Unhappy with current position. needing to move on. But how??? 1

[kingcvm]

I graduated school may 2016. Took a position out of the city in a company I'd though I'd enjoy. Not necessarily the position I wanted but in such a big company I figured opportunities to move around would come. Since joining the company last September I have not been happy. Slow work and something I am not interested in. Working here have seen the political aspects of big company won't make it easy to move around the company.

I would like to move but I haven't gain enough experience so my resume is still very Collegy. How do I go about moving to a new position.

I would really like to move into renewable energy.

Any advice would help...

 

[spieng89]

Start by cold emailing some renewable energy firms (email a mechanical energy, not the accountant) about advice in getting into the field. Someone will answer the email eventually and give some advice. At a year out of school you may think you want to go into renewable energy, but that could very well change when you see the reality of the positions available in the field. That goes for any field. Don't be afraid to move around to find the space you want to fill, but don't burn bridges. Its a delicate balance not many can achieve.

 

[buzzp]

One thing to keep in mind, the grass is usually not greener on the other side - it is the sun reflection distorting the color. I have worked for some horrible companies and some good ones. One thing I have learned, big or large companies, don't matter, they all will have issues of one form or another. Some issues are bigger than others but don't be fooled into thinking you will find one without issues. Leadership is where the difference comes in. Good leaders will work towards fixing issues. Smaller companies can fix issues quicker, typically, but without a good leader, they can be horrible. Good luck, hang in there and don't quit until you have something else lined up.

 

[kmart30]

Welcome to the engineering corporate world! Buzzp hit it on the nail. Your main focus should be gaining as much practical engineering knowledge as possible. Huge emphasis on practical as they don't teach you in college how it actually works in the real world. Pay your dues and figure out what interests you....it might take some years to get to that point but once you do provide as much value as you can. Good Luck!

 

[MFJewell]

Be willing to move.
Research companies before you apply.
Reread buzzp's post.
Accept that no company is perfect.
Tailor your resume for each position you apply for.
Work on communication and interviewing skills (maybe you are already good at this?). Be prepared to address why you are looking to leave after only a year.
Look for entry level positions.
If you want to go into renewables, be prepared for travel and/or take field assignments (living in hotels and eating at restaurants sucks, but maybe you would like it). Though this can be the case for most positions related to large capital projects.
Minimize debt so you can bail out if you don't like the next position either.

I am at company #6 in seven years and each move has been strategic and paid off for me. Some places I liked more than others, but there wasn't anywhere that I was completely unhappy to the point I felt I HAD to move on. In the end, each new position I took was about what impact could I make in the organization and how much bullshit was I willing to tolerate (obviously some places came with a lot more BS than others).

Good luck on your journey.

 

[CWB1]

Define "opportunities to move around the company." If you're simply looking to interact with other departments and facilities, realize this is mainly a function of the specific role you're in. When I was doing design for research teams outside of product development I traveled extensively and met half the corporation, when I moved to product development I traveled occasionally, when I took a purely CAE role I never traveled except for training and rarely interacted with anyone. If you're looking to change job roles after only a year then you need to realize you likely haven't been in yours anywhere near long enough, most companies have policies (official or not) that employees stay in a role for ~3 years minimum before moving to allow them to benefit after paying for a necessarily unproductive training period. Some cultures can be odd in that respect, managers often wont want to even discuss career progression or lateral moves until you've been in a given desk for X years.

As to the slow and uninteresting work, it happens and my best advice is to look for learning and other self-fulfillment opportunities. Personally I've always had something else, some other bit of software to learn, or some other company experience to gain during slow times.