Full disclosure, mom here. Son will graduate soon with his masters. More experienced candidate hired at place he’s been volunteering at, so he’s actively searching for his first job. No internships in undergrad, but lots of research experience, so hoping for an R&D engineer position. Went to career fair, and getting interviews, and even invited for site visits.
Mom here is scared to death as of course, I want him to get a job. But trying not to push to take the first job offer, as maybe he should wait for the right one to come along. Scared he will take that first job to get some experience, but could that experience be detrimental to his future career?
He’s mechanical engineer undergrad, research in that area, but has good computer skills, and since that is “hot” right now, his first job may actually be more of an IT job than an engineer job. He wants to get his PE, so is worried that doing IT, even though it will help pay off those soon to come loan charges, would hinder him from getting on the engineering path and becoming a professional engineer.
I know, beggars can’t be choosers, but don’t want to take a detrimental detour on the way to doing what he has worked so hard to accomplish.
My advice is to let go, be happy for him and support him no matter what HE chooses. He just finished his Masters degree. He’s obviously got a head on his shoulders. Let him start using it. There are things worthy of being “scared to death” about. A Masters level engineer’s first job is not one of them.
My advise (as usual) is to take advantage of all resources available at the campus career center. For a grad student, it would also be good to consult the research adviser.
Thank you! I am coming here to “vent”. Of course, whatever he wants to do is up to him. He’s 23 years old! I’m just having a lot of sleepness nights, and hearing advice from you guys puts me a bit at ease. Thanks for your support and patience with me!
Oh, bonehead, I’m so glad you chimed in. I am hoping some of his mech eng apps come through. I am worried he’ll take a bad fit job just to get a first job, finally, and get some experience. He doesn’t want to do that, I know, but after six years, including applying for internships in his undergrad time, he is bound to be getting discouraged.
Usually a master’s degree has a specialty involved. So it may take a while for him to find the right match. Be prepared that it may not be in his preferred location.
From a dad who has had two kids graduate recently in mechanical engineering, there are jobs out there. Many companies want 5 years experience and so it can be a little frustrating trying to get that first job. But it will happen.
Worry about a PE license later, You need experience first and many industries don’t require it (I was in the aerospace world and never got a PE because it wasn’t necessary). Do get the EIT (or whatever it is called these days) out of the way sooner rather than later. You forget too much to wait. You can then get the PE, if and when it becomes necessary.
Hi Montegut, we have cross paths before. My son will be graduating with his BS in Mech Eng this year and is not clear where he wants to work either. My own experience and perhaps your son’s will be also is that often times the path to what you want to achieve with work, is not linear and its okay that its not.
Whatever job your son takes will provide him basic experience about how companies function because no matter who you work for or what you do, all companies have standards, goals to make money, methods and expectations on how to treat customers, deadlines to meet etc.
Your son did not do an internship so he does not have that experience. He needs to learn some of that anywhere that seems interesting enough of a place to go work for. So that is what his first job will be about and when he seeks a second one, those are the skills he can say he acquired.
Thank you, Puck. Son does have his FE, which is what it’s called. He wants to get a PE someday. H is concerned taking a different path, ie, IT, will somehow prevent him from getting his PE. Do you have a time limit in which to complete it? If not, doing what Lakemom suggests, getting experience in any job, so he can get that skill set, will benefit him. He thought he was a shoe-in for a job that his bosses asked him to apply for, but when it came down between him and an older candidate who had worked as an engineer, the experienced candidate won out. The bosses were surprised that the experienced candidate took the job, as it was a significant cut in pay, but as older adults, H and I were not surprised, as benefits such as insurance and pension, matter a lot more when you’re older than monthly income.
In the meantime, he’s gaining interview experience as he’s searching, which he is lacking in also, as he’s mostly done academic research, so even if he does not secure that first job right away, he’s gaining important skills in interviewing expectations. Thank you again for all your help.
Don’t do IT as a full-time job if he wants a PE. H is right…
Do consider doing IT as temp work or part-time if he just wants to do something while he is searching for a full-time job.
Think about a timeline, and also geography. If he is not set in terms of geography, and in terms of how long to get a job (remember 1 month per 10K of salary for a job search), I would not panic.
