PeacefulKancer
Electrical
- Aug 5, 2007
- 16
I currently work as a contracted customer service engineer in the semiconductor field and have done so for 8 years. For some time now I have felt that I needed to move onto something new but have always been blinded by fear of the unknown and held captive by comfort of a nice paycheck. The pay and benefits are good but it has come to a point where while those items are good it is evident that I have reached the ceiling with this job.
In any case, I like to think that part of my misery is that I'm simply not learning anymore and that any efforts to improve my workplace are harshly struck down by management. So as a result of all this I've tried to think of how the best way to move on would be.
I recently read an article entitled Neglecting These 5 Actions Will Crush Your Career and I thought to myself that I lack in all these areas. I don't have any mentors or ambassadors. I am not a member of any professional organizations. I haven't interviewed in 8+ years. And I don't really have any concrete goals for my career advancement. In a nut-shell, I really am disconnected from the industry/engineering world.
So I started thinking... how in the world do I get more involved in the industry and be more in-tune with what is going on? My current employer is a small company and there is no opportunity to find someone to mentor me (from what I can gather most people at my company are M-F 9-5 guys who would rather go booze it up than attend a professional meeting on their time off. Heck, they don't even answer emails). The company I am contracted to probably wouldn't mentor to me either since that is somewhat a conflict of interest. As for organizations I have no idea where to start. There are plenty that turn up - of course the big one is IEEE. But surely just paying $200/yr isn't going to help me network or grow in my trade. (And of course the interview thing is all on me to just do).
A little about me real quick - I graduated Magna Cum Laude from DeVry University in 2004 with a BSEET degree. I have been working for a small contracted company on night shift for 8+ years in the semiconductor field basically as a maintenance technician. I also am also a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt through the Ohio State University but do not have any hard practice with that due to my company being... uninterested... with continuous improvement. I do enjoy the artistic/hands-on side of things as well - carpentry, painting, automotive, writing, etc. So the idea of R&D work really interests me both bio-mechanical and automotive type work but I'm not closed to only those things.
So my questions are as follows...
(1) What are the best ways to get involved and network in the electronic engineering industry?
(2) What are the best organizations to join, learn, and network in?
(3) What is the best way to obtain a mentor, especially given my circumstances?
Thank you for your time and responses in advance.
In any case, I like to think that part of my misery is that I'm simply not learning anymore and that any efforts to improve my workplace are harshly struck down by management. So as a result of all this I've tried to think of how the best way to move on would be.
I recently read an article entitled Neglecting These 5 Actions Will Crush Your Career and I thought to myself that I lack in all these areas. I don't have any mentors or ambassadors. I am not a member of any professional organizations. I haven't interviewed in 8+ years. And I don't really have any concrete goals for my career advancement. In a nut-shell, I really am disconnected from the industry/engineering world.
So I started thinking... how in the world do I get more involved in the industry and be more in-tune with what is going on? My current employer is a small company and there is no opportunity to find someone to mentor me (from what I can gather most people at my company are M-F 9-5 guys who would rather go booze it up than attend a professional meeting on their time off. Heck, they don't even answer emails). The company I am contracted to probably wouldn't mentor to me either since that is somewhat a conflict of interest. As for organizations I have no idea where to start. There are plenty that turn up - of course the big one is IEEE. But surely just paying $200/yr isn't going to help me network or grow in my trade. (And of course the interview thing is all on me to just do).
A little about me real quick - I graduated Magna Cum Laude from DeVry University in 2004 with a BSEET degree. I have been working for a small contracted company on night shift for 8+ years in the semiconductor field basically as a maintenance technician. I also am also a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt through the Ohio State University but do not have any hard practice with that due to my company being... uninterested... with continuous improvement. I do enjoy the artistic/hands-on side of things as well - carpentry, painting, automotive, writing, etc. So the idea of R&D work really interests me both bio-mechanical and automotive type work but I'm not closed to only those things.
So my questions are as follows...
(1) What are the best ways to get involved and network in the electronic engineering industry?
(2) What are the best organizations to join, learn, and network in?
(3) What is the best way to obtain a mentor, especially given my circumstances?
Thank you for your time and responses in advance.