Posted: 6/1/2016 4:09:23 PM EDT
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My nephew just completed his Master Degree in Electrical Engineering. Seems that he is having a hard time finding a job.
Anyone have any leads? He is willing to move anywhere in the U.S., including out of Texas.  He does not have any EE job experience. He went straight into graduate school after he finished his BS in EE. If it matters to anyone he is an Eagle Scout and an all around good kid.
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Be patient.
A huge number of jobs in Texas for EE's are (were) in the energy sector. This sector will not recover for quite a while, and when it begins to there will be plenty of experienced EE's out there that will re-enter the market. I suggest he be patient, but find something that he can use his EE skills on so that he has a job history, even if we works for peanuts. It's tough right now. Tell him to contact CRC Evans in Houston and see if they have any openings. CMOS |
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Thank you for the suggestions. It really is tough when everyone pushes STEM degrees, a person gets one, and then can't find a job in the field.
When I graduated with my MBA in 1999 it was a tough market. The internet bubble burst while I was in graduate school but I was able to get several job offers. Today, even with a STEM degree it is really difficult. FBHO. 
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Quoted:
My nephew just completed his Master Degree in Electrical Engineering. Seems that he is having a hard time finding a job. Anyone have any leads? He is willing to move anywhere in the U.S., including out of Texas. He does not have any EE job experience. He went straight into graduate school after he finished his BS in EE. If it matters to anyone he is an Eagle Scout and an all around good kid.
All the talk about a shortage of engineers is a bunch of BS. It is especially true that there are no "entry level" jobs these days. Entry level pay, maybe... That said, it is the lack of experience that is the issue. I highly recommend to kids in college that they work a summer job in something as close to their field as possible or do an internship or two. FWIW, most employers do not want to hire recent grads, at least not for the job their degree is ostensibly for. Employers these days only want people with at least 3-5 years experience. In the case of tech workers, many recent grads find that they have to work their way up through tech support or QA testing before they are considered for jobs in IT or software development. I would assume it is similar for EEs, except I am not sure what the job to get to break into the field is. You might suggest that government agencies may be more willing to hire candidates without on the job experience. |
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All the talk about a shortage of engineers is a bunch of BS. It is especially true that there are no "entry level" jobs these days. Entry level pay, maybe... That said, it is the lack of experience that is the issue. I highly recommend to kids in college that they work a summer job in something as close to their field as possible or do an internship or two. FWIW, most employers do not want to hire recent grads, at least not for the job their degree is ostensibly for. Employers these days only want people with at least 3-5 years experience. In the case of tech workers, many recent grads find that they have to work their way up through tech support or QA testing before they are considered for jobs in IT or software development. I would assume it is similar for EEs, except I am not sure what the job to get to break into the field is. You might suggest that government agencies may be more willing to hire candidates without on the job experience. Quoted:
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My nephew just completed his Master Degree in Electrical Engineering. Seems that he is having a hard time finding a job. Anyone have any leads? He is willing to move anywhere in the U.S., including out of Texas. He does not have any EE job experience. He went straight into graduate school after he finished his BS in EE. If it matters to anyone he is an Eagle Scout and an all around good kid.
All the talk about a shortage of engineers is a bunch of BS. It is especially true that there are no "entry level" jobs these days. Entry level pay, maybe... That said, it is the lack of experience that is the issue. I highly recommend to kids in college that they work a summer job in something as close to their field as possible or do an internship or two. FWIW, most employers do not want to hire recent grads, at least not for the job their degree is ostensibly for. Employers these days only want people with at least 3-5 years experience. In the case of tech workers, many recent grads find that they have to work their way up through tech support or QA testing before they are considered for jobs in IT or software development. I would assume it is similar for EEs, except I am not sure what the job to get to break into the field is. You might suggest that government agencies may be more willing to hire candidates without on the job experience. Internships/grad research are what's necessary to get your foot in the door as a EE. The problem still for either is that everything is so specific now that unless your grad degree was in the exact area you're applying to, you're fucked -- because your interview will likely be with some salty industry veteran that's out there to make you feel like an idiot in your interview. Hell, I had one after getting my EE undergrad where he literally expected me to know WTF some IC (of many) they made did. Even though I knew the underlying function of the regular, I was supposed to just "know" what this exact one did. When in doubt, do Technical Sales, don't have to know much beyond the spec sheet and lean on application engineers. |
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What did he specialize in in Grad school? Power systems, Signal processing, Circuit design? I believe circuit design. Hell, I am an MBA. I did work as an industrial engineer for 14 years but I don't know anything about EE. I don't always understand the words my nephew is saying. 
