Best Strategy for Transitioning from IT to Electrical Engineering Jobs with 10+ Years IT Experience

I need an honest input from guys already in the field, what is the best strategy to get a job in Electrical Engineering these days? I have 10+ years in I.T. but graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in the Fall of 2009, since then, I've tried to make a career change but unfortunately I haven't been able to do so. My family is calling me a professional interviewer, I've done so many and they always express their admiration, but in the end I don't get called for a job. Although I don't have specific experience in the field, I'm not half-bad, I managed to collect a few honor awards and even got first place in our Senior Design, what am I doing wrong? I've talked my family into rellocating and everything, please give me some tips, I am getting really desperate! Thank you very much!!

Hi Jorge,

Have you looked at internships? Internships can be invaluable. My first job in the EE field was as an intern for a test equipment group at a semiconductor company. The internship was perfect because it gave me a chance to show them what I was capable of and they decided to keep me on full time.

Also I would say it is important to get some experience since you have completed school, even if it requires sacrificing something, like preferred job type, salary, location, etc.

Lastly do not give up! Keep networking, applying for jobs, and talking to people. Persistence pays off.

Check these links:

"EEWeb Jobs Board Internships":http://www.eeweb.com/jobs/browse/internship

"EEWeb Jobs Board Entry Level Positions":http://www.eeweb.com/jobs/browse/entry-level

What have you done on the side to tinker with electronics that wasn't directly related to your coursework?

Hi Cody, yes I have, I guess when the moment is right it will happen, hopefully not light years from today! I'll definitely take your advice and be persistent, we'll see what happens. Thanks again!

Hi Olin, I've been following your posts for some time and let me tell you that I'm very impressed, you always offer good input to everyone! Now, to answer your question, I've wired a few circuits at my humble "home lab", mostly analog stuff, and some circuits we developed back in school to brush up on my calculations and measurements, but I'm definitely open to suggestions! Thanks.

The reason I asked was to see if that was maybe why you were flunking so many interviews. Doing the coursework with good grades and getting the degree are necessary but not sufficient conditions. It's just as important, and more so the longer you have been out, to have *done* stuff and demonstrated a passion for whatever you are trying to get a job in. College hires can't be expected to have much work experience, so I look for lots of side projects you've done just because you wanted to. I learned a lot of theory in school, and that's useful, but learning real design came more from doing it. Good interviewers understand this.

Decide what you're really interested in. Do you do this stuff in your spare time because it's interesting, a challenge, you want to, and you enjoy it? Are you really good at it?

If the answer to either of these questions is "no", then you're trying to head for the wrong career and the interviewers are picking up on that. It's a lot harder to bluff your way thru a interview than you may think.

If you really are passionate about electronics and do know what you're doing, then something must be going wrong in the interviews. It's impossible to say what from the information you've given. Who do you generally talk to, some HR droid or the engineering manager you'd be reporting to? Give a few example questions that recur and how you answer them.

Yeah, despite my misgivings, we kept him around. And what did it get us? After 10 or 12 years he up and quits! Off to do web stuff that will no doubt come to a bad end.




[g]

Who are you talking about?

Actually, in all my interviews we didn't get technical at all, they mostly ask me about course work in College and from then on it's just general questions about my work history and accomplishments. During my College life I worked 60+ hours and went to school full time, I also have a family to tend to so it was pretty hectic, I usually get a compliment on that, although I just did what I had to do without expecting to impress anyone, as far as personality goes, I'm a open minded person who likes to take on challenges and learn learn learn, this is the idea I like to convey during my interviews, that and the shift in career.

I also noticed that companies started playing this little game where they dont want to pay the professional engineer his worth, so they post an "entry-level" position with no exp. but when I applied they said I didn't have enough experience!!!!! Now that's low!!!!!!

Is this cyber bullying? WTH?

Hang in there Jorge someone will actually need your worth. Just do all you can to not let your education go stale and whatever you do don't get overly frustrated. In this day and age with the rapid advance of new technology you can even outpace your longer worked piers by being more current.

A community college for two years first. Then four years for a master's. Two years later returned to complete a degree in electric engineering. It's my old saying if it's meant to be its up to me to apply with my essay https://buyessays.onl for a university or college internship.
What students really need all through school is exposure to different careers and the skills and abilities needed to pursue their dreams.

Jorge, as Olin said, doing side projects will help a lot. I recommend choosing something challenging and throwing yourself into it. Get yourself through the hard parts. Learn a bunch in the process, take pictures, write up a project report and talk about it in your interviews. A great interview question is then "what was your biggest challenge and how did you solve it?" I wish you the best! -JD

thx for your advice