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Honestly there are only about three good ways for a non-rich person as far as I can tell: marry a UK citizen, work for a multinational and get transferred there, or be extremely good at what you do. The UK has made it extremely difficult to immigrate over the past decade. They used to have a Tier 1 General visa in the past that would let you immigrate without a job (although the qualifications required were pretty steep), but they shut that down several years ago. Honestly I'd forget about it unless you really, really want to live there for some reason. Also, engineering salaries in the UK are generally kind of lovely compared to the US.
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Jan 3, 2016 23:50
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neibbo posted:Anyone have any suggestions on how a US-citizen mechanical engineer might find employment in the UK for a few years? I was expecting it to be a fairly simple matter but it seems like the work visa options are pretty limited for non-EU/non-commonwealth people and I haven't found any engineering companies that have exchange programs. My current employer (major US defence contractor) does a lot of work in the UK but pretty much all the engineering jobs require UK security clearance and I suspect my prospects of obtaining that are slim at best. If you should want to live and work in Australia instead for 2 years and are under 30, I'd suggest checking this out: http://www.visabureau.com/australia/working-holiday-visa.aspx From what I gathered while job searching, I was originally applying for jobs in Europe but it seems like they hire within country, then look in Europe, and then expand it past that. At that point I seriously doubt they haven't already hired.
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Jan 4, 2016 00:08
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Noctone posted:Also, engineering salaries in the UK are generally kind of lovely compared to the US. I am an american with no good advice to the question at hand, but this has been accurate from my multi-year reading of the thread. EDIT: Decided to google, Median UK Mech Eng salary is 44,180 USD according to PayScale. US is 66,437 USD. 150% more in the United States. CarForumPoster fucked around with this message at 01:27 on Jan 4, 2016 |
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Jan 4, 2016 01:24
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Jan 4, 2016 16:16
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CarForumPoster posted:I am an american with no good advice to the question at hand, but this has been accurate from my multi-year reading of the thread. Engineering salaries are weird in the UK, it's highly variable depending on discipline and specialization within discipline. Salaried positions for generalists don't pay that great, being a job shopper can pay a lot more but isn't exactly stable. I engineered my way to a job outside of the UK to get a serious pay bump. This is why a lot of engineering graduates in the UK end up working in financial services or general management - e.g. there are several supermarkets that preferentially recruit engineers for management training programs. Io_ fucked around with this message at 16:46 on Jan 4, 2016 |
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Jan 4, 2016 16:41
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How would employers feel about seeing an EE resume for entry level positions with a CSWA in addition to passing the FE? I'm seeing lots of internships and other EE jobs asking for AutoCAD/Solidworks experience that I feel it may be worth it to study for and pass the CSWA exam and just put that on my resume (which I can use as a talking point since I'm actually learning/using Solidworks right now to design/build a mobile robot for my robotics team).
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Jan 5, 2016 10:08
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Does anybody do any MEP electrical design work for buildings? I am trying to get an idea of what that actually entails. Sounds like autocad drawings for sure but I'm not sure exactly what load calculations or lighting calculations means.
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Jan 5, 2016 14:25
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rockamiclikeavandal posted:Does anybody do any MEP electrical design work for buildings? I am trying to get an idea of what that actually entails. Sounds like autocad drawings for sure but I'm not sure exactly what load calculations or lighting calculations means. I am not electrical but you have to calculate how much load is on each breaker and make sure everything is good, coordinate with the power company and bringing in the right size feed. Lighting cals are ensuring there is enough light for the area. Auto cad is probably still used a bunch but everything is going 3-D into BIM models.
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Jan 5, 2016 15:19
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Dangerous Mind posted:How would employers feel about seeing an EE resume for entry level positions with a CSWA in addition to passing the FE? I'm seeing lots of internships and other EE jobs asking for AutoCAD/Solidworks experience that I feel it may be worth it to study for and pass the CSWA exam and just put that on my resume (which I can use as a talking point since I'm actually learning/using Solidworks right now to design/build a mobile robot for my robotics team). As an EE who functions as an overpaid draftsman a lot of the time, you probably don't need to do this. If you even have cursory CADD experience, it's incredibly easy to become an efficient drafter/modeler as you go, especially if you have coworkers who are experienced with the projects you'll be working on. Employers know this, and as long as you can talk knowledgeably about CADD work you've done in the past, it won't be a stumbling block in any interviews. The cert would most definitely be good to have, but I don't see it being a make-or-break thing, even at my CADD-happy civil firm. Definitely do it if it won't inconvenience you, but don't delay applying for jobs/internships to make it happen.
