John Nerison ⋅ Boise , ID Retired from POWER Engineers, Inc. www.powereng.com ⋅ 40 years experience

You might look at my former employer - POWER Engineers, Inc. www.powereng.com. Tell them I encouraged you to apply. John P. Nerison, PE (Retired from POWER)

George Wilhelmsen ⋅ Rochelle , IL Sargent & Lundy ⋅ 38 years experience

Hello Ann,

You picked the most in-demand degree - EE. I have been doing college grad interviews, and most of the candidates had jobs already arranged.

My industry (Nuclear Power) is actively seeking engineers with BS and MS in Electrical Engineering. We just hired one two weeks ago at my location.

My company (Exelon Nuclear) offers paid summer internships at plants that stretch from the eastern seaboard through central Illinois.

Here is a link to a page that discusses our internship opportunities:
http://www.exeloncorp.com/peopleandculture/opportunities/students.aspx

We're just one of the utilities out there - you have two nuclear plants in your area (Comanche Peak, South Texas Project) that are in the same state (I'm not going to say "nearby" in Texas - that's a Big State!), and some Entergy plants in states to the east of you (Grand Gulf, Waterford, River Bend).

We all generally offer internships - I had an intern last year, and we had a total of 5 or 6 working at my plant in Engineering.

Here is a specific link on summer internships with Exelon. Hopefully, you can get your foot in the door - you sound like someone that I'd like on our team!

https://exelonjobs.ceco.com/psc/HRPC_TAM/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL

George Wilhelmsen

Louis Schwarz ⋅ Somerville , NJ AIG ⋅ 43 years experience

Hi Ann. Some ideas on possible opportunities. Advance Micro Devices, Intel, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Raytheon, General Dynamics. Part time may not fit your goals. Internship may help.
America needs engineers.

Sean McLeskey ⋅ Eden Prairie , MN Emerson Electric ⋅ 5 years experience

Hello Angel,

I have an Engineering and Business background. I worked as a process engineer before returning to school to get my MBA. I now work in a strategy role for a major manufacturer of measurement equipment for the process industries (Oil & gas, chemical, etc.)

I have recent experience which may be helpful to you:
- As an engineer I can tell you what to expect day-to-day and what employers will look for to set you apart from the crowd.
- As a recent grad student I can speak with you about how I prepared for my career search (networking, resume, cover letters, interview prep, etc.)

I'd be happy to review your resume or speak with you further.

Regards,

Sean

Kate Nolt ⋅ Glen Mills , PA Creighton University ⋅ 15 years experience

Good morning Ann! Congratulations on deciding to go back for your Masters. Many times the multitude of things that can come up with adding school to your schedule can be overwhelming, so keep in mind that you are doing this for you and in the end when you are done your quality of life, confidence, and sense of accomplishment will soar.

In the meantime though, there is a little work to be done. To avoid being stressed make lists of the tasks to be done and start working on them one at a time (and cross those completed tasks off!) . Applying for a job in any circumstance requires a resume of your achievements, your career objectives, and qualfications (such as computer skills that you are proficient at like Microsoft Word, Outlook, or other software). If it's not a long list, don't worry! Part-time jobs are sometimes easier to find (depending on where you live) especially this time of year. Which part-time job you go for depends on your needs. Keep in mind this is a means to an end (meaning this will not be your career job - it will pay the bills in the meantime, so again, manage you expectations). Most Masters programs are in the evening if you go to a brick and mortar college (sitting in a classroom). Is your program online? If your goal is to achieve your Masters, then apply for any part-time job that will help you meet your needs. Department stores (like Target, Macys, or Wal-Mart for example) usually have needs all year round. If your classes are at night or self-paced, then apply for administrative assistant type jobs in the daytime (if your skills & family life permit you to) as they will pay more, generally.

As to LinkedIn, it is helpful to have your resume created, and reviewed by others, to ensure that your profile highights your skills well. Create an introduction for use in LinkedIn on a Word document and ask others to review it for you (me included) before posting. If you have a strong sense of yourself and can write well then by all means create the profile. The profiles on LinkedIn are changed often by people so what you put up there today, can be edited tomorrow and so on. LinkedIn is a great way to network with others, and find a job as well however it does not replace the value of networking in person (yes, actually face to face). Have a business card created that you can hand out wherever you go and let people know you are seeking employment and that you proudly served.

I am happy to Mentor you during your transition, so please reach out at anytime. Please remember that this will take time, and life happens in the meantime and can take you off course sometimes, and that's OK too. Set realistic goals, and manage your expectations. The desire alone to finish this degree will help you with anything that may sidetrack you along the way so be patient!

Good luck!
Best,
Dr. Kate Nolt :-)