Advice for non-traditional student who's about to finish an engineering degree.

Howdy, all. I've noticed we've got a relatively large technician/engineer population here, so I figured it would be a good place to ask this question.

My background:

I'm 34. I'm a 10 year Navy vet. I was a "nuke", which is a nuclear power plant technician. My specific field was mechanical systems (Machinist Mate). In essence, we operated and maintained all mechanical systems associated with power plant operations. Our training was pretty comprehensive for operators; we were pretty well versed in nuclear reactor theory and mechanical systems theory but we did NOT use mathematics to demonstrate much of anything except for fairly simple problems (how fast can this pump fill this tank? what will this pressure gauge read if the pressure in the room is x?) We did study principles of reactor physics grounded in calculus but didn't get into the actual math (reactivity is the derivative of reactor power, etc.) We covered basic circuit theory, pump theory, basic heat transfer (mCAT), conservation of mass, conservation of energy, that kind of thing.I've heard a lot of people compare our training to a nuclear power technology degree, or what a civilian plant operator goes to school for. 

At sea, I operated these systems and turned wrenches on them. We had some mechanical control systems (pressure regulating valves, pneumatically controlled valves, etc.) and some electronic ones (motor controllers, electronic water level control, etc.) that we operated. Steam turbines, heat exchangers, all manner of valves, pumps. We had to understand the principles of operation for ALL equipment but only touched mechanical ones. I got into middle-management, roughly speaking (Chief Reactor Watch), and ran a corrosion prevention program, where I managed about 10 people. We also knew emergency plant procedures and damage control.

I did my last 3 years as a recruiter. I was good and I was ethical but I am in no way interested in sales; however, I got a bunch of soft skills from that and my time at sea.    

I'm currently finishing my degree in Ocean Engineering at Texas A&M. It's mainly coastal civil but it does include a fair amount of shipbuilding and mechanical systems. Probably most relevant to what I want to do is our basic electromagnetic physics, thermodynamics, dynamics, vibrations, kinematics, and maybe a few other things. I plan on taking a technical course in programmable logic controllers. I have a few small robotics-style projects I'm working on (automated planter for tomatoes). I'm interning with a robotics firm (Zapt LLC) and I'm taking tech electives with the engineering technology guys becaaaaaauuuuuse.......

I want to work in robotics; specifically small, mobile ones (not industrial) and their design. Why Ocean, then? Because I was missing a class when I applied to Mechanical and they could get me out to A&M a semester earlier (and that's the truth). As you may have surmised, I'm now trying to pile on experience and curriculum that's relevant to robotics. I have no interest in the civil aspect of Ocean.

My question, then, is what would you advise me to look for next Spring when I'm done? Am I going to be able to faithfully represent myself in a way that will get me into my desired field the first time around? What position should I expect to go into? What am I worth?  

Turbo_Rev said:

I plan on taking a technical course in programmable logic controllers.

 

 

That right there is hands down the best thing you can do for your engineering career.

If you can build automation, or fix automation the job opportunities are endless.

My brother went down the same path you did, ex navy graduated college in January at 34 y/o.  He wanted to go into mechanical but I (as an ME myself) pushed him into EE and specialize in controls.  That is paying off huge- his first job he makes more than I do with 10 years experience.

In reply to Turbo_Rev :

Do you want to stay in Tx or are you willing to move? 

In reply to Slippery :

Prefer Texas, could be persuaded to move. Fiance has to finish her residency as a therapist for a year anywhere Texas, starting next Spring. After that, anywhere is possible. 

Turbo_Rev said:

My question, then, is what would you advise me to look for next Spring when I'm done? Am I going to be able to faithfully represent myself in a way that will get me into my desired field the first time around? What position should I expect to go into? What am I worth?  

Whats more important?  Job satisfaction or salary or location or ???  I think this is going to be the most critical thing with respect to getting into your field.

I think you can faithfully represent yourself.  The market right now is an employee's market for sure (speaking as a manager who is trying to hire engineers currently).  Just be honest about what your are looking for.  Nobody is going to nitpick your education choices as overall you have an excellent background and great auxiliary experience.

