Sometimes I am confused! Could someone give some suggestion?

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maizic

Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 25

01 Mar 2005 7:46 Sometimes I am confused! Could someone give some suggestion?

I am an ASIC engineer. I am working at a little famous company, the salary is enough to maintain my basic standard of living. But in this company, I feel hard to have chance of promotion, and I am tired of pure technology gradually, I even considered to take up sales sometimes, someone can give me some good suggestion about how to improve my career? Whether I should change a company or change my work or not?

len473
Guest

01 Mar 2005 12:45 Re: Sometimes I am confused! Could someone give some suggest

Maizic,

I just wanna ask, how long have you been working in your present company?
You know Ive been there too. I worked for almost 5 years in my previous company and its really hard to be promoted. I must take training and certification before you get your promotion so I decided to resign and find other company. Well in your case, if promotion is merely your concern, start finding one too. If you want to grow, taking a risk and finding a career internationally is a worth a start. Find other company and then leave your job then. Be sure to have one before you resign.

UKnowWhat

Joined: 20 Jan 2005
Posts: 42
Helped: 4
Location: People Republic of California

05 Mar 2005 20:45 Re: Sometimes I am confused! Could someone give some suggest

I was in the same position as you are years ago and I made a lot of mistakes while changing career. No one can answer your question better than yourself, but without a list of questions illuminating your motives, you would no doubt be confused. I give you a simple list and you should ponder upon it

1) Is it the money that you think you should deserve more?
2) Is it the job now doesn't provide the challenge that you think you are more capable than the boring things you're doing every day?
3) Is it you want the glory to becoming the leader and command a group of people?

Based on your answer on the 3 questions above, you should be able to narrow down the scenarios of the field that you want to pursue.

As for a sale carreer, remember that a mediocre engineer can make some money but a mediocre sale person will be starving and the sale field has a very high frequency of rotating. To be good in sale, you need to have a lot of atrributes that doesn't come naturally. And changing personality is a pain in the neck. The way to go up in life is to find a great mentor and stick with him. And you might have to go through a lot of people to find that person. And never burn any bridge if you don't have too.

maizic

Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 25

07 Mar 2005 3:31 Sometimes I am confused! Could someone give some suggestion?

len473, UKnowWhat,

Thanks your passion for my question!
I worked in IC field for nearly 3 years . I still can contact and learn learn new knowledge from current job, but I do think I can deserve more from other company. In fact , usually, some company want to hunter me! including famous companys and very small companys settled not long ago. But for this and that reasons, I refused. for example, working place is in another city etc.
Several weeks ago, after previous project finished, I had a feeling of losing and lots of spare time, so I considered my current station and future.

zlop

Joined: 22 Sep 2004
Posts: 29
Helped: 1

07 Mar 2005 10:37 Sometimes I am confused! Could someone give some suggestion?

You're lucky enough. Think those guys who are at the bottom of a group. You will find the place and the salary you get may make somebody else envy. Think more about the actual situation, and if you go to do maket, all will begin from zero. Is it you want? Too expensive.

nandopg

Joined: 26 Apr 2001
Posts: 283
Helped: 5
Location: Over the Rainbow

07 Mar 2005 11:55 Re: Sometimes I am confused! Could someone give some suggest

My friend you are working for three years and hope recognition for all your outstanding job uh??
Let me tell you, I've been working for 32 years in the RF/Microwave field and only few years ago I had some "recognition" for everything that I've been developing over these years.
You should be a young person and what is happening to you is pretty common. Just think about this: whatever you do now will impact your life forever... therefore be honest to yourself, try to identify your real vocation and take the steps into it aiming the perfection, but don't do it expecting recognition, it will come naturally and if you are striving within something that you love to do, you won't suffer for that effort. That is my best advice.

NandoPG

maizic

Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 25

08 Mar 2005 3:10 Sometimes I am confused! Could someone give some suggestion?

thanks , you guys' opinion is very pertinent!

BrunoK

Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 45
Helped: 1

09 Mar 2005 17:31 Re: Sometimes I am confused! Could someone give some suggest

Just a comment regarding this topic:

If you like to make a carrier within a company, my experience says that if they do not give you a promotion or more intereting tasks within 3 years, there is two things u can do:

1) Accept if u find the job satisying and stimulating. But do not count on any promotion in the near futute.

2) Find another job

Is it taked for granted that u have shown good results within those years and that u show that u want to advance. If course there is exceptions but that is my opinion.

Best Regards and good luck

Pipeline

Joined: 07 Dec 2004
Posts: 120

24 Mar 2005 20:52 Re: Sometimes I am confused! Could someone give some suggest

If u do want to do a sales or marketing job, just do it. That's my opinion.

Burned_Out_Engineer
Guest

25 Mar 2005 5:56 Re: Sometimes I am confused! Could someone give some suggest

In my location (USA), many engineers "burn-out" within 5-10 years. By "burn-out", I am NOT talking about electrostatic discharge or breakdown voltage Smile

I mean they get frustrated with their work situation (promotion is difficult, even if you are talented and interested in your work.) Or they find the work repetitive and boring (lose interest in career.)

At the same time, newer, younger naive employees are graduating from university year after year, just ready for management to exploit their youthful ignorance. And if they can't be exploited, there is a line of foreign engineers willing to work underpaid just to enter the US!

The solution is unique to each person. Some people just quit engineering and change careers completely (this is common among white-collar workers in the USA. Engineers are classified as white-collar.) Others change their role in the industry -- some posters here suggested trying out sales/marketing, or perhaps field application support. Sales and marketing is furthest away from the "technical" nature of your company's products, while FA support is closer.

A few years ago, some American TV-producers tried to make a TV-show centered on the subject of practicing engineers. They cancelled the production even before it started. Why? Because their test audience (including many professional engineers) said the show was too boring! After working all day in the office at a computer terminal, they didn't want to go home at night and watch a TV-show portraying their boring lives! HAHA

flyankh

Joined: 16 Feb 2004
Posts: 94
Helped: 2

30 Mar 2005 8:59 Sometimes I am confused! Could someone give some suggestion?

I have been a back-end engineer for 3 years,in fact
lots of my friend in this field have changed their jobs in the past years.The boring work is the main cause,but I found more and more interesting in this field and so I want to go on it.My suggestion is :
Interesting can show you the way,but only the constant mind can lead you to the goal.

Regards

flyankh