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Anti-Hero posted:What's your definition of "experienced"? Is 4 years too little?
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Apr 29, 2011 20:04
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grover posted:Depends what level that 4 years is at; this is a pretty senior level job. So, probably not. Also, the opening closed right after I posted it. No worries, I was just curious. I'm sitting for my PE in the fall but it sounds like I wouldn't be senior enough.
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Apr 29, 2011 20:20
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ch3cooh posted:-Cell phone rings at 6 AM. It's my wellsite consultant. Whipstock we used to sidetrack out of our intermediate casing was not oriented correctly. Consequently we can't hit our target for landing our curve (drilling a horizontal well). Tell him to standby and prepare to trip out of the hole. Cool. My dad was one of the pioneers in that technology 
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Apr 29, 2011 21:04
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thefoozl posted:So do any of you have cool stories or anecdotes from your jobs? Or even more useful (though less exciting), a run down of your average days - even if all you can say is that you fill out meaningless bureaucratic reports until it's dark each night. I work as an engineer in acquisition for the USAF, so I do fill out meaningless bureaucratic reports, but only until 5 in the afternoon. Being limited to 40 hours a week is pretty nice.My organization involves a lot of smaller programs, so I'm actually the only engineer for my program, and anything technical falls within my realm. What I do day to day is largely dependent on where we are in the acquisition process, but ultimately, the common thread is "support the program manager with technical expertise." Thus, although I don't do all of the below daily or even monthly, here's a partial list of the sorts of things I've been responsible for:
Note that there's not really any design involved. Ultimately, working here is less about engineering and more about engineering management -- I'm making sure the contractors' engineers do their jobs right.
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Apr 30, 2011 17:18
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Hey fishsticks, One of my options is use one of the many commissioning programs in the air force to finish my engineering degree. Do you have an email that I could send a couple questions on how the air force employs you after you get your engineering degree?
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Apr 30, 2011 18:01
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paulbogard at gmail.com will work.
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Apr 30, 2011 21:02
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Need some help here. Physics BS going into MSEE at Stanford. The MSEE (terminal) is going to run me about 10k/quarter for tuition, with 5 quarters of classwork needed to graduate. I can get TAships/RAships, but it'll be competitive as poo poo since those are generally set aside for the PhD students (understandably, since they do research that rakes in funding and builds on the school's name). I don't want to sound like an ignorant jack-off who was only going for the name: I was mostly going to take a few CS classes, lasers and photonics, and the rest of the classes I would most likely spend covering the EE stuff that I never touched as the result of being a Physics undergrad. The main motivation was for me to branch out of physics and sort of worm my way into the tech industry. Question is, if anyone here knows someone in HR can confirm the weight or the uselessness of the name. I realize almost everyone, even the people at blah-blah-prestigious-university have to rely on connections for jobs, but in that case, should I be looking at this as if I am paying for the connections and the classes? Other option is for me to work for a year, re-apply to programs next year and actually apply for fellowships (which I didn't do this time, like a moron  )
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May 1, 2011 01:28
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P.D.B. Fishsticks posted:Acquisitions stuff Thanks for the insight - I accepted an offer from TASC two months ago to work in acquisitions/govt advisement but due to the security clearances around the position they were rather vague on some of the responsibilities. From what they could talk about it sounds like I'll end up in a similar role to yours. The chance for travel was certainly a draw, one of the guys I talked to got to spend a few weeks in Australia for a review and managed to sight-see a bit there. Now I'm just waiting for my clearance processing to go through, hopefully it gets sorted out by the end of summer.
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May 1, 2011 01:52
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I really enjoy the frequent travel - a lot of our equipment is on bases all over the world, and so if you're doing any sort of on-site testing, world travel is a definite possibility, and I've gotten a few foreign trips out of my job already. If you really want to get the world travel in, you can get yourself on a Foreign Military Sales program, where we act as the intermediary between our contractors and a foreign government who wants to buy our hardware. Haven't done that myself, but a number of my coworkers have. And yeah, they're pretty flexible about extending trips for leisure - the general rule is "as long as it doesn't cost us anything extra," so as long as you pay for your own hotel/rental car/etc. for the leisure part of your trip and have the vacation time available, they don't really mind you booking your return flight a few days later. P.D.B. Fishsticks fucked around with this message at 02:47 on May 1, 2011 |
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May 1, 2011 02:45
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I am not in HR but it is common to see no or less experience required of people who have masters in engineering while theres almost always a requirement for experience in engineering.
