What the future holds...
When I was about to graduate from college, I didn't really know what kind of jobs were out there for an Engineer. I had done some summer internships and was exposed to different things, but I honestly didn't know what to expect on my first day. This page is to give you a bit more of an idea and maybe help you find a job in Engineering that you love!
What other people think of your degree:
Common responses to "I am a(n) ________ Engineer"
I have friends in pretty much all the disciplines, and these are the reactions they typically get.
- Electrical: Oh, my cousin is an electrician.
- Industrial: What the hell is that?
- Civil: Like, bridges and stuff?
- Chemical: So, can you make like, explosives and stuff?
- Mechanical: Can you look at my engine?
- Computer: Can you hook up my printer for me?
What is your goal?
Most people fall under one of these three categories when it comes to their job search:
1. Make Money.
2. Find A Job You Love.
3. Make a Difference.
If you want money, your best bet is to go the traditional route. Find the biggest company you can, pick some aspect that very few people are good at and become an expert. It will be hard to fire you. But don't be too good at your job, or they can't promote you either. Hone those people skills and get yourself an MBA. You will eventually get your corner office, I promise. There is also the entrepreneur route, but it is like the kid that wants to be a pro athlete: Admirable, but unlikely.
If you want to love your job, you will have to try several different ones until you find what you are looking for. If you don't like the job you have now, it will only be worse when you get promoted because the hours are longer. It also gets harder to change your career the longer you stay in the same field. I suggest you learn how and when to quit gracefully.
If you want to make a difference, then stay in school! Grad school is the best place to be for research and also sets you up for teaching or other worthwhile jobs.
1. Make Money.
2. Find A Job You Love.
3. Make a Difference.
If you want money, your best bet is to go the traditional route. Find the biggest company you can, pick some aspect that very few people are good at and become an expert. It will be hard to fire you. But don't be too good at your job, or they can't promote you either. Hone those people skills and get yourself an MBA. You will eventually get your corner office, I promise. There is also the entrepreneur route, but it is like the kid that wants to be a pro athlete: Admirable, but unlikely.
If you want to love your job, you will have to try several different ones until you find what you are looking for. If you don't like the job you have now, it will only be worse when you get promoted because the hours are longer. It also gets harder to change your career the longer you stay in the same field. I suggest you learn how and when to quit gracefully.
If you want to make a difference, then stay in school! Grad school is the best place to be for research and also sets you up for teaching or other worthwhile jobs.
10 things your Career Office might not tell you:
1. SET YOUR MYSPACE/FACEBOOK TO PRIVATE!!! They actually check that stuff now.
2. Internships look REALLY GOOD on your resume.
3. Start looking early. Second semester Senior year is not the time to look up from your books and ask about a job.
4. Look for jobs with online AND traditional methods. If you only do one, you are missing out on some major opportunities.
5. Work your network. Mommy and Daddy have been around for longer than you have, and know more people that can get you a job.
6. Don't limit yourself to "Engineering" jobs. Engineers are smart people, and we can go into many different fields.
7. Do not pretend to know everything. Your engineering degree proves you know how to learn, nothing else. You probably don't know as much as you think you do.
8. Be yourself. This advice is as old as time, but true. Coming off as a nervous fake is far worse than anything else. It is likely that there is someone in their office who is ten times dorkier/nerdier/dumber/jerkier than you are.
9. Don't just take the first job that comes along. If you can't think of a good reason to work for a company, then they probably aren't for you.
10. Your GPA doesn't mean anything after your first job. Where you went to college and even your degree tend to fade into the background as you get older.
2. Internships look REALLY GOOD on your resume.
3. Start looking early. Second semester Senior year is not the time to look up from your books and ask about a job.
4. Look for jobs with online AND traditional methods. If you only do one, you are missing out on some major opportunities.
5. Work your network. Mommy and Daddy have been around for longer than you have, and know more people that can get you a job.
6. Don't limit yourself to "Engineering" jobs. Engineers are smart people, and we can go into many different fields.
7. Do not pretend to know everything. Your engineering degree proves you know how to learn, nothing else. You probably don't know as much as you think you do.
8. Be yourself. This advice is as old as time, but true. Coming off as a nervous fake is far worse than anything else. It is likely that there is someone in their office who is ten times dorkier/nerdier/dumber/jerkier than you are.
9. Don't just take the first job that comes along. If you can't think of a good reason to work for a company, then they probably aren't for you.
10. Your GPA doesn't mean anything after your first job. Where you went to college and even your degree tend to fade into the background as you get older.
Some useful books on the subject:
The one thing you should have learned in your degree is research! :)
Careers in Engineering, 2nd Ed.
Amazon Price: $11.96 (as of 01/04/2010) 
Great Jobs for Engineering Majors (Great Jobs Series)
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 01/04/2010)
Stuff You Don't Learn in Engineering School: Skills for Success in the Real World
Amazon Price: $28.31 (as of 01/04/2010)
Go to where the jobs are!!!
Sometimes the best thing to do for your job search is to go where you can get a great job in the field you want(I recommend Houston, hehe). There are major companies (especially oil and project firms) with open houses every week. You can even make a vacation out of it and see the rodeo or go see Yao play!
Good Places to start.
Here are some links to things I used in my job search. Some are informational, some are more functional.
- Monster.com
- The biggest job site out there.
Resume help, job search, and interview tips. - GraduatingEngineer.com
- Great resource for new grads.
General advice, career help, articles and job postings. - Salary.com
- Because you are going to go there anyway.
by colinpward
I am an Electrical Engineer working for a major company in Houston, Texas. I have degrees from Tulane University and the University of Houston. I hav... (more)
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