A Bogus Engineering Shortage?

having to looking for employment now for 10 months, this is what I experienced.

Having a background (20+ years) in the design and fabrication of process equipment for the food and dairy (Self employed approx. half of that time) 4 years ago I had decided to work as an employee and found a job designing thermal equipment, of which I had a total amount of experience in this field which amounted to approx. 2 years considering the wide spectrum.

Even though I started with a lower wage because of the lack of experience (understandable) the President said "we'll talk" after my 90 day probationary period was over. Fair enough, 90 days came and went, and every time I approached the president about my evaluation, there was always an excuse not to have it, but he assured me the quality of work I was doing, was very acceptable, from the shop as well as himself.

I was there for 18 months and still no review, I also saw 5 engineers hired and fired. And this was a small company. After a year and another excuse for not having my evaluation I started looking elsewhere and I had an offer from another company in automation, and as a coincidence the President just hired another engineer and came out bluntly and said to me this was the engineer he really wanted to hire instead of me. He held this off because he needed me as an interim to get a cheaper engineer.

Since this was nothing more than a slap in the face, I walk away and went back to work to cool off. After which I addressed these issues with him, to say the least we went our separate ways.

My new job amounted to this. No it didn't work out so I was unemployed. Now back to the original topic.

Which I intended start a blog to address issues I experienced. Some of which was this.

I was contacted by what I would call head hunters, as well as answered openings. Some of this openings was in the food industry, and surprising enough the response I got from businesses was I was over qualified and would be bored with the job, maybe a gentle way of saying no we don't want you, I don't know. But when I expected orders, I would put out ads for feelers to gear up.

The head hunters said that they have design positions open but I would need to take a cut, of which was close to what I made out of college over 20 years ago because of the tight market. I told them I understand and answered OK, and replied so they would be using my degreed Mechanical background, she said yes. I then asked if they would also be using my robotics as well as industrial electronics background. Of course they would, and she would work hard to get me in. I then asked her do you think thats fair, Her response was the market is so saturated with Engineers and Designers competition was stiff. I then replied Good luck if this competition has the education and experience background to secure this job for the pay cut, and added won't they be afraid of me bailing when something more fair to me came up. She didn't answer.

When my contacts found out I was available, they would pass work to me where we would help each other out. Selfemployed again

All in all you have to look after #1.

p911

I agree with you TC. There are many people who claim that they can do the work but few can really do it.

This is one of the problems that my employer and customer are facing. We have great difficulty finding qualified people with relevant experience in industrial controls and power electronics. We need people who can solve unexpected problems.

I have hired and fired many technicians and engineers. Some have quit on their own as they could not meet the expectations. We expect competency and good attitude. The good attitude is actually even more important because it will eventually lead to competency. When somebody puts enough effort into his work, he learns from others who are happy to teach him.

Good attitude also make the customers happy. A good engineer or technician will make sure that the product works well before leaving the work site. This may require calling the colleagues for help. It is not natural for everybody. Some people will call at every small difficulty while others will never call and find some excuse for leaving the customer stranded.

My attitude has always been that my job security is based on my employer making money from my work. My employer will make money if the customer is satisfied with the work done within the allocated time frame. I am happy when the system works well. Good works makes everybody happy.

I expect similar attitude from the people I hire. This is not easy to find.

I am an Electronic Engineering Technician with 20+ years of experience in maintenance and R&D. I have taken several temp positions over the last two years and the majority of the less senior engineers I have worked with have been Indian and Pakistani. In talking with them the companies are bringing them in because they can pay them very little compared to their American counterparts and still get good engineers for the most part. This is the same argument that you get about illegal immigrants, "Americans are not willing to do the jobs that the illegals do", but they never finish the sentence. The rest of the sentence is "for the slave labor wages and sometimes no pay that we get away with with the illegals." We can't exploit an American worker the way we can the illegals. I have no respect for people who make those kind of BS excuses about not enforcing our immigration laws and I have no respect for the companies and congressmen who conspire to screw our people by bringing in abundant cheap labor for jobs that American's could and should be doing.

You guys can scream off topic if you want; but the 800 pound gorilla in the room that everybody ignores is the political side.

By far the majority of the engineers I have known favor the red side of the political spectrum. Few are extremist types which goes hand in hand with their general intelligence level. But they do tend to vote and cast their support toward the conservative side as do the business people, both large and small who increase their bottom line by hiring immigrants whether they be illegals or H1B's because there is a perceived labor shortage.

I continue to be amazed by this seeming paradox. But I think I understand where it comes from.

So as long as you have a job, health insurance(AKA bankruptcy insurance), protection of the labor laws and the good life it's easy to be a bedfellow of someone who would cast you into the unemployment line if he thought he could replace you with someone he can pay half of what he's paying you.

