[phalkor]

I am currently working at a small consulting firm. I accepted the job offer in February, graduated with my BSCE in May, started working in June, and turned 22 in August.

The work was slow, but interesting at first. Then, in late July I started being mentored in performing soil-structure analysis. I started enjoying work a bit more, learned a massive array of excel and FE modeling skills, but then something terrible happened. The mentor quit (premeditated before i even started working) leaving me as the only person on a fairly complicated analysis with which I have little or no expertise.

Since then I have been faithfully trudging along, but am without guidance, and much less productive. I feel trapped in this project, and engineering in general. I feel sick of the work week, and the unreasonable expectation for me to finish this project on my own.

I think i may have too hastily entered into a full-time position. I feel that I am immature to commit to this type of work and the hours (45+ a week) it demands. The pay in excellent. However, the thought of continuing like this depresses me to no end.

Skiing is my true passion, engineering my major. I have been a ski instructor for the past 5 seasons. I have sought and found several instructor positions for the winter. However this would mean quitting my job. (Of course after i have this project somewhat wrapped up). This also means accepting a near-poverty level of income. (which I am ok with).

I guess I'm looking to vent a bit, after staring at a goddamned spreadsheet all day. I want to know two things.

How do you decide if you are truly unhappy with your job/life and it is time to leave?

Also, should I ever want to be an engineer again, perhaps pursue an PE (have my EIT) will I be able to? How badly would leaving for 2+ years of exploring and soul searching as a skier and/or national park employee damage my ability to return to engineering?

Is there any hope?

 

[HgTX]

phalkor, you sound more mature and introspective than most college kids I've run into lately.

Hg

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[EngAP]

Not everyone has the luxury of a mentor at all. Read relevant texts, network etc. If you put the effort in it is not that hard to work out how to do it on your own, it just seems like it to start with. Then all of a sudden you are no longer scared about it and get a sense of achievement that you have achieved something yourself.

It sounds like a perfect opportunity to learn very quickly. There might be a very steep learning curve but think how much more you will know and the responsibility you will have in a few months compared to if you were doing a meaningless graduate project in a large company.

I agree with all of the above who say that hobbies are exactly that. You could take the safe option and go into skiing put what would you achieve in a year or two doing that?

 

[Twoballcane]

I'm sorry brother, but I think you have to suck it up and plow thru the job. In engineering when you go from project to project, job to job, company to company, and promotion to promotion, you will always have these feelings of uncertainty. You have to build your tolerance for stress. And the only way to do that is take something on bigger than you think you can handle. This is the best way to get promoted. You got thru college with your ingenuity; it is the same with work. Spread sheets and analysis, you’ve paid the college to do this, now someday is paying you the do the same work. Dig deep, keep a sense of humor, read lots of eng-tip post, and move on.

Good luck!


Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[moltenmetal]

Wow: 21-22 yrs old, eh? I did co-op and a combined bachelors/masters (1 calendar yr beyond my Bachelors grad) and I was 25 before I got out into the working world...with no time off between school and work. Can't imagine being there at 21!

 

[GregLocock]

Hmm, I did a year in industry before uni and started work after uni at the grand old age of 22, and to be honest given the choice I'd have skipped the third year at uni, at the time I could not foresee that 3 out of 4 of my third year papers were going to be directly useful to me in my career.



Cheers

Greg Locock

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

 

[JamesBarlow]

I can't speak for everyone but I know many engineers, myself included, who would have loved to work somewhere and have someone working over me leave and they let me take over his duties. That actually happened to me and is one of the reasons I am in the position, and making the money, I am today. Throw them in the deep end and see if they can swim.

That's exactly what happened to you. Staying and making something of this could be a defining moment in your career. It could also crush you, like it sounds like it is, and put you on the path to being a career cube dweller. I won't be happy till I have windows, lot's of windows, but that's just me.

There are many engineers in this world who are very happy were they are and will never put themselves out there to try and take that leap to the next level. You have been given a great opportunity to take that leap. If you are not willing to then step away and let someone who is willing to go ahead of you. We all take different paths along our individual journeys and maybe this just isn't your path.

On a more personal not I was fired from my first engineering job after two years. I hated it, and my boss, and was coming in late and just didn't care about the work. I got along great with the Sr. Engineer but they needed an application/sales engineer and it was obvious that they were pushing me in that direction. After that I spent about 1.5 years as a painter/paper hanger working for my father and doing some work on my own. My father and grandfather were both painters/paper hangers so I took a shot at the family business. Eventually I got the bug to go back to engineering and have never looked back.

Taking a few years off won't hurt your chances of future success, as long as you have a good reason for doing it. I would strongly encourage you not tell anyone you are trying to find yourself. It's one thing to say you are going to do something while you have no expenses, responsibilities, and are young enough to do it. It's something completely different to come across as a directionless person who thinks skiing would help you find an appreciation for working in the corporate world.

 

[stanweld]

phalcor,
I worked all through Uni, started work directly there from and left after about 3 years (age 25) to be a mountain, beach and ski bum; greatly enjoyed the time off and the good times -Sierras, Hawaii, Aspen, etc. After about a year when the car conked out and money became a bit more tight, I found another job in my engieneering field in about 6-weeks. In a little over a year, I bought my ski cabin. So you can do what you are planning without substantially sacrificing longer term financial goals.