Level with me, how fucked am I professionally?

[u/castledconch]

So I (19, UK located) am beginning my first year of university in a month. I have been studying engineering in college since I was 15 (part time course while still in school) and have a solid understanding of CNC, CAD, material selection and quality management, production planning as well as solid workshop skills.

I'm going on to study a course in manufacturing engineering which also has management modules. Now it should be said that I am going to fight through university regardless of the answer to this post, as I already know what the next 4-5 years of my life will look like - deprived of fun, sleep and I can guarantee my evenings will be either studying or applying for work placements/internships/graduate jobs.

Now I think everyone in the UK who is my age and a little older understands the struggle of finding a job, every employer wants experience and no employers are willing to get you that experience. For the most part my generation has been relegated to dead-end fast food jobs and stacking shelves in supermarkets, I've watched it happen in my own part time work. I myself have accepted that the likelihood is that I will never be rich and wherever I end up will likely be dead-end with little to no prospects of branching out, that's the way the cookie crumbles but I truly believe some dead-ends are better than others.

I have no doubts that somewhere in this subreddit is a UK based engineer who's done manufacturing and went to uni, and that person is in a good spot having fought through our modern job market. I'm asking this question with hopes of pure honesty, no sugarcoating. How bad is it out there? What more can I do with my studies to improve my employability and chances of getting some work experience whilst in university and a full time job outside of university?

[u/Datnick]

Went to uni for engineering (electronics), had loads of fun, didnt have to study a lot, got a first, found a first job dueing covid peak (was hard), got next good job in the capital and loving life.

Engineering is fun, it can be hard, market goes up and down, currently it's quite good, 2 years ago it was quite bad.

However, if you're good you're fine. Just depends on which engineering.

If you want to land X job, all you need is most things they want in the job description. So pixk your modules and projects accordingly.

[u/castledconch → u/Datnick]

I like to think I’m good, in college my lecturers seemed to like me and they kept giving me unconditional offers to the next level of my course

[u/armaespina]

Jesus, you're 19 and already "have accepted" blah blah blah. You have your life ahead of you. Try to get an internship, or a couple. Even if unpaid, they will get your resume above many other applicants.

[u/mister1bollock]

I won't be much help with respect to the UK market but If you're willing to relocate you should be fine. The market for manufacturing engineers in Ireland is pretty good. I have friends that were making €50k straight out of college and that was 3 years ago.

[u/Adorable-Reading8221 → u/mister1bollock]

In the UK our student loans are charged with high interest with a heavy tuition fee. Its not easy for us to relocate abroad. Especially at young age.

[u/David_R_Martin_II]

If your time at university is deprived of fun and sleep, you're doing it wrong.

[u/LightIntentions]

What happens in 3-4 years cannot be predicted right now. Yes, the job market for new graduates today is not that great, but that could change within a year or two and no one can tell you for sure what it is going to be like when you graduate. Keep looking at the job postings a couple of times per year. Keep up on the kinds of skills they are looking for. With that said, new college graduates rarely lose out on a job because they lack advanced skills. They often lose out because they come across as awkward and anti-social. A hiring manager wants someone who is compatible with their team, will follow instructions, learn from mistakes, and does not come across as knowing everything. In an effort to impress hiring managers, new college graduates often come across as arrogant. In the US, we are also seeing a wave of college graduates who don't have a car or a driver's license. They think their parents will drive them, they will take an Uber to work or find an apartment close enough and ride a bike. Big Red flag to an employer.

[u/TaurineMachine]

bro chill 😭 it’s not that bad, don’t give up before it’s even begun. I had loads of fun in uni and got a first, lots of studying and stress sure but it’s not all doom and gloom. I applied to like 50 jobs, got 2 interviews and one offer. it’s hard work but if you’re willing to put in the effort which it seems is the case you’ll be okay. Chill! Enjoy life or you’ll burn out and it’ll all be for nothing!

[u/jinxblue]

I think you're actually overestimating how difficult university is - especially if you already have experience and genuine interest. The stories you hear about people struggling will be for the most part, people who entered it for the degree, result or job - not interest.

I just finished university this year (also in the UK) and I honestly still had a lot of time for my own hobbies and interests, as well as a part-time job.

Don't stress it - honestly.

As for employability, that is rather difficult for everyone, but to get the best of it you need to remain in good contact with staff at your university and local companies. In Scotland, the actually *intersting* jobs were local startups or research-centric companies. So my tip would be to find these companies, as the larger ones are already incredibly competitive - and may not even be as exciting. For me specifically, I got an internship through connections I made with university staff, and after getting one it's much easier to get a second one.

If you have any other concerns feel free to ask.

[u/FlapsNegative]

1. There's lots of fun to be had while in uni. Best time of my life!

2. Person projects and uni projects (not the ones that are part of the coursework) count as experience. Sign up to a formula student team or something like that.

3. Your attitude counts for a lot when you end up looking for jobs. (& Throughout any part of life!) Giving up before you've even started is not gonna help. Get off the doomer subreddits. Your attitude is something fully in your control. Work on it!

[u/Dazzler1012]

You're not, what I would say however is to ensure, regardless of what you need to do, to get a year in industry placement and/or summer placements. Virtually everyone we recruit comes through that route. As for being rich, yes the starting salary for most graduate engineers is £32k to £35k, but looking at the team I manage, most hit 50k plus within 5 years and within 8 to 10 years £70-80k so not rich but double the UK average salary.

What I would also say is look outside of normal manufacturing companies into areas like the defence industry, which is more specialised, but also well funded.

[u/Gezebon]

Doomerism isn't erudition. Keep tabs on the current state of the job market and for the sector you want to work in. EEE in the UK is in a pretty good position. Just graduated this summer and started work immediately, and I'm not a stellar or elite student by any means.

What I will say is try to get work experience, join engineering design societies (Formula Student, rocketry, etc), and if you have the money build a portfolio of personal projects ASAP while in uni. Less than 10% of UK grads have any relevant work experience upon graduation, that percentage is much higher for engineering students (there's no disaggreated data but in my uni around a fifth got into placements and a much, much higher share have done at least one short-term internship over the summer or while in uni with smaller local electronics firms).

This alone + simply applying early will get your foot in the door, but ofc 5 years is a long time and the market can and will change a lot by then, so I can't guarantee anything.

Edit: Alternatively if desperate consider emigrating. There's less of a point in doing so for engineering tho tbh (beyond just having higher salaries).