Should I quit my engineering job?

Question

I am having some major issues in my life right now. Just last week i scored a job that i thought was my dream job. ive been on the job for a week and a half now, and i have just realized i cant stand the boredom... i look at the clock every 5 to 10 minutes, i cannot express in words how slow the time goes every day.... there is so much material to learn for this particular career that it is overwhelming.... it isnt specific to my engineering degree.... but i thought the job would be more unique and more helpful in the future... my boss is EXTREMELY snippy and snobby about everything, and is beginning to make me his lackey, asking me to drive here and there to deliver drawings and whatnot... i get no appreciation for the things ive designed for him so far, and i am beginning to think that any type of engineering in general is not a career i could enjoy and stay interested in throughout my life. it is in fact depressing me greatly... should i quit this job? Please include much advice.

Answer 1

There are only three doors for every job....

Door #1 .... Status quo. Suck it up, say nothing, and drive on through the dribble. This will lead you to a meaningless existence if you can't stand your job.

Door#2.... Work with your supervisor to make meaningful changes. This requires the courage to attempt to sit down with your boss and tell him what's wrong and what needs to be fixed for you to find the work meaningful. You have to decide if you can do that or not, or if your boss would be open to it.

Door #3.... Plan your exit strategy. If door number one or two will not work, this is your only option.

Only you can decide which door to open, but it sure sounds to me like you have your hand on the doorknob of door #3 and you just want someone to yell "TURN THE HANDLE, ALREADY!" I won't do that, except to say sometimes the job we think is going to be a dream job, turns out to be the job from hell. If that's your case, realize you made a mistake and move on.

That's what happened in my last job. When I hired on, I thought, OMG, I'm in heaven. Nine months later, I could not have been more miserable. After three months they changed out the boss, and my new boss was the boss from hell. I finally got to the point where door # 3 was the only viable option, if I didn't want a stroke or heart attack. So I planned my exit strategy, turned the handle on door #3, and found a new job, which I really like.

Only you are keeping yourself in a job you hate. No one is forcing you to do it. But only you can ultimately decide which door to open.


Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I would not quit just yet. A week is too short to make that kind of decision. Are you sure this is the way you feel about engineering in general, or could it be that you just don't like your boss and its adding to the way you feel about this particular job? You also said you are having major issues in your life right now, so maybe all those other things are causing you to feel even worse. Bosses can be jerks and sometimes you just have to tune them out and focus on getting your work done so you can leave and go hang out with your buddies or do whatever it is that you like to do when you're not working. You said you took the job because you thought it was an opportunity that it turned out---not to be. This is the part of your situation that I don't understand. It takes a while to complete an engineering degree, didn't you at some point get the feeling that perhaps this career field wasn't a good fit for you? In any case, I still think you should give yourself more time to acclimate. Give it at least six months to get to learn the ropes and see how you feel about it then.

If the place is so bad that you absolutely can't deal, then tell them 'bye-bye' and leave. Just make sure you have another job lined up before you leave.

Answer 3

I am also an engineer, in the semiconductor company. I got my degrees in physics - which probably relates less than your degree to your current job. However, you REALLY seem demotivated and unsatisfied with your job. The real thing you should ask yourself is why did you chose engineering? If you really like calculations and problem solving (at a demanding level of a successful company, which it seems you work for) then you are in the right career, but possibly the wrong company. Or perhaps, from the sounds of it, you might just have the wrong type of supervisor. You can always go to someone higher up (like a director) and ask to be transferred to another department or another manager - you might like a slight change in your work specifications.

In the end though, you should really know that MOST engineers (including myself) have a rough time transistioning from school to work level engineering - NOT b/c its more difficult, but b/c it is so specific to what the company/customers are interested. You will find that ALL engineering companies will tend to be like this when you first start and the first few months are rough - I'm only now getting really comfortable and contributing to meetings and such and I've worked at this semiconductor company for 3-4 months now. But I must say that I really do like my job and I think it is a good fit - though like you I had doubts and a hard time transistioning. I didnt have too many issues with my managers/directors, so I can understand that frustration and your feeling of belittlement. Sometimes it actually just takes an interesting, motivating project to get you on your way.

Keep in mind, in ANY company you will have to do Sh*t that you hate, but its the work overall (over the course of a year or so) that you have to look at and assess whether or not you really like the job.

Good luck with your endeavors, and hang in there - I really wish you the best. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Give it a few weeks. Everyone has to do a lot of orientation stuff at first. Ask the boss if the things you designed are up to par or is there something you can improve on. Try your best to ignore the snippy & snobby and earn his trust/admiration.

You cannot decide, based on a week at this job that engineering itself is not your cup of tea. You need to try several jobs before you make that decision.

Just don't be precipitous. Think things out.

Answer 5

Give it some time- it always takes a few weeks to get adjusted to a new job.

If it turns out that you really hate it there, don't give up on Engineering. Find another job at a different firm and see how it goes there. It could just be that your boss is a jerk.