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Jan 5, 2016 15:32
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rockamiclikeavandal posted:Does anybody do any MEP electrical design work for buildings? I am trying to get an idea of what that actually entails. Sounds like autocad drawings for sure but I'm not sure exactly what load calculations or lighting calculations means. You're responsible for handling the wiring, lighting and power for the building as a whole and its subsystems, coordinating with the architect, the structural engineer, the HVAC designer, the plumbing and the mechanical services to make sure you're meeting their power needs, laying out conduit and breakers and outlets and reserving cut-outs while ensuring you're not causing any interferences or making something inaccessible or unconstructable.
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Jan 5, 2016 16:07
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Thanks for all the info. Seems pretty straightforward, like a lot b of excel engineering. Does that sound right? Do you guys enjoy the job at all or do the people you know seem to enjoy it?
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Jan 5, 2016 17:09
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Not a Children posted:As an EE who functions as an overpaid draftsman a lot of the time, you probably don't need to do this. If you even have cursory CADD experience, it's incredibly easy to become an efficient drafter/modeler as you go, especially if you have coworkers who are experienced with the projects you'll be working on. Employers know this, and as long as you can talk knowledgeably about CADD work you've done in the past, it won't be a stumbling block in any interviews. The cert would most definitely be good to have, but I don't see it being a make-or-break thing, even at my CADD-happy civil firm. I'm not going to let it stop me from applying to those internships. I think I'll try to take the CSWA exam maybe 2 weeks after finals next semester, then the FE at the end of summer. I just want to be knowledgeable in CAD as much as I'm knowledgeable in programming (say, in C++ and microcontrollers). I'm still half and half whether I'm more interested in design or embedded systems and controls so why not learn both you know.
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Jan 5, 2016 19:16
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I'm a bit concerned with what my course of action should be. I'm six months away from graduation, and I've only heard back from one company so far for an interview. That interview didn't go so well, admittedly because I didn't prepare much and when they asked me to outline my strengths and weaknesses I didn't really know what to say to either. Also doesn't help that I don't have any hobbies or do anything besides study, so I don't come off as the most friendly of people either. I'm having trouble finding positions to send applications to. The career fair I went to last quarter was mostly a bust - of the eight companies hiring in my major (ChE), I only got interest from one. I have seen a few positions listed from my career center and on online sites like Indeed, but the problem I'm facing is that none of it sounds remotely interesting to me. I have been doing research with a professor for the past few months and have sent applications to graduate school for a few programs, but the truth is I don't know if I really want to tie up my life for another 5-6 years while I pursue a Ph.D - I don't want to become a professor, I just want to work in a field that looks to require a graduate education for most of its process engineering positions. At the same time, I can't imagine anything else with this major I'm interested in doing, and the job market seems to be doing really poorly in general - the market in oil and gas tanked and I didn't really fancy that industry anyway. I know that, in theory, this degree is supposed to be versatile, but the other alternatives I've heard of so far are in making food, paper, or the traditional chemical industry. None of these sound really appealing to me, and every job listing for these industries is in places like the Gulf Coast or the Midwest, neither of which sound like places I want to live. I haven't sent out many resumes because I can't really find any reason why I'd want to apply to these jobs - at the interview I had they asked me why I was interested in the job and I didn't really have a good answer for them because I frankly wasn't interested. I really liked my classes and I'm on track for Latin honors, so it's not a matter of being frustrated with the subject itself or not meeting GPA cutoffs. Of course, I understand that not everyone gets to do what they enjoy and at the end of the day, you need to pay the bills (of which I unfortunately have quite a lot - $60k in federal loans). However, I'm worried that I can't really come up with a reason during an interview why I'd want to work at a job making food or soap or whatever it is we're tasked to make.
