Careers Advice
24 April 2015 | Careers Advice | thomas thomas
It’s a common feeling; you want more out of the job you currently have, or you feel as though you’re not progressing as much as you thought you would. Maybe you’ve wanted a job in engineering for some time but you’re not sure how to enter the industry, or perhaps you’ve tried and have been unsuccessful. Engineer Jobs take a look at the signs it’s time to look for a new job in engineering.
First Sign: Career Progression (or Lack Thereof)
So you’re currently in a job that you’re doing quite well – you’re hitting your targets, you get on with people, and you generally do a good job. But that isn’t helping your progression. You want to go further, to head up that proverbial ‘ladder’, but nobody can help, which means you’re essentially in a dead end job. You want a lot more responsibility along with the opportunity to prove yourself. It’s not uncommon to be in a job with zero to little prospects; many of us remain in these jobs for years until we find something worthwhile! Within Engineering, the sky is the limit. With a huge numbers of jobs available within a wide variety of sectors, there’s no limit to what you can achieve. Once you have become a chartered engineer, the engineering world is your oyster.
Second Sign: You’re Not Utilising Your Skills
You have a very particular set of skills, skills that you have acquired over a period of time – but you can’t use them. You’ve been looking at ways of utilising them in your current role but they’re either irrelevant or they’re unappreciated. You have fantastic problem solving skills, yet the irony is you’re unable to solve the problem you’re currently in: in an unappreciative, destabilising environment. Technically gifted and have an interest in aerospace? Maybe an aerospace engineer is the role for you. Are cars and other ground vehicles your thing? Automotive engineering may be the right career. With a wide breadth of disciplines available in the industry, there’s sure to be a sector which suits your hard-working disposition.
Third Sign: While Your Work Load Increases, Your Pay Scale Doesn’t
People have been let go, and their responsibilities have been thrown onto you without warning. Essentially, you’re being taken advantage of. You’ve been given a lot more responsibility than your pay scale calls for, and you’re not being compensated fairly for it. While sometimes working over and beyond what you’re required to do is the norm in many workplaces, there is a fine line. You’re willing to work above and beyond the call of duty and sacrifice a little financially, but you want to do so in a job you love. As well as progressing through certain career levels, it is possible to rise through the ranks in a financial sense. For example, it is possible to earn over £80,000 in an energy engineer role, or £70,000 within chemical engineering. Your pay will reflect the hard work and dedication you have put into your role.
Solution: A Job in Engineering - The Answer to All of Your Problems!
The tell-tale signs that you belong in an engineering job are all there:
- Wanting more responsibility
- You have exceptional problem solving skills
- Dedication to your work
- Wanting to excel in your career
Though these aren’t all the traits you need to be in an engineering job, they are definitely a huge plus. Engineering is for individuals who want to exceed in their craft and be the best that they can be. If you’re looking to change your career direction, check out our careers advice page as well as our vacancies page so you have an idea of what to work towards. Check out the latest jobs in engineering at our Engineer Jobs vacancies page.