Do NOT worry about a PE license later. It is MUCH MUCH easier to take the test soon after college, and you need several years of experience working to be eligible to take it. The level of math and breadth of knowledge will make it to hard to take 10 years from now (assuming for example, 5 years in IT which will not count as engineering experience, then switching to engineering).
Being supervised by a PE was important in the past, he should be double-checking the PE exam requirements in his state.
Not sure what you are calling IT. Writing code for engineering analysis is not necessarily IT.
Speaking as a PE, take the exam as soon as possible. Which could be sooner than you think. For years to receive a PE you had work 4-5 years and THEN pass the exam. In some states, and likely nationwide soon, the requirement is being changed to work 4-5 years AND take the exam. Subtle but big difference.
Certainly he can pursue applications programming or CAD work that combines ME and computer science, depending on the complexity of the work, that could be core engineering work, or it could be something to pay the bills (or buy a car). No company will laugh at his work experience, and especially since he did not intern / coop, they may prefer him to have some work experience. In a big company, he can make contacts, make a good impression as an employee and may be able to transfer. Similarly factory floor work, sort of industrial engineering, or that typical petro engineering roughnecking kind of work may make him more practical (he has the academic skills, but some people don’t like ivory tower people).
The PE license is sort of a secondary consideration, but it does provide a timeline for moving on from a job he has to take to a job that starts his career.
Also, every research experience should be resulting in one or more LinkedIn contacts, which can lead to some networking opportunities. And stay in touch with your classmates, colleagues, other grad students, professors, both via email and an occasional trip to stroll down the halls and chat with professors. A lot of jobs are never advertised and an internal recommendation may at least score an interview.
On-campus resources may also be helpful in determining a reasonable timeline for getting a good job and help him decide if he should take some interim employment. My guess is that there are companies looking and even contacting the career office as well as alumni contacts, so he should be in the loop, maybe a stop there in person once in a while too.
My impression of this IT job offer is to be a troubleshooter, doing problem solving for software customers. Not something he was trained to do as an engineer, but something he is good at. If he takes the job, he’ll be constantly looking for another job. It would involve moving to another state, leaving two months on his lease to pay. I wish he had put a later start date than right after his graduation, to leave time to search for housing. He doesn’t realize the expense involved in moving, paying two rents. The company may pick up relocation costs, but it’s not just the cost, but the hassle. I feel he can find something better locally. Why not do another engineering work, rather than IT, until he can get something in his interest. I think he should look more. He’s got a week to decide, but because he’s had so much trouble finding internships/jobs, I think he’s going to take it. I told him I’d support him in whatever he did. Lots of prayers going on.
Perhaps he can sublet a place (look in the craigslist) for the two months if he decides to take it. Put his own furnture into storage at the end of the two months left on his lease if he is not sure and see how it goes. If after 2 months he likes it, then he can move ahead. If not, he keeps his stuff in storage until he finds something else so he doesn’t have to pack up twice.
IT usually refers to management of computers, software, and networks, and is usually considered a business function that is less technical (the college majors associated with it, MIS/IS/IT, are business-based). Agree that such a job would be a poor fit for career development as a mechanical engineer, and perhaps only suitable as a temporary job if there is nothing else.
On the other hand, a software development job writing software with engineering applications would be a much better job to take if he is not able to find a better fit mechanical engineering job.
Lakemom’s advice about putting off the moving of his belongings make sense.
In terms of finances, the cost of two months rent is absolutely trivial compared to the amount of money he will make in one, two, three years. I personally think if you can save anything before 30, that is fantastic,. maybe pay off some of your loans and come out with a car that is 3 or 4 years old and paid off. The odds of having big money in savings is low anyway. He should limit his lifestyle for now, maybe just rent a room in a house or shared apartment for now and concentrate on building up a career rather than a pile of stuff.
If this job is good, and I mean in terms of people, company, interesting place to live, etc as much as the actual job description, it is a good idea to take it and see where it leads. What is important to find is a supportive environment where you can learn something, whether IT or computer networking or company politics while being mentored to some degree by others. If this is a big company, it is likely very easy to transfer to another division.
What you really want to learn is how to make a job work for you … very few perfect fits in a career, but lots of jobs where you can make yourself valuable and content and have it pay your bills and build your skill set and resume.
If the company is really willing to pay relocation costs, I would take a bet that this is not a trivial IT position (which they could outsource or temp or whatever), they have a plan in mind. He may have to venture out there and figure out if that plan works for him.