Employment in engineering after 3 year gap (1 Viewer)

[Leon_V3]

Say I graduate with an engineering degree, but then not go into engineering and do something else for say 3 years.
Will that make it difficult to return to engineering without retraining? Or will there be no issue? Will the answer vary between the type of engineering (e.g. 3 year gap is a big deal for computer-based engineering but not really for civil)?

thanks!

 

[Time&moretime]

Say I graduate with an engineering degree, but then not go into engineering and do something else for say 3 years.
Will that make it difficult to return to engineering without retraining? Or will there be no issue? Will the answer vary between the type of engineering (e.g. 3 year gap is a big deal for computer-based engineering but not really for civil)?

thanks!

Have you tried contacting your university or maybe the place you did your internship?
My best suggestion is to get your resume updated, account for the gaps & contact your old faculty. They may have industry nights where you could attend. This might help. Hope it works out for you.

 

[jimmysmith560]

While the extent to which this will affect your employment may depend on the type of engineering you've studied/are currently studying, I can't say it will definitely not matter if you don't go into engineering and spend the next 3 years doing something else as there is a chance for developments in the particular field of study (technological advancements relevant to engineering for example), potentially leading to new knowledge (theoretical and practical) being required in order to work.

As mentioned above, you should contact your educational institution as well as people you know who are working in your field (if applicable) as they can most likely provide you with more specific information.

I hope this helps!

 

[D94]

The issue is why you chose not to get a job in engineering in the first place. You'd need to have to have a good explanation of why you did chose to do something else first, and are now deciding to change back into engineering. It gives the impression that you weren't interested in engineering to begin with. So why would u be interested in it after 3yrs? Is it only because your current job sucks? Etc. It'd make them uncertain about what you really want to do. If you were say, working part time for those 3yrs, you could say that you've been job hunting for an engineering job all this time. But if you were in another serious career, e.g. as a financial analyst or something, then you'd have to do a fair bit of convincing.

This is a very outdated view on career progression post university. It's not uncommon for people with 2-5 years experience post university to jump around roles or industries so this impression of uncertainty or lack of interest is quite unsubstantiated. Gone are the days where people spend 10+ years in a single team or company. Loyalty rarely pays well. You don't need to explain any of this as employers well and truly recognise this - after all, they are advertising a position asking for x number of years of experience. What is much more important is understanding that employers will see you with essentially no engineering experience, whereas your peers with similar years of experience are jumping into more senior positions. You are essentially a graduate again. This is what makes it difficult because there are thousands of graduates. The challenge is accepting you may need to take a step back in your career progression and start at a junior level again. This is OK.

As for tossing out a CV, that's fine if that person is applying for a role asking for years of relevant engineering experience. But more likely than not, that person is applying to entry level positions where that specific experience is rarely mandated. Someone who has worked in finance for 3 years may have some core competencies that a fresh graduate may not have. They should not be discriminated against simply because they have worked in a different field. This is why there are position descriptions so that those who do apply are aware of the requirements.