Need Entry Level Career Advice

[Sienev]

First poster here, I have what appears to be a job offer coming up and wanted to find out what other engineers thought about it.

First, a little background: I graduated this past semester in December ‘08. I have three internships under my belt and a strong GPA of 3.65. However, I have had nothing but trouble finding a job. I’ve had countless interviews with four of them being onsite to places like Seattle, LA, Chicago, and Boston. None of them have turned out and I have another one coming up in Atlanta for a Manufacturing Engineering position with a large defense contractor.

The situation is that I got a call today from another defense contractor (it happens to be the same one that a interned with this past summer although not the same office). We talked about the position and basically I was told that I would be getting a call from a recruiter where he will verbally offer me the job.

The job is as follows:
-I would be a contract worker for the defense company on a contract that runs into 2010 (and possibly into 2011 and 2012).
-It sounds like I would basically be a field engineer who would be installing huge (think football field size) package sorting machines for the postal service.
-I would be at a location (large cities mostly) for approximately 7 weeks at a time.
-All my lodging, food, and gas would be paid for and I will receive approximately $22/hr and will get overtime.
-I would be living in a hotel/motel during my stay.
-I get a standard benefits package.

While the job looks pretty interesting to me and I think that the couple of years I would being doing it I think I would enjoy it (especially since I have so few ties right now), I am worried, however, that I could get pigeonholed into being a field engineer for the rest of my life. I’ve always imagined I would be a design or a manufacturing engineer.

I was wondering what others thought about this. I think that the job sounds great for the next couple of years; I’m just worried about what impact this could have on my future. Will I be able to move back into an office or would I be stuck in the field? Also, as the economic situation keeps turning darker and darker I don’t want to waste this opportunity.

I'd appreciate any input I can get.

 

[PJones]

A design engineer with field service experience is priceless.

Field time is easier when you don't have a family. It gets harder the longer you do it.

Do what you enjoy.

 

[Mr168]

There's nothing worse than a design engineer who has no clue how things work in the field.

Assuming a better offer doesn't come along, don't turn it down because it's a field engineering opportunity, ESPECIALLY being a new hire. It will likely be more valuable to you and your next prospective employer than a couple years of cad work will be.

And don't assume that because you saw yourself as a design engineer that it's what you actually want to be. You may very well get into field engineering and love it. If not, a 1-2 year job is an absolute drop in the bucket.

 

[ash9144]

The field work and practical application is of enormous value to a new hire. In two years you will be well ahead of a design engineer graduating at the same time with office experience only.

Sounds like a good opportunity to me. You can have a lot of fun being young, expenses paid, and moving town to town.

 

[WhiteyWhitey]

Im working as a field engineer on electrical projects in a city away from home. I had been working for 6 months in a utility in my home city before changing the new job. Heres my impression of the change.

Pros:
* Experience: I am getting good experience because I am on site every day and can get a good look at everything going on
* Responsibility: I am working on quite a small project but being on of the only people from my firm on site I have quite a large range of tasks project wide. This means that I get better exposure sooner than if i was working in the utility.
* Food and wine! the perks are great! The italian resturant downstairs at the hotel is amazing and the waitress, very pretty and single!

Cons:
* family / Friends: My social life has taken a hit back home and the opportunity to go out up here presents itself rarely (maybe because i work along up here). I try and make it back as frequently as possibly back home (on company expense to keep all that going.
* Hard Work: its not easy. That could be a pro and a con.
* Money: Im not making a terribly lot to be honest. MOstly because the weeks are expensive to buy lunch at airports etc etc and the weekends are big celebrations when I am back home.

Anyhow, thats my take. I intend to continue for another project after this one finishes if it is available though I will probably relocate to the city the project is in rather than communiting.

Cheers hope that gives you another perspective.

Andrew.

 

[tygerdawg]

Way back when I met a fellow young guy doing something like this Field Engineer gig. Poor b--tard was on the road constantly, but he was single and structured the gig to make it very lucrative. He purchased a mobile home in a trailer park to have a place to wash his clothes. He banked most of his money and purchased other mobile homes and rented them out. In a couple years he had a lot of money, lot of experience, lot of contacts, a lot of opportunties, few deep friends.

