Parents, I need your advice on chosing a job (current senior undergrad)

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Hello Everyone,</p>

<p>I am currently facing a big dilemma in terms of the job search process and would like the advice from more mature people. Which is why I am here! I am an undergraduate students at a Big 10 school, wrapping up my degree in chemical engineering this semester. This summer, I had the fortune of having an engineering internship with one of the best companies to work for. And I can say that because I have done three prior internships with different companies who didn’t nearly treat me as well. I won’t mention this company’s name, but they are an enormous CPG company - Company A. </p>

<p>Now, my experience with Company A was nothing but positive in terms of how I was treated, the amount of employee development available, the people I worked with, etc. In short, the company’s work atmosphere exceeded my expectations. However, in terms of my job? I was somewhat satisfied with it, until recently. I was given a lot of responsibility in terms of the amount of money I was asked to manage for my projects (multimillion dollar projects), and I loved that. My biggest problem though, is that I didn’t get to do a lot of engineering - that was reserved exclusively for the contractors I hired. I had to take the initiative to start my own projects that involved putting to use my engineering skills, which is how I got some engineering experience. </p>

<p>Company A offered me a full time job at the end of the summer internship. There were a couple of things that made me sign the offer:</p>

<p>1) I had no other job, and was worried about not finding a job later on.
2) I was only given a couple of days to sign, while other interns were given 3 months. So I felt pressure to sign. </p>

<p>I was unsure if that was the right move for me. Now, in talking to many people from the company I have been told that the position may have the word ‘engineer’ in the title, but that isn’t what I would be doing. I would just be managing things (people, budgets, etc.). The engineering would not be done by me. Instead it would be outsourced to contractors. They also told me that I would have to realize that my chemical engineering background would be lost. </p>

<p>It breaks my heart to be honest with you, because I don’t want to lose that knowledge. I came to school to study this because I love it. I about to obtain such a difficult degree, and I want to put it to use! I would hate to wake up one day, only to realize that I don’t love my job, that I am not finding my job fulfilling because I am not a chemical engineer as I have always wanted to be.</p>

<p>The problem now is, I have been contacted by numerous companies to interview with them. I am not sure what to do, especially if I were to get an offer from them. I talked to my career advisors here, but they don’t give me all that much guidance saying “It’s your call, but realize that they may never come back to my school to recruit” (Company A does not even recruit at my school anymore anyways). My other advisors here have told me to do what is best for me and my career goals. Some people who are in the company have also told me the same thing - “Do you want to make the company happy or do you want to be happy doing what you love?” </p>

<p>However, I am worried about the consequences of reneging on this job offer. Some things I have read online about reneging on a job offer always say, “It’s a small world”, and this is what worries me the most. I am not a person who backs away from promises. But, then again this is my life I am talking about. I want to do what is best for me. I want to position myself in a way that will prepare me to do great things in life, and that will give me a fulfilling life overall. I always had a dream of designing and building plants, starting them up, and watching my work come to life. And with Company A, I will not have that. I will be nothing but a project manager. I know this company has invested so much in me, has treated me really well, and has spent time developing me which makes me feel really guilty for even considering other options. </p>

<p>See, this is keeping me at night. I am lucky enough to get 3 hours of sleep at night. I just don’t know what to do! I feel like Company A may try to do something to me to tarnish my reputation and my career. Which leaves me feeling trapped, and very very worried about the consequences. But I feel that by leaving now, they can find another person who will be happy as a project manager and can perform the job competently without being unsatisfied with it. They would avoid me leaving in 2 years after investing a lot of money on me (relocation bonus, sign on bonus, other bonuses, etc.). Which would be a good thing, higher return on investment for them. I just am too scared of the consequences, and this is where I would like more guidance from you folks. The companies speaking with me are in a completely different industry, just thought I should mention that. What would you suggest?</p>

2

<p>I hope someone in this industry can come and speak. In my industry (law) in my town, people have long memories. This is a tough decision. Best.</p>

3

<p>First point: Don’t take advice from this post as anything more than a set of comments based on a limited understanding of your questions and the specifics of your situation. </p>

<p>Can you describe (in general terms) how binding the offer you signed is? More specifically did the company give you a guarantee or a contract? Are there any provisions that you have to either fulfill or not fail (graduate, drug test, etc.)? Have they given you any bonus money? Are you currently considered an employee? One issue to consider is that companies (perhaps not in your industry) have withdrawn offers of employment on the basis of change in business conditions or strategy.</p>

