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New Grad: Should I Take the Job?

P

PCMarine

Diamond Member
Hey all,

So to keep this as brief as possible, I'm looking for some career / life advice. I am graduating from Michigan Tech in May of 09 with a BS in mechanical engineering and a minor in economics and am looking to start a full time job. I currently have an enticing offer with an oil services company in houston and I'm not sure if I should take it or keep looking. I have another couple weeks to decide on the offer.

Pros:
- Good money for mech eng (68k)
- Should be a decent job (not design or manufacturing, but in marketing / application engineering)
- Guaranteed that work would pay for my mba
- Houston is a huge city with tons to do
- Low cost of living
- Solid offer in a poor economy

Cons:
- Oil isn't too exciting (but I may warm up to it?)
- Don't know anyone; far away from friends and family (from WI)
- [ridiculously] hot in Houston
- It's the south, I'm not really into that southern culture
- Several months (maybe a year+) of required training in the field (Louisiana or California) - could suck being in bumblefuck?
- Stuck in Houston if I stay in oil (pretty much only location for energy)
- If I turn down this offer and wait, I *might* find a better job down the road, but no guarantees


Anyone else work in oil services or have made a similar decision?

Thanks
 
With our booming economy you will be receiving dozens of offers within hours of graduation. I would absolutely hold off.

edit. Don't accept yet but keep looking/interviewing for the next few weeks.
 
i say go for it. why not go for a year, make the money, get the experience and search around in the mean time? 68K is decent.. you're young, save money.... being on your own will probably man you up too
 
Your Pros considerably outweigh your Cons.

- You don't know if oil will be exciting because you haven't even started yet. And if it isn't it's not like you have to stay there forever.

- Houston is a big place. You'll make new friends, don't worry.

- Summers in the South are hot, but it'll be quite nice the rest of the year.

- "One in the hand is worth two in the bush." Don't turn down a good offer on the outside chance some better offer may or may not come along in the future. You can live quite nicely in Houston on $68,000 a year. And since the job will pay for your MBA it's really a no-brainer.
 
Originally posted by: PCMarine

- Stuck in Houston if I stay in oil (pretty much only location for energy)
Click to expand...

False
you could always transfer to youngsville, riverton, rifle, tulsa, bartlesfield, bakersfield, midland, odessa, rosharon....
 
Being from Houston and in the oil industry I'll give my honest opinion:

Cons:
- Oil isn't too exciting (but I may warm up to it?)
Its not for everyone but I think you just need to learn more about the industry
- Don't know anyone; far away from friends and family (from WI)
- [ridiculously] hot in Houston
Yes, it is hot and humid for most of the year
- It's the south, I'm not really into that southern culture
Texas != deep south. 😛 If you live within Houston city limits this won't be a "problem"
- Several months (maybe a year+) of required training in the field (Louisiana or California) - could suck being in bumblefuck?
There really is no way around that when starting out in an oil company. You need the field experience
- Stuck in Houston if I stay in oil (pretty much only location for energy)
Mostly true but there are others such as Denver, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, and California for oil and gas
- If I turn down this offer and wait, I *might* find a better job down the road, but no guarantees
As someone above already said, do it since they will pay for your MBA and there are plenty of good schools to get an MBA from in Houston (UT, Rice, etc.). Once you get the MBA you can do move as far away from the oil industry as you want to


Also, is it an oil services company like Schlumberger or Baker Hughes?
 
Marathon? Not bad at all for only an undergrad degree, I shoulda done oil 😛

Houston does suck though (I'm from Dallas, we all gotta rag on Houston). Naw, you'll have a good time. What part of the city is the office in? Hopefully its not off to the east, cause everybody I know from Houston comes from/lives on the west (I think the east is the ghetto?). Live near Rice Village.
 
My first job out of college was for Halliburton (before they moved HQ to Houston). I would say that a position in Houston is far less limiting than you think. After all, it is listed as the fourth most populous city in the US, so there are a lot of opportunities there that are not based on the oil industry.
 
Hey OP,

Do you have any other offers?

