Full Careers
What are your Recommendations on Engineering Career Path?
I just finished my 3rd year @ the University of Florida. I need 6 classes to finish my Mechanical Degree and 1 more 4 my Biomechanics Minor. I have not had an internship, research or co-op experience yet &have interviewed &sought after these for two years with negative responses. My friends say persistence is key. I took a design course working in a group to determine facewidths and fatigue lives of engine parts.I also worked on a Human Powered Vehicle team and have been involved in several engineering organizations including organizing E-week. I like organizing processes the & human output efficiency interests me.I like Controls (with the bode plots and such).These appear to be industrial engineering qualities. Should I apply for PhD Programs and fellowships in ergonomics?Find any job that will take me &/or get my teaching certification & wait till I have more money for gradschool? Should I apply the armed force’s NUPOC lucrative program ?Am I missing something here in my evaluation.I am .184 gpt away from a 3.0 and plan to take the FE next spring and the GRE this fall. Thank you all your responses have been thought provoking and insightful, may they prove to be helpful as I continue to persue some work experience before I graduate.
Public Comments
- I think your main problem is probably you GPA. If you are not required to, don't put it on your resume. Also, it would be worth calculating your major GPA, or your GPA for only the classes that are required by your major. This might be higher. Also, if there is an explanation for why your GPA is lower than it might otherwise be, it might be appropriate to let them know about that. Try to emphasize all of the positive things you've done to prepare for a career in engineering. Make sure they know about your design experience and your organizational skills. Also, is there a career developement office at your college? It might be helpful to have a professional career counselor read through your resume and whatever cover letters you have to write. They might have some surprising input.
- Oh my. Since I am an Ohio State engineering graduate I dont know if I should be helping you here. Just kidding!!!! :-) Figure out which you would like the most. If its teaching then I would encourage you to pursue your masters and get your certificate. If its research then go for you Ph.D. If its indutry experience then job search or join the military. There's no need to save for graduate school. NEVER pay for it. You either have a company you work for to pay for it or get an assistantship at the school you are going to. Very few people pay for graduate school with their own money. The assistantships available are teaching or research assistantship. You can go after your masters and do either or both assistantships (depends on what's available in the department you are applying for) and see if that's the best for you. I agree on taking the FE during your 4th year. Things are fresh in your mind and it requires little study review when you are studying. Engineering students/graduates do well on GRE's due to their natural of thinking and porblem solving. You still need to study for it but I feel that you will do well. Before taking it make sure you need the GRE to get into the program. Since you are at U of F then they may waive the GRE score and go with your current numbers. Those tests just compare your gpa with test scores, seeing if you learned what you needed in the classes to go to the next level of education. If you choose job searching, internships and co-ops are key. I had a hard time landing my first job b/c I have to work in the summers and during the school year to pay for my living during college as well as some college expenses. It's not the end of the world that you dont have any work experience, however you do need to compare your experience (whatever it may be) to what is seen in job(s) you are applying for. Ultimately its all about selling yourself. Your gpa isnt the end of the world. You'll be suprised on the amount of people who have that gpa or lower. That being said simply explain some troubles you had and how you overcame them. That's seen as a good sign. Also calculate your core (major) gpa or specialty gpa. This will defer some attention away from your overall gpa. All in all try and emphasize your best qualities and see what best fits you. These won't be eay decisions so take some time in deciding on them. Best of luck with everything. It only gets more challenging from here.
- oh my gosh, i think you are a genius. i'm sure that you are in the right path. am a C.E. grad. but you're perfect, i wish someday we meet.
- Here's my $0.02, assuming it's worth that much. It sounds like you've been seeking industry employment, so I'll assume that your heart is more in that than in teaching or research. Two things come to mind as to why you may not have had any luck getting an internship yet. The first thing to consider is how actively are you pursuing them and are they for positions that are aligned with your interests and activities? Be sure to look for employment beyond the companies who are visiting your campus for career fairs. Find companies on the internet who are doing stuff that interests you. 90% of an internship is learning, so employers are looking for someone who's going to grow in the internship (and hopefully return as a full time employee after graduation). The second thing to consider is your interviewing skills. Companies hire personalities, not just bullets on a resume. If you get nervous for interviews, that's not good. Nor is it good if you become to relaxed and informal. Look for comfortably professional. Your college career center probably hosts mock interviews where someone who conducts interviews professionally will interview you for a pretend job and provide you constructive criticisms to help strengthen your interview skills. Also, I encourage many fresh engineers to read Dale Carnegie's, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" From what you've asked, I would discourage you from grad school at this point because it looks like you are doing that because you feel safe there and not because it's really what you're interested in. Get out in the work force and expand your horizons.