We're engineers, if not in possession of some kind of diploma then in our mindset. We tend to be logical people and given to respect that which is real and provable avoiding that which is more or less fantasy. I'd say we should be honest with ourselves and admit that what we consider to be "good" is not always that which is good for all Americans but only that which is good for ourselves. So you like your political ideas? Then just hold your nose when they start talking about engineering shortages.

And if you're unemployed? Sorry, guy, things are tough and "we" can't "indenture" you like we can those people from across the border. And understand another thing. You might have been just plain unlucky when you were laid off. But more likely you were a "B" or lower rated employee in some manager's mind when the company decided it could only afford the "A" people after the shrinkage. Try to understand why you were a "B" and do what you can about it or simply wait a few years until there is a greater demand for your talents.

Or retire, like I did when I realized that the major corporation department I was in had just lost its charter due to a shift in the company politics, and survive on whatever resources you can muster.

And while we're at it with the odor of my personal cynicism don't forget that another great fan of the "engineering shortage" concept is the universities. They want to keep their tenured staff busy even though what they are teaching is the technology of the past century. That is all they know and they are too old and tired to learn the new stuff. So they are out there busy selling their services and stupid ideas like every high school student needs to take and pass algebra. (OK, that's a bit OT)

Ed Weldon

funny, but true

good point and ga

American companies are hiring from other countries not to get cheaper engineers, just smarter.

Then under the same thought pattern you also agree to American companies are out sourcing manufacturing not to get cheaper products, but better quality.

Again, flawed American egocentric thinking, they are bringing engineers IN to do the jobs you can't and sending the jobs OUT that you can't do efficiently.

At the moment your probably correct

We have experienced good growth that we have become complacent, and with the advent of world communications that is available to emerging country's added to our current problems. But I feel with the adversity, we'll find a way to get back in the competing area.

p911

just noticed something, with that last comment of mine, you may have to find another word other than egocentric thinking of Americans........ try arrogant, that may be more fitting

Unclefastguy, you are obviously delirious from eating too many of the wrong kind of mushrooms.

I have worked for nearly forty years and I have seen the cheap engineers brought in and the work that is labor intensive / dirty / over-regulated farmed out overseas specifically to enhance the "bottom line". Management has bragged about it openly.

After working for 20+ years, I have found that being a good/great engineer only counts towards part of your success. You must be able to impress your boss and his/her boss, ... with the fact that you are a great engineer and dedicated employee. Once you establish this fact with management, you are then considerably more free to use your judgement in helping the company to succeed. Then you only need to update your management hierarchy on what you are doing to make them look good. This is a two way street. They will now be very interested in helping you to succeed.

You will be considered a B-employee by those that count if you do not focus on helping your boss look great. Note: If there's a change in management, you have to start the process all over again from the bottom. You get no credit for past greatness if the boss changes.

Ky -- You're very right on the these points. In most company situations your career sits on a three legged stool. You are just one leg. Your boss is another and the company as a whole is the third. Anyone turns rotten and you fall.

But I'd like to add a caveat. That is do not go too far out of your way to try to help your boss save a losing project. I had two of those in a row and they put me on the short path to an early retirement when the management changed.

That kind of situation is just what arises when there is a surplus of engineers that allows the company to sacrifice people to the fires of internal politics. Engineers, especially the senior ones, are easy cannon fodder for absorbing the blame for managerial mistakes.

Ed Weldon

I see this every day from a consulting/big picture perspective. I know of a local (but global) company that literally flew in a plane full of engineering talent from India on Visa's, worked through a number of projects and within a years time they put them back on a plane to India. This was done for the sake of saving money and nothing else as I have the ear of top management. Seeing all the replies to this topic simply reminds me of how sad the state of our economy has become along with the rampant corruption and sacrifice of the American worker all for the sake of Corporate CEO's making more money for themselves. Do any of you honestly believe that your companies have any loyalty or appreciation for your talents and hard work. If you believe this I would suggest pulling your head out of the sand if it is already not too late. It is all about money/power, always has been about money/power and probably will remain that way for quite some time. Until we start to hold these people accountable as a society they will continue to run rampant over us all and the fast decay of middle class and small business will only feed that power and money/power equals control.

B

rampant corruption and sacrifice of the American worker all for the sake of Corporate CEO's making more money for themselves.

It just does not stop there, it is unions as well that protect not the worker but the number of members.

One should not have to go through contractual red tape to fire a complacent worker because that worker knows he can get away with it because of his seniority.

At first they complained that illegal aliens are stealing American jobs........ then realized the potential of expanding their numbers.

p911