If you want to chat not-on-this-forum I'm happy to go more into detail about some of your other questions.

Except for the "no interest in the civil aspect of Ocean," you seem like a prime candidate for a firm dealing with autonomous sea vehicles.

Now, whether any of those outfits outside of major contractors are more than glorified hobby shops and could actually support a career is another question.

There are multiple oil companies in Houston like Shell, BP, Murphy, LLOG, Chevron, etc. that would probably be interested.   Note the oil companies usually want people with better than 3.5 grade point averages, but not always if the person has relevant experience to offer in addition to a degree.

There are engineering consulting firms like Worley, Advisian, Wood, Bechtel, KBR.   To name a few.   

 If you know PLC's there are loads of opportunities in that field in Houston.  With your operations background you won't have to spend a few years trying to understand what you are controlling.   

Note that Ocean Engineering is an entirely different area than programming PLC's for Control Systems.  

At A&M talk to the people who operate the deep water test tanks for Floating Production Units, they might have some ideas.  (This is in College Station, not Galveston).   

All your Operations experience would be interesting to the major oil companies Operations Engineering groups.    

Another possiblility is shipyards. Bollinger in La does a lot of Navy work and a lot of oil field supply boat work.

In reply to Karacticus :

I wouldn't be ardently opposed to ASVs, in general. It would depend heavily on application. I'm not really attracted to oil and gas. Or Houston. 

If you decide you like the PLC programming, look in your area for systems integrators.  

I'm retired now but worked for a consulting engineering firm for many years.  We would design a system for a customer, but the actual construction of that system and its programming and startup would be done by a systems integrator company, based on my plans and specifications.  My specialty was municipal water and wastewater treatment plants so I worked with systems integrators that also specialized in that area, but there are plenty of them out there that work in other areas like plant automation.  They're always busy and looking for additional personnel.  

Any possibility that Zapt will offer you a full time job after your internship is done?

I just thought of another possibly.  ROV's.  (Remote Operated Vehicles (underwater)

 They use them for all kinds of tasks for pipelines and Floating Production Units. 

Its robots, its the ocean, its programming. They remote control swim them down 5000, 6000, 7000 feet to inspect and repair subsea equipment for oil company's remote wells.  Among other thinks that need inspection.

jharry3 said:

I just thought of another possibly.  ROV's.  (Remote Operated Vehicles (underwater)

 They use them for all kinds of tasks for pipelines and Floating Production Units. 

Its robots, its the ocean, its programming. They remote control swim them down 5000, 6000, 7000 feet to inspect and repair subsea equipment for oil company's remote wells.  Among other thinks that need inspection.

If the above is of interest to you I can probably get you in touch with a hiring manager at ... . You'd have to move to Florida though. 

Based on what you've written above, you sound like you'd be in the top 10 pct of degrees engineers I work with on a regular basis, and could write your own checks pretty much wherever you wanted. 

In reply to Slippery :

I'd be forever in your debt. Where in Florida? 

We get a lot of hydrodynamics and hydrostatics. I'm not opposed to autonomous underwater vehicles or piloted submersibles. 

I wouldn't be too surprised if Zapt wanted me to come back after I finished school. I wouldn't want to start there without rounding out my robotics education but that will happen. 

Sounds like you would be a kick ass design/automation engineer for mfg plants. Enough to write your own ticket if you get a little experience.

Your areas of interest seem to align with what a lot of folks don't know they are looking for.  A solid grasp of PLCs, and networking, is the bedrock of small-scale manufacturing to come.  Our company does industrial automation, and although we started building systems with the typical large robotic arm for heavy welding installations, the lion's share of what we have built lately have been cooperative groups of smaller bot arms and actuators for manufacturing assembly cells.  Cells with 3 or four flex pickers, 3kg robot arms and conveyors working in tandem are more space efficient and more flexible than the old monster industrial robot arms. As long as you can get them all to work together and safely....