<p>In your conversations with people who work with Company A is it that this specific job (project manager) that will not allow you to do engineering or would it be true for any job with Company A? More specifically, are there other jobs in Company A that would allow you to do the engineering that you want to do?</p>

<p>My advice is to take a longer-term view and think about the company you want to work for rather than the specific job you will be starting in. Think about your potential growth path in the company. If Company A, based on your experience, is an example of a company you prefer, then my advice is to go back to Company A and express your interest in engineering and concern that the job of project manager is not the type of work you can see yourself doing next year. If you don’t know what your growth path is with Company A then it is even more important to speak about this issue with Company A.</p>

<p>If you speak with Company A, I would talk with HR and not the hiring manager. My guess is that there was a recruiter involved in the offer letter process - I would go back to that person. The reason I suggest this is that the hiring manager’s priority is for you to work in their department. The recruiter is more likely to want you for your long-term potential with the company.</p>

<p>If you do make a decision to withdraw your acceptance of the Company A job offer I would not be too concerned about the long-term career implications. If the issue comes up then tell the truth - that in August you were able to convince yourself that you would be happy as a project manager but when you returned to school and your engineering classes you realized that your heart is set on doing engineering when you graduate. I would add (if you believe this) that you understand that you might appreciate the opportunity to have project management responsibilities in the future but that engineering is what you want to be doing for the next few years.</p>

<p>Based on your initial post, my guess is that the other people you have spoken with in Company A are concerned that you will find that project management job is a position that is not in your best interests. They might have other reasons to warn you about this position but are limited their comments to the most obvious and easy to describe issues. It sounds like you are a person that many companies would be thrilled to have. Don’t stop considering your career options now. My guess is that you understand your responsibility as an employee to evaluate what job is best for you and to go to that job if it is not your current one. That same responsibility applies when your start date is nine months away (but perhaps not if your start date was in one month).</p>

4

<p>UniDad,</p>

<p>Thank you for your response. To address you first set of questions, the job offer was an “at-will” job offer that says any party can terminate at anytime for any reason. It was by no means a contract. They have not given me any bonus money until after the start date. However, once I do get the money I will have to stay for 1 year or repay the sign-on and if I get the relocation bonus, I will have to stay for 2 years or repay that bonus. I am not considered an employee until after my start date, and there are no further provisions. </p>

<p>The only job that is in their corporate wide engineering department is that of a “project engineer”. In fact, that is the only engineering job at that company. For process engineering /design, etc., they outsource it to engineering contractors not to the engineers there (which I find very wasteful). </p>

<p>I feel that at any company, growth potential is ample. At this company, they say there are opportunities for growth, but due to its large size it seems very difficult to move up. And most of the senior leaders come from different companies not because they moved up the ranks internally. Most people in the corporate engineering team have been there 8-25 years and haven’t been able to move up. This is also concerning. </p>

<p>I agree with you on talking with HR rather than my hiring manager. I talked to my hiring manager, and it seemed like they were doing everything they could to convince me to stay. So when the conversation does arise, I will go ahead and reach out to the recruiter involved. </p>

<p>As for other people I have spoken to at company A, yes they are concerned in that regard. The reason why is because they saw I was a very technically driven person, who wanted to gain more engineering exposure/skills. In speaking with my mentors at Company A, they all mentioned the fact that although they have an engineering degree they are happy that they aren’t doing engineering as that wasn’t their interest. However, I am interested in my degree and very in becoming a technical leader in my field some day. Hence, why they expressed their concerns. </p>

<p>I do understand the need to consider the company, and believe me I have. And I do think long term too, I have made a 10 year plan of what my targets are. Some of my targets are not even going to be possible at Company A. So, Company A may be on the top 100 employers to work for list but I am not sure if I will be successful there as an employee overall. </p>

<p>If only I were given as much time as the other interns, I would not have been in this situation. But the point is, I don’t want my dissatisfaction to contribute to a decline in performance only to later be fired. I really care about the company, and feel they are better of with someone who will be happy with the project engineer position rather than someone who isn’t happy. But again, my fear is that my reputation may be tarnished. And further, I usually am an ethical person, but backing out of my word just tarnishes my ethics too.</p>