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May 1, 2011 17:17
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:55 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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May 1, 2011 18:17
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DeathByDoubleDip posted:Need some help here. Physics BS going into MSEE at Stanford. The MSEE (terminal) is going to run me about 10k/quarter for tuition, with 5 quarters of classwork needed to graduate. I can get TAships/RAships, but it'll be competitive as poo poo since those are generally set aside for the PhD students (understandably, since they do research that rakes in funding and builds on the school's name). Paying for grad school yourself is a terrible idea. Not only that, but if you aren't doing a research project for your Master's degree (as it sounds like you aren't, otherwise I'd expect you to have a TA or RA position that would be paying tuition + stipend), it'd be a colossal waste of your time. Going to grad school in engineering is about getting to work with professors who are leading the direction of the field that you're interested in working in. The classes are almost an afterthought (as far as what they'll do for your job prospects). If you aren't working for a prof doing research and presenting at conferences, you're not going to make the connections that will get you a job in industry.
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May 1, 2011 18:50
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Thank you fishsticks, ch3cooh and Brendas Baby Daddy. Some of that work sounds really interesting and exciting - and some of it sounds dreadfully dull, but you have to expect some dullness in pretty much any job. If anyone has any more stories, I would love to hear them. And thanks again to you three.
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May 2, 2011 00:32
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I will be graduating with a MSEE in December and it is becoming really hard for me to find a job. Add to the fact that I have less than a year experience and I am an international student, , eventually I would need sponsorship and many employers shy away because of this. Anyone has advice on how to find jobs that have higher demand due to danger/hazards, travelling, offshore or other non-optimal conditions? I'd be willing to work in a warzone
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May 2, 2011 07:36
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I have a question for you savvy grown up engineer-type people. At my university, there is a a large amount of crossover between the EE, CompE, and CS degree programs (as I imagine there is at many other universities). I've heard that it's possible to graduate from the college with a separate BS in each degree field in roughly five years, though you'll have to work really loving hard to do so. In fact, this is something that is mentioned on the college of engineering's website. My question is, if someone were to do this and come out with a fairly acceptable, maybe even good GPA, would this look good to an employer or to graduate programs? (Assume internships/research will be done as well) I only ask because it seems like an interesting and difficult path to follow that I am feasibly in a good position to follow (sophomore, 4.0 GPA somehow, gen-ed courses already fulfilled and I came in with a bunch of credits). But it also seems like it could look like somebody doesn't actually know what the gently caress they want to do and are just getting three degrees because they can and more degrees means better. Somebody sort me out please!
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May 2, 2011 08:27
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I think it's much better to get just one degree and spend your extra time on internships and projects. Classes do not make for real world experience.
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May 2, 2011 08:56
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I could see EE and Comp Sci being a good double degree to have, but throwing in CE doesn't seem like it would gain you that much. But at the same time if you have two degrees and did nothing other than go to class for 5 years you won't look too great to most companies. Try hard for internships and even working part time during college. I was surprised how much that helped me when I was doing my interviews. If you can graduate at work about 10-20 hours a week (not in something like flipping burgers try to make it at least a bit applicable to your degree) you'll stand out against people who just went to school for 4-5 years. One or two good internships > an extra degree. Plinkey fucked around with this message at 14:30 on May 2, 2011 |
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May 2, 2011 14:28
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Blech. Didn't get that position at Intel. I've got another interview lined up already though, so hopefully that goes better. If you were a hiring manager interviewing a candidate for an entry level FPGA design/verification position for a major Defense contractor (and the candidate had a year of relevant experience) what kind of questions would you ask them? Also: the position requires basic DSP knowledge (which I have), but what kind of questions do you think would be a good litmus test to find out if they knew their poo poo or not, regarding DSP?