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Jan 11, 2016 03:08
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What did you especially like in undergrad? What interests you, regardless of your profession? From reading your post I take it you're an undergrad? Undergrad research is actually a good way to test whether you like certain aspects of your major or not--either is good information. Do you like the research area? Does your professor have any industry contacts he can point you to? You don't have to go all the way to get a PhD in graduate school, but I certainly don't recommend doing it without clear focus on what you want to get out of it. It sounds like you're talking yourself out of a lot, so I just think you should ask yourself what you really want to do. Other random thoughts: you can live anywhere for a couple years. If it's not your cup of tea, well you can always go somewhere else. Talk to your career center about mock interviews. They can help you think about your responses to common questions. A lot of it will be just staying sharp so that you can be on point in your responses.
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Jan 11, 2016 03:27
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You're a chemical engineer interested in process engineering, but you're not interested in food, cosmetics, toiletries, fuel, or basic chemicals. What are you interested in that remains?
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Jan 11, 2016 04:54
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The Chairman posted:You're a chemical engineer interested in process engineering, but you're not interested in food, cosmetics, toiletries, fuel, or basic chemicals. What are you interested in that remains? When I had originally chosen the major, I really didn't understand what it was all about (like most people, i had picked it because I liked physics and chemistry). I did enjoy my courses so it worked out in that respect (really enjoyed my reaction kinetics and transport classes, and physical chemistry. I think the only class I didn't like that much was separations). I had an internship with a company serving the semiconductor industry and after a year of that, I decided to take classes in the EE department for my technical electives, and wound up doing research with the professor of one of those classes. But, as far as discussions I've had with my professor and my old boss, it seems like many of the big companies won't take a look at you unless you have a Ph.D or many years of prior experience. I'm not sure how to get prior experience, though - every listing I see requires graduate degrees or 3-5+ years of experience. I guess the stuff that has sounded more interesting to me is more in the realm of materials science, but my university only offers it as a graduate program. At my internship, I mostly did calibration tests on R&D prototypes and that was pretty interesting as far as an internship went, but it almost feels like that's more of an operator or lab tech position than an engineering position. The project with my professor had me working in a cleanroom on some pretty neat equipment, and I think that's something I wouldn't mind doing, but most of those sorts of positions want at least a master's degree if not a doctorate. I like crunching numbers (hell, I used to enjoy playing EVE) and looking for trends in data, and it looks like there's a lot of this sort of thing in the industry, but I also enjoy thinking about physics and chemistry and I think something like pure CS or data science wouldn't really be interesting because of that.
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Jan 11, 2016 06:37
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Jan 11, 2016 16:14
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Thoguh posted:If you can't articulate what you want don't expect someone else to. As far as the interview - "what are your strengths and weaknesses" is as boilerplate as it gets. If that's throwing you off you'd probably benefit greatly by seeing if your schools career center will do some mock interviews with you to help you prepare. I understand strengths and weaknesses are a common thing they ask but I don't know what to say. All I have to offer is a good GPA (that only proves I can take tests well) and some past experience that probably isn't too relevant to most jobs, and things like "shows up to work on time" aren't so much strengths as they are the bare minimum. If they ask what my interest in the job is, though, I don't have a good answer for them because none of the companies out there seem that interesting, at the risk of sounding entitled. Am I supposed to just make up a reason? I can't imagine an employer hiring someone who isn't interested in the job, but like you said I need a way in somewhere.
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Jan 11, 2016 18:40
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The Chairman posted:You're responsible for handling the wiring, lighting and power for the building as a whole and its subsystems, coordinating with the architect, the structural engineer, the HVAC designer, the plumbing and the mechanical services to make sure you're meeting their power needs, laying out conduit and breakers and outlets and reserving cut-outs while ensuring you're not causing any interferences or making something inaccessible or unconstructable. How's a guy go about getting into something like this? Every time I look up at the ceiling in the factory I work in I want to cry and then murder someone, especially the time one of the 120 breakers feeding my work station blew and my efforts to trace the conduit back to the panel went around a 300' loop with no junctions.
