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Xeom posted:So a big career fair is going down in Detroit, its the SHPE(Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) yearly conference. Its a pretty big conference with lots of companies. Its 50 dollars just to attend, but I live in Florida and it would cost me around $400 dollars to attend in total; Possibly more if I have to stay a second night. gently caress that. You're a degreed chemical engineer in need of a job? Get thee to Houston. (Or start contacting Linked in recruiters.)
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Oct 2, 2014 21:07
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Senor P. posted:gently caress that. You're a degreed chemical engineer in need of a job? Get thee to Houston. (Or start contacting Linked in recruiters.) My thoughts exactly. Going to ND to work is a great idea if you want to make money driving trucks and operating deadly machinery in the middle of nowhere. You made it through engineering school; someone like you with a ChemE, MechE or Petro degree in the middle of this insane fracking boom can find a job getting paid much more to run these sites. The Bakken jobs are easy to get because they're in the middle of nowhere and also the place is a shithole; people with engineering degrees willing to work there are much more in demand than the general population of folks willing to work there. In my opinion focusing a job hunt in Houston and saying you're willing to work field is a good idea, driving to Michigan for the SHPE career fair is a bad idea, moving to ND for an oilfield job is a terrible idea.
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Oct 2, 2014 22:05
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The Chairman posted:I think it'd be worth going to that event, since it's a national professional conference and not a local/regional job fair. Yeah, it's national...but does the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers have a monopoly on oil recruiters or something? Because it sounds like a national professional conference of only a tangentially related area.
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Oct 2, 2014 23:36
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Senor P. posted:gently caress that. You're a degreed chemical engineer in need of a job? Get thee to Houston. (Or start contacting Linked in recruiters.) Shear Modulus posted:In my opinion focusing a job hunt in Houston and saying you're willing to work field is a good idea, driving to Michigan for the SHPE career fair is a bad idea, moving to ND for an oilfield job is a terrible idea. spwrozek posted:FWIW Schlumburger seems to hire anyone will to run a crew in the middle of nowhere for 3 years. stick it out and make a ton of money and then you get an office job. (at least this is how it was in 2008). My school mostly focus on down stream, and chemical production. I have a focus on materials, two classes haha. Overall I feel like my education prepared me to be a process engineer. I am trying to go oil/gas because they seem to be hiring like crazy. People keep talking about Houston, but I've only ever gotten one interview from Texas. Most of my interviews have come from medium sized companies up north. It seems to me then that most companies only want to hire locally. I really really really don't want to work in ND. Hell I really don't want to work with Schlumburger, but as spwrozek said they will hire anyone because of their terrible retention rate. I am only choosing these places/companies because people say you are more or less assure a job there. Usually due to the terrible work conditions. I am 27 and would really like to do the whole starting a life and starting a family thing. I wasn't really dreaming about giving the next 3 year of my life away, especially after being a broke college student for the past 5 years. But I need some sort of experience and I don't know how else to get it as a graduate. If I could move to Houston and get a job in a week or two as a operator or tech I would do it. I have no problem starting at the bottom of the totem poll. Its just I don't think that is possible. All my family lives in Florida. I have one friend near Austin Texas. She just got married with her wife and moved in together, and I really doubt that they want a roommate.
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Oct 3, 2014 03:31
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Why do you keep selling yourself short all over the place? An operator or tech? Not having a job sucks and the hiring process is scary the first time through but you don't have to work a poo poo job to 'get experience'. There are many entry level engineering positions. If you work one of those jobs anyways I seriously doubt any engineering place will count them as years earned and you'll start from 0.
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Oct 3, 2014 05:12
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Uncle Jam posted:Why do you keep selling yourself short all over the place? An operator or tech? Not having a job sucks and the hiring process is scary the first time through but you don't have to work a poo poo job to 'get experience'. There are many entry level engineering positions. This post worries me because I feel like I'm in the same position: finished my EE, wound up in a tech position, and can't seem to fight up to engineering. In fact it feels like overall I've missed out on fundamental parts of what I need to succeed. I had an excellent mentor for a while at my last job, but now I'm surrounded by people who are unable to answer their own questions, let alone share any knowledge they've gained. How does one break out of being a tech, and change their mindset and work focus to grow up into the work they really want?