5

<p>I don’t think there is any shame in telling this company that you have rethought your situation and feel while you love them as a company you don’t see yourself starting out only doing project management work. I would say that you feel you would be a better project manager down the road after doing actual chemical engineering work first for at least a few years. Be up front and honest and they should respect your decision. YOu aren’t the first person and you won’t be the last person who has done this.</p>

6

<p>momtotwins,</p>

<p>Thank you for your response! I will keep that in mind. I feel like I am just over thinking this and should remain calm. I will be upfront with them though, if another opportunity arises that more closely matches my passions.</p>

7

<p>How about working for a year at this company, and if you still have the itch to do technical work, go back to school and pick up a master’s for a do-over, but at a more advanced technical level and with more life experience?</p>

8

<p>In my opinion, very technical people tend not to make as much money, and as soon as they become too expensive their jobs are out sourced. A good project manager needs to be technically competent. I was a project manager long time ago when i first switched to technology. I used to get involved with design and implementation. As a PM you need to be able to manage up, side ways and clients (internal or external), a skill which is important for management. In the long run this job maybe better for you.</p>

9

<p>Logos12, It seems clear that Company A is not where you see yourself being. The trick is to now figure out how to describe your situation to other companies that you are interested in interviewing with. They will ask if you were offered a job with Company A after your internship. You will need to say yes and that you accepted. </p>

<p>What you say next is critical. You don’t want to be seen as not taking your acceptance seriously, at the same time you want to express an openness to other opportunities. </p>

<p>Perhaps something along the lines of “I have spoken with Company A about my interest in engineering and they asked me to let them know by XX date if my plans have changed”</p>

10

<p>I agree with oldfort. This position at be a blessing. You must be a phenomenal young man to have this problem. Kudos to you. I think you should reach out to your hiring manager and HR of company A and explain your concern about also using your engineering skills. You may be able to work something out.</p>

11

<p>As you discuss this with Company A, maybe point out that being back in your ChemE senior classes has reminded you how much you enjoy the technical aspects of the field. That may help them understand why you are having second thoughts.</p>

12

<p>How likely is it that you will leave your first job after a couple of years to get a PhD?</p>

<p>I’m not up to date on everything in that area, but a close friend had a brilliant son who was a Chem E and his view was that he need to get a PhD to do what he wanted to do (not teaching).</p>

<p>In any case, if you would be leaving any job after 3 years or so, it might influence your decision of how to proceed now.</p>

13

<p>Hello Everyone,</p>

<p>Thank you all for your responses.</p>

<p>The problem with me doing this job for 3 years and then leaving is that I will be 3 years behind my schedule. I have a 10 year plan that I want to work towards. And taking 3 years to do PM work and then starting from scratch (IF I am even lucky to find a company to trust me enough to assume an engineering role after having no engineering experience for 3 years) is just unacceptable to me. Now, I also checked the active requisition for the job I was offered. Although the position title is for project engineer, Company A only wants you to have a business degree or MBA and an engineering degree would be preferable but not necessary. Clearly, you won’t be doing any engineering if you are a business major. </p>

<p>Not to sound conceded or anything, but I will say I do recognize I am a good project manager. I am fortunate to have learned critical soft skills in prior internships that have enabled me to become a good leader. And the future is bright for me in management, but I do not want to go into management right now. I want to be an engineer/manager of myself first. When I am satisfied with my technical competence, I want to seek out licensure. Then I want to begin my transition to earning an MBA. Once I get an MBA, I will have had an additional 2-3 years of professional engineering experience and then I can move into a project management role. But only when I feel I have masted key competencies in my field. I cannot tell you how important that is to me, because a chemical engineer is responsible for PEOPLE’S LIVES. Under no circumstances can I lead people without having a sound technical background - it is not only unethical but it is irresponsible and unprofessional. If I am going to be a practicing engineer it is my professional responsibility to do it right.</p>

14

<p>You have made it clear what you want and what you don’t want. Clearly, you don’t want Company A and you are under no contractual obligation to go there. </p>

<p>So what is the problem? As far as I can see, all that is left is to work up the nerve to tell them, to apologize for your mistake and be honest with them. </p>

<p>Not to say that they will be better off without you, but that you have seen more clearly what your dreams require of you.</p>

<p>And in the future, don’t be so quick to feel pressure or to sign the dotted line. It is perhaps unfortunate that other interns were given more time, but do not use that as an excuse.</p>