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Jan 11, 2016 20:28
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Jan 11, 2016 22:52
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Shipon posted:I guess I should clarify, I'm not sure if the positions I've been looking at qualify as "traditional" process engineering even if they have that title. I'm not really sure what a typical process engineer does, though - my program hasn't done a really good job of telling us what industry is like. I've finished all my courses except for my senior lab and design projects, so I guess now is the chance to finally see what we'll supposedly be doing in industry. Have you looked in to any jobs in Controls? I graduated two years ago and wasn't really interested in most of the ChemE positions I saw and decided to to accept a controls job. Depending on where you work I think it would hit a lot of your interests. There are always number to crunch and data to analysis to improve a process. I find learning and using the different types of control programs we have at where I work to really be satisfying in terms of interacting with computers and some light programming.
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Jan 15, 2016 01:11
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If there's anyone out there like me who's been postponing ordering their PE seal until they needed it, I just ordered an embosser from PE Stamps and it arrived in two days and looks great
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Jan 16, 2016 00:21
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I have always used the guys out of Texas for my stamps. Very nice.
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Jan 16, 2016 00:55
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Dangerous Mind posted:I'm not going to let it stop me from applying to those internships. I think I'll try to take the CSWA exam maybe 2 weeks after finals next semester, then the FE at the end of summer. I just want to be knowledgeable in CAD as much as I'm knowledgeable in programming (say, in C++ and microcontrollers). I'm still half and half whether I'm more interested in design or embedded systems and controls so why not learn both you know.
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Jan 17, 2016 20:11
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Decided a while ago to quit the engineering field. I'm unwilling to relocate (SF Bay Area) due to my housing situation and there just aren't any jobs that are willing to look at someone from an aerospace company and into literally any other. The only question now really is when I decide to leave. I've been on this project for 3 years and I'd like to see it through to launch but I absolutely loathe everything about my company and the way it treats its employees. Going into work is difficult because everyone else feels the same. I've never been around such low moral before, it really eats at you bit by bit until you're an empty shell, and that's not who I want to be. Anyways, I'm going to take off into software and see where it takes me.
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Feb 9, 2016 04:42
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mitztronic posted:Decided a while ago to quit the engineering field. I'm unwilling to relocate (SF Bay Area) due to my housing situation and there just aren't any jobs that are willing to look at someone from an aerospace company and into literally any other. Well lots of engineers I know in more traditional fields such as aerospace are switching to software since it has much better prospects right now. If you have the right personality and talent it might make sense to switch. You could also see if you current company has training opportunities, so you can retrain on their dime.
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Feb 9, 2016 18:27
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mitztronic posted:Decided a while ago to quit the engineering field. I'm unwilling to relocate (SF Bay Area) due to my housing situation and there just aren't any jobs that are willing to look at someone from an aerospace company and into literally any other. You've got 5 years experience in a complicated subject (RF) and are in one of the biggest booming areas for electronics in the world. You've been job hunting for a year. You are like a hot girl with depression. CarForumPoster fucked around with this message at 05:13 on Feb 10, 2016 |
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Feb 10, 2016 05:06
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I'm looking at getting out of the military a year from now after 5 years served. I have an Associate of Science degree, so will be putting in ~2 more years of school for a bachelor's on the GI bill once out. The two degrees I'd been primarily considering were EE and Computer Engineering, then I found a I wonder about the employment options I would have with a "split" degree like this - whether it's likely to be viewed negatively as having less specific focus in either of the 2 fields, or positively as having a wider area of knowledge.. as well as the type of work this would likely qualify me for. Prior to joining the military (at age 28) I worked for several years as a SQL server DBA for a small stocking and distribution company of 40-50 employees. My military work in logistics I would assume is largely unrelated to my intended degree. Any helpful advice? Gray Matter fucked around with this message at 10:04 on Feb 11, 2016 |
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Feb 10, 2016 18:22
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Gray Matter posted:I'm looking at getting out of the military a year from now after 5 years served. I have an Associate of Science degree, so will be putting in ~2 more years of school for a bachelor's on the GI bill once out. Could you link to what you're looking at? I see that U of A has an ECE department with EE and CE options, but not a combined option. My instinct is that a combined option, if it really straddles the fence, gives you the worst of both worlds in the limited time of an undergrad degree, but I'd have to see a curriculum.
