Securing your first job as an engineer is hard. Given that you have no prior experience in the field, it will take some time before you find a company which sees your potential and hone it for the mutual benefit. And when that happens, you think that the struggles are over and it will be smooth sailing from there.
That is where you got it all wrong.
Engineers are bound to feel a little unsure about their first jobs no matter how they think they prepared for it. It is part of the process.
As a newbie, there is always something you do not know about. Lots of room for learning.
Along the way, you will be challenged, sometimes thinking about quitting especially if you are faint-hearted. Or perhaps the engineering work is not within your expectations.
But here’s what I want to tell you: your first job as an engineer does not define your entire career.
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It might be that you are miserable in your first few weeks as an engineer, but know that the beginning is always the hardest. Allow yourself to learn from your co-engineers and bosses amid all struggles, failures, and even successes.
Do not beat yourself up just because your life now isn’t what you had imagined it to be. You are new to the field – value learning all technical and soft skills that will make you a better engineer.
It helps that you build a mental wall around your workplace so you still live a life outside of work. You still have a personal life, remember that.
Do not be a slave of your own company and remember to take a break, or else you will get tired soon.
To give up on your dream as an engineer is quite easy. That is what unsuccessful people do. But it is the will and determination that is what separates those who reach the pinnacle of their successes.
Do not give up from the start just because things are hard. Do not lose sight of your end goal and instead come up with an action plan. That is how you overcome this struggle.
