Job Timespan vs. Resume
Hello- My first post, but have read for awhile now... Anyway, the situation is (in summary), is that I have an AS and BS in the Technology field (Electronics and Computer Technology, and Electronics Engineering Technology respectively), and have worked for two defense contractors for the last 4 and a half years. The first one hired me while I was still in college, working part time as an electronics technician for about 2 1/2 years. Once I graduated, I was still under the title of a technician, but had 99% administrative and technical/project lead responsibilities for the next couple of years (including engineering work). I tried to transfer over to an engineer under different groups, but they said they couldn't hire me as an engineer unless it was an ABET accredited degree, and mine is NAIT accredited. Not that I was set on hiring in as an engineer, but the basis of it was that I wanted something higher than those there that had no college education at all (and in that group, the step above that was an engineer). So, a couple of months ago, I received an offer from the second contractor (4 states away!) that was too good to pass up. They wanted me as an engineer, and the pay, relocation, benefits, etc... were better, so I took it. So onto my question....If I were to apply for a job sometime in the future (for the government back home, not the same contractor) what would be the length of time I should spend at this job to make the title, duties, etc...credible on my resume as an engineer? Is 1 year too short? Is the time span that crucial? I am familiar with the whole job-hopping label, but as it would only be my third major job (in this field); would this apply? Any help is appreciated- hope this is not too confusing! Generally speaking you need at least a full year before switching. As you move up the food chain, the runs should get longer, so you resume might ultimately look like this: Project Assistant 2000-2001 Engineer (Acme Company) 2001-2002 Engineer (Beta Company) 2002-2004 Engineer (Charlie Company) 2004-2005 Sr. Engineer (Charlie Company) 2005-2008 Of course there are a lot of variables to your specific career path but future employers are looking for a steady upward progression of titles, salary and duties, and a steady solid history that makes it look like you care if they invest in your development. Tess
One problem is that some organizations (usually government and contracting companies dealing with public safety) will always ask for an ABET degree because they only want engineers that can sit for the Professional Engineer exam. I also believe a number of states have rules about who can be called an engineer or a professional engineer based on an ABET education or having a PE. Now this can become an issue because many engineers have degrees that don't come from engineering schools. For example I know many engineers with degrees in physics, chemistry, and computer science and these degrees traditionally don't come from engineering schools (rather a university's school or college of science). In fact I am willing to bet that the vast majority of materials engineer, biomedical engineers, and software engineers don't have degrees from ABET engineering schools, and a lot of chemical engineers don't either. "If I were to apply for a job sometime in the future (for the governmentback home, not the same contractor) what would be the length of time Ishould spend at this job to make the title, duties, etc...credible onmy resume as an engineer? " I would first check to see what they currently are looking for as far as qualifications. I would also check to see if the state has any P.E. requirements for your field and how easy would it be for you to qualify to sit for the P.E. exams. You need to find out what they want before you make any long-term plans. Some organizations will NEVER higher someone that has a BS in XYZ Technology while they will hire someone with a BS in XYZ Engineering. Generally speaking "engineering" programs are academically more rigorous while "technology" programs are less so. They feel that the "engineering" degree is a basic bar of quality (you were both smart enough to get in and smart enough to graduate so you meet the minimum intellectual requirements). You may also want to investigate additional education if you will need an ABET degree to get you where you want to be. I can't remember if ABET accredits MS/ME programs or just BS/BE programs.
I will agree that you should stay at a job at least 1 year. With how the economy has been and how up-and-down engineering and tech have been I am not too worried about looking like a job hopper these days. IMHO, 2 years is generally the safest minimum amount of time to spend in one position. There are still some old farts out there that don't understand the churn the tech sector has gone through (caused by fast ooportunity growth in the 90's and then the recession/crash of the 2000's). | |
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