<p>I already posted this on reddit but I would also like to hear other opinions:</p>
<p>(Note: I don't live in the U.S.)
I went into college at a younger than average age and during high school I had this delusion that I was going to become an astronaut so I decided to go into an Integrated Master's in Aerospace Engineering. I started disliking it and getting mediocre results but everyone around me kept advising "Don't worry! The early years are mostly weed out courses and generic stuff! The fun comes later!". Well the "fun" never came and I was stuck in this damn course since I didn't want to take a decade (and yet ended up taking 7 years to complete a 5 year degree).
I tried getting internships but no one accepted me, not even unpaid ones for some reason. I also chose the Avionics specialization which though it had more interesting courses I feel was too scattershot: I just learned a bunch of isolated classes on electronics, signal processing, etc, without going into any sort of necessary depth to actually CREATE something (this university while one of the best is also infamously theoretical, leading to the common joke that all their engineering degrees are actually math degrees).
Meanwhile, it seems every single job opening is looking for stress engineers, which require skills I do not have. I have a relative in Norway who oddly enough keeps saying that there are PLENTY of jobs there and that they even PREFER people with no job experience since they don't have any previous "habits". Naturally this goes against EVERYTHING I hear on the news. I applied to a bunch of jobs but always get either no answer or a rejection letter. ...so should I seek my career somewhere else? I found that I enjoy programming but again, I feel like I haven't learned enough to do anything useful and by the time I get anywhere, I'm probably too old (the field is notoriously biased towards the young).
I feel like I ruined my life and want some honest advice on what's my best bet (even if it includes stuff like "Go work as a janitor" or something).
EDIT: here is a list of the complete class curriculum:</p>
<p>Have you tried getting any jobs out in Norway? Your curriculum had lots of good stuff! If u have an okay GPA, you should be fine! </p>
<p>However, it wouldn’t take you tons of time to learn programming. Check out coursera online and they have lots of good and free courses on computer science. You would need to put in lots of hours practicing to learn everything but it is possible. </p>
<p>By the way, it is common for top schools tone quite theoretical. Generally you need to be involved with clubs to get to build anything.</p>
<p>From my son’s experience, it is a frustrating experience looking for a job. He got a job, but it always seemed like you were sending your resume into a resume black hole. Everything in and nothing out. Years ago, the companies would send a letter saying they received your resume and then a letter after that on what action was being taken. Now, most times not even an email!!!</p>
<p>I view college as learning the basics of engineering and “how to learn”. You learn so much more on the job. You’ve got the basics, so you should be able to tackle quite a few types of engineering jobs. Keep sending out your resume.</p>
<p>The biggest deterent to getting a job is a bad GPA. What was yours? Anything less than 3.0 and a lot companies won’t touch you. If it less than 3.0, try the smaller companies that probably won’t have general policies against low GPA applicants (as the company I worked did).</p>
<p>It’s really hard to discuss anything if we don’t know your citizenship, where you live and where you went to school, and where you are trying to find a job.</p>
<p>I don’t include my GPA because I use the standard European CV and it doesn’t even have a space for the GPA. Still, in the interviews that I did get, no one asked me about it. What raised eyebrows was how long it took.</p>
<p>I’m sorry but I prefer not to specify where I am other than Europe.</p>
<p>Why dont you go back and talk to your school, almamater or any of your professors regarding finding any jobs, internship etc. I am sure they should be able to help you out.</p>
<p>IMO, your best bet is to try to figure out what type of engineering (if any) you really would be interested in. You said you like programming? How much time would it take for you to get another bachelors in CS? I’m guessing one reason why you aren’t getting hired as an Aero is because you don’t like Aero.</p>
<p>I can’t take another degree, I have no money and at that rate I’d graduate by the time I’m 30. I’m trying to apply to aero related software positions. Keeping my fingers crossed.</p>
<p>You know it’s funny: at the start when I was struggling everyone told me to keep going since “everybody has trouble at first” and “Those first two or three years are generic so the fun comes later” And the fun never came. When I complained then, everyone told me “well, might as well tough it out since you’re so close to the end”. At least in the US you have greater flexibility towards majors. Here you’re forced to pick what you want to do for the rest of your life when you’re a dumb teenager and tough crap if you pick the wrong thing.</p>
<p>Well, if another degree isn’t an option then just keep applying for jobs. Try applying for some programming jobs too, even if you don’t think you’ll get them. Do some self-learning too.</p>