Electrical Engineer Seeking Career Advice

[daniel1211]

I’m hoping that I can find some career advice that can shine some light on my situation…I served in the Navy where my primary duty was working with the ships radar and communication systems as well as providing support with other electronic warfare systems. When I discharged from the Navy I got a few jobs working in the IT field but after a few years of that I decided that I wanted to get my BSEE degree, with a focus on electromagnetic theory and communication systems. Since my graduation I have experienced a level of difficulty finding employment that matches my interests. My first job as an engineer was as a Contract Engineer working in an industrial/lab environment testing gas turbines with telemetry sensors (my main role was working with optical sensors).My contract ended (on good terms) and now I seem to be having trouble when it comes to finding anything that matches my skills... unless I'm willing to move across the country or continue in IT. I do get contacted by recruiters calling with regards to IT positions which I've taken when needed but when it comes to working in anything close to my education and skills, I keep hitting a brick wall. I have good references and I have had my engineering peers look at my resume and they say that they don't see any reason why I would be having trouble. The one critique that I did receive was that there was confusion as to what field I was in since the majority of my experience was working in the IT field which I have tried addressing by stating which fields I am interested in working in.

 

[Dr.D]

Be prepared to move. I was an engineer for many years, held many different engineering positions, but every new one involved a move. If you insist on staying where you are, you probably will not find what you want. That's just life.

 

[CrysPhys]

The one critique that I did receive was that there was confusion as to what field I was in since the majority of my experience was working in the IT field which I have tried addressing by stating which fields I am interested in working in.

That's because most hiring managers are more immediately interested in what you've done in the past (to determine whether you have experience relevant to what they want), rather than in what you want to do in the future. I've undergone multiple major career transitions. It's not easy. You need to bypass the standard HR filters and argue your value directly to the hiring managers ... that typically requires a personal lead of some sort.