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As you know, I made a career change into teaching 5 years ago when I was let go in a downsizing from my engineering job. I have decided that career change was a mistake because the situation is not as presented (there is no shortage of STEM teachers and we are not raising the bar but, rather, lowering it so you don't need subject matter experts in the classroom). However, I'm finding that companies want people with recent experience and they want the exact experience they want. They are unwilling to train.
Any suggestions on what type of training to put on top of a masters in chemical engineering to get my foot back in the door? Unfortunately, I am not in position to take a year or two off to get a PhD. I need to find some kind of engineering retraining program that I can do at night and on weekends. I'm not sure what's out there so I thought I'd ask since there are so many people here. Where would you start if you were me?
My plan is to kind of keep a toe in the water WRT a job search during the school year but I'm not going to bust my butt looking. Probably about January, I'll start putting the heat on WRT a job search with the hope of finding something by next summer. One thing I have thought of is finding a summer job that would provide recent experience but I'm at a loss for the best places to look for one. I'd assume those are, mostely, contract positions filled through universities for their students (co-ops and internships). There has to be something suitable for a science teacher.
I don't know about your field, but in mine there are lots of certifications. The more respected ones require that you have a certain amount of education and experience in the field (and they check it), then you study for and take an (expensive and difficult) exam.
For most there is formal or online training, and for many you can qualify for self-study if you meet their qualifications. I'm a Certified Ethical Hacker/Network Defense Architect, and Project Management Professional. I got these in the past two months because my MBA was 20 years ago. The PMP is a requirement for such jobs paying over $100k/yr.
I don't know about your field, but in mine there are lots of certifications. The more respected ones require that you have a certain amount of education and experience in the field (and they check it), then you study for and take an (expensive and difficult) exam.
For most there is formal or online training, and for many you can qualify for self-study if you meet their qualifications. I'm a Certified Ethical Hacker/Network Defense Architect, and Project Management Professional. I got these in the past two months because my MBA was 20 years ago. The PMP is a requirement for such jobs paying over $100k/yr.
This is what I'm hoping to discover. I've never really heard of certificates other than a material science cert which is the sister degree to my masters in chemical engineering (same core classes). I'd get a cert now because I already have the other masters and my masters credits are old. I'm going to talk to the university to look into that.
I'm hoping that with the economy in the tank and so many engineers out of work there are retraining programs. I found one for displaced automotive engineers for alternative fuels vehicles BUT they take those currently employed first and it's only during the day. Go figure, a government retraining program that favors those still employed. Sounds like an Obama plan. Those with jobs think the economy is great so he wants to make sure they keep their jobs. To heck with anyone else. The unemployed and under employed are the minority.
Right now I'll go for anything I can find that can help me add relevent fresh skills to my resume. I just have to be able to do it on line or in the evenings or as a summer training program.
I have to take a class to keep my cert for teaching in the fall but then I can start working towards freshening my engineering resume. While I'm hoping to be out of teaching next summer, I can't afford to lose the only job I have if I don't find something else and I keep running into people who have been looking for over two years with no luck. (Doesn't the government claim there's a shortage of engineers?? )
I gave you a job link for a Chrylser paint line job in Belvidere, IL. Did you apply to this job and what happened with it?
Unfortunately, I'm looking for a job in SE Michigan or the Toledo area (It's just over an hour to Toledo for me). I do appreaciate it though. Belvidere is just too far. Until my husband retires at the end of next year, I'm tied to Michigan. After that I'll start looking nationwide.
(Doesn't the government claim there's a shortage of engineers?? )
If they keep people chasing careers by retraining/reeducating, it keeps them out of the unemployment tally, and hides how truly hollow our economy really is. Pretty nifty plan when you think about it. That's our silly gobmint
I'm unemployed in Chicago for 4 years and now lately I've been applying to jobs that are 3 hrs drive away or so... Like Peoria, Madison, Rockford, etc.
I'm unemployed in Chicago for 4 years and now lately I've been applying to jobs that are 3 hrs drive away or so... Like Peoria, Madison, Rockford, etc.
If I were unemployed, I would be too. Dh and I would likely end up living in different states if I didn't have my teaching job. While I could make more with a job like that one a Chrysler, not enough more to offset needing to maintain two residences. At least not with two kids in high school I'd never see if I left the state. Now, if I end up losing the job I have now....everything would change. We'd have to figure out how to make living in different states work as my job search would go nationwide.
What kind of job are you looking for? I hear about things now and again that I'm just not a good fit for. Maybe we need a sticky thread here for jobs we see that we're not a fit for but someone else here might be.
If they keep people chasing careers by retraining/reeducating, it keeps them out of the unemployment tally, and hides how truly hollow our economy really is. Pretty nifty plan when you think about it. That's our silly gobmint
I think you're right. While we focus on "What can I do to improve myself?" we're not focusing on the politicians who made this mess. The banks never should have been bailed out. If they'd let those fail who needed to fail, we'd be on the way to recovery by now. I don't think much is going to happen until the housing market starts to recover. People have too little faith in the economy to spend the money they have right now.
The things the government is doing are shameful. Another one is they claim there is a shortage of STEM teachers (science, technology, engineering and math) but there is a glut. Someone on the education board suggested that what they're doing is creating a glut so only the best will get jobs and they can cut wages and benefits because it's really a glutted field. I've never been less than one of six applicants for one job and I've been as many as 1 in 150 for 4 jobs. Shortage of teachers my arse!! We're a dime a dozen.
I feel like I've been duped. I'm one of the most educated people I know and I can't buy a job interview in Michigan. And what's my response? What can *I* do to fix that employers aren't looking at me. I Have to focus on what I can do because no one else is helping me.
Ugh. I can't believe I'm even thinking of going back to school. I'm so schooled out it's not even funny. I wish it was a PhD I was going back for but there is no way I can quit my job and go to school. Whatever I do must be doable at night on a schedule that allows me to keep my day job.
The main problem is that job seekers keep saying, "I suck or my skills suck," when we should be pointing the blame at the fact there are very few decent jobs.
The ones that do exist now expect you to do the work and have the skills of two people.
It's a sad world these days. A lot of angry people walking around kicking themselves when it's not them.
Of course this doesn't solve the problem but it's a bad cycle to blame yourself because times are hard.
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