# Recent engineer graduate with no job



## viethluu (Mar 14, 2013)

Hi,

Sorry, this is my first post. If I make any mistake, please forgive me.

I am a recent graduate from Georgia Tech, majoring in chemical engineering and paper making. I live in Georgia metro area. I could not find any engineering job at all (even technician job is rare).

I am not a bad student or a slacker. My GPA is 3.25; I have two internships and two remesters of research related to pulp and paper making. Still, neither my internships or my research help me land any job.

I feel very frustrated, shamful, and useless. I graduate with a good degree and a good grade but still could not find any job offer.

I tried all the job board like Monster, Engineerjobs, Careerbuilder. I even go to the company website and apply for jobs across the country. Still there is no luck. I even attended professional meeting (local TAPPI, AICHE, engineering night ,...) and handed out my resume during the meeting to potential employeer. NOBODY even response or even give me an interview at all.

I feel very sad and want to finish my life. The degree that I work for so hard turns out just a piece of tissue paper.

My family need me to work to support them. I feel extremely useless because there is nothing I can do to make money to support them.

I would appreciate any one's advice or guidance. Please I don't know what to do any more.


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## Supe (Mar 14, 2013)

Check out sites like roadtechs.com. You should not have problems finding field engineering work for things like paper mill outages, even though it won't be design work. Short term, lots of overtime, and can help get your foot in the door.


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## roadwreck (Mar 14, 2013)

viethluu said:


> I feel very sad and want to finish my life.




I hope that doesn't mean what it sounds like. Maybe it was just a poor way to phrase your statement.


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## viethluu (Mar 14, 2013)

roadwreck said:


> viethluu said:
> 
> 
> > I feel very sad and want to finish my life.
> ...




Sorry, it is just a poor way to describe my situation. I feel stucked and just don't know how to move on with my life.


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## viethluu (Mar 14, 2013)

Supe said:


> Check out sites like roadtechs.com. You should not have problems finding field engineering work for things like paper mill outages, even though it won't be design work. Short term, lots of overtime, and can help get your foot in the door.




Most of the job up there require 5-10 years of experience. I just recently graduated, how can i qualified for those kinds of job.


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## solomonb (Mar 14, 2013)

Viethluu-- OK, draw a deep breath and RELAX. Yes, I know, easier said than done. However, you are NOT the lone ranger here. Sadly, some of your colleagues throughout the United States are in the same boat.

You have a very good degree. A degree from Georgia Tech is an excellent degree. Make NO MISTAKE-- YOU have DONE WELL. I know that this is not what you had expected, but again, you are not the lone ranger.

Do you have authorization to work in the United States? That is probably something that most folks want to know, however, may not ask. I don't know if you are a foreign student, however, I just suspect that to be the case. Authorization to work in the United States is something that many employers are concerned about with foreign students. If you don't have this authorization, you probably will need to address that in an interview.

Did you take the FE exam? If no, then I would study and do that. Why? Well, it is important to be a Professional Engineer. Don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise. If you have taken and passed the FE examination, then, that hurdle is overcome.

Go visit with student placement office at Tech. See what they have to say. See what opportunities are available. Follow up on each of them. You may need some interview training and confidence building here. The folks at student placement should be able to help you.

Contact your supervisor/superior at both of your interships. Tell them that you have graduated and are now seeking gainful employment. I trust that you were successful in each internship? Ask what they suggest. See if they can give you the name of a contact at a company where they may be seeking employees. Talk to your research supervisors at Tech. See who they recommend/suggest that you contact. Again, I am ASSUMING that you were successful in both the internship and research endeavors. If not, then, we have other challenges.

Continue to attend the professional society meetings. I would wear coat and tie, have a crisp resume and visit with all of the folks that are attending. For many engineers, especially young ones and those that are naturally introverted, this is tough. However, there is no other way to get out there than to just do it.

The last student that I mentored in this regard thought that my advice was hard and tough. Yes, I would agree. However, he did listen-- successfully, and after 7 months of trying, got a great job at a chemical plant in New Orleans. 2 years later, he is making over $100K/year. No, he had a 2.6 GPA from a school that has engineering program, however, NOTHING like Tech's. However, I strongly encouraged him to get out and go every day and bang on doors-- yes, it is tough.

Consider the oil industry. There are several engineering jobs in the Baaken area of North Dakota right now. OK, North Dakota-- no, it is not Atlanta or the Southeast, however, there is work and lots of it. The living conditions are very tough-- however, the big companies will help you here.

Discouragement is natural. Again, you are NOT the lone ranger in this regard. You have to have an "I can do this" attitude and hit it hard each and every day.

We are here to help-- try this-- if this does not work, tell us what you did. We'll try again. You ARE NOT A FAILURE--YOUR LIFE IS WORTH LIVING, sadly, things are kind of tough right now, however, with some confidence and perservance, you to will find a great job with that Tech degree.

I am very confident that you will do well. Get out and make something happen.


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## Jaylaw_PE (Mar 15, 2013)

hang in there man, almost everyone goes through this type of stuff during there career, probably several times.

im 32 and ive already done it 3 times. took me 4 months after graduation to get a job, then 2 years later i got laid off and it took me 3 months to get a job. i was there 6 years and then i moved because my wife got a great job, but it took me another 3 months to find a job in my new city.

the best thing to do is make people know you are willing to do ANY job that is related to your field. Don't expect a high paying job doing exactly what you envision right away. get a low paying job in the same field and build your resume then you have more ability to shift to what you REALLY want to do!


