Engineers check in here!

Originally Posted by yousharenow

I Continually underwhelmed by ITT Tech and Devry grads. Engineering is one of the hardest majors you can take, earn it the old fashion way IMO

As someone who hires 50 something engineers a year I can attest to this. My managers do not want people from either school.

And those of you still in school... I cannot stress the importance of having real life experience whether through internships or class projects. Examples may include Formula SAE or robotics competitions at you university.

Someone with a 4.0 but no practical experience doesn't hold a candle to someone with a 3.2 and a couple internships under their belt.

i would immediately file a resume with itt or devry into the circular filing cabinet next to my desk.

Originally Posted by deafboy

How many of you have actually ever needed to say what your GPA is? I've never had anyone ask. lol.

My company asked... I rounded up-That's what I learned to do in teh math class.

GPA is such BS. A lot of it depends on the professor you get... I dropped ONE class throughout my whole ME degree, Numerical Methods. I HATED the prof and he was extremely difficult. I didn't drop in time to not get the grade, so I ended up with a D in the class. Luckily we had 1 grade replacement we could use. I signed up for a different professor, same class, got a 92% in the course...

BS in Network Engineering , currently a VoIP specialist.

Originally Posted by Jesse M

Congrats, good for you that's awesome man. How do the older guys treat you knowing that you are still in school? (not knowing your age, idk). I'd jump at the chance to get relocated anywhere from where I am right now. There's nothing going on in Rhode Island, I had to get a MA job and now I am driving about 90+ miles per day in the zhp.

Older engineers are all that is left. The brain drain is heavy in 2 areas - Engineering and Air Traffic Control. There aren't NEARLY enough young engineers to backfill the group of engineers that are going to retire in the next decade. Everyone is off getting an expressive dance degree or something.

I really don't get much guff, I got this job because I am well known in my industry, I have experience on networks of all sizes and shapes, and I'm published. Most the guys are impressed that I am where I am at my age, but they quickly figure out WHY I am where I am. Like I said, there just aren't a lot of solid, young engineers out there.

Originally Posted by iverson2k10

BS in Network Engineering , currently a VoIP specialist.

Where did you get this? NE degree's aren't very widely known.

Originally Posted by casino is no lie

As someone who hires 50 something engineers a year I can attest to this. My managers do not want people from either school.

And those of you still in school... I cannot stress the importance of having real life experience whether through internships or class projects. Examples may include Formula SAE or robotics competitions at you university.

Someone with a 4.0 but no practical experience doesn't hold a candle to someone with a 3.2 and a couple internships under their belt.

+1000

I have a few friends who did nothing but study and refused to bother with internships because they thought their 4.0 would get them a job right away. Since graduating, they have all worked nothing but contract jobs.

Internships, senior design projects, and any other real life practical experience is far far better than any GPA.

Also, I frankly don't GAF what your GPA is as long as you are a good engineer. Some of the best ones I work with had the worst GPAs in school.

Originally Posted by 217Bimmer

i would immediately file a resume with itt or devry into the circular filing cabinet next to my desk.

I do the same thing. Except my filing cabinet is rectangular, has an on/off switch, and makes a whirring noise when I put paper into it...

Only exception are those Devry/ITT grads who have numerous years of good experience but they are few and far between.

Originally Posted by SamDoe1

+1000

I have a few friends who did nothing but study and refused to bother with internships because they thought their 4.0 would get them a job right away. Since graduating, they have all worked nothing but contract jobs.

Nothing wrong with contract jobs though. If you're flexible and without a family, you can make A LOT of money in contract work and it can even turn into permanent work if you play your cards right.

Originally Posted by lexpression

Nothing wrong with contract jobs though. If you're flexible and without a family, you can make A LOT of money in contract work and it can even turn into permanent work if you play your cards right.

There's nothing wrong and you can make a lot of money in contract CONSULTING jobs. The contract positions that entry level engineers get are usually low pay b!tch work.

Of all of the contractors I hire and work with I'd say 95% are absolutely worthless.

anyone a PME?

What's a PME?

Originally Posted by SamDoe1

What's a PME?

plumbing mechanical engineer

Originally Posted by casino is no lie

As someone who hires 50 something engineers a year I can attest to this. My managers do not want people from either school.

And those of you still in school... I cannot stress the importance of having real life experience whether through internships or class projects. Examples may include Formula SAE or robotics competitions at you university.

Someone with a 4.0 but no practical experience doesn't hold a candle to someone with a 3.2 and a couple internships under their belt.

