ENGINEERS MEET TO DISCUSS THE PROFESSION
#One
#of
#the
#problems
#I
#have
#encountered
#in
#my
#job
#search
#is
#that
#many
#prospective
#employers
#scorn
#applicants
#who
#been
#unemployed
#for
#long
#periods
#time
#and
#longer
#one
#out
#work
#worse
#situation
#gets.
#There
#still
#a
#belief
#among
#general
#public
#an
#EE
#degree
#guaranteed
#ticket
#to
#good
#job.
About the Meeting:
All are invited in this discussion about a letter from a distressed engineer dated one and half years since graduation.
Dear Mr. Tax: I recently had the opportunity to read your articles in the IEEE newsletter regarding unemployment among engineers in the local area, particularly unemployment among recent graduates. (for a PACE Project EGO, we ran a monthly column addressing Professional Issues)
I also find myself in that situation, as I graduated in May from NJIT with a 3.15 GPA and I am currently working as a bookkeeper, a job which is totally unrelated to engineering. In fact, as if to add insult to injury, I was rejected for an electrical engineering officer position in the U.S. Air Force, as the military is apparently cutting back on its manpower.
One of the problems I have encountered in my job search is that many prospective employers scorn applicants who have been unemployed for long periods of time, and the longer one is out of work, the worse the situation gets. There is still a belief among the general public that an EE degree is a guaranteed ticket to a good job.
Also, there is a tendency for employers to categorize engi¬neers according to specialty, even at the entry level. For in¬stance, my senior year at NJIT I had to choose a two-semester "systems" sequence; I chose communications systems (which I now regret, as this field seems to be very dependent on defense spending). During my job search, I found that some employers classified me as a communications engineer and would not con¬sider me for positions in other areas. I personally don't think it is fair to classify an individual into a particular specialty at that point in his or her career.
However, I would like to thank you for taking such a personal interest in the employment situation.
Welcome:
Date and Time
Location
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- 292 Piaget Ave., Clifton
- Clifton, New Jersey
- United States 07011
- Building: Clifton Memorial Library
- Contact Event Host
- Paul Ward, 973 790-1625. PWard1130@aol.com