Help me decide post graduation plans

If someone in the engineering field who is or has experience doing a bit of recruiting and would be willing to talk with me, I would really appreciate it. I don't think the board is the best place for some of my questions but having someone in the field who wouldn't mind looking at my resume and answer some questions I'd be thankful.

I understand that the daily grind is just that, a lot of people are not satisfied with their job and thats the way it is. I understand and accept that. In the United States, it is also less feasible to take a year or two off 5 years into your career. Fresh out of college is the best time to have a little fun before I have a lot more responsibilities. I will never be as unhindered than I will be right after graduation, that's the thinking.

But if I can talk to someone and find out maybe it will be really hard to get a job two years post graduation, then maybe I will get a job after graduation. But I did talk to some recruiters during a career fair here and my impression was that it wouldn't hurt my chances too much. I have a lot more experience in several different areas of engineering than most fresh graduates and a 3.8+ GPA doesn't hurt either.

I don't think your internships will help nearly as much if you take a year off.

fritzsch wrote: Fresh out of college is the best time to have a little fun before I have a lot more responsibilities. I will never be as unhindered than I will be right after graduation, that's the thinking.

And that is probably very true. HOWEVER - that doesn't mean it won't have an impact on your career and job opportunities.

My $0.02 is that it is a good time to get into the work world. I understand your concern on the 9-5 drag but in my experience the folks I know who took time off before the career never ended up with the career they wanted in the end. Now is the time pre-wife and pre-kids to put the hammer down.

Expect to use direct referrals from your internship experience to push your career ahead. Start getting a Linkedin profile going immediately and take extreme measures to get all of your classmates and work contacts into your network. After my first job out of school every meaningful move forward has come thru my network not a job board. I'm on Linked in as David Kosse - I'm happy to get you connected to the path forward.

As a comment you can escape the normal Mechanical Engineer racket if you can show expertise and business polish (read communication). Many of the most successful folks I know are Chemical Engineers or Mechanical Engineers by background.

Chances are you will never have the freedom you will have just after you graduate. If you have wanderlust---- satisfy it. Travel around the country, go to Australia, ride a bike to Alaska and back. Chase the dream. One day----not too far from now, you'll have a daily job, maybe a wife and kids too, and these sort of adventures will be difficult or nearly impossible to undertake.

If you are smart, work hard, and are willing to go that extra mile----there will always be companies willing to hire you.

Also---- dream big. Think of your ideal dream job. (no matter how pie in the sky you think it is) Now go after THAT job. Don't allow doubt to talk yourself out of it. Not everyone has the same dream you do---- if you really go after it, you just may be able to accomplish it. If you never try---you'll always have regrets. Go for it!

All I have to say is, I'd take that initial post down. I'd hate to hire someone who thought working a normal, 9-5 schedule was a horrible thing. Most people DREAM of that opportunity. Do exciting things with your life, but at the end of the day, you need a job and you need money and unless you are a business owner, you are going to work for "the man". With my "boring azz" government job, I have enough money to pretty much do whatever I want. And because I work 9-5 (and get a decent amount of vacation), I can do whatever I want practically at any time. And the work isn't half bad!

Not trying to get on your E36 M3 or anything, but damn you sound entitled/spoiled. I WISH I had the opportunity to f*&k around and not do anything after my education. I don't quite understand, do you want 12 hour shifts, two weeks on two weeks off? Then come bust your ass up north for an oil company if you want to "work hard play hard". Or start your own business and devote EVERY WAKING HOUR you have to getting it off the ground.

There is no free lunch. It wouldn't be called "work" if it was "play".

I've done a lot of hiring over the years. I can tell you someone 2 years removed from college with no real world job experience outside of internships would slide towards the bottom of my stack. Unless I knew you chances are I wouldn't interview you. Especially in the engineering field where a lot of the math is involved.

Not to be blunt.....just being honest.

If you really want to have flexibility, look at contract work. At least then you have some real world experience and will have a little time between jobs. The down side to that is the lack of health insurance and income security.

I'm an engineer but I don't get involved in recruiting. That said, I don't think taking a couple months after graduation for a bike trip would be a red flag, but taking a couple years to be a ski bum would be.

