Why did I choose to study engineering if I hate my current engineering job?

[ilovesteak]

I hate my engineering job!

I graduated from university last year at the top of my year, I used to enjoy engineering at university as i found it challenging and I enjoy doing maths. I am now working in industry as a design analyst and I absolutely hate it! I find it so boring, all I do all day is sit in front of a screen messing about with mesh on fea programs and running the analysis! I now think to myself, why did i ever study engineering in the first place!?

Is all engineering jobs like this?

 

[phinds]

Sounds like you've got a loser there. I was an electrical engineer for the first 20 years or so of my career and I absolutely LOVED it. I got to design computers and rocket electronics and some really neat stuff, back in the 60's and 70's.

 

[hotvette]

The key is understanding what it is you like to do and to pursue that with vigor. Everybody is different. My first job was lab work debugging ink jet printer head designs. I hated it and transferred after two years to, guess what, doing FEA analsyis! I loved it.

 

[AlephZero]

You have fallen into a common "beginner's trap" here.

Making models and running them is NOT the important part of your job, though it may be taking up most of your time.

The important part is deciding whether the output from the models makes any sense, and then using it to make some engineering decisions. As Hamming said, "the purpose of computing is insight, not numbers". (And today one might change it to "insight, not pretty graphical output")

 

[ductrungvn]

I graduated from university last year at the top of my year, I used to enjoy engineering at university as i found it challenging and I enjoy doing maths. I am now working in industry as a design analyst and I absolutely hate it! I find it so boring, all I do all day is sit in front of a screen messing about with mesh on fea programs and running the analysis! I now think to myself, why did i ever study engineering in the first place!?

Is all engineering jobs like this?

At least you got a job. For us, international students, looking for a degree-related job is such a daunting task in Australia :|
If you like doing maths and enjoy challenges in engineering , studying PhD or working as a researcher may help :D
Hope you find it enjoyable soon!

 

[Blenton]

At least you got a job. For us, international students, looking for a degree-related job is such a daunting task in Australia :|
If you like doing maths and enjoy challenges in engineering , studying PhD or working as a researcher may help :D
Hope you find it enjoyable soon!

Yeah its hard enough for us non-international guys :(

 

[ilovesteak]

At least you got a job. For us, international students, looking for a degree-related job is such a daunting task in Australia :|
If you like doing maths and enjoy challenges in engineering , studying PhD or working as a researcher may help :D
Hope you find it enjoyable soon!

I thought Australia was crying out for engineers?! With excellent pay as well! Heck I was even considering trying to get a job out there for a while!

 

[gmax137]

Listen to AlephZero

 

[johnbbahm]

I read a study over 20 years ago about engineers needing to be promoted to more difficult tasks within 5 years. As you learn more about what your company does, You think of ways
to improve it. When you know there is a better way to do something, but have no voice in the process, job dissatisfaction goes way up. It is hard to do sometimes, but you need to make yourself a resource within your company, not a commodity. The person they come to to solve the tough problems.

 

[Travis_King]

You shouldn't have gotten a job as an entry level (or whatever) analyst. Obviously analysts analyze data...I'm in my first year as a project engineer (mechanical) at a large facility and I love it. I get to get out into the field, I get to make decisions that affect production, and I get to apply the fundamental engineering priciples I learned in school to real life projects.

If you wanted math, then you should have gone into research.
If you wanted engineering, then you should have gone into projects.
You chose analysis...It's not a huge deal though, many people leave their first jobs after realizing that it is not what they wanted to do.

 

[ilovesteak]

You shouldn't have gotten a job as an entry level (or whatever) analyst. Obviously analysts analyze data...I'm in my first year as a project engineer (mechanical) at a large facility and I love it. I get to get out into the field, I get to make decisions that affect production, and I get to apply the fundamental engineering priciples I learned in school to real life projects.

If you wanted math, then you should have gone into research.
If you wanted engineering, then you should have gone into projects.
You chose analysis...It's not a huge deal though, many people leave their first jobs after realizing that it is not what they wanted to do.

I didn't purposely apply for a job as an analyst. I applied for the company as a graduate, they then rang me up and said based on my mathas aptitude test scores and my previous uni work i must be very analytical. i said I was and they said you will go into analysis then, but from what i can gather you don't really need to be analytical for the job?!

 

[FlexGunship]

I graduated from university last year at the top of my year, I used to enjoy engineering at university as i found it challenging and I enjoy doing maths. I am now working in industry as a design analyst and I absolutely hate it! I find it so boring, all I do all day is sit in front of a screen messing about with mesh on fea programs and running the analysis! I now think to myself, why did i ever study engineering in the first place!?

Is all engineering jobs like this?

No one starts out as chief engineer for a company that makes popcorn machines. Do your time as a peon. Be the best at it. Get involved where possible in the higher levels of design. Try to stand out.

When you're ready, move on.

This is the way of the world.

 

[Travis_King]

I didn't purposely apply for a job as an analyst. I applied for the company as a graduate, they then rang me up and said based on my mathas aptitude test scores and my previous uni work i must be very analytical. i said I was and they said you will go into analysis then, but from what i can gather you don't really need to be analytical for the job?!

Right, but I mean, you didn't have to take the job, right?

Like everyone says though, you don't have the necessary experience for them to be giving you the huge projects. Start small, work hard, and your next promotion/job will be your choice.