Going Back to School...

[njdevilsfan87]

I was optimistic in May when I graduated with my degree in Mechanical Engineering. I figured with a 3.55 (3.7 major) GPA along with a government internship (sadly not exactly what I wanted pursue) and over a year of graduate level research (basically a plentiful resume for a college grad), I would have been okay with finding a job.

Now it's October. Not only am I still unemployed, I have barely heard back anything at all.

I keep hearing it is going to get better... but I've had enough. Time is now being wasted.

I'm now looking to go a top 20 engineering school (GREs will be taken in November - Hope my VERBAL isn't too bad!), and I'm going for a Phd. I've always told myself that if I go for a graduate degree, I may as well go the full distance. If I can survive I can be my own boss hopefully landing a job doing research at a university, and throw up a big middle finger at the industry when I actually become worth something (for real this time).

 

[S Freud]

I know what you mean OP, I am planning to graduate within the next year and would like to work across the state where I am originally from. With the job market the way it is my best option is to move back in with my parents for my final term of school and save some money while I am looking for work. Doing this makes me feel like a real deadbeat but it is the best option realistically.

Good luck to you OP. :thumbsup:

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Talk about feeling like a deadbeat. Not having to go back to the engineering curriculum in September was a relief at first, but once the end of September hit, and now October, things are really starting to... get depressing almost.

I had to move back in with my parents, who live in NM not NJ... so for the entire month of September I also had zero social life - that was just awful. Only recently have I started to build something here, but even if I regain that I HAVE to be doing SOMETHING, whether it be school or work.

The one advantage I do have now is a lot of good engineering schools are within driving distance (AZ State, Cal Tech, USC, UCLA, etc...) - I guess I never really would have considered 12 hours within driving distance back in NJ, but out here that's practically next door.

 

[timosyy]

/sigh. I have another interview in about 10 hours and crossing my fingers that the OP doesn't become my situation as well... but some of the rejection letters have started coming in and it's looking grim. You also seem rather more qualified. Fun fun.

 

[Farang]

I thought you engineering majors had it made, but we just recently had a guy come on who was an unemployed engineering grad from a top school now working shit part time hours for $12 an hour doing manual labor. You seem to be doing something more productive than him, so best of luck to you. You probably could have given the job hunt more time, but that's probably what the guy at my work said to himself before taking the $12/hour so maybe you did the right thing.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Engineering majors had it made. Right now it is about who you know. My highlight of my job application process so far: Boeing calls me up in April to tell me they want to interview, three days later - position canceled. Yes I have applied for "less competitive" positions, but haven't heard back from those.

I doubt I'm being more productive then your friend though. I am doing absolutely nothing right now, other than looking at schools I would like to apply to, and prepping a bit for the GREs. This doing of nothing, is started to get to me. I don't think I can wait until the Spring when the round of job apps from this fall start being replied to.

Timosyy are those rejection letters from schools? Hopefully I don't somehow mess up on the GRE, otherwise I'll be looking at schools that don't require them for special cases (like Ohio State - if you have a 3.3 undergrad or higher, no GRE scores are required, and they're ranked 20-25 for engineering).

 

[timosyy]

Rejection letters from companies (I had intended to start working straight out of college). I hadn't really given the job search much thought based on past statistical data for my major (over 90% job placement before graduation), and the fact that my GPA puts me in the top percentile of my graduating class, but I'm finding perhaps either my interview skills leave something to be desired or my lack of recent internships and networking are really biting me in the butt.

Grad school is an extremely unattractive option for me, but if I wind up without a job when I graduate...

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

I applied for an internship for the summer at a software firm in my home town, just heard back today. They are so backlogged with work that they simply don't have the time to take on an intern (normally get them every summer) but they told me that if I had graduated this year they would have hired me on the spot. I was very surprised by this response

And a few days ago I got a call from a cafe I normally work my summers at begging me to come in for work this summer. Yet none of my friends can find work since graduating last year. This is weird stuff.

 

[gururu2]

graduate degrees are the new bachelors. believe it or not companies are starting to hire techs with associate degrees more than people with 4 year degrees across all fields. Its more cost effective to have a PhD overseeing a group of techs than to have the middle-man BS/BA. For engineering, MS degrees are still competitive for industry but would limit your teaching/research options. graduate school should not even be a 'maybe' anymore. it should be part of the plan.

