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Dealing with a new job?


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start-fresh

I know this is more of a relationship forum but I don't really know who to talk to about this. I graduated from college in May and have only a month in at my new job. I graduated with an engineering degree and my job right now is doing inspection for a construction project.

 

I enjoyed all of my class work while I was in school and got really good grades. Now when I get out on the job I feel like I've learned nothing and am so sick of dealing with all of the politics involved with the job. Getting hired as an engineer means I am most likely making about the same as some technicians that have been on the job for years and know so much more about it than I do, but I make more simply because I have a degree.

 

Every day I have to deal with comments about this, even though I do not think I deserve anything better than they do and realize how knowledgeable they are. It's just draining and frustrating. At the same time I'm questioning whether I want this job. I liked the math and solving problems but they don't teach you in school about all of the other crap that gets loaded on you.

 

Does anybody have any advice about dealing with the stress of a new job and how to decide if it's really the right job for me?

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whimsical_memory

To bad they do not offer 'real life' classes in school, right? From your post, I am going to wager a guess that you are younger than the rest of the employees (at least the ones that are griping about you making the same money with less experience). Yes, they may have more time in on the job, but you went to school and earned a degree that qualifies you to make just as much (in most cases more) than those without one.

 

If you are convinced that this job is simply not a fit for you - and after only a month, you may or may not know for sure about that- then the time has come to look around at other companies. Try placing your resume onto different job listing sites (Monster.com is one of them) and see what happens with that.

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I would strongly suggest staying at this position for a least a year. Companies look at longevity, and they look at reasons behind "job hopping". They want to hire someone who is committed to staying, even if they need to work through a transition period.

 

Every job is going to have politics. And every newbie is going to get ribbed and teased and possibly cold-shouldered. It is a rite of passage. If you go into education, you will get all classes of uninspired, dummies to teach and the tenured teachers will get the smart kids and less bus duty.

 

You are adjusting to a lot of change. It is very different to be a college student than to be a full-time, salaried employee, and the strictures that come with employment are just a pain sometimes. Give it time, seek out some closer relationships with older employees who may have the same education level that you do as well as some employees your age who can relate to your age quirks.

 

Good luck - and congrats on the degree and the job!

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start-fresh

Thanks guys for the replies. It's just such an overwhelming transition, but I know I should consider myself lucky to have a decent job right out of school at a time like this. I'm definitely gaining some good experience and I know I have to pay my dues as well.

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I have been through the exact same experiences. I found that my civil engineering degree did not equip me for any job, either in design or construction. I think the value of the degree is to teach some basic theory, like maths, structural mechanics, thermodynamics, hydraulics, soil mechanics, etc, etc, and to prove that you are capable of learning. The real learning starts on the job and it takes several years to get even a basic competence, and then the learning continues all through one's career.

 

I got the same ribbing as you, including the remarks about salary, when as a young engineer I worked on a construction site. By and large, I don't think the laborers and tradesmen genuinely resented me; I think I was mainly a source of entertainment for them because I was so useless at everything and so lacking in confidence.

 

I would suggest that you spend a year on site because some construction experience is necessary for a young engineer's credibility. Then move on to a design job, which it sounds would be more to your liking.

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Thanks guys for the replies. It's just such an overwhelming transition, but I know I should consider myself lucky to have a decent job right out of school at a time like this. I'm definitely gaining some good experience and I know I have to pay my dues as well.

 

Just don't worry about it.

 

All you have to do is ask around to everybody.

 

Besides, they are not supposed to know how much money you make so don't feel bad about that.

 

You'll figure it out. Don't expect to be perfect or put so much pressure on yourself. They know you don't have experience.

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I forgot to mention, try not to take the jibes personally - realize that all the young engineers get the same treatment.

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