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Feb 10, 2016 19:58
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Gray Matter posted:I'm looking at getting out of the military a year from now after 5 years served. I have an Associate of Science degree, so will be putting in ~2 more years of school for a bachelor's on the GI bill once out. Kolodny posted:Could you link to what you're looking at? I see that U of A has an ECE department with EE and CE options, but not a combined option. There's still stuff you'll never learn in any school that will take your first couple jobs to understand, so it's not like you'd be THAT far behind peers who don't take as diluted a major. If you enjoyed your database administration, why not look at a computer science degree?
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Feb 10, 2016 20:31
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Some places do CE degrees under the EE dept. Some places do CE degrees under the CS dept. Some places have CE degrees in both depts. Under the EE program a CE (or ECE) degree is really just an EE deg with the focus more on VLSI an digital logic design and the enabling technologies, with sometimes a little low level software and hardware-software interface stuff thrown in as options but importantly you will also be taking all the core EE topics, Circuits, Signals & Systems, Electronics and etc. Under a CS program you usually will take some digital logic and architecture courses but your focus will be largely focused on hardware-software interface and embedded software and software issues and you'll take core CS courses like algorithms and operating systems. Some programs will straddle that line to greater or lesser degrees. So, uh, it comes down to what you want to do. If you want to design ASICs and work with FPGAs an ECE degree from a good EE dept is the way to go. If you want to be an embedded engineer then a CE degree from a good CS program is a good idea.
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Feb 10, 2016 21:40
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The hot new interdisciplinary degree these days is Computer Science & Engineering. At my school at least it's jointly offered by the school if CS and Engineering, is accredited as both CpE and CS, and yeah it's a pain in the rear end. It seems like they're making up technology-related degrees pretty drat quickly these days.Gray Matter posted:The two degrees I'd been primarily considering were EE and Computer Engineering, then I found a BA in "Electrical and Computer Engineering" program at U of Arizona. 
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Feb 10, 2016 22:50
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You should focus on a single traditional major, and take electives in the other subjects that interest you.
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Feb 10, 2016 23:10
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notZaar posted:You should focus on a single traditional major, and take electives in the other subjects that interest you. Or just dual-major EE and CE. That's what I did and it was only something like 15-20 extra credit hours since a lot of my courses counted for both majors.
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Feb 11, 2016 05:19
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Kolodny posted:Could you link to what you're looking at? I see that U of A has an ECE department with EE and CE options, but not a combined option. Now that I look more closely at the lesson plan, it appears it does split into either a specific focus in EE or CE in the third year. Sounds like a dual-major may be a solid option assuming there's not too many additional credits. I will be mid-30's by the time I finish my bachelor's and can't afford to be out of the workforce for too long with a wife and kid. Gray Matter fucked around with this message at 10:09 on Feb 11, 2016 |
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Feb 11, 2016 09:44
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Gray Matter posted:Here is the the informational page on the school's site and here is the 4-year lesson plan. University of Arizona is fine, it's a real accredited program and having a degree from there isn't going to make people look at you funny or anything. I did the post-military engineering degree (ECE actually). Don't stay out of the work-force. Do internships over the summer at the very least. I've seen several people do internships and then work part-time for the same company during the year. Sometimes this is called a CO-OP and sometimes it's just part time work. I did this, yes it's harder but engineering almost always pays interns and co-ops, usually pretty well (we pay students $22/hr for example). FYI Honeywell has a large presence in Arizona and a major portion of their ASIC & FPGA designs are done in Phoenix. I have no doubt that many of the professors at UA will have some sort of research relationship with Honeywell. If I were you as soon as I was in the engineering school I would apply for an internship there and ask your professors if they could help you find a student position there.
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Feb 11, 2016 13:32
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Murgos posted:University of Arizona is fine, it's a real accredited program and having a degree from there isn't going to make people look at you funny or anything. Gray Matter fucked around with this message at 16:10 on Feb 12, 2016 |
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Feb 12, 2016 16:07
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Go to the one with the better football program for enhanced career networking opportunities (no really)
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Feb 12, 2016 21:54
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single-mode fiber posted:Go to the one with the better football program for enhanced career networking opportunities (no really) I'm mainly leaning towards U of A cause I can live rent-free with family for a couple years in Tucson area.
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Feb 13, 2016 10:46
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I'm just going to leave this thought here: The single greatest contributing factor to your initial job prospects are the quality and quantity of internships that you do. Every other consideration is secondary to that.
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Feb 13, 2016 12:45
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