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May 2, 2011 14:43
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BeefofAges posted:I think it's much better to get just one degree and spend your extra time on internships and projects. Classes do not make for real world experience. Plinkey posted:I could see EE and Comp Sci being a good double degree to have, but throwing in CE doesn't seem like it would gain you that much. Thanks guys, I had a feeling this was the case. Though I still think I'm going to try for EE and CS because it won't add any more time for me to graduate than I already have, and I'll just try for internships and a co-op in the meantime.
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May 2, 2011 15:31
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Shitpost Gaze posted:I have a question for you savvy grown up engineer-type people. EE and CompE isn't worth it unless it won't cost you extra money and you don't mind an extra year at school. I suppose your job prospects are widened because by necessity (from courses) your skillset just got multiplied by 1.5x or so. Cannister posted:Also: the position requires basic DSP knowledge (which I have), but what kind of questions do you think would be a good litmus test to find out if they knew their poo poo or not, regarding DSP? I'd poke at you to see what DSP families you've touched (Blackfins, etc) and then maybe ask about basic FIR/IIR filter-design. I suppose if it was a really DSP-focused job, a quick design example for a Butterworth filter w/ a certain window type would be in order. If your basic-DSP knowledge includes more than just "this chip accelerates signal math  " I think you're good.
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May 2, 2011 16:07
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movax posted:EE and CompE isn't worth it unless it won't cost you extra money and you don't mind an extra year at school. I suppose your job prospects are widened because by necessity (from courses) your skillset just got multiplied by 1.5x or so. Does this apply for EE and CS as well? Because that in and of itself won't add extra time for me (since all of my general education requirements and humanities/social sciences requirements are fulfilled) and it seems attractive if I can manage to do internships and snag a co-op in the meantime. If it helps I've already got an internship in the works and undergrad research I'm going to be doing in the fall.
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May 2, 2011 16:17
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Shitpost Gaze posted:Does this apply for EE and CS as well? My thinking with saying that EE and CS is more valuable is that you'll pick up a lot of Software Engineering techniques with CS. You'll also be exposed to larger and more intricate projects, homework and programming assignments than you ever would in the EE world. EEs are expected to be able to write software in many, many jobs now. If you're a EE that can write software really well and show that you also have the proper schooling you'll be way ahead of the normal EE curve when looking for jobs and internships. Basically an EE that can program or a CS that knows electronics/physics/math is very valuable.
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May 2, 2011 16:58
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Plinkey posted:My thinking with saying that EE and CS is more valuable is that you'll pick up a lot of Software Engineering techniques with CS. You'll also be exposed to larger and more intricate projects, homework and programming assignments than you ever would in the EE world. EEs are expected to be able to write software in many, many jobs now. If you're a EE that can write software really well and show that you also have the proper schooling you'll be way ahead of the normal EE curve when looking for jobs and internships. See this sounds like a lot of fun! I really enjoy both of the fields from my limited experience in them so this makes me happy. Thank you for the perspective 
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May 2, 2011 17:01
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kriminal posted:Anyone has advice on how to find jobs that have higher demand due to danger/hazards, travelling, offshore or other non-optimal conditions? Look into mining? Mining has plenty of needs for EE for their electrical work.
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May 2, 2011 21:05
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Dead Pressed posted:Look into mining? Mining has plenty of needs for EE for their electrical work. Do you know of specific companies that can do the training? All the positions I have seen require at 3 to 5 years experience in the field or knowledge of specialized equipments.
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May 2, 2011 22:02
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kriminal posted:Anyone has advice on how to find jobs that have higher demand due to danger/hazards, travelling, offshore or other non-optimal conditions? Field Engineer for a Government contractor. Shoot me a PM for more info.
