Oh, there are jobs... just 5-10 years exp. jobs! 4

[BorisVian]

Hey everyone,

I graduated in may 2009 from École de Technologie Supérieure in Montreal, Canada as an EE - Power and Industrial profile. Been actively searching for my first engineering job ever since.

Will someone tell me why the heck are there no entry level opening. I come across everyday with loads of jobs, only the 5-10 years exp. Where do they expect us to get the experience, bunch of HR morons!

Any explanation would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Twoballcane]

Where there is danger there is opportunity!! Well something like that. “If I was young and just coming out of college” (man I’m getting to old) I would travel where the work is and learn the culture. This is a great opportunity to travel the world and gain your engineering skills. Your skills in engineering and having one foot in North America and other countries would be a great asset to any company. If you like it or not, we are a world wide economy, before moving across the states for a job was a big deal, today I think now moving to other countries for work is the new way to go. I am sure that on both sides, they are looking for liaisons to bridge the work between countries, if you can pick this skill up, you may have your own golden ticket.

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

 

[ScottyUK]

Field service engineering are always looking for people, mainly because it's a young man's game (unless you are a committed loner) and people get old faster than they like to admit. A career as an FSE doesn't lend itself to stable relationships, wives and families, so people don't stay in it for that long which results in the high turnover. If you can cope with living out of a suitcase, being on standby, having to drop plans at the last minute and have an appropriate skill-set then it might be for you. It is usually well paid to make up for the lifestyle sacrifices.


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

 

[SNORGY]

In the summer of 1982, the bottom fell out of the economy, just in time for my graduating year, 1983. I applied for 1,200 jobs, was granted *3* interviews, and received 1,199 rejections. I got my first job only because under some government internship and training program, the Feds paid my employer 75% of my salary for the first 2 years. So, my employer got a graduate engineer, full time, at a cost to the company of $3.00 - CDN, at that - per hour.

It was 1987 before things turned around, during which time a lot of 1982-1983 graduates had been in non-engineering careers for 4-5 years. The result was that in subsequent years, places had really good "10+" year folks, really good "2-" year folks, and nothing in between. In my line of work that legacy has lived on and things have never fully recovered. More than anything else, in my mind, that is what has created the periodic boom-time influx of overseas engineers in response to the corresponding perceived "shortages" of engineers that is frequently discussed here and in other forums. Those overseas folks didn't take jobs away from locals, as is sometimes lamented, but rather, they filled what was in fact a real void left behind by the locals who never got a chance to break into the industry since there were no jobs for them.

In my case, there are nonetheless a whole bunch of gas plants, wellsites, batteries and facilities within driving distance. One thing I have often considered is getting up early on a Saturday, throwing some steel-toed boots and Nomex coveralls and a hard-hat into the back of the cab of my truck, driving to Tim Horton's to buy a couple of dozen doughnuts, and then proceeding to a few site offices with a gift of doughnuts and requesting a site tour, just for interest's sake. Sooner or later, I am bound to come across someone who has a problem that maybe I can render a free opinion on during the tour. If not, at least I brought doughnuts.

Regards,

SNORGY.

 

[BorisVian]

To all:

Again, thanks for your support I always do job search at uni, since it's less depressing than at home, and hey, you always run into an old buddy who might have something to propose.

At first, I was minded to stay in front of the computer, sending massive amounts of resumes, attend career days and job fairs during september-october, hoping to play the number's game. From what I've come to realize, you still need that first impression to make you stand out of the crowd.

By november, if things don't improve, I'll start touring Gaspésie's windfarms with doughnuts and coffee during weekdays - thanks SNORGY, while working on an personal invention idea on weekends (at least that'll give me something to add to my resume) Driving awhile will certainly change my mind from all this numbing job search!

 

[MikeHalloran]

Nowadays, almost nobody can afford to compose or send rejection letters, so unsuccessful inquiries often don't produce _any_ response.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[KENAT]

Almost started a new thread but figured it kind of fit in here.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33533739/ns/business-businessweekcom/

Posting guidelines faq731-376

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

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

 

[Hurricanes]

That article briefly mentions "compositional shift to lower-performing students in the STEM pipeline."

I can relate to that. Back at uni there were a fair few dolts, who managed to somehow get a degree, albeit a year of so late, but still they graduated as engineers and landed jobs.

I work in a large company, the amount of engineers I come across who have no grasp of even the basics shocks me. But worryingly it doesn't really shock too many others. Some of the sh*t that I have seen go out is unbelieveable. I have spend many hours, days and weeks re doing other peoples work that well, to put it lightly, doesn't even close to conforming with any standards, good practice or highschool physics. Yet they don't suffer any consequences or even learn how it should have been done in the first place.

 

[FeX32]

What is interesting is that 5 buddies of mine got interviews to hydro one this week. .
Although, they all have a masters (in engineering) from different schools in Canada.
I know a few people there. They start you at about 65K a year. Easy job.



Fe

 

[FeX32]

Oh. And sign up for the EIT program, it helps.


Fe