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Oct 3, 2014 08:33
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motoh posted:How does one break out of being a tech, and change their mindset and work focus to grow up into the work they really want? Find a new job as an engineer. Even with an engineering degree it's always going to be hard to work your way up from a tech in a company.
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Oct 3, 2014 16:58
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For what it's worth, I'm in Houston, I have no degree (though some years of math / compsci college in the past), I'm a tech and get calls / emails / linkedin messages from recruiters daily. I'm back in school now for PetE and I quiver with joy to think what it'll be like once I finish my degree. If you already have an engineering degree, you *will* find a job here if you want it, barring being an ex-convict or something like that. I haven't run into EEs directly, but there's plenty of ChemE and MechEs on the upstream side of the business too.
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Oct 3, 2014 17:17
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Anyone got any good advice for someone with no programming experience on becoming a Software Engineer/Developer? What kind of stuff should I be learning/teaching myself outside of school? I assume python is probably a big one, but not really sure where to go from there.
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Oct 3, 2014 17:25
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I'd ask in Cavern of Cobol. There are numerous threads there for getting hired as a programmer. Generally, the requirement is to learn a language, develop a portfolio, then get hired.
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Oct 3, 2014 17:31
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Zook posted:Anyone got any good advice for someone with no programming experience on becoming a Software Engineer/Developer? What kind of stuff should I be learning/teaching myself outside of school? I assume python is probably a big one, but not really sure where to go from there. Do you have any really repetitive tasks you do on the computer frequently? Organizing files, parsing data from files, things like that? I've found rather than just being like 'lol, learn to code', if you have a basic notion of programming (flow-control statements, basically general logic), I don't think it's too steep of a learning curve if you have a practical problem to solve like "Hey, I wish I could automate pulling every third column from these CSV files" to try and jump right to solving that with Python.
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Oct 3, 2014 17:34
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movax posted:Do you have any really repetitive tasks you do on the computer frequently? Organizing files, parsing data from files, things like that? I've found rather than just being like 'lol, learn to code', if you have a basic notion of programming (flow-control statements, basically general logic), I don't think it's too steep of a learning curve if you have a practical problem to solve like "Hey, I wish I could automate pulling every third column from these CSV files" to try and jump right to solving that with Python. I have no idea what any of that means really, I'm computer literate, know how to use internet, built my desktop, type 110WPM etc. But I don't really know anything about programming or writing code, I do know that Software Engineers and Computer Engineers seem to be a pretty well paying and needed profession though, and I'm looking to increase my income. (Make around $40k/year right now)
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Oct 3, 2014 17:40
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Software engineer is the current term for computer programmer though it seems to be falling out of favor for "software developer" or "software architect." It only tends to require a high school diploma and expert knowledge of a language or two. Computer engineering is a subset of electrical engineering that focuses on microprocessor development and fabrication. It generally requires a 4 year degree in electronics, electrical, or computer engineering. You'll probably learn VHDL, Verilog, assembly, and C programing.
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Oct 3, 2014 18:32
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Does anyone have any knowledge about working for naval shipyards in the US? I got approached by one of them to do refits or something similar on ships/subs. I'm a NucE, so I figure I'll probably end up running reactor tests and the like assuming I do it.
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Oct 3, 2014 21:45
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You'd more than likely end up in Norfolk or Newport News, Virginia. Refits suck. Refueling sucks. That being said, be more specific about the job title and I may be able to tell you more. If it's Shift Test Engineer, you basically qualify to operate the ship systems then provide oversight in the control room during repairs. You know more about the repairs than the Navy personnel do so you act as a SME for whatever repairs impact their systems. High stress, high amount of accountability, and usually really good pay.
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Oct 3, 2014 21:54
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Zook posted:I have no idea what any of that means really, I'm computer literate, know how to use internet, built my desktop, type 110WPM etc. But I don't really know anything about programming or writing code, I do know that Software Engineers and Computer Engineers seem to be a pretty well paying and needed profession though, and I'm looking to increase my income. (Make around $40k/year right now) This sounds like a terrible idea. Why don't you leverage your interests and strengths to increase your income, rather than pursue something you know nothing about just because you've heard it makes money?