68K is very good for new grad w/out experience and down south the cost of living is pretty cheap.
MBA will be pay for is good, I got my MBA for free <B average was required).
You can make new friends, especially in big city.
It is hot and humid but there is a thing called AC.
The south can be great if you have an open mind.

I say go for it, stay with it for a few years and get your MBA, if you don't like it later, look elsewhere after you are done with your MBA.

BTW, who is the oil service company? Schlumberger?
 
Yes, it is one of those two oil services companies.

Office is in NW houston; I'd probably look to live around midtown (or someplace close to "downtown"), unless there is a better area to live.

edit: No other offers currently, but a few "leads." Largely because I've been very picky (don't want to do design or manufacturing, which cuts out 80%+ of entry level mech eng jobs)
 
Yes, b/c you don't want to end-up like FBB. Living in a tent in his parent's backyard thinking about stuffed animals and wondering why he can't meet a girl.
 
go for it, you can always switch jobs later, but right now, a) the economy isn't getting any better and b) experience talks more than education right after boot
 
Why would you get an MBA? If you were going to be a douchebag for a living, why did you put out the effort and time to get an engineering degree?


Anyway, $68k is a hell of a lot of money for someone your age in Houston.

If I were you I'd take the job and buy a condo which you could easily afford.


If you live in midtown, Montrose, Rice area, or the Heights, Houston is fine.
 
Accept the offer. Continue looking, and if you see something you like better, go for that knowing you have a solid safety-net.
 
Originally posted by: RKS
With our booming economy you will be receiving dozens of offers within hours of graduation. I would absolutely hold off.

edit. Don't accept yet but keep looking/interviewing for the next few weeks.
Click to expand...

Hang onto it or stall as long as you can while you keep looking. If you hit the deadline and get nothing, take it. It will count as experience towards a future job. And let's be straight, you won't keep your first job long anyways. You'll either transfer, get promoted or find something better. With the excellent economy for the next few years, I'm sure you can take the risk...
 
Originally posted by: PCMarine
Hey all,

So to keep this as brief as possible, I'm looking for some career / life advice. I am graduating from Michigan Tech in May of 09 with a BS in mechanical engineering and a minor in economics and am looking to start a full time job. I currently have an enticing offer with an oil services company in houston and I'm not sure if I should take it or keep looking. I have another couple weeks to decide on the offer.

Pros:
- Good money for mech eng (68k)
- Should be a decent job (not design or manufacturing, but in marketing / application engineering)
- Guaranteed that work would pay for my mba
- Houston is a huge city with tons to do
- Low cost of living
- Solid offer in a poor economy

Cons:
- Oil isn't too exciting (but I may warm up to it?)
- Don't know anyone; far away from friends and family (from WI)
- [ridiculously] hot in Houston
- It's the south, I'm not really into that southern culture
- Several months (maybe a year+) of required training in the field (Louisiana or California) - could suck being in bumblefuck?
- Stuck in Houston if I stay in oil (pretty much only location for energy)
- If I turn down this offer and wait, I *might* find a better job down the road, but no guarantees


Anyone else work in oil services or have made a similar decision?

Thanks
Click to expand...
:thumbsup: Yeah Michigan Tech! I graduated from there this past May in Computer Engineering.

Any other interviews or offers? I would probably say take it given this market and given the pros of the offer. Nice offer btw! 🙂
 
It sounds to me like you have the pros/cons right on. Just a couple of other points I'd like ot make.

Based on what I've seen of the Michigan economy right now, you are going to be moving anyway. Some of those cons aren't exclusive to Houston.

The oil industry is "small", and most of the big players are right here in Houston. If you do well, there is a ton of opportunity. A move to your next job is likely just across town (about an hour in traffic) 😛

Especially relevant in this economy . . Houston is often sheltered from economic downturns that hit other areas of the US. Energy is huge here, and Houston often hangs tough when other areas struggle. $4+ gallon gas is good for the Houston economy. If the economy takes an upswing in the next few months, Houston should walk away far better then most cities.

Be prepared for the heat, and always buy flood insurance. You never know when flash flooding will hit your home (not to mention hurricanes).

Good luck with the decision, and welcome to Houston should you move this way!
 
I thought the average engineering salary straight out of school was around 58k. That's either a really high number or I'm very naive.
 
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