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I'm writing this posting because I want to know the experience of engineering graduates in the current economic situation and what type of responses other people have received.
Two things:
1.) Has or will the Sequester impact you (you being an entry level engineer)?
2.) I'm curious about is the unemployment and H1 visa stuff people keep talking about, and what experiences have been? Specifically, how engineering has a higher than normal (for engineering) unemployment rate, and we are "importing" engineers?
I'm wondering engineering field is slowing down so it "feels" like things are difficult, or if things really are difficult? Or what's going on?
When I started college, in 2007, the upper class men I knew all got jobs with BIG companies, but everyone I know that graduated in 2012 is either at a start up and lucky to have a job, or living with their parents.
What are the arguments for either allowing OR not allowing H1's?
Alot can depend on what kind of engineering. 2007 was the tip of the housing bubble so 2008 and 2009 saw a reduction of engineering jobs related to infrastructure. In that arena it has improved some not to the level of pre-housing bust. That said, I would image the looming budget cuts will have a negative impact on many of the engineering fields.
I second that. I know engineering grads from top schools who are working in some real crapholes around here. It seems a lot of fresh grad manufacturing engineers are getting pigeonholed into strange positions because plants and shops don't quite have anywhere to put them right now. In other words, there are enough experienced manufacturing and mechanical engineers to satisfy the current demand, and possibly more than is needed.
The OP talks about engineering but he isn't specific. There's civil engineering which is really suffering, and then there are lots of other engineers: General, Mechanical, Petroleum, Metallurgical, Biomechanical, Aerospace, Agricultural, Electrical, etc. Even well experienced Mechanical and Electrical Engineers are having a tough time in this economy. My PLC teacher last year said he knew experienced EE's being lowballed a salary of $55,000 / year. Nowadays it's tough for me to get a job that pays more than $54,000 a year... When I ask that or near that I don't hear from them again.
For Civil Engineers the outlook is pretty grim right now. The federal government isnt really putting any money into infrastructure and private developers are holding on to there money because there are still so many vacant office parks out there. Not sure about the H1B Visa thing. You might have to be a citizen to take the PE (i'd have to research that) and for Civils, you pretty much have to take and pass the PE. For other disciplines the PE is not as important. So to answer your question..yes the sequester has affected my industry but I've been out of school for 7 years now and have a good job (knock on wood). I know many recent Civil Engineering graduates are SOL right now.
P.S. Mark my words. Biomedical Engineering is the wave of the future!!! They have already planned and built a printer that can literally print out a replacement organ and new skin. Right now they are working on nano-bots that they can inject into your blood stream that will seek out and kill infectious disease. One of the guys I snowboard with is in the MS Biomedical program at ASU and he's always telling me about all these cool projects that he's working on.
I second that. I know engineering grads from top schools who are working in some real crapholes around here. It seems a lot of fresh grad manufacturing engineers are getting pigeonholed into strange positions because plants and shops don't quite have anywhere to put them right now. In other words, there are enough experienced manufacturing and mechanical engineers to satisfy the current demand, and possibly more than is needed.
What interest me here is: how can companies not know what to do with engineers, but need more H1 visas?
Is it that we have some engineering types to many, but not enough of others? Is something else going on?
Biomedical Engineering sucks... Just 4 jobs in a NATIONWIDE SEARCH on monster! Plus your confined to live in cities that have Biomedical Companies. Like I can't live in NYC because their are almost no Product Design Mechanical Engineer jobs there... Same goes with the Philippines too.
You type of engineering career can also limit where you live.
What interest me here is: how can companies not know what to do with engineers, but need more H1 visas?
Is it that we have some engineering types to many, but not enough of others? Is something else going on?
I was just speaking from my own, admittedly limited vantage point. Seems a lot of the fresh engineers I have worked with are used as high paid errand boys. Task work like walking around and checking how many machines are running per shift, assessing productivity, calculating if schedules will be met, creating safety checklists that contain nothing short of common sense, etc. Most of this stuff could be done by anyone walking off the street. It's as if the shops hire these guys and create random, pointless jobs just to keep them busy. Makes me wonder... Why do they hire them in the first place?
I assume there is some training going on, but they already have enough trained and experience guys.
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