 

[God Mode]

American employees suck ass. Everyone thinks they're a superstar and expect benefits accordingly.

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: God Mode
American employees suck ass. Everyone thinks they're a superstar and expect benefits accordingly.

I am a superstar and I expect benefits accordingly. And I get them.

 

[God Mode]

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: God Mode
American employees suck ass. Everyone thinks they're a superstar and expect benefits accordingly.

I am a superstar and I expect benefits accordingly. And I get them.

. <tiny cookie

 

[amdhunter]

Sounds like a great idea. Waste more money on education when jobs will be EVEN less 4 years from now. (Remember who is President right now, things are only going to get worse.)

 

[Fingolfin269]

Its all about who you know right now. People can talk smack about the frat thing all they want but it has paid huge dividends for me.

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: amdhunter
Sounds like a great idea. Waste more money on education when jobs will be EVEN less 4 years from now. (Remember who is President right now, things are only going to get worse.)

:roll:

 

[Fritzo]

Maybe you are applying for jobs that the employer is expecting a few years+ experience to get? I work with hiring at my current job, and I can tell you that we don't care what kind of degree you have- if you're young and fresh out of school you need to start at the bottom and promote your way up to get some experience under your belt.

Otherwise, the ecomony just plain sux. Most places can hardly afford their current employees much less new ones.

I don't think you need more school, I think you need some experience.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: amdhunter
Sounds like a great idea. Waste more money on education when jobs will be EVEN less 4 years from now. (Remember who is President right now, things are only going to get worse.)

Oh shut up. Remember who was president back then who made this shit so bad in the first place.

 

[TecHNooB]

School makes me a sad, sad puppy. More just sounds awful.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: zoiks

Originally posted by: amdhunter
Sounds like a great idea. Waste more money on education when jobs will be EVEN less 4 years from now. (Remember who is President right now, things are only going to get worse.)

Oh shut up. Remember who was president back then who made this shit so bad in the first place.

Reagan?

 

[Juddog]

Reminds me of my wife's situation; she spent a ton of money, time and effort on getting a bachelors in a very hard to get into program, graduated, and nothing as far as work seems to be available right now. It's been a big blow to her ego that everybody in the area seems to want 3-5 years experience and are only paying $12 an hour for something that takes a bachelors degree and general know how on top of (graphic design). To make ends meet she is freelancing at the moment building websites for people but it isn't paying the bills, it's more something she's doing just to have some work and get her name out there.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Engineering runs in cycles.

You came in at the top and the market has crashed.

This has been obvious for the past 40 years of the cyclical demand.

 

[FleshLight]

Yeah I actually got a staff engineer position at a large engineering firm but then the developer decided to scale the project back so I won't know if I can work until spring...

 

[RaistlinZ]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Maybe you are applying for jobs that the employer is expecting a few years+ experience to get? I work with hiring at my current job, and I can tell you that we don't care what kind of degree you have- if you're young and fresh out of school you need to start at the bottom and promote your way up to get some experience under your belt.

Otherwise, the ecomony just plain sux. Most places can hardly afford their current employees much less new ones.

I don't think you need more school, I think you need some experience.

That's the irony. Employers are only hiring people with experience, which means he can't get a job in his field to earn experience. Which leaves taking some McJob making $9/hr or going back to school until the economy picks up.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Common Courtesy
Engineering runs in cycles.

You came in at the top and the market has crashed.

This has been obvious for the past 40 years of the cyclical demand.

This.


My first stint in college was 2 years for an MIS major. I was coming out of college just as the NASDAQ was crapping its pants, the dot-com bubble was imploding, Lucent/Agere were laying off by the thousands....good times.

Originally posted by: RaistlinZ
That's the irony. Employers are only hiring people with experience, which means he can't get a job in his field to earn experience. Which leaves taking some McJob making $9/hr or going back to school until the economy picks up.

And the trick is to get your foot into the right door at the right time. I happened to land an internship with a local small business whose owner very much likes snatching fresh graduates from the local university; courtesy of the good old grapevine, word reached him of my good standing in classes and general awesomeness.:laugh:
After a few months there fixing various machines and improving some troublesome products, they offered me a permanent position (engineering), ready to start as soon as classes were done, which also included graduating. I think they really didn't want to let me go anywhere else.

 

[JS80]

Sheesh I feel sorry for you recent grads...my sister's been looking for a year and she and most of her friends have no jobs.