Screwed up my engineering degree

Enginefruit wrote: ↑Hello RFD community,

I've dug quite a hole for myself, and I'm not sure how to get out of it. In 2014, I received my Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Calgary. Haha. I was a loser who didn't want to move out from his parents'. Right, so the issue is, I skipped out on my internship/coop experience PLUS I lacked general work experience. I didn't indulge in social interactions particularly much; rather than going to events/parties, I studied. All I've got to show for my four years is a near-4.0 GPA, but just that is useless these days. You know what they say: "it's not what you know, it's who you know."

Predictably, I am having an impossible time finding a position - engineering or otherwise. Doesn't help that there's a glut in the engineering job market, what with the flood of new grads every year. I'm yearning for that engineering job to the extent that I'm even willing to do unpaid work for it. There aren't opportunities like that of course, since being unpaid usually means you have little accountability. I'm trying to be active and get all the help I could get (networking events, info sessions, job fairs, career counselors, asking/talking to acquaintances), but no cigar so far. The "2-year expiration" for a new engineering degree is fast approaching, so I have to do something quick. I'm finding it very unlikely that I'll secure an engineering job in the next year.

What can I do?

I am considering (actually, already applied) going back to school for a MSc. But, just researching and writing a thesis isn't really going to help my lack of work experience. I'm also a bit burned out, especially compounded by disappointment and uncertainty in the future.

I'm desperate to the point where I'm willing to start all over so that I can have a better chance at a job - either taking another engineering degree (most likely petroleum engineering), or, go to SAIT for a Power Engineering diploma. Then again, with the low oil prices these days, outlook don't look great either. Power Engineering also looks to be very saturated from all the promises of easy bucks right out of school.

I'm not sure what I can do to be a productive member of society.

TD;DR: I did quite well in my studies, but I failed university. University is supposed to prepare you for your future, but I let too many opportunities by.

gotak wrote: ↑Doing the full MASc is one solution since you already have a good GPA. Here's why that might be a good path to take:

1) It will get you more experiences. In a research master you aren't taking that many courses, you are expected to start thinking and finding things out yourself. Which are valuable skills and it's in many ways similar to real world work.

Personally my own abilities to absorb a huge amount of code in a short period of time and figure out what's going on came from spending those 3 years hacking the mess of a simulator my prof wrote. And eventually one of the jobs I landed was in the area of my research. I wouldn't have gotten that interview if I didn't have that background.

Grad school's full of politics. Important skills to pick up.

2) It gives you a chance to get more industry contacts. Profs typically have industry contacts to get funding for research etc. Working with a prof with good connections can be quite rewarding in the job market afterwards.

3) Master degree holders are fewer than Bachelor holders. Stands out more in your resume. A lot of EE jobs now a days wants people to have a master degree. I know I prefer to hire such people myself.

People fresh out of undergrad are just really green, tends to ask a lot of questions and can't be relied upon to figure things out on their own. Undergrad programs just don't teach (most) people to think, it's all spoon fed. Grad students who did well in research based programs had to think, they had to do their own research. They already have a huge advantage over those who only knew how to accept what's taught.

4) Gives you 2 to 3 years to socialize and meet people who can help you find jobs. The last few jobs I had all in one way or another came from friends or acquaintances I met in grad school.

Enginefruit wrote: ↑Thanks for the advice, everyone!

Yes, I am a bit partial to the Masters options. It would allow me to salvage my four years of studies, as well as keep existing connections with profs. Also, once admitted, funding should be able to cover for tuitions.


Sounds like a swell deal to me. I want to ask (I know every school is bit different) aside from doing the research and thesis, are there much opportunities to take part in industry-related projects?

Viktri wrote: ↑OP: is the problem that you 1) don't get interviews or 2) don't pass the interviews?

If 1): a) your resume needs to be improved and b) you need to explain the gap in your resume. Whenever I go through resumes, I find it very noticeable whenever someone has not worked or done something on their resume post graduation (within 3 months of graduating) in an unfavourable light.

A close to 4.0 GPA from a reputable engineering school is normally a very strong candidate for office jobs.

Viktri wrote: ↑ A close to 4.0 GPA from a reputable engineering school is normally a very strong candidate for office jobs.

Viktri wrote: ↑OP: is the problem that you 1) don't get interviews or 2) don't pass the interviews?

If 1): a) your resume needs to be improved and b) you need to explain the gap in your resume. Whenever I go through resumes, I find it very noticeable whenever someone has not worked or done something on their resume post graduation (within 3 months of graduating) in an unfavourable light.

Mars2012 wrote: ↑I would say that makes you a better candidate to take more education and go the teaching route...it doesn't seem to matter how socially handicapped you are in an academic institution. If you aren't getting interviews or being offered jobs, the interviewer likely can't see you fitting in with their company. No further amount of education is going to help if you can't get past that hurdle.

gotak wrote: ↑What kind of BS is being posted here?

...
High GPA = no good at actual work? Again need we go over this again? That's a myth made up to make people feel better. There are just a many, if not more, folks with low grades who are useless as those with high grades. Being good at school does not exclude them from being good at other things. Being bad at undergrad where most of the courses can be pass by just memory alone, speaks volumes about someone who has bad grades.

Enginefruit wrote: ↑I don't get interview offers at all. I've had my resume & cover letters looked at by 5 different career counselors. At this point, would I be more successful by just hiring a professional resume writer to do it for me?

Enginefruit wrote: ↑ a tutoring gig for 5-8 hours a week.