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May 2, 2011 22:17
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kriminal posted:Do you know of specific companies that can do the training? All the positions I have seen require at 3 to 5 years experience in the field or knowledge of specialized equipments. I don't know what you mean by "the training", unless you're talking about general experience of 3-5yrs. Any training you would need to actually work at a mine could be completed in like 2 weeks max. I'd look at some of the major players that you could apply to and get represented for several locations instead of just those in a spot or two. Therefore, I'd look at: BHP Biliton, Newmont, Joy Global, Metso Mining Equipment, Rio Tinto, Morton Salt (Oglebay Norton, I think), Foresight Energy, Alpha Natural Resources, Consol Energy Should give you a start. Even if they have the experience limits, apply. Its hard to keep good EEs in the underground world. Surprisingly, a lot leave because its "dirty" or they puss out because they don't like going underground. Personally, as a mining engineer, I love it. So whatever.
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May 2, 2011 22:39
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kriminal posted:Do you know of specific companies that can do the training? All the positions I have seen require at 3 to 5 years experience in the field or knowledge of specialized equipments. Schlumberger http://www.slb.com/ I know they are mostly down in the central south, Texas, Louisiana, etc. and will take ANY engineer as a field engineer for a couple years and then you could be on to something else with experience.
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May 3, 2011 00:52
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Shitpost Gaze posted:Does this apply for EE and CS as well? Because that in and of itself won't add extra time for me (since all of my general education requirements and humanities/social sciences requirements are fulfilled) and it seems attractive if I can manage to do internships and snag a co-op in the meantime. If it helps I've already got an internship in the works and undergrad research I'm going to be doing in the fall. I posted earlier about this; I think the amount of CS you need to know as an engineer is easily obtainable through self-study (and personal projects) or the CS pre-reqs your engineering course takes you through. I don't think your average EE needs to know about compiler theory and such, but they should have a core competency in a language like C, and preferably at least one scripting language. Nothing helps you do your job faster (and impresses the bosses) than being able to sling some Python to automate testing/menial work. Show your programming knowledge by listing the applicable skills and showing off your cool projects/code in the interview (maybe point you're a super EE in your cover letter?). I brought some VHDL code for a Cyclone II-based Genesis emulator and some C++ for my personal projects like a MPEG decoder and PSX memcard manager. They just kinda went "...well poo poo, I guess we don't really have to ask you any questions now. Want a tour?"
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May 3, 2011 04:23
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What's the best way to learn new software packages? For example, if a job expects experience in SolidWorks, and I've been exposed much more to Pro/E, what's the best way to get my a proficient hold of Solidworks? This applies to everything, not just CAD.
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May 3, 2011 07:10
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gFOhPOjeg2sqmb5jHQbW V1rruhQ5VDP7WeWHHdCM o9Ztcrb7Lo0Yz54O2UcH fG6lp0yswjV0yzZbY9Uu u9GrBFPGNIEwMOPaccxv 9wfm9qh6LqS2UBLy7X0V uk6rSpy7TqZ09vSAKVAS cGtJYiG0eRE4y2swrObP 8Fxc8oi7LqFUN9Yk5q9d HbnJXnRS4xbRnJMfDTxI Plasmafountain fucked around with this message at 23:19 on Feb 27, 2023 |
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May 3, 2011 09:51
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kriminal posted:Anyone has advice on how to find jobs that have higher demand due to danger/hazards, travelling, offshore or other non-optimal conditions? As said, shift work in either an underground mine or offshore oilrig. That's big money there. Sell your soul for a few years and have enough to pay for a house with no mortgage.
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May 3, 2011 11:45
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kriminal posted:Do you know of specific companies that can do the training? All the positions I have seen require at 3 to 5 years experience in the field or knowledge of specialized equipments. Given how willing you are to do unpopular work, you may have above-average luck with cold calling.