Co-bots, drones, 3d-printing, cloud monitoring, digital twins, and so on; they all sound like so many marketing buzzwords, but they are much more the way things are going for industry.  It's all come down to a much more human scale, even for the titans in the business world.  Amazon's monster warehouses run on the back of semi-autonomous sorting bots and order carriers the size of a coffee table.

Even the few big things we have built lately have been focused on flexibility and adaptability instead of brute force production.  A gantry system for 3d additive manufacturing using a 40kg TIG welding robot arm and a big 4 axis turntable build plate, another setup with 2 enormous bot arms to grind blocks still steaming hot out of casting ready for heat treat and final production were both exercises in integration more than pure mechanical engineering.  

In short, as the guy above said, you're on the way to writing your own ticket almost anywhere...

In reply to travellering :

That's interesting to hear. I haven't seen the term co-bots outside of school; the lab I'm working in at A&M is the Cobotics Lab. At any rate, I didn't realize the industrial world was getting "smaller", so to speak. But it sounds like a great opportunity to combine interests and work. 

Something unclear to me from the posts in this thread - is this more of a programming/technician role you are seeking, or design?  When I think engineering, I think design of the product, but I know in some industries, other areas of the chain carry the title of "engineer" as well.

You're at A&M (Gig 'em! - A&M MSME 2014), you want to work in Texas, and you like robotics and automation, in the sea, and you're a Navy vet?

Just take a road trip down to Houston and knock on doors. I bet you could walk in cold to at least three companies on Westheimer Rd and get interviewed that day. 

In reply to ProDarwin :

Definitely would rather focus on design. I wouldn't be surprised if I had to wear both hats at a smaller firm, which might actually be ideal. Not interested in being a pure technician. 

In reply to chaparral :

That's a big WHOOP there, sir. Appreciate the words of affirmation.

In reply to Turbo_Rev :

PM sent. 

I'm going to go outside the box a little bit here.  Plumbing and heating is becoming more and more dependent on controls.  I understand them because I have a background in EE and because I am a car guy, but most plumbers are completely lost.  Every time I have a technical question, and I talk to the manufacturers, tech guy, I inevitably end up talking to an engineer.  I'm assuming these guys make real good money and they get to sleep in their own bed every night.  Maybe look into a place like Johnson Controls, Taco, Honeywell, etc.  It's a weird interface between electrical and mechanical, but honestly the electrical is easy with a little bit of knowledge.  Texas has a ton of oil rigs.  I assume there are a ton of pumps and controls on those things.  Somebody has to make them, understand them, and work on them.

Been reading this thread and kind of chuckling in the background as I was in your shoes 35 years ago and have come out of the other side of the work tunnel and started retirement a year ago. Turned out to be a good ride.

No amount of advice would have mattered or prepared me for the career adventure(s) I had. While not the most financially rewarding career path, engineering let me change jobs in drastic swings;  turns out to be how I am wired.  (should have known this about myself since my first degree was english/spanish literature) Alas, though somewhat creative, I was never to be the technical genius in the room, but rather learned to enable those that were, and that led to mostly a management role. Management is not for everyone. Worked for me and as a bonus I got to see a lot of the world and meet brilliant technical people. 

As someone who was involved in the hiring of technical staff, the older age thing can be a double-edged sword. The tradition is to hire humble, energetic, brilliant  and somewhat deferential young graduates and think you can mould them. As a non traditional student you have already observed that there is a slight difference between your view of peers and those of the people who went from HS to University with no real world experience and have only valued themselves against a GPa.  Work in the benefits of your real world experience in a relatable fashion.  Try and sell maturity as a benefit and not just a feature.

So, no real valid advice, other than it seems that you have the tools to do well over the next 30 years. Rest is up to you and situations.

I more or less agree with Nohome. 

In general, I would say avoid planting roots if you can - the more flexible you can be with location, the more options you'll have in jobs and advancement.  

I also agree having a good knowledge of controls and process engineering can open a lot of doors.  I work in the pharma world and we're always looking for those types. 

PM sent.