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Oct 4, 2014 02:21
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Zook posted:I do know that Software Engineers and Computer Engineers seem to be a pretty well paying and needed profession though, and I'm looking to increase my income. (Make around $40k/year right now) edit: and as mentioned previously, you probably want this thread over in Cavern of COBOL. Star War Sex Parrot fucked around with this message at 02:39 on Oct 4, 2014 |
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Oct 4, 2014 02:36
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Star War Sex Parrot posted:edit: and as mentioned previously, you probably want this thread over in Cavern of COBOL.  ONE OF US. ONE OF US.
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Oct 4, 2014 02:49
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nvm
Zook fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Dec 2, 2014 |
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Oct 4, 2014 06:21
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I wrote up a long, detailed post but my browser crashed. WELP. Basically, I wouldn't expect this to be the type of thing you can just jump into. It takes months to learn a language but years to get really good at it. Also, why are you learning Powershell? Are you wanting to go be a server admin? And for that matter, what made you pick Python?
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Oct 4, 2014 16:05
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KetTarma posted:I wrote up a long, detailed post but my browser crashed. WELP. From the research I've done Python appears to be the language that you should start with if you don't already know one, and the python tutorial told me to learn how to use powershell.
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Oct 4, 2014 17:02
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Zook posted:From the research I've done Python appears to be the language that you should start with if you don't already know one, and the python tutorial told me to learn how to use powershell. Which python tutorial was this?
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Oct 4, 2014 17:11
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Safe and Secure! posted:Which python tutorial was this? http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/
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Oct 4, 2014 17:35
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Zook posted:From the research I've done Python appears to be the language that you should start with if you don't already know one, and the python tutorial told me to learn how to use powershell. Python is an easy, lightweight language that is good at writing small scripts to automate tasks. It is an excellent starter language. Similarly, Powershell is a language used to automate server administration tasks. If your goal is to get hired as a server admin, this would be one of the steps. I mean, Python is a great language to start on but it's not a language that will make you employable in and of itself... at least until you learn Java/Javascript or something to go along with it. Think of it like learning how to use a chisel without knowing how to use a hammer... and you're not sure if you want to be a carpenter, sculptor, electrician, or plumber. Maybe that analogy wasn't so good...
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Oct 4, 2014 19:22
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I've coded in python before, but that was to implement solving EM boundary conditions and so in for some simple geometries, so I could iterate designs faster than something more full wave for a certain project I was working on. I think that's sort of the example KetTarma is trying to get at: people who use Python very rarely are just python gurus, its a means to the end, and they have some other skill set that makes them valuable. Now something like embedded C or a hardware descriptor language, those people get big bucks for implementing other people's specs/algorithms. Their coding ability is their career. There is a reason for this though, utilizing those effectively are huge challenges. Even just being able to navigate the reference documentation library effectively for popular implementations to find answers quickly is a great skill to have. Oh on a completely different note: For those guys who were in tech positions or some terrible contractor job (can you figure out the EMC problem for this PCB? Heres your desk, see ya when you're done!) Its going to be brutal to move up within a the same company to a nicer engineering job. Your resume doesn't have to stop growing though, there's a lot of volunteer stuff you can pick up along the way. Makerspaces are ridiculously common and they'll roll over for someone who has engineering experience (even if its just college) to volunteer. Then when you are fed up with tech, and you apply to other companies and interview, that you took proactive steps to get out of your situation and out of job that was constraining you will speak volumes. Everyone loves showing off their previous internships but any resume that has some sort of side project outside of school where you did it just because it interested you, moves straight to the top of the pile, at least when I'm reviewing them anyway. The most valuable part of corp internships is learning the ebb and flow of business, which you can learn later anyway, but if you can pick up skills or just even know how it stands out very clearly. Uncle Jam fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Oct 4, 2014 |
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Oct 4, 2014 19:54
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KetTarma posted:You'd more than likely end up in Norfolk or Newport News, Virginia. So I wouldn't be able to con my way into Pearl Harbor? drat. They weren't very specific about what exact position was open, it was a rep from Puget Sound. I'm just starting a master's so I'm not in a huge hurry to bail and move out to Seattle, but at the same time I'm in the middle of that "Oh poo poo what the gently caress am I doing in grad school?" phase and the idea of a real job that pays real money sounds tempting.