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## viethluu (Mar 15, 2013)

solomonb said:


> Viethluu-- OK, draw a deep breath and RELAX. Yes, I know, easier said than done. However, you are NOT the lone ranger here. Sadly, some of your colleagues throughout the United States are in the same boat.
> 
> You have a very good degree. A degree from Georgia Tech is an excellent degree. Make NO MISTAKE-- YOU have DONE WELL. I know that this is not what you had expected, but again, you are not the lone ranger.
> 
> ...




Yeah, I am a US citizen. So, I definitely authorized to work in the US. Do I have to bring the US passport to the interview every single time though ?


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## viethluu (Mar 15, 2013)

I forgot to mention, I did contact both of my supervisors at two of my internships. I asked them about the full time employment in the company, but both of them don't have any opportunity this year.

Thanks solomonb for your input. I will keep trying ....


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## solomonb (Mar 15, 2013)

OK, if you are a US citizen, then no, you don't need your passport at any interview. You are a US citizen--enuf said.

What did the internship supervisors say about other companies that they may know? What about the contacts that you interacted with while on the internship? Do you remember/recall any of them? That might be another idea to pursue.

When they say that they don't have any opportunity, all that means is that there is a better opportunity down the road. Judowolf cited many of the same points that I did-- you just got to keep pounding the pavement every day and don't give up.

Check out the oil jobs in the Baaken-- there are some engineering opportunities there.


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## viethluu (Mar 18, 2013)

solomonb said:


> OK, if you are a US citizen, then no, you don't need your passport at any interview. You are a US citizen--enuf said.
> 
> What did the internship supervisors say about other companies that they may know? What about the contacts that you interacted with while on the internship? Do you remember/recall any of them? That might be another idea to pursue.
> 
> ...




Thanks solomonb. I am registering for October EIT exam right now (in GA). I will start looking for job in Baaken. I hope it will come up with something. Is there any way you can take a look at my resume (just for critique). Thanks so much for your help.


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## dontlikebeinganeng (Mar 19, 2013)

Just out of curiosity, is English your first language? Your posts make me believe it's your second language.

Why are you ashamed? This leads me to believe you lack self-confidence. A lack of self-confidence isn't a good, especially during interviews.

Economy is having some tough times and I too graduated ChemE when the recession started (2008). Stay positive and hang in there.

If you're on LinkedIn they are advertising jobs on the AICHE group and AICHE Job Listing groups.

Discussion you may be interested in:

http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&amp;gid=109329&amp;type=member&amp;item=216669619&amp;qid=285fa6a6-970c-4706-a9e5-c11f88f9c8d3&amp;trk=group_items_see_more-0-b-ttl


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## viethluu (Mar 20, 2013)

dontlikebeinganeng said:


> Just out of curiosity, is English your first language? Your posts make me believe it's your second language.
> 
> Why are you ashamed? This leads me to believe you lack self-confidence. A lack of self-confidence isn't a good, especially during interviews.
> 
> ...




Yes, English is not my primary language.

I feel ashamed because I am the only member in my family who are not working right now. I want to be a productive member of the society, so being jobless makes me feel frustrated.

Yes, I am looking at posting on LinkedIn almost every week.


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## snickerd3 (Mar 20, 2013)

you shouldn't feel ashamed.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Mar 20, 2013)

roadwreck said:


> viethluu said:
> 
> 
> > I feel very sad and want to finish my life.
> ...




Yeah that doesn't read well. Hope you are OK bro.


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## Wildsoldier PE (Mar 20, 2013)

Well ....i feel your pain...and i know how you feel...i graduate from Electrical Engineering in 2004..My degree is from PR. I moved to KY for a better way of living...took me about a year and a half to find my first job...thats the first thing i did when i moved try to find a job. Since no one called i stopped and start to prepare for the FE...took it 3 times...passed at 3rd try...when i passed i said well its time to search again....but didnt go straight to an engineering job but it was some kind related(it was an electronics circuit board manufacturing facility)...i worked there as a temp for about 6 month...no engineering just assembly...then moved to a position with an electrical contractor as drafter...then they teach me engineering and estimating. We all passed thru this. Some have good luck finding a job quickly and some take a while...me..well it took me a while...you have to know also the economy is slow...but looks like employers are starting to hire...if i was you i would start looking with temp agencies.


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## dontlikebeinganeng (Mar 25, 2013)

viethluu said:


> dontlikebeinganeng said:
> 
> 
> > Just out of curiosity, is English your first language? Your posts make me believe it's your second language.
> ...


If you are posting/looking at LinkedIn, then I would observe the comment:

"Like many recent graduates, you are mistaking a degree for an education. A degree shows that you can complete studies to reach a goal, and that is one of the criteria that hiring managers look for when selecting candidates for jobs. There are many others, such as initiative, ability to communicate, team interaction, and knowledge outside the degree program. One of the traits common to graduates who have multiple job offers is their experience before graduation, such as volunteer work, social programs, summer jobs and internships, and activites that show social skills. These indicate ability to see a need and fill it. A past manager told me, "If I have to tell an engineer what to do, I don't need that engineer." Does your background show that you know what to do? Are you looking for jobs by answering ads on the internet? That is not effective. The job market requires more initiative and creativity, like volunteering at conferences, reading the news for hidden openings, attending events to meet people, requesting meetings to determine what niche your skills could be used to fill, and, the one thing I know you have done,--social networking.) I recently hired new engineers and their degrees were only the first criteria to get on the list of potential candidates. Their other skills separated them from the other hundreds."

My hunch is you're bombing the initial screening stage due to interviewing/social skills.


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