Electrical Engineering Graduate

[christowilso]

I missed that earlier.
You're in for a tough ride trying to get a fresh graduate job at that age.
Employers are not interested, they want fresh faced 21 year olds.
Unless you've already got some decent Electrical experience in the bag.

I'm aware this may be the case hence my initial query.

 

[NickD]

Employers are not interested, they want fresh faced 21 year olds.

I used to recruit engineers for a living and while that may be true of some employers, there are many others who will value whatever life and professional experience you may have gained in your years 21 to 35.

 

[NickD]

Then more fool you!!

Possibly, but a happy fool earning decent money doing something where most days are basically fun and answerable to no-one but me - as opposed to a supposed non-fool doing what society tells me I ought to do, being miserable wearing a tie stuck at a desk/bench and at the whim of cretins. Pigeonholes are for post and pigeons.

 

[Engineer54]

Possibly, but a happy fool earning decent money doing something where most days are basically fun and answerable to no-one but me - as opposed to a supposed non-fool doing what society tells me I ought to do, being miserable wearing a tie stuck at a desk/bench and at the whim of cretins. Pigeonholes are for post and pigeons.

Well i can assure you although i usually have and work out of an office in some cases two offices, i have always been to all intent and purposes site based. I've rarely if ever been tied to a desk/bench, rarely wear a shirt and tie, i don't do cretins, and never considered myself being in a pigeonhole, and certainly never been what can be classed as miserable in my work, over the 40 odd years i've been in this game. In fact it's been quite the opposite!!

Oh, and i have always earned more than decent money, doing what i have always enjoyed doing, ...and seeing the world in the process. I've made good use of the many qualifications i obtained, they are in my opinion, the tools and passport to success in life. It's up to the individual how high or low that success can go....

 

[Engineer54]

I'm going to find it difficult to form consecutive replys with your sinking attitude. So i'll leave it at that and thanks for the input.

You only seem to hear what you want too, i can see you going far as an Engineer, ...Not!!

 

[Jonspark]

Well i can assure you although i usually have and work out of an office in some cases two offices, i have always been to all intent and purposes site based. I've rarely if ever been tied to a desk/bench, rarely wear a shirt and tie, i don't do cretins, and never considered myself being in a pigeonhole, and certainly never been what can be classed as miserable in my work, over the 40 odd years i've been in this game. In fact it's been quite the opposite!!

Oh, and i have always earned more than decent money, doing what i have always enjoyed doing, ...and seeing the world in the process. I've made good use of the many qualifications i obtained, they are in my opinion, the tools and passport to success in life. It's up to the individual how high or low that success can go....

Then why have you got a chip on your shoulder?

 

[NickD]

Well i can assure you although i usually have and work out of an office in some cases two offices, i have always been to all intent and purposes site based. I've rarely if ever been tied to a desk/bench, rarely wear a shirt and tie, i don't do cretins, and never considered myself being in a pigeonhole, and certainly never been what can be classed as miserable in my work, over the 40 odd years i've been in this game. In fact it's been quite the opposite!!

Oh, and i have always earned more than decent money, doing what i have always enjoyed doing, ...and seeing the world in the process. I've made good use of the many qualifications i obtained, they are in my opinion, the tools and passport to success in life. It's up to the individual how high or low that success can go....

My point is that the criteria for success in life should be determined by the individual based on what they genuinely want out of life, as opposed to mindlessly accepting the one-size-fits-all money-big-house-flash-car type definition of success in life that society wants to issue you with.

 

[GB.Kayak]

Read Matthew 25:14-30

Hard teaching ... and a valuable life lesson. Personally I was blessed with a 'brain' ... though I had to retake my entire 2nd year university exams at the back end of the summer, I passed with a 'desmond', 2:2. I went on to gain an MSc and could have gone on to do an EngD had I wanted to in a different branch of engineering from that of the OP. Notwithstanding all that I have not had such an enjoyable 'career' if you can call it that to date, I think because there was very little real 'engineering' to be done; apart from my first 2 jobs I was mostly an 'engineering' manager, more a director of people.

I was also given the hand skills and enjoyment of making things, taking things apart, repairing them and putting them back together. It is rare in most multinational engineering companies today that there exists the opportunity to get out on the shop floor and do the practical alongside the cerebral! I think that really great engineers are not 'made' at university! They used to be made through the practical application of theoretical science in the workshop and test laboratory! It is interesting to note that the largest percentage of my year of '92 from the University of Bristol did no further work in engineering!

 

[Engineer54]

Then why have you got a chip on your shoulder?

What chip would that be, perhaps you can explain it too me??

 

[SheffSimon]

Its just something id like to do. I'm hoping to land a gradate job soon enough but i love the hands on stuff too which i won't be involved in much if at all when i move into a grad position. I'm 35 this year so was a relatively late starter in the industry and just feel that it can't hurt to gain this extra knowledge. I've been thinking about contacting a few local companies to see if they'd be interested in helping me get this done?

What were you doing before you started at Uni?

 

[christowilso]

You only seem to hear what you want too, i can see you going far as an Engineer, ...Not!!

See thats not the case at all. Maybe if you'd said "Chris, what you're looking at is going to take around two years, as an experienced engineer i recommend you remain focused on what you're doing just now"???

 

[christowilso]

What were you doing before you started at Uni?

I worked in various retail management positions before moving into recruitment (for engineers). When the recession started in 2008 i was in that position for 4 months so was paid off. I then moved into a technical advisory role with o2 which i worked in until 2012 and took a redundancy package as i was already a year into my studies.

 

[NickD]

What chip would that be, perhaps you can explain it too me??

I wish I had a chip on my shoulder, it would stop my Metrel bag slipping off when I pick up the toolbox.

 

[GB.Kayak]

I wish I had a chip on my shoulder, it would stop my Metrel bag slipping off when I pick up the toolbox.

What do you think of Metrel, I bought mine in Dec 2012 for the capability to download results to a PC or laptop. It has never worked as I expected given their advertising, and I had very poor service from both the supplier and Metrel with dealing with the issue. To date, it is still not addressed!

 

[Engineer54]

My point is that the criteria for success in life should be determined by the individual based on what they genuinely want out of life, as opposed to mindlessly accepting the one-size-fits-all money-big-house-flash-car type definition of success in life that society wants to issue you with.

In many respects i totally agree with you. What i don't particularly understand is why someone would put themselves through all the trouble/time and cost of gaining an engineering degree, and then not making full use it. Just seems a total waste to me!!