A
male
age
36-40,
*tudentForLife
writes:Hello all,This is a question on career options. But I am posting a career question here as my experience with this site has been good so far and I get the most sensible answers here. This is slightly long. So please bear with me.So I graduated with a Masters degree in Aerospace Engineering in May 2011 from The University of Texas at Austin with a good GPA. My academics have been excellent right from the beginning. The only drawback is, I went to grad school straight out of undergrad (even though I got a very good and pretty lucrative job after undergrad). So, I don't have any work experience except for my stint as a lab assistant and teaching assistant during grad school (which nobody in the corporate world recognizes as formal work experience).So, I got stuck in this "No experience-no job" paradox (one gets a job only if he is experienced. But nobody gives him/her the first job, how is he/she going to get that experience....it is like saying - the key to the locked door is inside the room).I was on the lookout for an internship (was okay with even an unpaid one), but was not successful. Once I graduated, I started looking for full-time jobs, but again couldn't end up in a job in my field. The usual feedback I got was that my study in grad school was in a very niche area and was more on things that were of interest only in the academia....so corporates didn't consider me for any openings. The research labs insist on a PhD, and I could not afford to invest 4-5 more years for a PhD (because my family's finances were bad and I needed to start earning a "proper" salary soon). That is the reason I came out with a masters degree and did not go for a PhDI realized that my degree was getting me no where and started learning a programming language and passed a certification exam on it. This finally got me a job in a small start-up with a measly per hour pay of 8$ (after a masters degree).I am not someone who expects a grand salary package of a CEO in the first year itself. I am prepared to work my way up the "career ladder". However, I never expected to work as a temp/contract worker for an hourly rate of 8$ after a masters degree.It really pains me to realize that I fell for this "academic trap" and fell for the "degrees make your life" argument. Ultimately, I realize now that my degree is a waste. All my long hours of slogging, my part time jobs to pay my tuition etc amounts to a naught.I feel ashamed to move back with my mom and be a burden on her at the age of 26. As though this isn't enough, my acquaintances and friends at college keep talking to me about their "corporate entry level jobs" and keep telling me that they are "set for life". Bragging is all that they do. I asked them for help in my jobsearch but didn't get any. I still wonder how they got those jobs in the first place.Also, as long as I keep working for such paltry wages, I don't feel confident in getting into a relationship.So this pretty much sums up how exactly I feel now. Any advice to make my life better, to improve my career etc will be greatly appreciated. After all, I have a lot to learn.What is your opinion on me starting out from the abyss after slogging for several years to earn 2 college degrees with good acads??? Am I a mess now? Do you know anyone who has many college degrees, but is working in a job far below his potential???
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (19 August 2013): you need to network. these days jobs are gotten not by applying to want ads as another face in the crowd, but by knowing someone who knows someone who has the authority to make hiring decisions.I have a PhD and 10+ years of postdoctoral academic experience as a research scientist. I had a difficult time getting jobs in industry because of my lack of industry experience and the fact that having a PhD often makes people see you as way too overqualified. so, consider yourself fortunate you didn't pursue a PhD. I regularly actively discourage new graduate students from pursuing PhDs, I encourage them to get a masters instead. I'm also a woman, and my field (which is also aerospace engineering) is male dominated which means women often are discriminated against, not always overtly but the bias is still there.I finally got a job with a large defense contracting company because I knew one of the high level managers. I had done some consulting for their company, and did a good enough job that they wanted to pursue a longer term relationship with me. I then blatantly asked them for a job. It took them 2 years to think about it and jump through all their organizational hoops to create the job for me but it finally happened a few months ago. I know your situation is not the same as mine since you are younger and earlier in your career. I would not be considered for entry level jobs even if I had applied for them, for example, even though I had not worked in industry. No one will hire a PhD in their 40's for an entry level engineering job, because they would rather hire someone younger and fresh out of school such as yourself.I would suggest that you ask your college professors for referrals. Many professors in engineering fields have ties to companies by doing consulting for them, or by getting contracts from companies to do some research project. The people that the professors deal with are in a high enough position in their companies to move money around and thus can also influence their companies' hiring decisions. Many engineering professors also actively help their students to get jobs in companies. Your friends who work as entry level engineers don't have the social capital to help you get a job, unless they are on good terms with their boss' boss. You could also focus more on small companies or start ups, since those types of companies have a more flat organizational structure and far less red tape. Your university probably has a technology transfer department. Ask them for a list of start up companies spun out of your alma mater. then call up those small companies and explain you are also from their alma mater, this will increase your chances of getting job interviews. Don't get discouraged, you have many advantages over other job seekers in your field. You're male, you're probably a U.S. citizen (being a non-citizen makes it hard to get jobs in many aerospace companies because of the ties to the defense industry which requires security clearances), and you're young. I have friends who are engineers in their 50's who got laid off from engineering firms and can't find a job due to their age. Some are still unemployed, others are struggling to make it as independent consultants. (being a solo consultant requires a totally different skill set from being an engineer in a large company.)At this point I think your best bet is to use your alma mater as a source of job leads and referrals. good luck.
