Am I ruining my chances??

ixnay

Hi. I've recently finished a masters in biomed engineering and have been applying left, right and center for jobs in medical devices for the last 4/5 months but the best I could get to date was a jobbridge position. I reckon one of the main reasons is because I have no engineering experience at all yet.

Now I've seen an engineering job more in the construction sector which seems like a decent job and I am tempted to go for it (mainly because it pays better than jobbridge and I'm really struggling financially at the moment!) but I would still want to get back into medical devices in a year or two.

Basically I'm wondering if you guys think I would be better off taking the financial hit for the time being and sticking with the jobbridge, gaining some directly related experience in medical devices, or do you think I could still manage to transfer back to medical devices after a year or two with some engineering experience from a completely different sector? Would I be ruining my chances of a good career in medical devices by moving away from it for a while?

Worriedmind

Hi,

I'm a structural Eng myself, so I'm working in the construction sector. How would you get/do this job without the relevant qualification? Most engineering courses are quite specialised, so I couldn't work as a biomed Eng no more than you could work as structural Eng¿

I would suggest sticking with what you're doing but keep posting the CV's and keep the chin up.

ixnay

Thanks for your response worriedmind. I did my undergrad in mech eng and we would've covered a lot of the material required for this job so I think I'd have a chance. I've been called for an interview now so I'm just trying to decide whether to pursue it or carry on with what I'm doing.

Turbulent Bill

Ultimately you're defined by your experience in the eyes of employers, so if you want a biomedical career then you need to stay in that field or get enough transferable skills in something else. Think carefully whether the better - paying job will provide this.

Darren1o1

Might be worth applying to some internships, get the foot in the door and then leverage your experience. You should also talk to your college's careers dept. They may have some ideas.

spideog7

IMO experience is more than just the skills of the job. Lots of stuff is applicable across disciplines like problem solving, teamwork, time management, problem resolution, project management etc. In fact having worked in another area can often be an advantage as it sets you apart and allows you to come at a job with a unique point of view and an assortment of skills and ideas that traditionally may be lacking amongst that team. Remember you should always look to turn your perceived weakness into a strength.

However you should proceed with an eye to your main goal and if you think the other job will be detrimental to that then don't take it, although I doubt you will pigeon hole yourself sufficiently that hiring someone with little or no experience would be better alternative.

I would go for the interview regardless as it will be good experience, you can always decide to turn it down if they offer it to you, no good agonising over it if you haven't even got it yet.

djpbarry

Worriedmind wrote: »

Most engineering courses are quite specialised...

Are they? There would be specialist elements, certainly, but particularly in the early stages of engineering courses, the fundamentals would be similar across all disciplines, and the skills/knowledge obtained are/is often highly transferable. Hence you’ll find engineers working in all sorts of fields.