Life is all about a series of choices, opportunities, and roads taken or not taken.

A Field Engineer gig could be a blast, unless the equipment doesn't work as planned and the folks back at the home office won't support you in your time of need. In that case you get stranded at a hostile customer site. That's REALLY painful. I've seen it done, and it's happened to me. So you should check out that aspect of it: what is the customer experience of the company's last five installations?

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[Japher]

Sounds like a good opportunity to me. For a first job that is. I would probably ask for closer to $30/hour after a year though, if you are still sticking with it. You'll have to "pay your dues" one way or another and this sounds like an exciting way to do so. I spent 2 years on 12 hour graves operating and troubleshooting chromatography columns and filtration systems... wouldn't trade it for the world, some of my best days as an employee anywhere. Enjoy it.

 

[plasgears]

Take it. My best job was field constr engr on a lab expansion. For an ME, I got into many CE issues, which I was able to handle. The PE license helped get the job. I handled other ancillary jobs, and the project came in under budget. The remaining money went into a small side project.

The lab manager offered me the job of Plant Engr with more money and full staff. My responsibilities were maint, purch, model shop, safety/security, etc.

My problem was selling the house and moving closer, by request of the boss. House 1 never sold; house 2 sold overnight, and I took a job closer to home. That job was my worst. Moral: Got a good job? Do everything necessary to support that situation.

 

[ScottyUK]

Take the job. I endured 18 months living out of a suitcase - the O/T and expenses paid the deposit for my house and gave me a better start in life than I would otherwise have had. Had a lot of laughs and some great workmates. Downside: missed out on a lot of holidays with friends back home, wrecked a relationship which might have really flown, and I should have spent more time with my folks than I did.


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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[kawh1]

I was in the same situation as the OP recently, as a recent grad and having doubts of taking a job that was not in my field of interest. Take the job, since opportunities are few and far in between.

Think of it as an opportunity instead of shackles. What penalty would you incur, should you decide to quit after receiving a better job offer or the job becomes unbearable?

I don't think people get pigeonholed into a field. It's more that they give up interest, or get too comfortable with their job and qualifications to extend themselves elsewhere. I've seen it with people, and there's nothing wrong with that. A paycheck is a paycheck, and the job is tolerable.

Yes - it's easier to remain in the same business, because you will eventually acquire skills and experience in that field and that will make you valuable to many other employers looking for the same skill set. Thus, the pigeonholing.

But since engineering is such a broad field, think of the job as acquiring a skillset and a way to prove yourself to future employers that you can handle the challenges living on the road and solving problems.

On another note, I would want a job offer in writing instead of verbally.

 

[diarmud]

A bit late but as others have said - take the job.

Field engineering and then going into design is well worth it. The people you meet with increase your network dramatically.

I recently got a call for a part time job from someone who remembered me from more than 35 years ago in a temp position, I'm retired now but I still work part time.

It will open you to posibilites you will never be exposed to if you stay where you are.

Good luck!

 

[Sienev]

I'd like to thank everyone for there advice. I decided to accept the position after all. I believe that the positives (lots of money, getting to see the US) out weigh the negatives (long hours, no stable home).

Anyway, I thought some people might get a kick out of this. As I was accepting the position today, I got a call from the other defense contractor I interviewed with. When I called them back after accepting they said that they wanted to put through an order to hire for me. Which I guess is not exactly a 100% that I would get the job, but at least 75% chance.

I don't think that I will renege on my verbal acceptance to the first offer since its hard for me to tell which position is better, I know I would be making less money with the second job, and its not a 100% chance of getting the job anyway, but it sure makes one think. Even stranger is that I wasn't supposed to hear back about the position until next week. And then, even more strange, is that the day of that interview I ate Chinese food prior to it and my fortune cookie fortune said something along the lines of "be patient, great opportunities are there for those who wait".

Anyway, I'm just excited to start my first job.

 

[IceNine]

Universe, you've done it again!

 

[spongebob007]

Doing something for two years, will not get you "pigeonholed", especially if we are talking about your first job out of school.