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Oct 5, 2014 00:35
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So apparently I am getting flown out for a in person interview. It sounds like its going to be a near whole day thing. I will be taking two tests, a mechanical competency, and math/language test; Also I am pretty sure they will be asking me technical and behavioral questions throughout the day. This is going to be my 3rd interview, I've already had a phone and video interview. I am guessing they are fairly interested in me, because they are flying me all the way up to Michigan from Florida. But I know I am not their first pick, because two weeks after the video interview I call and they told me that they had made an offer to someone else. In fact I am sure I am probably not even their second or third pick, considering it took them roughly two months to get back to me. Regardless they have worked their way down to me. I've heard that some places just do it like that. They go through candidates until someone they like and meet personally takes the offer. It feels like currently its my job to lose. Am I reading this correctly goons? Am I fairly close to getting this thing? Besides studying up on the technical stuff, and practicing my behavioral stuff, is there anything I can do to lock this thing down?
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Oct 7, 2014 17:58
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Think of some good questions to ask, it'll show you've researched the company/position (you have, right?) and that you're serious about knowing as much as possible. You're interviewing them as much as they are you.
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Oct 7, 2014 23:52
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Not sure if this is the right thread but I'll ask anyway. I'm considering going back to grad school. I graduated almost 2 years ago with a degree in Computer Engineering from UW Madison. I currently work in embedded systems as a software engineer. I wouldn't go back unless I could get into the program I really want which is VLSI design/Cumputer Architecture or a program focused on HDL design. Issue is I was a very average to sub average student. Think I was around a 2.8 gpa after transferring from community college and only taking engineering courses (mostly) at Madison. Is it at all feasible to get into a program like that if I had a great GRE score? I'm not sure how competitive those programs are but I loved VLSI design in undergrad and it's my dream job to get into. On a side note, what do other embedded dudes call themselves? My previous job I was an Embedded Engineer my current job (competing company) is Software Engineer. But as mentioned above I feel like software engineer is the new term for programmer. I do embedded C and assembly as well as a lot of hardware debugging through software and some soldering debug modifications for myself. Popete fucked around with this message at 02:46 on Oct 8, 2014 |
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Oct 8, 2014 02:39
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We're horribly backed up at the engineering department due to our salesmen deciding to visit all of their biggest accounts and bring in big projects in the same week. Today I sent off four drawings of exactly what the salesman requested, and I get back: "May have to change, but good start. A lot of potential here, thanks!" Motherfucker, I gave you exactly what you asked for. If the customer wasn't sure what specs they wanted, do your goddamn job as a salesman and either find out what they need or tell them what they need so I don't have to run around in circles doubling up on how much work I have to do. Don't just make up some specs that I'll fulfill, knowing full well all I'm wasting my time when a ten minute sketch with little blanks to fill in dimensions would have been just as good. And then you think you're getting the second set of drawings on the same deadline as the first?
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Oct 8, 2014 03:04
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Frinkahedron posted:Think of some good questions to ask, it'll show you've researched the company/position (you have, right?) and that you're serious about knowing as much as possible. You're interviewing them as much as they are you. Yea I know a lot about the company. They have a very particular focus and I understand the overall process that I would be working on. I feel like I know so much already that I am not sure what to ask(I know there is a lot more to know, just not right for an interview). Also I already asked a good amount of questions in the last interview.
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Oct 8, 2014 04:04
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Popete posted:Not sure if this is the right thread but I'll ask anyway. GRE for engineering is weird because the math is so ridiculously easy that I got perfect without study and the language score reqs set so low so international students can get in. The good news is you need letters of recommendation and your own letter of purpose. Get super strong letters and then write your purpose letter well. Usually people aren't so enthusiastic about hdl so that's good. Find someone to help you with the letter of purpose and hone it to a very professional level. I'm no so experienced with the inner workings of admissions but I think schools generally welcome students with work experience since so many go straight to grad these days.