A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (19 August 2013): I completely understand. My brother is a math PhD and for the last four years has been taking only temporary positions at universities. In todays world, it is a myth that the higher the education the better the job prospects. Knowing theory is not sufficient, you need highly marketable skills others do not have. My own parents are urging me towards a nursing PhD (I'm a nurse with a masters in health policy). What I learned from my masters is that theory does not pay. The only work I could find post masters was back in a regular nursing job. I am now going back to school for a second masters to become a family nurse practitioner. In todays economy skills pay. I know several PhDs who work in regular jobs - it didn't get them anywhere.This is what you need to think about - Aerospace is downsizing in the US. You need skills. What is your undergraduate degree in? Think of professions like accounting, financial engineering (check out these masters),computers, medicine (not to late for you to go)and dentistry. You need skills that make you very marketable. If your undergraduate opened doors for you, can you attempt to break into that area again?You have some thinking to do. You're only 26 - you can do anything with your life and it won't be too late. Know that the years will pass you by anyway - so start over now, if you have to.Don't feel down - it's always great to have extra education. It pays off over the long run. Just be smart with future decisions.
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (19 August 2013): HiPlease be proud of what you have achieved and feel confident that at some point you will use your skills.I don't know anything about your study but know any degree or Masters degree is hard work and even harder when you actually end up back at square one! I have been there, feeling that all my hard work was a complete waste of time, a pile of debt and a dream that i brought to life against the odds. I even felt stupid because I could not do anything with my Qualifications and was warned that this would be the case. I am a professional contemporary Theatre dancer,which many people think is not a real subject ( if only they knew the truth:) I was so frustrated THAT I HAD NO OUTLET FOR ALL THIS NEW KNOWLEDGE,then after cleaning caravans and waitressing for min wage ( which is what I left behind when i went to University) discovered that Art and Science can meet-especially in the medical field of Dance therapy, which is what I am now trained in(self funded)because the gov thinks this is not a safe enough bet to fund . Again this is a newish field here in the uk and still has a long way to go before jobs are advertised in the UK. I volunteered to PROVE it works and again took no wage,they say thanks and wish they could make a post but one does not exist at this time. I will clean caravans and kick down every door I can to SHOW that Medical Science and Art is what TODAY needs,and to bring my dream to a reality,because I worked way too hard to GO BACK TO SLEEP. Never give in and loose hope even though it is not easy the career choice you made,neither was mine. Forget the 'I told you so's' and do what you must to get to where you want to be,dream and drive go hand in hand.I am working towards creating my own healing center, be it in a barn, on a boat, it WILL HAPPEN because I DREAMED IT :)Good Luck! Tip, get a little creative with your science they meet.
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reader, anonymous, writes (18 August 2013): Have you considered moving out of state? Your particular field just may not be one of the hottest in technology at the moment. A local agency here where I am just laid off several engineers and others in related technology fields.
It's the economy. Your education will be the vehicle to your success over time. The economy is crawling and employers know they can be picky and unfair. Most are greedy and unscrupulous; but who's to argue. They do the hiring.
Keep the faith young man. You made a wise decision that will payoff; it's just that select fields in technology are taking off right now,and they are the primary corporations that are doing most of the hiring.
Multiply yourself times thousands of recent college-grads in student loan debt, looking for work, and you'll think you've been cloned. It's exasperating.
Imagine being someone older with a degree in a relevant field and tons of experience, and unable to get work due to your age. Employers don't pay you what you're worth, they pay you as they please. That doesn't mean that you don't negotiate reasonable compensation; you just try to be realistic.
Most employers are taking advantage of/exploiting the job pool, and paying young people/women a fraction of what they should be making, for the amount of education they have in the very field they spent tens of thousands of dollars to obtain masters and doctorate degrees.
Most are taking jobs out of their fields of education; just as you are.
Many are working more than one job in order to pay off student loan debt. It's amazing how they claim unemployment figures are dropping. They really aren't, by the time the new figures come out, employers layoff people by the hundreds. They'll look better soon, as they do holiday temp-hiring. Cash-in on that. It gives state and national legislators bragging-rights.
That's because people are accepting minimum-wage jobs, or accepting ridiculous salaries for jobs that used to pay three to five times as much. New industry isn't opening in all 50 states at the same time. Many are down-sizing.
I believe it's just figure-juggling when they say unemployment is down. They're also counting people under part-time and temporary employment; which offer no benefits and miserably low salaries.
Be grateful for the $8/hour. Seek another and you'll be better off. You'll also gain experience as you go.
You may need to also hire a head-hunter that specializes in placement for people in your field. They may require a fee, most don't these days. The fees are often paid by the employer. It may require a large network search. You have a lot of competition.
You obviously have the aptitude to do any related hi-tech job with similar qualification requirements. Broaden your search, titles for some jobs have changed to sound more appealing to the nerds of the 21st century. So make sure you're not over-looking them; because they don't necessarily use the term "Aerospace" in the job-title. You know what you're capable of, and you made sure you went the extra mile to get qualified. It's just that jobs are hard to come by in general.
A lot of what you expressed in your post is true, but imagine those who have nothing more than a high school diploma to depend on. Or those laid-off in their 50's who worked in manufacturing fields most of their adult life.
Where do you think they'll find work? They'll be near retirement age by the time they're re-educated. How will they repay student loans?
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female
reader, janniepeg  +, writes (18 August 2013):
 Of course, it happens to a lot of people. Aerospace is cutting many. When you google something like engineering degree can't find work, medical degree can't find work, you will see a lot of results. Even women with a degree practical and common like early childhood education are sitting at home advertising home daycares. Statistics show that a third of aged 20-30 are living with parents. It would be better off if you just became a truck driver and skipped college. It seems that the only people who got decent jobs are those with connections, like family members or nepotism. Many college graduates are working in construction now.
I wouldn't say that a college degree is a waste but one is enough. Having one is always better than none.
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