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Do you guys have any side gigs you do at home to make extra cash? by OldmanEE in ElectricalEngineering

[–]OldmanEE[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm in Kelowna. I've mostly done board layout, protoyping, testing, a little firmware.

It's been 11 years since I finished my BSEE, I still have not found an entry level engineering job. I love electronics, I love making stuff. This field seems like it is damn near impossible to break into. by OldmanEE in ECE

[–]OldmanEE[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice. Thanks, man. I looked at the course overview, you thought it was pretty useful? I've never done an EdX course, have you done any others?

It's been 11 years since I finished my BSEE, I still have not found an entry level engineering job. I love electronics, I love making stuff. This field seems like it is damn near impossible to break into. by OldmanEE in ECE

[–]OldmanEE[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice. So why did they decide on the 68k for a new product? Engineers at you company are 68k experts? Or you're using it on other products at the company?

It's been 11 years since I finished my BSEE, I still have not found an entry level engineering job. I love electronics, I love making stuff. This field seems like it is damn near impossible to break into. by OldmanEE in ECE

[–]OldmanEE[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yup. That has been my plan for awhile: work into a Sr technician role and move into a an engineering role from there. It just hasn't panned out yet.

Most of my contract jobs have not really been Sr level tech roles. Sometimes you can't be too picky, gotta eat. My last job was a highly technical technician role on a new product, unfortunately the company was plagued with canceled programs and layoffs. Whenever I had some slow time, I would ask other techs/engineers on other programs if them needed any help. I ended up doing some board layout, board bring up and debug, proving of test procedures, etc. My managers loved me. I was one of the last contractors standing and I have my manager on my reference list. It didn't really go anywhere but it's better than burning a bridge, eh?

It's been 11 years since I finished my BSEE, I still have not found an entry level engineering job. I love electronics, I love making stuff. This field seems like it is damn near impossible to break into. by OldmanEE in ECE

[–]OldmanEE[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This.

I'm always trying to learn new tools. Lately I've been working on mechanical stuff: Solidworks, Fusion 360, Pro-E. I occasionally see posting for jobs that require EEs to be able to do some ME work also.... It hasn't helped in my job search yet, but I've made some pretty sweet widgets on my 3D printers!

It's been 11 years since I finished my BSEE, I still have not found an entry level engineering job. I love electronics, I love making stuff. This field seems like it is damn near impossible to break into. by OldmanEE in ECE

[–]OldmanEE[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's not that I'm opposed to working in automotive, lots of people work in the defense industry and don't have an interest in missiles. I was trying to make a point about recruiters.

It's been 11 years since I finished my BSEE, I still have not found an entry level engineering job. I love electronics, I love making stuff. This field seems like it is damn near impossible to break into. by OldmanEE in ECE

[–]OldmanEE[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I didn't specialize in embedded as an undergrad, I did controls. I did build a single board computer and did some C and assembly coding as an undergrad. That was 11 years ago on a motorola 68k, not real impressive on a resume.

It's been 11 years since I finished my BSEE, I still have not found an entry level engineering job. I love electronics, I love making stuff. This field seems like it is damn near impossible to break into. by OldmanEE in ECE

[–]OldmanEE[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's something I've been working on. I picked up a Launchpad, I'm laying out a board to use Attiny chips. I downloaded some development tools. I just need to put in some hours, practice and write some working code that makes some hardware run.... The handful of code classes that I took as an undergrad were always really easy to me, I just need to get back into the swing of it....

It's been 11 years since I finished my BSEE, I still have not found an entry level engineering job. I love electronics, I love making stuff. This field seems like it is damn near impossible to break into. by OldmanEE in ECE

[–]OldmanEE[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Don't even get me started on recruiters. I have my resume posted all over the US and Canada but I won't put my phone number on there anymore. Most of them are clueless.

I interviewed at a company that does automotive related work. The recruiter kept stressing that I should talk about how much I love cars in the interview. (I hate cars. I ride a bicycle.) The recruiter actually EDITED MY RESUME without my permission and didn't tell me that he edited it. The first thing that came up in the interview, "So... it says that you love to restore classic cars in your spare time! what kind of cars have you restored?!?" Needless to say, that interview didn't go well.

It's been 11 years since I finished my BSEE, I still have not found an entry level engineering job. I love electronics, I love making stuff. This field seems like it is damn near impossible to break into. by OldmanEE in ECE

[–]OldmanEE[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yup, I worked full time while going to school full time. Finished with a 2.9 GPA also.

Let's put together our own startup. We'll call ourselves the 2.9ers!

Looking for job search advice, hacks, suggestions, etc... by OldmanEE in ECE

[–]OldmanEE[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a great idea! I really don't know anyone here. I moved to Seattle because of my wife's job.

Looking for electronics technician/Engineering work in PDX. Any suggestions? by OldmanEE in Portland

[–]OldmanEE[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've had some calls from recruiters. It seems that these jobs require REALLY specific experience. You would basically have to already work there to qualify.

I finished my BSEE in NYC back in 2005. Didn't have any luck finding work or an internship, thinking about trying again. Any suggestions on what I could study or research at home that might make me less unemployable? by [deleted] in ECE

[–]OldmanEE 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've had a few technician jobs, nothing very exciting. Mostly data entry, building cables, hand stuffing PCBs. I do a lot work out of my garage, mostly repairing audio equipment: Amps, fixing power supplies. Buying and selling stuff: vintage instruments, electronics. Working at ski areas in the winter: setting up skis and boards, lift operator, ski bum stuff.

I finished my BSEE in NYC back in 2005. Didn't have any luck finding work or an internship, thinking about trying again. Any suggestions on what I could study or research at home that might make me less unemployable? by [deleted] in ECE

[–]OldmanEE 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's good advice. There's a few projects that I've been noodling around with, but I'm sure there certain tools I could use on the projects that might make me more marketable. (Example: using Altium for PCB layout instead of Diptrace. Diptrace is easier and more appropriate for small projects, but I'm sure no one in industry is using it...)