So, I have all but decided to leave my current job and have been actively looking for a new one. Since this is my first job out of college and I have no other engineering job experiences to compare with I figured that some of the more experienced Engineers on this board could give me some advice. I have been with the current company for almost 2 years. Pros and Cons are as follows:
Pros:
Work environment is pretty laid back, boss will discus perceived issues with employees and look for a root cause rather than yelling at them. It seems to be understood that any hours worked over 50 is just wheel spinning and if we do everything we can to make sure that a schedule doesn't slip and it still slips, it is not a huge deal.
Design work is challenging, interesting and always an educational experience.
Since the company is small, I have been able to engage in many aspects of the company's operations and probably have gained opportunities that most people won't get until they have 5-10 years of experience.
Cons:
I started at 40k and have since worked my way up to 46k. Bonuses are nothing to write home about.
Company has incredibly high employee turnover and I was the only mechanical engineer for some time, I am still the most experienced as far as company operations go. This was kinda fun and interesting at first but I have made a lot of green mistakes that have brought large amounts of paperwork and customer disdain crashing down on me. I believe it has also changed my bosses image of me as a bright young man to a regrettable mistake that probably won't be getting a nice raise at the next review.
Majority of my work (90%) has become paperwork, presentations and supervising testing, all of which I hate. Most of the design work that I really liked to do has gone to the new (slightly more experienced) engineers that we have had for a few months. It does not look like I will be involved with as much as I used to.
I have made friends with none of my coworkers. It used to be that a new job meant new opportunities to make friends and was one of my favorite parts of doing the job. The atmosphere at my current company seems to be one that for whatever reason, encourages keeping to yourself. I don't think many people hang out outside of work and groups of people who have been there for a few years are less than welcoming to newcomers.
Currently, a critical test has caused me to be off site for 3 weeks and probably a few more to come. During this time I have been working 60 hour weeks. Although this is not typical at my company, it seems to be a growing trend and has been happening more frequently.
Management is in disarray and is constantly creating headaches for the engineers, draftsmen and machinists. My PM told me that she had a ME degree but forgot most of it and didn't care to learn any of it back. She is mostly oblivious to the problems she creates for us because she doesn't understand how our jobs work.
Conclusion:
Am I right to be thinking about quitting? Is this a typical professional job? Or is this job just a good stepping stone to something better?
Pros:
Work environment is pretty laid back, boss will discus perceived issues with employees and look for a root cause rather than yelling at them. It seems to be understood that any hours worked over 50 is just wheel spinning and if we do everything we can to make sure that a schedule doesn't slip and it still slips, it is not a huge deal.
Design work is challenging, interesting and always an educational experience.
Since the company is small, I have been able to engage in many aspects of the company's operations and probably have gained opportunities that most people won't get until they have 5-10 years of experience.
Cons:
I started at 40k and have since worked my way up to 46k. Bonuses are nothing to write home about.
Company has incredibly high employee turnover and I was the only mechanical engineer for some time, I am still the most experienced as far as company operations go. This was kinda fun and interesting at first but I have made a lot of green mistakes that have brought large amounts of paperwork and customer disdain crashing down on me. I believe it has also changed my bosses image of me as a bright young man to a regrettable mistake that probably won't be getting a nice raise at the next review.
Majority of my work (90%) has become paperwork, presentations and supervising testing, all of which I hate. Most of the design work that I really liked to do has gone to the new (slightly more experienced) engineers that we have had for a few months. It does not look like I will be involved with as much as I used to.
I have made friends with none of my coworkers. It used to be that a new job meant new opportunities to make friends and was one of my favorite parts of doing the job. The atmosphere at my current company seems to be one that for whatever reason, encourages keeping to yourself. I don't think many people hang out outside of work and groups of people who have been there for a few years are less than welcoming to newcomers.
Currently, a critical test has caused me to be off site for 3 weeks and probably a few more to come. During this time I have been working 60 hour weeks. Although this is not typical at my company, it seems to be a growing trend and has been happening more frequently.
Management is in disarray and is constantly creating headaches for the engineers, draftsmen and machinists. My PM told me that she had a ME degree but forgot most of it and didn't care to learn any of it back. She is mostly oblivious to the problems she creates for us because she doesn't understand how our jobs work.
Conclusion:
Am I right to be thinking about quitting? Is this a typical professional job? Or is this job just a good stepping stone to something better?
