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I graduated with a BSME in 2018. Military vet. Taking the FE in May. So during college I took a 6-month internship with a systems integrator. Controls and instrumentation, yadda yadda. I enjoyed the work quite a bit, and it's something I want to further pursue. I was having trouble finding work upon graduation. but after a few weeks I accepted a job with a civil consultant. During the interview, my controls and instrumentation background was a major selling point. They told me about this controls work they had coming up that I would be perfect for. I thought it sounded great and I'd be getting the experience I thought I would. Fast forward nearly a year and... barely anything. I review a submittal here and there. I talked to a vendor once. All of the integration work I've been involved combined could take up a solid week, tops. It's a smallish firm, so it's not like other people are getting the work instead. I'm the "controls expert" apparently. I have learned quite a bit about the CivE world, but I'm basically being tasked with what I can only describe as miscellaneous work. On top of all of it, I commute 3 hours a day. I'm just loving miserable and frustrated. My family has noticed it, especially in the last few months. I'm actively pursuing a new job. No prospects yet. Am I at risk of getting pigeonholed into a career path I don't want because I can't get the necessary experience, or am I just looking at this all wrong? shyduck fucked around with this message at 21:05 on Apr 16, 2019 |
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Apr 16, 2019 20:57
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So I'm a mechanical engineer and I've been working for a wastewater consulting firm for 2+ years (this is my first post-grad job). I generally like the field. However I think I'm running into some issues that I can't seem shake. We work off billable time, which means timesheets. I loathe them. Part of the problem is their mere existence in the first place, but I always feel like it's really difficult to encapsulate what I did within 30 minute segments. I always feel like I'm going to be judged because I spun my wheels with something or I needed time to think something out because it's the first time I've ever done a specific task. I know it's in my head because I've never once gotten negative feedback or questioning about time entries. But there's days where I feel like I've gotten nothing accomplished even though I did research and whatnot, and I just never know how to properly account for it. It's not like I made X amount of widgets where I can easily account for that. On top of that, and this probably compounds the problem, I was diagnosed ADHD as an adult. I do take medication, but it's not bulletproof. Sometimes it's hard for me to put projects down within allotted time, or I'll get keyed in on a project detail and it turns into a time sink. I use a pomodoro technique clock and that helps a little bit. Also, it's a small company, and we're busy. I mean that's great and I'm thankful for a job, but it's Iike get thrown into a smattering of project tasks and everybody needs them done now, and I feel like it's hard to complete them to a satisfactory level. It's like lately I can only spin so many plates before some start crashing down. I'm constantly interrupted by people. Plus I just don't feel like I'm developing as an engineer with never being able to truly absorb or anything-- just any random kick poo poo out the door when it needs to be out. I've been doing this for 2+ years and I don't know what I particularly excel at. I don't even know if I want to be an engineer anymore. It's frustrating.
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Aug 30, 2020 20:08
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My degree is in mechanical engineering but 5+ years in my career I've been doing primarily controls, electrical, and GIS. The mechanical background helps, but I wouldn't really call myself a mechanical engineer. I also started my 2nd foray in college to get the degree right after I turned 30, so I've probably felt what you're feeling. I had to basically start my math journey with trigonometry which technically didn't even count towards my degree, and I never had calculus prior, ever. Funny thing is, I've haven't done any calc since graduatiing, although I may have to brush up for PE. Also regarding imposter syndrome, from my own perspective, it never really goes away. In fact I think mine elevated when I graduated and started working. You learn ways to manage it though. Talking helps. shyduck fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Apr 26, 2024 |
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Apr 26, 2024 16:48
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