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May 3, 2011 14:29
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movax posted:I posted earlier about this; I think the amount of CS you need to know as an engineer is easily obtainable through self-study (and personal projects) or the CS pre-reqs your engineering course takes you through. I've been working as a software engineer for about 5 years and I still have 2-3 years left on an EE degree (I'm slow) so I'll have ~7-8 years of software engineering experience by the time I graduate. I'm going to have basically zero time to do any internships because my job is already letting me cut back my hours to 3 10 hour days when school is in session so I can finish, so working another job just isn't an option. Is this going to be a problem since my job isn't EE related or will this not matter at all? I figure I will have no problems getting another software engineering job with 8 years and an EE degree if that is the path I wanted to take, but I don't know what it would mean if I wanted to get an electrical engineering job since I would have 0 years experience.
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May 3, 2011 14:48
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:55 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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May 3, 2011 14:55
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IratelyBlank posted:I've been working as a software engineer for about 5 years and I still have 2-3 years left on an EE degree (I'm slow) so I'll have ~7-8 years of software engineering experience by the time I graduate. What are you looking to do as an EE? I think with an EE degrees + the software engineering experience, you'd be a hot candidate for companies looking for EEs to do embedded software and such. I think your "problem" won't be finding a job, but avoiding getting pigeonholed as a "software guy" EE. If you're interested in doing hardware design, RF, whatever, maybe try to gain some experience in those by working on prof's pet project or something so you're not just a software dude to the company. e: I mean no offense to any EEs here doing software as their primary job, but dear god I found it stultifying and soul-crushing, especially in the auto industry. Clunky, clumsy code, clunky, clumsy bureaucracy, just generally terrible. Even software an EE would specialize in (DSP) was made unenjoyable with the asinine code policies and guidelines we had. I like my new job much better, where my software is limited to writing FPGA code / writing drivers for the hardware, with plenty of freedom. I just think it kind of sucks to go through an EE degree program, learning about the full spectrum from power electronics to semiconductor physics to DSP, and then end up writing corporate C for 50hrs/week in a little beige cubicle under the unending gaze of slightly off-white, flickering at 59.9Hz, fluorescent bulbs, mirroring the flickering of your spirit as it too just becomes part of the machine. movax fucked around with this message at 17:12 on May 3, 2011 |
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May 3, 2011 17:08
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movax posted:..flickering at 59.9Hz, fluorescent bulbs, mirroring the flickering of your spirit as it too just becomes part of the machine. Your spirit still flickers at 59.9Hz?...lucky.
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May 3, 2011 17:25
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movax posted:What are you looking to do as an EE? I think with an EE degrees + the software engineering experience, you'd be a hot candidate for companies looking for EEs to do embedded software and such. Or, you could be like my co-worker who maintained the embedded code for the Space Shuttle Main Engine Controllers for 5 consecutive flights and then went on to a senior system engineering position for a new CPU and it's support ASIC. YMMV.
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May 3, 2011 18:47
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Sort of an obnoxious question, but what is the best way to find a specific job? I've had hilarious amounts of success getting recruiters to call me just having had my resume on Monster and Careerbuilder for two weeks, and have a few on-site interviews scheduled with top companies in my field. They're great companies and there's a good shot one of them will give me an offer I won't want to refuse... but I want to dictate my region. I'd like to get back to Michigan or at least the midwest (I know Michigan's a tall order these days). Most of the contact I get seems to be in the south or in Texas. Are there any services, websites, or even recruiting companies I can look into other than the two mentioned above (AKA the two everyone knows about)? I have a BS in mechanical engineering from a top school and 3+ years as a manufacturing engineer for one of the top defense companies in the world, if that matters.
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May 4, 2011 05:57
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Question for anyone dealing with asset integrity/inspection. Has anyone here written any of the API inspection exams for tanks, piping or pressure vessels? Next year I'm going to write the piping and the tank inspection exams and I'm not really too too sure how much time is needed to prepare for these exams. Is any of the exams any easier then the others? I recently graduated with a diploma in materials engineering technology and I have a job as a inspector at a oil company. I mostly deal with welding and repairs, corrosion and NDT related to in service equipment. Is there much in these tests that deals with design of new equipment or does it stick with in-service stuff? Cephalopod Attack fucked around with this message at 06:23 on May 4, 2011 |
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May 4, 2011 06:12
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