Telecommuting...why is this so HARD TO FIND??? 5

[Kevinas]

Hi, I'm new on here, and I have a question no one else seems to be able to nail down...

Last June, I quit my job as a mechanical design engineer; the commute, like so many others over the years, was KILLING ME. (I live in the Baltimore/Washington Corridor.)

Commuting is a soul-sucking, often strictly unnecessary waste of time, energy, health and fuel. I could go on and on, but I won't.

I figured, since I had some really good coin in the bank, it was time to go out on my own, either as a 1099 contract employee, or even as a W-2 remote employee. I looked passively, at first, putting my resume out on the usual big name sites, etc.

Got multiple calls, immediately, every single day, for quite a while. As soon as I mentioned that I was seeking remote work from my well-equipped home office, it was...silence...sometimes even 'click'. Time would go by....more daily calls...no joy.

Now, I know that it's MECHANICAL engineering, and there will always be times when I have to lay hands-on to assemble a prototype, inspect a surface finish, go to a design review meeting, etc. But over the last decade, at least, I'd say that 70% (plus) of my days to the office were to sit in my cubicle and design with the 3D package, look up part specs, etc. Especially when tasked with complex machine design, with many part drawings held to be released and fabricated all at once.

Well, after months of these calls, and then the holidays came around, I finally went out and filed to establish myself as a sole-member LLC...got the tax number, website up, etc. I figured that if I marketed my skill set as a business entity, I'd get the folks who wanted a temporary engineer because they couldn't justify having one on staff, etc., etc.

We'll see where that goes (the website has only been up for a few weeks)...but I have to ask...why is it so hard to find telecommuting work in this field?!?!? God! Commuting makes me want to pull my own eyes out with a corkscrew! I cannot express how bad it is, and still keep it clean for this forum!!!

Anyone???

 

[FreddyNurk]

drawoh, that's pretty much correct, but given the lack of infrastructure to support remote working, there's often no visibility of what gets done.
The fallback then is that the company perceives that they need the person in the office to keep an eye on as the output isn't as easy to ascertain.

A lot of software development tools are catered for multiple sites and multiple users working when and where they want. PDM to a certain extent can allow for such things, although as you mentioned, remote connections to such infrastructure are often expensive and risky.

But that was the point I was trying to make, its possible to work remotely, but if the company doesn't have the infrastructure to allow for it, then the expectation is that office presence is required so as to manage output, rightly or wrongly.

 

[RocketRed]

I would see if you can set yourself up as a short-term contract employee if you want to work telecommuting. Show you are so confident in your ability, skill set, and ability to complete work that you are willing to take some risk in the arrangement. There is no point for the company to pay you the same to work at home while everyone else has to come to the office. I'm sure you can see their reasons.

I had a meeting on Friday with a drafter I have worked with off an on over the years. He worked for one of our partner firms for a while, then for me for a while, then for one of the ultra-large construction firms for a while and now he is detailing rebar shop drawings for a placer.

He has a great breadth of experience, and good work ethic. This is the key to all of it.

We met because his commute is killing him and he wants to get closer to home. Initially he wanted to come and work for me again, but after listening to his experience and what he can do I offered something different. I told him to go back to his boss and plant the seed that he wanted to become an independent contractor. Rebar guys bill by the pound. Then I told him I would help set him up, office, machine and admin. My company would cover the business startup costs for a sweetheart deal on his hourly fee and priority over all other companies.

I'm excited, he is excited, and we will wait to see how his current company reacts. His risk is pretty small for this, not because of the small initial outlay, but because he is talented in many disciplines. If it fails I would guess he would get hired by any number of companies in a few weeks, especially if he was willing to make the long commute again. If your skill set and ability is tied to one kind of work, or a niche market - then the risk is higher that you will find another job if the independent deal tanks.

 

[IRstuff]

In a very disciplined company, it could possibly work out, but most companies have no clue how to scope work at the engineer's level, particularly for billable hours. If you claim 38 hr working on Project A and 2 hr on Project B, how does the company know that you've met your earned value? Many companies only have granularity on work packages down to a few hundred hours, but the ideal granularity is on the order of 40 to 80 hr, which makes earned value easier to track and verify. But, that often requires in-depth knowledge of historical hours for particular tasks.

Telecommuting could work rather well if the worker is paid by the piece-part, as it were, i.e., if they were paid X dollars to design a widget within a certain time. They would not get full pay if they either overran their budget or was late in delivery.

TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
faq731-376 forum1529

 

[Triangled]

create your own company

 

[Kevinas]

Wow, I didn't expect all the posts on this one...

Well, I did create my own company, and I'm getting some bites now.

I must say, I did have a boss come at me with the line about "well, it's not fair to the other employees", or "they'd complain". My answer? "Life's not fair...it's not fair that I get paid more, or that my office is in a climate controlled part of the building, or that my hours are different. Who owns the company, them or you?"

Didn't go over too well!

 

[IRstuff]

Telling your (prospective) boss that he's a wuss is a silly concept and career-limiting. Moreover, while you didn't get a job with them, you left them with a bad impression, and should any prospective client query them about you or your company, do you think you'll get a positive review?

TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
faq731-376 forum1529

 

[Kevinas]

It was a boss at a place that I already worked at; I worked there quite a while after that. He got over it.

 

[nickelkid]

When/if the economy ever improves remote work may be a necessity, right now it is not. The employers have all the control. Nominally ten years ago I worked for a few years from the house. It worked well for the employer, but they also could not find the skill set readily available I had to offer. Today, I am traveling for work, because I have no choice.

Whatever happens, do your best not to burn bridges. Of course there a people and situations you may never participate with/in again, but when you are asking for flexibility, it should be a skill that you have also mastered.

 

[controlsdude]

My work requires me on the road 1/2 the year. Working from home is not a big deal. Engineers worth their salt are mostly self starters and work independently and do not need a lot of supervision. With smart phones, Skype for business, and VPN access to office what's the point of an office?

 

[moltenmetal]

controlsdude: exactly. But you first need to demonstrate your worth, and trustworthiness.

 

[beej67]

Managers in modern engineering companies were raised on a style of management where they check productivity by walking up and down the cube farm making sure everyone is dutifully clicking. You and I realize that's stupid, but they don't. And you won't find a lot of telecommuting engineering positions until that generation of engineers finally gets around to retiring or dying off. The truth is, most engineering managers nowadays don't even understand the software well enough to know how to open it up and check the progress of a project. They're placeholders without a lot of actual value, but they've worked themselves into their positions through loyalty/experience.

Go the LLC route, see how that plays for you. Be prepared to get paid a lot less than you're used to for about 3 years. If you do good work and find good clients it'll pick up considerably after that.

Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East -

http://www.campbellcivil.com

 

[Kevinas]

Yup, the calls and emails are starting to float in now, over the past week or so; this may work out after all.

 

[DHambley]

Kevinas, In my 12 years of contracting I've only had one client who was OK with me designing from my home office. I'd fly to the plant location once a month to do the necessary hands-on work and 2/3rds of the time I was at home. They trusted me and I delivered. The new product line has sold in the millions and it was a win-win situation. They actually got more than 8 hrs out of me per day because it was an interesting project and I'd start at 7a and still up in my office at 7p.
BUT,
I found that was rare. As the posts above show, some managers simply don't trust their engineers or have a clue how to track their progress. They feel better if they can actually see you.


Darrell Hambley P.E.
SENTEK Engineering, LLC