You're an Engineer? You're Hired

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This goes to ALEXNY,
I've always wondered whether working as an aircraft mechanic and studying engineering was a bad idea. Just out of curiosity, I'd like some advice. I got my A&P license not too long ago. I don't currently have a mech job, but is it possible to work as a mechanic and study mechanical engineering at the same time?
Any advice on your part would be greatly appreciated.

Jack Arcentales of NY 10:21PM November 30, 2012

I wanted to add the comment of being an ME grad from a school probably not even on the top 100 (but definitely a well known football school). Applications were tough, but I ended up with 3 job offers in hand as well (probably could have gotten more). One of them was for a salary way higher than a new grad should be getting, and one of the others was for a top-tier company that took me 100+ applications to get in. I took the brand name job which was a bit less base salary. Plus with raise, bonus, and great benefits, everything comes out in the wash. I recommend to all you job seekers to keep pushing the envelope on the applications, call them even when they don't call you back, message everybody you can find at the company. Make friends with folks, once you legitimately get through HR, interviewing and all that jazz legitimately (the old boys network doesn't work as well these days with companies trying to make applying a fair game), you never know some friend might drop your name to the hiring manager, and although the manager won't admit that they take that into consideration, they just might.

Guest 9:10AM November 04, 2012

When I first came out of school I had to take a technician role in a power plant in NYC, because there were not many engineering jobs in the NYC area that were not tied to communications or programing, and does jobs required more +10 years of experience. It was the best move I ever made. After just three short years I have recently accepted a job offer making close to 6 figures (Base, with bonus I will be well over six figures) as a power plant engineer. I could not have demanded this pay if it were not for the fact that
1. I have a great technical background; I was an aircraft mechanic, while getting my undergrad in EE.
2. There is a very very short supply of engineers with a strong technical background, especially in the power industry
Most young engineers that I have worked with don’t know the difference between a screw driver and a wrench. We need to go back to the roots of engineering and teach the math and science as well as the hands on aspects of engineering

Alex of NY 7:32PM September 06, 2012

I agree with ex-engineer; but, I think "American" should be inserted: "... unemployed [American] engineers."

TRUTH of DE 9:45AM September 04, 2012

Engineers by definition are hard working people. Many have large student load debts. So an engineer driving a truck is an employed truck driver, not an unemployed engineer. To get the REAL numbers take the number of jobs created each year, add the number of engineers retiring and then subtract the tens of thousands of imported engineers and new graduates. If you do this for the last 20 years you will see that there are a LOT of unemployed engineers.
The problem with this particular BIG LIE is that the people you are lying to are smart enough to see the data does not reflect your opinion.

ex-engineer of FL 4:22AM August 24, 2012

ending comment...all this negative posting could be (and surely is) 100% the opposite for many graduates....sometimes it's luck....most of the times it's good networking...or just highly competitive stats...but the ones that are doing well their voice is more silent these days....ur hearing the ones like me that are bitter and loud...because it comes as such as a surprise to us

bitter from iowa lol of IA 2:36PM July 28, 2012

oh yea and those statistics...plzz tell me u don't believe that non-sense, even I didn't count as unemployed upon graduation because I just went on to grad school like every other one else that couldn't find a job until I realized what was going on...I'd say it's about %20 for top tier schools..but that's speculation since they wouldn't give the data (i requested it but they know how much money they could lose from 'campaigning' if prospective students really knew the facts from day one..which is understandable

bitter from iowa lol of IA 2:29PM July 28, 2012

This article is BS....like everything engineering programs will tell incoming prospects...sure, anything STEM is and always will be the highest value undergrad degree you can get..that's undeniable...but to say with this degree ALONE your life isn't going to suck BIG time after graduation is unrealistic...I did 3 internships and graduated from a top tier above 3 and I'm unemployed 2 years out of school working at Texas roadhouse baking rolls...I'm depressed and lost all the confidence I built up while in undergrad...it doesn't help that all ur friends (support group) leave too...like others mentioned networking is a BIG component..if u suck at networking like me u better prepare to lose all the momentum you have once u smash into that wall that is called graduation

bitter from iowa lol of IA 2:21PM July 28, 2012

I have a mechanical engineering degree from Penn State and an MBA in finance from NYU Stern. I have never been worked outside of engineering. I earn a fraction of what my classmates in financial services make. I was unemployed for all of 2009 and 2010. I would quit my little factory job right now for an unpaid internship finance. It would be worth it.
Degrees don't matter. It's not what you know but WHO you know, who you father knows, or who you sleep with that counts.
Want to be successful? Learn a good programming language or some software, and get really good at smoozing and selling and screwing people over.

Al of NY 11:07PM July 26, 2012

This article is a load of crap. I know plenty of engineers with a bachelors and masters degree in the silicon valley that are happy working 15$ jobs. There is no demand, engineering sucks. I have a bsee and have been employed for 3 years. Go figure, what a waste of time.

Anonymouos of CA 2:58PM July 24, 2012