He mentioned that he is really interested in designing computer boards and processor chips. He does realize that he will probably have to leave Texas. I really appreciate everyone's help! |
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Internships/grad research are what's necessary to get your foot in the door as a EE. The problem still for either is that everything is so specific now that unless your grad degree was in the exact area you're applying to, you're fucked -- because your interview will likely be with some salty industry veteran that's out there to make you feel like an idiot in your interview. Hell, I had one after getting my EE undergrad where he literally expected me to know WTF some IC (of many) they made did. Even though I knew the underlying function of the regular, I was supposed to just "know" what this exact one did. When in doubt, do Technical Sales, don't have to know much beyond the spec sheet and lean on application engineers. Quoted:
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My nephew just completed his Master Degree in Electrical Engineering. Seems that he is having a hard time finding a job. Anyone have any leads? He is willing to move anywhere in the U.S., including out of Texas. He does not have any EE job experience. He went straight into graduate school after he finished his BS in EE. If it matters to anyone he is an Eagle Scout and an all around good kid.
All the talk about a shortage of engineers is a bunch of BS. It is especially true that there are no "entry level" jobs these days. Entry level pay, maybe... That said, it is the lack of experience that is the issue. I highly recommend to kids in college that they work a summer job in something as close to their field as possible or do an internship or two. FWIW, most employers do not want to hire recent grads, at least not for the job their degree is ostensibly for. Employers these days only want people with at least 3-5 years experience. In the case of tech workers, many recent grads find that they have to work their way up through tech support or QA testing before they are considered for jobs in IT or software development. I would assume it is similar for EEs, except I am not sure what the job to get to break into the field is. You might suggest that government agencies may be more willing to hire candidates without on the job experience. Internships/grad research are what's necessary to get your foot in the door as a EE. The problem still for either is that everything is so specific now that unless your grad degree was in the exact area you're applying to, you're fucked -- because your interview will likely be with some salty industry veteran that's out there to make you feel like an idiot in your interview. Hell, I had one after getting my EE undergrad where he literally expected me to know WTF some IC (of many) they made did. Even though I knew the underlying function of the regular, I was supposed to just "know" what this exact one did. When in doubt, do Technical Sales, don't have to know much beyond the spec sheet and lean on application engineers. I agree. When he told me that he was going to get the master degree right after his undergraduate degree, that was my first thought. He needed to do an internship. When I was applying to graduate business schools none of the better schools would even consider you if you did not have at least 3 years of working experience. I suppose universities are really becoming diploma manufacturers. Sad. Unfortunately, an internship did not happen and he is now struggling to find a job in EE. |
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I would think one or more of these would be looking for board level engineers in Austin:
AMD ARM Cirrus Logic Freescale (NXP now?) Intel Nvidia If your nephew wants to get into technology and security consulting (design/engineering of infrastructure, networks, audio/visual systems, access control/surveillance systems, etc), I'd give him an interview. His EE wouldn't be worth much to me unless he was on a PE track. If he wants to get into MEP Consulting/Engineering, have him try: DBR MEP Engineering HMG I know the folks that run all 3 of those companies. Could help him get in touch with the decision makers/hiring managers. |
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I believe circuit design. Hell, I am an MBA. I did work as an industrial engineer for 14 years but I don't know anything about EE. I don't always understand the words my nephew is saying.
He mentioned that he is really interested in designing computer boards and processor chips. He does realize that he will probably have to leave Texas. I really appreciate everyone's help! Quoted:
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What did he specialize in in Grad school? Power systems, Signal processing, Circuit design? I believe circuit design. Hell, I am an MBA. I did work as an industrial engineer for 14 years but I don't know anything about EE. I don't always understand the words my nephew is saying.
He mentioned that he is really interested in designing computer boards and processor chips. He does realize that he will probably have to leave Texas. I really appreciate everyone's help! If he is interested in processor or chip design a friend who is an EE tells me that the entry level job to get 'in' to that is in Circuit Verificaton/Validation, which is basically like the QA for chip design. I gather from the job descriptions that it involves developing/maintaining/running simulation code to test circuit and/or chip designs prior to them being built. In Texas most of these jobs are going to be in the Austin area... companies like Samsung, IBM, Cirrus Logic, AMD, Freescale, ARM, VIA/Centaur, Qualcom, Silicon Labs and Intel all do some chip design work in Austin. Other routes to get his foot in the door at these companies might be through something more mundane like Network Administration, etc. |
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I agree. When he told me that he was going to get the master degree right after his undergraduate degree, that was my first thought. He needed to do an internship. When I was applying to graduate business schools none of the better schools would even consider you if you did not have at least 3 years of working experience. I suppose universities are really becoming diploma manufacturers. Sad. Unfortunately, an internship did not happen and he is now struggling to find a job in EE. Work and night classes... but in the past now. Sounds like QA/Validation (pretty mindless at entry level but those of develop the validation routines are paid well) is what he should look for at a company that he wants to work for -- once he's there move towards the appropriate group through internal job openings. |
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Is he an EIT? On a path to get his PE? Quoted:
Is he an EIT? On a path to get his PE? Important question right here. Grad school counts towards 2 of the 4 required years to become a PE if I recall correctly. I hope he took his EIT during undergrad, then he only needs 2 years of low-level engineering work to get his PE. I have mine in Petroleum Engineering, and it's become a HUGE deal lately. A significant amount of my job now is reviewing and certifying permits/procedures for offshore wells, which requires a PE stamp for every little alternation. Quoted:
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My nephew just completed his Master Degree in Electrical Engineering. Seems that he is having a hard time finding a job. Anyone have any leads? He is willing to move anywhere in the U.S., including out of Texas. He does not have any EE job experience. He went straight into graduate school after he finished his BS in EE. If it matters to anyone he is an Eagle Scout and an all around good kid.
