Start looking for a new job?

[Fanman72]

I recently started working for a large company straight out of college making around 52k/yr. Nearly the first week into the position, I realized i have absolutely no interest in what I'm doing. I also know that many of my peers right out of school are making much more than I am - at the high end as 10-13k more than myself (Mostly oil and defense companies). The upside for working for this company is job stability. It seems as if they're preparing for a mass exodus of baby boomers at the top who will probably leave in 4-5 years.

Am I making judgements preemptively? Am I being whiny? What would you do in my situation

 

[B16A2]

A week is not long enough to make a judgment. If you didn't know yourself well enough to jump into that position, you probably need to do some soul searching before considering another leap. Give it at least two months, then if you're really hating what you're doing start exploring other options. In my honest opinion 10-13k more a year really isn't all that much of a difference, nor does it mean you wont end up making more down the road. The possibility of advancement when the boomers leave is a definite way to move up....my salary went up 15k one year because of others retiring, and I'm only in structural engineering where's there's relatively no money.

Realize that you can easily become a "job hopper" which in most cases is not good on a resume so be cautious.

 

[IRstuff]

You need to do some serious reflecting. If you are so flighty after a single week, what makes you think you're going to another place that will keep your interest?

Whenever I see any string of jobs that last only a year or so, I usually vote NO, regardless of their other qualifications, just because the flight risk is so high.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[COEngineeer]

Suck it up for a year and then start looking. First job is very rare the one you want anyway. Once you are in the loop for a year, you should know what you really want to do and which company to look for.

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

 

[ischgl99]

I've had that feeling after taking a job and then stayed there for 10 years. Staying any less then 1 year would be a red flag to me. I do not interview job hoppers and in the rare occasion that I interview a relatively new grad, I will not consider a resume with less then 1 year experience. Stick it out and learn something your next employer will pay you more for, as of now, you are a new grad and do not have much to offer to your next employer that would justify a higher wage.

 

[Lion06]

If you have another job lined up that you are pretty certain you will like, I would say go for it, but you better do it now or don't do it for around a year.
I quit my first job after college after only two weeks, but had this one waiting for me. I knew after 3 days that the position wasn't as advertised (or described to me during the intervieew process). I gave it a little time (alright, a very little time) to see if it might turn around, but it was clear that it wasn't. I gave notice after two weeks and came where I am now. I definitely do not regret the decision and wouldn't even put that job on my resume (but that's why you need to make the move now if you're going to).

 

[texasvalve]

The grass always seems greener on the other side. Trust me it isn't. There is a common message from everyone of us who has responded. You must give it some time. You are not going to be placed in the position that you want with zero ability. Learn what is offered and use it to better yourself. Life is a journey and to reach any destination takes travel. Some longer and some shorter.

 

[Fanman72]

Two months later and I still feel like this.

Few issues I have with this position that I had not mentioned before:

1) This is more of a "maintenance" type job where everything is done a very specific way. Very little room to use technical skills. Give this position to any 16 year old with a work ethic and pay him 10.00, and they could probably do just as good of a job. Everyday i come to work and ask myself why did I bust my ass off for 4 years in college? For this?

2) This is also a Sales Engineering position. In college, I was a huge extrovert. After graduating I mellowed out quite a bit and would prefer something more technical. Nowadays, I'm not outgoing enough to succeed in a sales oriented position. Problem is, even if i try transfer departments the engineering degree i obtained in school specializes in something entirely different than what the company does. I'm in a program which allows you to transfer jobs every year, so even if i stick with the company and my next rotation is "better", i still run into the same engineering/sales dillemma

3) Don't feel as if I'm learning any transferable skills. The only thing that I am learning is specific to my job function

4) Not fitting in with other members of the department


I'm tempted to start looking for other jobs. Should I still ride it out for a year and see how my next rotation goes?

 

[MadMango]

Have you brought any of your 4 points to the attention of your boss/supervisor? I would try that before looking for a new place to work.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of these Forums?

 

[ctopher]

No hesitation to post your salary and not happy with your career right off the bat...most likely your boss already senses something is wrong.
Take MadMango's advice, talk to your boss first.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 06/08
ctopher's home (updated Jul 13, 2008)

 

[GregLocock]

If you want a techncal engineering path then I doubt that moving into sales will be a positive step.

The first couple of years out of uni can be a bit odd - to some extent it doesn't matter too much what you do, you are learning about the company. Trust me in the days of typewritten reports many promising young engineers spent many hours at the photocopier, collating reports.

However you do want to be sure that the the end of that time you are in an area that you do want to pursue, as you have maybe 4 years in which to establish your technical grounding and become a useful engineer.

FWIW in my first two years in industry I did a rotation scheme that include Industrial Engineering (aaagh - time and motion studies estimated and added up by hand), Finance (high point of which was wandering around the main plant trying to find all the lost 40 ton trailers), and various manufacturing plants that tried to kill me in various ways.


Cheers

Greg Locock

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

 

[Mr168]

Definitely talk to your boss. Look at it from a CYA standpoint.

If you stay remotely in the same area geographically, bigwigs in one company have probably either worked with or play golf with the bigwigs from another. My boss sends out joke e-mails, and virtually every competitor we have has employees who are on that contact list.

Bailing early reflects very poorly, and this point will come across when potential employers contacts your current one. If you at least sit down and have a talk with your boss, he may be less likely to speak negatively of you should you look for work elsewhere. Most companies would rather transfer you internally than see you go, because whatever funds they used to hire and train you are now a wash.

Don't look too deeply into the financial aspects of it right now, either. I make a few thousand more than yourself as my base salary, other guys I graduated with started in the low to mid 60's. They're already near the ceiling of what they can make, and get a 2-3% raise annually. I get about 6% annually, faster promotions, and make per diems when I'm on a job site (usually 2-3 years at a time) which nearly doubles my pay. The pay will come in time when you show that you're worth something.