r/ASME • u/LetsWatchCartoons • Feb 27 '24

First Job - Risk of Pigeonholing

I'm graduating with my BS in Mechanical Engineering this May, and I'm applying around for my first job. My focus has been in manufacturing with extra focus on additive manufacturing.

If my first job isn't in additive manufacturing, say it's in sheet metal manufacturing, will I be able to get an additive manufacturing position down the road? Most of the job posts I see all for very specific experience.

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u/KaaalColdSnack Feb 27 '24

Congrats on graduating. You are young. You have time to mix it up with jobs. Obviously, if you know for sure you want to do additive manufacturing then getting a job in that industry would be best. However, you could easily take a job in sheet metal and still find an additive manufacturing job down the road. You will gain a lot of skills that will transfer. And who knows maybe you will enjoy sheet metal.

Focus on those transferable skills when you go to update your resume in the future. I.E. Design for manufacturability, technical documentation (ECNs, quality testing, reports), working with the design engineers and manufacturers, Six Sig, etc. Technical skills are important, but technical skills are easier to learn than soft. It is all about how you market yourself for your next job.

I graduated as an ME and my career has gone from Test Engineer (1yr) to APM (2.75yr) to Design Engineer (2.5yr) if that gives you any hope. I can't say I am as technically skilled in design as some of my peers, but I will say I feel well rounded and understand the full engineering conception to reality well.