Apexcarver wrote: Remember that job hunting takes time! Even for engineers. Take time off and the job hunt will take even longer. I know very few people who found a (good) job in less than 6 months time hunting. You might be thinking "take a year and start next year" but remember that you will still have another probable year of searching.

I am a Mat/Sci Engineer who graduated May 2011 and wasnt employed as an engineer until August 2012.

Job hunting is a rougher time than most would think.

stuart in mn wrote: I'm an engineer but I don't get involved in recruiting. That said, I don't think taking a couple months after graduation for a bike trip would be a red flag, but taking a couple years to be a ski bum would be.

Very true. If you go ski bum for a couple years plan to go back to school in order to get refreshed and up to speed again, or plan to get a new career.

I waited, for various reasons, to start my career until I was nearly 30. The lean years were financially terrible and stressful, but I also got to spend a lot of time doing things I loved and wanted to do. SCCA Solo Nats in 2005 after two good years of autocross, three big solo motorcycle trips that would be impossible, or at least very improbable, now that I'm married and working full-time with only two weeks off a year. I also ended up in sales, where time off isn't as killer as a technical profession.

A big plus to working in mining or oil exploration is the 2wk on, 1-2wks off schedule. Get the good paycheck, still get a week or two a month to travel, play, and explore. I'd do that kind of work in a heartbeat. My father in law has been doing it for almost 30 years.

If you do the bike trip the way I suggested, it's something that can go on a resume...

HiTempguy wrote: Not trying to get on your E36 M3 or anything, but damn you sound entitled/spoiled. I WISH I had the opportunity to f*&k around and not do anything after my education. I don't quite understand, do you want 12 hour shifts, two weeks on two weeks off? Then come bust your ass up north for an oil company if you want to "work hard play hard". Or start your own business and devote EVERY WAKING HOUR you have to getting it off the ground.

Not really sure how the entitled spoiled thing is coming across, I am not asking for anyone's money or anything. If I have to live on a very low income I am okay with that. And I have the opportunity to do some of this stuff because I saved a lot of money after my internships and coops. It is not like I'll be sitting around either. My plan was to work and I don't think anyone has ever said that firefighting is berkeleying around. 16 hour shifts and you might die?

fritzsch wrote:

HiTempguy wrote: Not trying to get on your E36 M3 or anything, but damn you sound entitled/spoiled. I WISH I had the opportunity to f*&k around and not do anything after my education. I don't quite understand, do you want 12 hour shifts, two weeks on two weeks off? Then come bust your ass up north for an oil company if you want to "work hard play hard". Or start your own business and devote EVERY WAKING HOUR you have to getting it off the ground.

Not really sure how the entitled spoiled thing is coming across, I am not asking for anyone's money or anything. If I have to live on a very low income I am okay with that. And I have the opportunity to do some of this stuff because I saved a lot of money after my internships and coops. It is not like I'll be sitting around either. My plan was to work and I don't think anyone has ever said that firefighting is berkeleying around. 16 hour shifts and you might die?

If you want to be a firefighter, why didn't you focus on that instead of engineering? Being a firefighter is nice, but won't help you if you ultimately want to be an engineer. I guess you need to decide if goofing around for a year/s is worth the salary hit you're going to ultimately take.

bmw88rider wrote: I've done a lot of hiring over the years. I can tell you someone 2 years removed from college with no real world job experience outside of internships would slide towards the bottom of my stack. Not to be blunt.....just being honest.

You beat me to it. Just like the stigma of some one that has been laid off and out of work. Been there twice and its sux.

fritzsch wrote: I understand that the daily grind is just that, a lot of people are not satisfied with their job and thats the way it is. I understand and accept that. In the United States, it is also less feasible to take a year or two off 5 years into your career. Fresh out of college is the best time to have a little fun before I have a lot more responsibilities. I will never be as unhindered than I will be right after graduation, that's the thinking.

You are absolutely right that you'll never be as unhindered as you are right now. But as others have said, taking an extended time off to chase wild...albeit fun...dreams has rather negative consequences. I also have hired over 100 people in the corporate world and someone with a long gap used for fun and travel would not fare well against the 15 other applications I have for the same job where the person is making an immediate transition.