THIS!

I got a co-op at my current company and that's what got me the job. My manager said directly to my face once I got hired full time that he would have never hired me if I just walked in. They get STACKS of resumes every day. I only had a 3.0 gpa and there were plenty of people with 3.5+

Also, I think the interview itself is very important and for an engineer, it's very important to have a good personality and carry a good conversation with the interviewer. For my co-op I had 5 different managers interview me and in between work related stuff, I shot the sh!t with 3 of them about cars, boating, and other various hobbies... I was one of 4 that got picked out of 25 co-ops. It's tough out there right now...

Originally Posted by andrewrossnagel

plumbing mechanical engineer

you mean a plumber?

Originally Posted by Tampa02e46

My company asked... I rounded up-That's what I learned to do in teh math class.

GPA is such BS. A lot of it depends on the professor you get... I dropped ONE class throughout my whole ME degree, Numerical Methods. I HATED the prof and he was extremely difficult. I didn't drop in time to not get the grade, so I ended up with a D in the class. Luckily we had 1 grade replacement we could use. I signed up for a different professor, same class, got a 92% in the course...

Not to sound like a whiny b!tch, but a lot of the professors in the sciences and engineering can be pretty arrogant and stubborn. Don't be surprised when some of your classes do not go as well as planned.

Originally Posted by andrewrossnagel

plumbing mechanical engineer

Originally Posted by 217Bimmer

you mean a plumber?

Lulz, that was my reaction too.

Originally Posted by nikkeiS2K

Not to sound like a whiny b!tch, but a lot of the professors in the sciences and engineering can be pretty arrogant and stubborn. Don't be surprised when some of your classes do not go as well as planned.

I'm already graduated... I know this. Honestly though, I enjoyed most of my profs

Originally Posted by lexpression

Nothing wrong with contract jobs though. If you're flexible and without a family, you can make A LOT of money in contract work and it can even turn into permanent work if you play your cards right.

No one actively seeks out to be a contractor. People who are interested in short term assignments either join firms like BCG or Accenture as consultants or try to form their own consulting group.

You are making a lot of money. But there are several huge catches. You are billed by the hour. If you want to take a vacation you don't get paid. You don't have the ability to contribute to a 401K on a pre-tax basis nor will you receive company matching benefits. You will not receive an annual bonus. Nor are you provided with health insurance benefits (i.e., medical, dental and vision).

The worst part about contract work is there is no guarantee that you have a job lined up after your contract expires (i.e., complete lack of job security). And given the nature of the field every job you take severely limits your ability to even be eligible to join another company due to non-compete agreements.

Originally Posted by casino is no lie

No one actively seeks out to be a contractor. People who are interested in short term assignments either join firms like BCG or Accenture as consultants or try to form their own consulting group.

You are making a lot of money. But there are several huge catches. You are billed by the hour. If you want to take a vacation you don't get paid. You don't have the ability to contribute to a 401K on a pre-tax basis nor will you receive company matching benefits. You will not receive an annual bonus. Nor are you provided with health insurance benefits (i.e., medical, dental and vision).

The worst part about contract work is there is no guarantee that you have a job lined up after your contract expires (i.e., complete lack of job security). And given the nature of the field every job you take several limits your ability to even be eligible to join another company due to non-compete agreements.

All this is why I'm comfortable for now working as an associate of a corporation.

Originally Posted by casino is no lie

No one actively seeks out to be a contractor. People who are interested in short term assignments either join firms like BCG or Accenture as consultants or try to form their own consulting group.

You are making a lot of money. But there are several huge catches. You are billed by the hour. If you want to take a vacation you don't get paid. You don't have the ability to contribute to a 401K on a pre-tax basis nor will you receive company matching benefits. You will not receive an annual bonus. Nor are you provided with health insurance benefits (i.e., medical, dental and vision).

The worst part about contract work is there is no guarantee that you have a job lined up after your contract expires (i.e., complete lack of job security). And given the nature of the field every job you take severely limits your ability to even be eligible to join another company due to non-compete agreements.

All the above is true, I have several friends/former co-workers who now work as contractors. I chose to move from one full-time permanent position to another full-time permanent position based on a lot of what you mentioned. I was just stating that it's not always a terrible thing. Working in the Nuclear industry, there are a lot of contractor jobs available, and some do result in being hired in as a permanent hire. But of course, it all depends on the industry and the persons situation.

Originally Posted by 217Bimmer

you mean a plumber?