All the talk about a shortage of engineers is a bunch of BS. It is especially true that there are no "entry level" jobs these days. Entry level pay, maybe... That said, it is the lack of experience that is the issue. I highly recommend to kids in college that they work a summer job in something as close to their field as possible or do an internship or two. FWIW, most employers do not want to hire recent grads, at least not for the job their degree is ostensibly for. Employers these days only want people with at least 3-5 years experience. In the case of tech workers, many recent grads find that they have to work their way up through tech support or QA testing before they are considered for jobs in IT or software development. I would assume it is similar for EEs, except I am not sure what the job to get to break into the field is. You might suggest that government agencies may be more willing to hire candidates without on the job experience. Internships/grad research are what's necessary to get your foot in the door as a EE. The problem still for either is that everything is so specific now that unless your grad degree was in the exact area you're applying to, you're fucked -- because your interview will likely be with some salty industry veteran that's out there to make you feel like an idiot in your interview. Hell, I had one after getting my EE undergrad where he literally expected me to know WTF some IC (of many) they made did. Even though I knew the underlying function of the regular, I was supposed to just "know" what this exact one did. When in doubt, do Technical Sales, don't have to know much beyond the spec sheet and lean on application engineers. I agree. When he told me that he was going to get the master degree right after his undergraduate degree, that was my first thought. He needed to do an internship. When I was applying to graduate business schools none of the better schools would even consider you if you did not have at least 3 years of working experience. I suppose universities are really becoming diploma manufacturers. Sad. Unfortunately, an internship did not happen and he is now struggling to find a job in EE. I'm surprised he was even able to get his EE undergrad, much less Masters, without having done a single internship or research study. In many departments, that is a requirement even to get a BS in engineering. No internship and no research experience is gonna be a tough sell in today's market. I know that's not much help, but I'm oilfield and there just aren't many jobs available in my market these days 
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If it matters to anyone he is an Eagle Scout and an all around good kid. What's he do for hobbies, aside from Scouting? Is he in engineering because he really likes it, or is he in it because he heard that it pays well? Typically, the best EEs I worked with were the ones who lived, ate, and breathed for All Things Technical - i.e., the ones who viewed engineering an extension of their personal hobbies and interests, rather than merely a way of earning a paycheck. 
I used to interview prospective new EE hires, and that's one of the main traits I always looked for during an interview. |
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What's he do for hobbies, aside from Scouting? Is he in engineering because he really likes it, or is he in it because he heard that it pays well? Typically, the best EEs I worked with were the ones who lived, ate, and breathed for All Things Technical - i.e., the ones who viewed engineering an extension of their personal hobbies and interests, rather than merely a way of earning a paycheck.
I used to interview prospective new EE hires, and that's one of the main traits I always looked for during an interview. Quoted:
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If it matters to anyone he is an Eagle Scout and an all around good kid. What's he do for hobbies, aside from Scouting? Is he in engineering because he really likes it, or is he in it because he heard that it pays well? Typically, the best EEs I worked with were the ones who lived, ate, and breathed for All Things Technical - i.e., the ones who viewed engineering an extension of their personal hobbies and interests, rather than merely a way of earning a paycheck.
I used to interview prospective new EE hires, and that's one of the main traits I always looked for during an interview. This is really true, most of my friends were electronic geeks (also EE's of some sort), I had a bigger interest in the ME end, but learned enough electronic geek that it has helped me immensely later on in life. |
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He must get his PE (Professional Engineer) to be marketable; a graduate engineer just won't cut it. This means he needs to start his EIT (Engingeer in Training) which is the pathway to his PE. EIT is very similar to an apprentice program for PEs. A PE is necessary for an EE only for power plants and buildings. Doing electronics, I have never heard of a PE being asked for. Your MSEE thesis or project and internships matter much more. Indeed.com is good place to look. Good luck |
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My nephew just completed his Master Degree in Electrical Engineering. Seems that he is having a hard time finding a job. Anyone have any leads? He is willing to move anywhere in the U.S., including out of Texas. He does not have any EE job experience. He went straight into graduate school after he finished his BS in EE. If it matters to anyone he is an Eagle Scout and an all around good kid.
All electrical utilities. ERCIT go to ercot.com and look. Tons of jobs for ee's in Texas Txl |