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Oct 8, 2014 13:42
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Xeom posted:So apparently I am getting flown out for a in person interview. Try to be yourself and don't get too caught up trying to like the job. You need to know if you're a good fit for them and vice versa. Alastor_the_Stylish posted:We're horribly backed up at the engineering department due to our salesmen deciding to visit all of their biggest accounts and bring in big projects in the same week. I thought this was how it always worked? Vaporware fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Oct 8, 2014 |
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Oct 8, 2014 23:11
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Vaporware posted:I thought this was how it always worked? I dare anyone to ask why we have so many late projects. Send one engineer home for a long expected surgery and that's when all the salesmen have to be out sending poo poo in from Cletus's Country (insert industry we supply) who is totally gonna put in his line this year, never mind the four other times we estimated his line in as many years. This time he really figured out exactly how he wants it... Take them off the road and have them help the brand new administration staff who keep loving up the inventory and production scheduling software. And "Estimated Value $500"? Oh wow let me just drop my projects on our big money accounts to get right on your wing and a prayer.
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Oct 9, 2014 03:43
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Sometimes I imagine a life in sales and what chain of events would lead me to selling a project that is not 100% known to work. Basically I would starve as a salesman.
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Oct 13, 2014 03:54
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Mechanical Engineering student here. I know GPAs were talked about quite a bit on the first 15 pages of the thread, but that was 5 years ago. I'm a transfer student with a 2.64 transfer GPA, 2.90 university GPA, bringing my total to 2.71 after accounting for units. I'm really freaking out about the 3.00 drop off for interns/jobs. I still have a couple years to bring it up, but I'm still not doing so great. Could I just put my university GPA on a resume? Is there anything I could do to show employers that I'm more than a lovely GPA? Or is that it? "Lower than 3.00? Resume = trash". I'm asking in this thread specifically because I'd get all kinds of answers from different majors if this was asked in the general education questions thread. Thanks
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Oct 14, 2014 06:54
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Do internships, do co-ops, do research opportunities, join student auxiliaries of professional associations, build relationships with professors more substantial than just attending their classes. Anything that'll get your foot in the door, potentially over someone with a high GPA but no work history of note.
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Oct 14, 2014 15:10
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If your prospective employer asks for transcripts from your college, what are they going to see? When I transferred in, my incoming college just gave me T as the grade for all of my classes. I'd honestly prefer to recalculate my GPA by hand and give that. I've been told that doing that is looked down upon and to just put whatever my current college says my GPA is. With regards to GPA, it's hard to tell how much it matters. Some places have a hard cutoff where it MUST be a 3.000000 with no exceptions. One of my friends has a conditional offer with a major electronics company right now that requires him to have raised his GPA to a 3.00 GPA upon graduation or the deal is off. Some places are more lenient.
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Oct 14, 2014 15:26
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BumbleChump posted:Mechanical Engineering student here. Try not to freak out too much. I was in your position with my GPA a couple years before I graduated, made it out with a 2.81 in AeroE, and landed a cushy government job. I'm pretty satisfied with how things turned out, but I could've done better so you get to learn from my screwups. Like KetTarma said, it's hard to know how big a thing GPA is by itself. I wouldn't let that be a license to relax, instead as a rule that you should do as much with your time in school as you can. What is it that you want to do when you graduate? Work in a specific sector? Grad school? Whatever it is (and if you don't know, figure it out), you'll probably never again have such ready access to people who have connections where you want them, and who are ostensibly there to help you. You still have plenty of time to cozy up to your professors, be a lab monkey, and otherwise get yourself noticed. The question you're asking here is one you can ask your profs, along with if they need any lab help or know someone who does. If you want to do grad school right after undergrad, now is the time to start networking and putting things together. Don't think that your GPA now shuts you out, even for funding. I made that mistake, and I could have networked better and gone on immediately to grad school. I can't really speak to your direct question since I didn't transfer, but I would put both GPAs.
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Oct 14, 2014 18:46
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Do what you can to raise it, but yeah you're not boned if you do what The Chairman suggests. It's all about the personal network. Worst case, it'll just set your career back a few years. If you're good, you'll eventually work your way into what you want.
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Oct 15, 2014 02:35
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