What are you thinking RIGHT NOW?

[mamaprince]

I can never get him back... / He's never coming back...

[Regulus]

Az, Flip, and DG:

I understand why work experience is valuable to employers, and I'm not denying that. I knew the odds were stacked against me, and it didn't take me long to figure out how bad they are. I've been holding out hope that I can get through those odds to get to the end goal that I'm seeking, but increasingly it looks like that won't be the case. To say it's troubling would be an understatement.

At some point very soon, I'm going to have to make a choice. You guys know what that choice is. I've had back-up plans in place for years, but it's time I seriously consider them. I don't know that there's even a right choice or a wrong choice, but what I choose will determine the direction my life will go. And it won't be an easy decision to make.

Now, to be clear, I don't expect anyone to have all the answers, and I don't expect anyone to make this decision but me. But, me being me, I'm looking for all the wisdom I can get. I'm one person and I have only a very narrow view of the world. It was my own narrow view that led me into this position, a mistake I'm not keen to make a second time.

[FlipMode]

I couldn't get a job doing what I wanted, so I worked for a few years to save up the money and opened my own business and now I do
Granted it's not to do with engineering but the drive to succeed will get you there, even if you do decide to temporarily use your back up plan.

Also is there any voluntary stuff you could do?
Because I mean look at the positives, you have some free time at the moment, dedicate it to something awesome.

[SimbasMate]

I don't want to do homework. I just want to take a nap..

[Azdgari]

Az, Flip, and DG:

At some point very soon, I'm going to have to make a choice. You guys know what that choice is. I've had back-up plans in place for years, but it's time I seriously consider them. I don't know that there's even a right choice or a wrong choice, but what I choose will determine the direction my life will go. And it won't be an easy decision to make.

I would strongly, strongly recommend that your first line of attack be to take a) something unpaid in the field that might not care as much about less prior experience or b) similarly, take something you're overqualified for. Both of those will quickly remedy your biggest problem, which is just having work experience of some sort. And given how competent you are, you're likely to quickly excel and grow beyond the initial 'constraints' of the opportunity. I understand that unpaid internships can be difficult to swing financially--for what it's worth, getting through the process and getting the offer and then asking for a living stipend or something similar can be a successful strategy.

Investing some time (i.e. a year) in a less-than-ideal role that's at least in your field strikes me as a much better long-term investment than abandoning the field. You're clearly passionate about engineering and are confident that you're highly competent and have an affinity for this stuff. You're set up to succeed, so maybe it might be the unfortunate, unfair situation of having to swallow your pride and come in under where you might want to. Once you're in the ring, you can start punching above your weight.

Just my two cents!

[Gemini]

It might almost be better for you to look for any kind of work outside of engineering just to get "I can do work and here's proof" before trying to get back into the engineering field.

I find myself agreeing with this. I'm no expert but I found I had quite a bit of thoughts on the subject based off my own, my graduated friends' and my father's experiences (none of which I was able to articulate before this thread took off - my bad).

I'll elaborate more when I get home but so far I would agree with your assessment that the single biggest obstacle to your getting a job isn't your ability to present yourself but your lack of work experience - that's definitely going to work against you unfortunately.

[Regulus]

Investing some time (i.e. a year) in a less-than-ideal role that's at least in your field strikes me as a much better long-term investment

Actually, I want to make something clear. I've been looking into doing this for months now.

I've been willing to work anywhere and for any amount of pay, so long as it's in the field of engineering. When I say I haven't had luck finding a job, I don't just mean I've applied to jobs that are specifically what I want to do. I've applied to jobs in so many industries, like construction and manufacturing to even web development and IT. I've applied to low-level maintenance and technician positions, in addition to engineering internships and CAD positions... among so many others.

And still, nothing.

So, that's really not a option. I'm afraid I may have to abandon the field of engineering in its entirety--that's something, I'm sure you can understand, that is rather heartbreaking for me.

I may be able to come back to engineering after a year or so of working an uneducated/unskilled blue-collar job. But I would still lack engineering experience in that case. I do not think I would be able to compete with new grads that had internships. Experience beats no experience, but relevant industry experience comes in above all else.

There's a lot more I could say, but I'd actually kind of rather not. So, I'll compromise and put the rambling in a spoiler tag.

Spoiler: show

I've thought about this a lot this week... and I know, in my heart, what I want to do. It may not be the smartest thing to do. It may not be the path most people take, for various reasons. But, I'm leaning towards following some advice I got many years ago, from people who knew me very well.

When I think about it, I've begun to realize something. I may have misunderstood what engineering jobs are actually like. I think--considering my personality--I've been bombing interviews for a very simple reason. I'm being myself, and in doing so, I'm making it very clear that I'm really not the ideal candidate. In fact, hiring someone like me could be a very costly mistake for a company. I don't have the experience to really be useful, and I would overthink any work I'm given that would allow me to obtain that experience.

Graduate school isn't for everyone, but it very well could be for someone like me. My goal for my career isn't to become a manager or to work my way up a corporate ladder. My goal is to become an expert in a very specialized field, and spend my day at a desk chipping away at problems no one else wants to deal with. It's very likely that a person like me needs a graduate degree to actually be useful to a company. And besides, working towards one would put me in a position to pursue internships, as well as part-time jobs that I would actually enjoy--like working as a TA, research assistant, or on-campus tutor.

Sure, call me crazy. But if you'd asked me if I wanted to go to grad school when I was 10 or 15 years old, I would've said yes. If you'd have asked me if I wanted to do research, I'd have said yes. It's an extra two years of my life without a real, professional job, but it opens up opportunities, and it's where I personally feel I would belong.

I'd have to be pretty serious about engineering to be considering this, and I would have to be pretty confident in my career path to that to think that it's worth it. But I am. I am both those things. Each day, I find myself hoping more and more that I can get into grad school. I find myself thinking more and more, that perhaps this job search struggle is actually a blessing in disguise.

Guys, I know there is truth to what you said. I will take this advice to heart, and I will get a part-time job regardless of whether or not I make it to grad school. I understand that adding more education to someone with the problem of all education and no experience isn't necessarily the best idea. But that's why I have to make it the best idea. Often, life isn't about choosing the best thing to do. It's about choosing a thing to do, and using what's available to make that the best of it. So, unless something changes between now and then, and unless I don't get accepted, grad school is what I'm going to do. And this time, I'm hell bent on getting it right.

[mamaprince]

He came back sorta! I vow to never mess this up again.

[SimbasMate]

God damn this heat is annoying. I hope it cools off soon.

[SwagaliciousXXX]

It's May the Fourth and there's not a single new Star Wars X Lion King meme on this website...