How easy is it to get type cast at work?

[BrownTown]

So, I am an electrical engineer and am just starting my first job out of college. The thing is that I LOVE engineering (and am really good at it), but I got the crappy draw here and am more or less getting the job where all I do is paperwork to support the people doing "REAL" engineering. I mean on one hand I feel bad that I am complaining about making $60,000 right out of college to do a easy as pie job, but on the other hand, when this project ends in a couple of years am I going to be type cast by people as a paperwork sort of person all my life, or is it reasonable to assume that I can go back to doing what I love (real design engineering) after spending two years making sure people dot their 'i's and cross their 't's when filling out all their work packages?

Anyone else have this sort of problem where the job you ended up getting wasn't as advertised (I was told I would be doing engineering calculations), and did it set you back in pursuing what you really like, or will 2 years of experience as an elecrical engineer be the same in peoples eyes even if they aren't doing real engineering?

 

[nageov3t]

sorry, you're a paper-shuffler now, update your resume and get it tattood.

 

[BrownTown]

 

[SpunkyJones]

You'll be fine, sounds like the typical new guy starting job.

 

[imported_Baloo]

Fresh out of school you're not gonna see much in the way of engineering for a while. And when you do, it will star out small. It ain't about being typecast. You have no experiece, they are giving you experience. In case yoo think only engineer duties qualify as experience., nope, the work environment is just as important, as are the paperwork and support you are doing now. That are giving you want you need that you cannot get from school so later you can be a good efficient engineer.

 

[orakle]

I'm not even finish my degree and the place where I'm doing my internship threw me into the wolves with their control systems hardware/software.

 

[fossilburner]

You have to start somewhere.

I'm in the mail room, but one day...

 

[bobsmith1492]

Keep pushing for new stuff; ask around your coworkers/bosses to see what people are doing and ask about it, show interest. It usually takes some time to work into things because they don't know what you can or can't do.

 

[LS21]

you definitely deserve a job where you design the flight system for Boeing 787 jets

 

[BrownTown]

Originally posted by: orakle
I'm not even finish my degree and the place where I'm doing my internship threw me into the wolves with their control systems hardware/software.

Yeah, well thats the thing, when I was an intern before I graduated I desinged arc flash mitigation strategies that required me to create ~100 CAD drawings and which were actually constructed to the tune of half a million dollars, but now that I am a real engineer I am stuck doing crap and high school graduate could do, and its not like its every new engineer is doing it, of the say 300 new engineers hired for this projects only 4 are doing this sort of crap, I just got boned.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: BrownTown

Originally posted by: orakle
I'm not even finish my degree and the place where I'm doing my internship threw me into the wolves with their control systems hardware/software.

Yeah, well thats the thing, when I was an intern before I graduated I desinged arc flash mitigation strategies that required me to create ~100 CAD drawings and which were actually constructed to the tune of half a million dollars, but now that I am a real engineer I am stuck doing crap and high school graduate could do, and its not like its every new engineer is doing it, of the say 300 new engineers hired for this projects only 4 are doing this sort of crap, I just got boned.

Gives BrownTown a whole new meaning.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

It's very easy to get type cast at work. Just do enough to get by and you'll be pushing papers for the next 40 years.