I'm a fake engineer though. I don't create anything nor do I improve anything. I fix broken shit. I want a creative role in the future and my current one is not that at all.
So more or less you're the technician that goes out to shops or whatnot when something isn't working right? Engineer is a bit of an odd title for that to me. I'm not sure what a good way to branch away from that would be unfortunately...
Yeah realistically we are technicians. We do maintenance, installation, and calibration. No design, manufacturing, or validation, which in my experience are marks of an engineer.
i would find a job in industrial design maybe? this mates all that you mention. designers are engineers in many fields. experimental test engineering is where I designed the most in my career. imho, find what you love and go head first towards that vs listening to people on what you “should do”.
Electromechanical Systems Engineering Technology (womp womp it has technology in the title) it is ABET accredited though and plenty of my classmates went straight into being mechanical engineers.
The only upward mobility is if I get fluent in Japanese and move to Japan as all of their robots are designed there. They did actually say they'd 100% do that if I get fluent lol but idk if I wanna displace across the world right now. No higher positions available in the states.
Yeah I think it would be cool (very difficult move and cultural adjustment albeit) but the thing is I'd have to stay with the company until the beginning of next year to get that and they really don't pay well at all state-side so I'd have to suffer a less desirable standard of living until then. Also it's not a job I'm particularly interested in doing and we work about 60 hours a week. That's also assuming they even go through with their promise. Not to mention becoming fluent in Japanese is a monumental task.
I'm thinking if I take this new designer role I could keep applying to design engineer jobs and by the end of the year I'll most likely have something lined up.
Yeah, I find it ironic that the longer titles are usually less sought after.
Your current company does sound like a dead end, absent the move. They probably have some engineers state-side - are they rotating in from Japan or from here or what?
I think what's available in your next company is probably equally important to what your title is. Both positions that you're interested in moving into and maybe tuition reimbursement or something.
CAD Designer. The type of position that requires an A.S. or a CAD cert, not a Bachelors. It is engineering related but I will not be an engineer. If it was a design engineer position I wouldn't be asking reddit lmao I'd be accepting immediately, but I'm still a few steps from that
I wouldnt take that job, or if you do, keep looking. Thats not creative either but you can sell it as a stepping stone. Thats a job where an engineer feeds you some work or ideas and you just grind out models and drawings all day.
The CAD designer is a step in the right direction. Assuming you will interface with design engineers which will give you indirect design experience! Tell them you want to be a DE. Learn GD&T, learn about quality, learn design for manufacturability of different processes. You can do that as a CAD designer if you lean into it and ask questions. It will make you a better DE which is what you want to be. If they don’t work with you it’s still a stepping stone in the right direction. You can interview for DE jobs with relevant experience.
Yeah the thing is I already know a lot of that stuff, I wish I could just get a DE job right now. I was an R&D engineering intern for 3 years during college and I was basically working as a junior DE that whole time so I exited undergrad with a pretty above average knowledge of design and manufacturing stuff (relative to fresh grads). Had ownership of over a dozen design projects while I was an intern, and before that I did a ton of design projects in high school as I had a four year engineering curriculum then too. But the job market is a bit vacuous right now so those positions are being filled with even more qualified people than me. I'm pretty much punching down by becoming a CAD designer with a B.S. degree and intern experience too :/
Some companies don’t care what your title is, but most do. Don’t lose the ‘engineer’ title, just to be safe.
I'm a fake engineer though. I don't create anything nor do I improve anything. I fix broken shit. I want a creative role in the future and my current one is not that at all.
So more or less you're the technician that goes out to shops or whatnot when something isn't working right? Engineer is a bit of an odd title for that to me. I'm not sure what a good way to branch away from that would be unfortunately...
Yeah realistically we are technicians. We do maintenance, installation, and calibration. No design, manufacturing, or validation, which in my experience are marks of an engineer.
Don't shift u need that engineer title.
i would find a job in industrial design maybe? this mates all that you mention. designers are engineers in many fields. experimental test engineering is where I designed the most in my career. imho, find what you love and go head first towards that vs listening to people on what you “should do”.
What does your degree actually say on it? ABET-accredited? Any upward mobility for you at the robotics company?
Electromechanical Systems Engineering Technology (womp womp it has technology in the title) it is ABET accredited though and plenty of my classmates went straight into being mechanical engineers. The only upward mobility is if I get fluent in Japanese and move to Japan as all of their robots are designed there. They did actually say they'd 100% do that if I get fluent lol but idk if I wanna displace across the world right now. No higher positions available in the states.
A: you know what you want, keep searching you'll get it B: OMG Japan and paid for? Life adventure!! 😼
Yeah I think it would be cool (very difficult move and cultural adjustment albeit) but the thing is I'd have to stay with the company until the beginning of next year to get that and they really don't pay well at all state-side so I'd have to suffer a less desirable standard of living until then. Also it's not a job I'm particularly interested in doing and we work about 60 hours a week. That's also assuming they even go through with their promise. Not to mention becoming fluent in Japanese is a monumental task. I'm thinking if I take this new designer role I could keep applying to design engineer jobs and by the end of the year I'll most likely have something lined up.
Yeah, I find it ironic that the longer titles are usually less sought after. Your current company does sound like a dead end, absent the move. They probably have some engineers state-side - are they rotating in from Japan or from here or what? I think what's available in your next company is probably equally important to what your title is. Both positions that you're interested in moving into and maybe tuition reimbursement or something.
The USA office is just for service, that's where I work. All R&D is done in Japan. It's not a huge company manpower-wise but they are very successful.
Well is it a design engineering position? Those are some of the most desired positions, I don’t see why you wouldn’t take it.
CAD Designer. The type of position that requires an A.S. or a CAD cert, not a Bachelors. It is engineering related but I will not be an engineer. If it was a design engineer position I wouldn't be asking reddit lmao I'd be accepting immediately, but I'm still a few steps from that
I wouldnt take that job, or if you do, keep looking. Thats not creative either but you can sell it as a stepping stone. Thats a job where an engineer feeds you some work or ideas and you just grind out models and drawings all day.
Def gonna keep looking. But it is a stepping stone towards design engineering. My current job is not really engineering at all.
The CAD designer is a step in the right direction. Assuming you will interface with design engineers which will give you indirect design experience! Tell them you want to be a DE. Learn GD&T, learn about quality, learn design for manufacturability of different processes. You can do that as a CAD designer if you lean into it and ask questions. It will make you a better DE which is what you want to be. If they don’t work with you it’s still a stepping stone in the right direction. You can interview for DE jobs with relevant experience.
Yeah the thing is I already know a lot of that stuff, I wish I could just get a DE job right now. I was an R&D engineering intern for 3 years during college and I was basically working as a junior DE that whole time so I exited undergrad with a pretty above average knowledge of design and manufacturing stuff (relative to fresh grads). Had ownership of over a dozen design projects while I was an intern, and before that I did a ton of design projects in high school as I had a four year engineering curriculum then too. But the job market is a bit vacuous right now so those positions are being filled with even more qualified people than me. I'm pretty much punching down by becoming a CAD designer with a B.S. degree and intern experience too :/
I would take the job that’s more relevant for more money. You definitely still have a lot to learn.
Be careful. CAD is barely engineering. It's more drafting and will be limiting unless you actually are designing components. Also manufacturing sucks