Find a balance. Go find a job that will get you started. You still get weekends, holidays, vacation days, etc... Find ways to work some of your dreams into those time frames. Believe me, as you rightfully said, now is the time.

fritzsch

You do understand that the coop jobs are not the cherry jobs? Right? We have had interns emptying trash and running errands. Coops are good to get you in the company after graduation.

But I understand what you are saying about the 9-5 at a desk. Its the pits.

spitfirebill wrote: But I understand what you are saying about the 9-5 at a desk. Its the pits.

The flip side of that statement is that (at least sometimes) you'll have a somewhat reasonable and regular schedule, so you can have a life outside work. When you're out in the field you work until the work is done, then go back to your motel room.

However, it doesn't always work that way - at least in my experience, engineering work is super busy these days and you can count on a lot of late nights and weekends even if you are strictly in the office.

rotard wrote:

fritzsch wrote:

HiTempguy wrote: Not trying to get on your E36 M3 or anything, but damn you sound entitled/spoiled. I WISH I had the opportunity to f*&k around and not do anything after my education. I don't quite understand, do you want 12 hour shifts, two weeks on two weeks off? Then come bust your ass up north for an oil company if you want to "work hard play hard". Or start your own business and devote EVERY WAKING HOUR you have to getting it off the ground.

Not really sure how the entitled spoiled thing is coming across, I am not asking for anyone's money or anything. If I have to live on a very low income I am okay with that. And I have the opportunity to do some of this stuff because I saved a lot of money after my internships and coops. It is not like I'll be sitting around either. My plan was to work and I don't think anyone has ever said that firefighting is berkeleying around. 16 hour shifts and you might die?

If you want to be a firefighter, why didn't you focus on that instead of engineering? Being a firefighter is nice, but won't help you if you ultimately want to be an engineer. I guess you need to decide if goofing around for a year/s is worth the salary hit you're going to ultimately take.

I could be wrong, but I don't think he wants to literally be a firefighter. But that he was figurativly firefighting by going from one crisis to another.

Happens a lot for some engineers. And they thrive on it.

I understand what you are saying, I do. I think being a field engineer of some sort would scratch both itches while building your resume and income like nothing else could. My ex-field engineer colleague just had a visit from my boss, he was asking if there were any more field engineers that wanted desk jobs, because he wants them.

"My plan was to work and I don't think anyone has ever said that firefighting is berkeleying around. 16 hour shifts and you might die?"

I think he means literally being a firefighter.

OP, just be careful and realize that the choices you make now can snowball and affect you in a huge way later on in your career.

fritzsch wrote: Then the plan would be find a job at a ski resort for the winter, and then the next summer be a wild life firefighter. Repeat the ski bum/fire fighting thing as necessary?

He means being an actual firefighter with a helmet, a shovel, and a hose.

ok....

Anyway, good luck! Hope you find a good direction for you.

alfadriver wrote: ok.... Anyway, good luck! Hope you find a good direction for you.

OP, this is what I was trying to get at. I'm from the "tough love" school. While you should definitely try to do the things you want to do, unless you are well off, I think your expectations are seriously off for what life in general entails. I don't think anybody here wants someone to NOT achieve their dreams.

In reply to fritzsch:

Actually. Now that I think about it I could put your resume in for a field engineer job.

I was going to suggest Uncle Sam's canoe club as well. As a single guy the life is not too bad, and you do get to see the world.

Similarly, Peace Corps, mission or relief groups, and charity organizations often need engineers and for a young person the experience might be just the ticket. That sort of thing probably would not look bad on a resume, certainly not anywhere I would want to work.

Or, if you want to be a great engineer someday instead of a good one, find a field you like and get an operations job in the field. Something like power plant operator, lineman, farmer, oil field worker, or the like. Get a job with shift work, physical exercise, and lots of young people doing hard work. Pay attention to maintaining equipment, operating it, and ergonomics. Then, when you do want to settle down to a desk job you can come at your work with a perspective that most engineers don't get, and you will be much better at it.