I'm an electrical engineering graduate and have not been practicing for years. I've been working different jobs. Lately, realized that I was an engineer. Problem is, I'm not sure I'm welcome in the modern world. Is there still an opportunity for me in this rather advanced times?

 

It depends. What areas do you want to work in? What have you done to keep your skills current?

 

Is there still an opportunity for me in this rather advanced times?

Never loose hope until you are not satisfy keep working. life is full of up's and down's it really important how much patience you have. we don't get what we want in life and in that case we call it "Struggle" . But its a part of life . You are not the only one who face this tough situation, but everyone face and that does not mean you are less then others at any point.

But everyone is running their own race, in their own time.They are in their time zone, and you are in yours! Life is about waiting for the right moment to act. So, relax. You’re not LATE

 

There is if you are willing to work for it.

I struggled when I graduated. I had great internships at great name companies, but I had a poor and cocky attitude and a not so great GPA (i lucked out on those internships). What happened? I ended up stocking shelves for 9 months at a supermarket. It was a very humbling experience for an EE.

After I kind of decimated my career by being cocky, I ended up working for an environmental engineering firm doing controls. That job sucked out my soul for 3.5 years and then after being beat into submission, I was fired (although they let me leave on good terms).

Now just think? What happens after that? Well, I wanted to do more traditional EE work again, but I was so far removed. I remember going into a job interview and I could not even answer a BJT question. I thought my career was over and I was ready to go back to being a controls engineer doing panel drawings again (you get into desperation after 6 months of unemployment). However, that job interview where I embarrassed myself was eye opening. I cried myself to sleep that night, but I awoke determined. I figured that if I was gonna get back to being an EE, I would not to start from the bottom. I ended up working for free for another 6 months on various projects. I made myself a slave to people just so I could get some experience and resharpen my skills.

Then, I decided to get some income and work as a tech. I worked for 4 months at a well known company that has a horrible turn over rate with techs. I got paid $15/hr. It was better than the $9.50/hr as a grocery clerk. My job was to go through returns and try to debug what was wrong with them and see if they should go to an engineer for further evaluation. Well, I did that job (and it sucked), but I did not bring them to an engineer, I tried to solve the stuff myself. I purposely went through the returns and seeked out all of the ones that looked like electronic issues. After about a month, I was really getting noticed. When my contract was up, they told the head hunter to not bother with me because they offered me a full time gig as an real engineer.

But then something else happened at the same time... I got this phone call out of the blue from this start up. It was an early stage bio tech start up that did not have much money, so they could not spend a lot on an experienced EE. In reality, I think the biggest reason there were interested in me was because I lived down the street from the office and they could pay me as a tech and use me as an EE. It was sort of like my dream job, but the pay was around 20% less than my other offer. That being said, I still took the job because I just got this lively vibe when I walked in that office. I worked there through an acquisition all the way until they closed the doors. I started as a tech and ended as the head EE leading a group of 2 by the time we closed. It was a magical experience that I will never forget.

But back on topic. It took a lot of hard work and when I finally got what I wanted, I had to work even harder.

1. I always had the feeling that I lost years of experience, so I felt I had to make up for lost time.
2. I always have this feeling that I am not good enough (sort of like the Tom Brady chip on your shoulder), so I put work into proving I am worth it.

Do not let anyone say you can't do it. If they do, take it s a challenge. For every rejection you get, take it as a hint as what you need to improve on and then work on improving it.

 

I'm an electrical engineering graduate and have not been practicing for years. I've been working different jobs. Lately, realized that I was an engineer. Problem is, I'm not sure I'm welcome in the modern world. Is there still an opportunity for me in this rather advanced times?

"Realizing that you're an engineer," is a major advantage...meaning you will do whatever it takes to ply your trade. Don't be afraid of non-conventional routes...such as starting your own business. YOU know what you can do, most HR departments are totally clueless....and in my estimation absolutely worthless.
The world NEEDS more good engineers now than ever. Unlike politicians, engineers have real answers to real problems. Do it.

 

I'm an electrical engineering graduate and have not been practicing for years. I've been working different jobs. Lately, realized that I was an engineer. Problem is, I'm not sure I'm welcome in the modern world. Is there still an opportunity for me in this rather advanced times?

The engineering degree is your ticket to the dance. Beyond that, you have to simply decide what you can offer (and what you want to do) to help a manufacturing company, a design company, a consulting group, a safety organization. Or what ever type of company exists in your neighborhood.

Once you've checked the landscape, then you'll have to polish the resume and emphasize you are a smart guy that can get shit done. The engineering degree is the evidence that you are a smart guy and your work history is your proof you can get stuff done.

Now, there are plenty of jobs that need to get done and few are design jobs. Most engineers seem to work in project management, manufacturing management, documentation (quality management), tech service, tech support.

Get that resume polished and to some potential employers.