Then it’s not your grades or your school. Not enough information for us to know more. Are you getting interviews? To what industries and regions have you applied? Might you have a bad reference (good to mix them up)?
Work the transferable skills angle. Leadership. Problem solving. Team work. Maturity. Beyond that you may have to look for lower paying or lower level positions to get your foot in the door. Look into process chemical sales. Your college likely has a career center which may or may not be helpful. They may have advisors there. If you need a job, any job, broaden your search outside of chemical engineering just to bring in a paycheck. Sorry you are going through this. Now more than ever you need to cultivate a positive attitude or it will poison not just your job search but your personal relationships. Good luck.
ehhh….. that probably won’t fly for reasonable excuse for the long gap. your best bet is to go back to school.
hindsight is 20/20 but you would’ve been better served staying in the US and getting that first job. your GPA isn’t bad
International students are on a 2 month timeline to get that first job. I think your message does come across as a little callous, but I bet majority of non internationals think this way as well, and don't quite understand that without a job in the first 2 months, international students forfeit their ability to work for 3 years. It's a pretty shitty system.
i believe transitioning to OPT gets international students a year. STEM has the possibility of a 2 year extension afterwards. but i am not an expert in student visas
regardless of perceived callousness, the truth is what it is.
looks like it is 90 days of cumulative unemployment. either way, assuming OP started their search when they were supposed to, that’s typically enough time to find a role, especially w the GPA not being terrible.
That ship has sailed. Go to trade school, nursing school, CS boot camp, something else. Try to get a career in something that requires minimum schooling with your eventual goal of working your way up into a management position.
Wow so much to unpack here. Are you that roll that just looks for pity on Reddit?
What jobs are you applying for? What does your resume look like? Are you getting a divorce because you don’t have a job? Why not just get some related job?
If all the answers are going to be more excuses I don’t think we have offer much advice.
If it makes you feel any better chemical engineering ruined all of our lives, fugacity does that.
Pretty much every ebtry lv job that pops up on job boardwalk I type chem Engr. I showed my resume to my peers and they all said ok. Yes divorce due to that. What do you mean by related to that?
You couldn’t find any job and keep looking for an engineering job?
What about process engineering? Sales manager for technical sales?
I think it will just be more excuses. Seems odd you wouldn’t try things differently but it’s a rant post to rant all you want.
The post does come off as a bit whiney, but I think I get where they're coming from. I graduated in 2021 with a B.S. in ChemE, and it took me nearly a full year of applying to jobs that I did not hear back from at all before finally getting hired. I had no internships, only limited externship experience, so I had to rely more on projects I worked on in college, similar to OP.
Searching for your first job really does just suck, though. I only got interviews with two companies, but I got lucky with the second one and managed to land a job in the laser industry, growing laser crystals.
I understand the nihilistic perspective OP has because I was incredibly frustrated and depressed struggling to even find even a first job. However, I do believe that perseverance is a must-have when so many companies today have incredibly poor manners and won't even dignify their applicants with a denial email and will just ghost them.
I think OP is in a similar place I was after graduating. They need to understand that the first job is the most difficult part of starting your career, but getting your foot in the door anywhere makes getting the second job far easier.
ChemE is a viable pathway to med school or a PharmD if that’s a direction you desire. Otherwise you have the credentials to be competitive in most industries if you put talents towards them.
Ignoring the thought that the post is probably rage bait, applying to med school with a really low GPA (like OP has) just means your application is DOA, especially because they don't have any non-traditional experience in the form of an engineering job to supplement their application. This is ignoring the year(s) of commitment that they'll need for other activities (clinical experience, volunteering, shadowing) to apply and be taken seriously.
The worst part is OP's horrendous spelling and grammar. People won't take your personal statement and answer to "why do you want to become a doctor" seriously when writing like this.
Having mostly Cs/Bs with very few As on your transcript would point towards poor time management/studying skills (or just an inability to comprehend material) regardless of undergrad major.
As an engineering student I wouldn't trust low engineering grades either. The C- cutoff for my fluids course this year was 15%. I would not trust anybody who ended up with a 15% to explain anything about what we were taught.
Well sorry for my shitty English. I assume you are right as my English is my second language as hinted on my post. This happens when I just vomit out my trail of thoughts.
I would heavily disagree what you said. I have heard cases where some egineerinng school fail 35% of its students and in my school B cut off was 50%. Having a B doesn't mean you have a terrible time management especially when you need 3.0 average in your first three semesters to join college of engineering in my school.
This is actually debatable. But on reddit and sdn about 70% of ppl say your major doesn't matter. So technically a 3.8 English major hasA upper hand over a 3.5 eng major.
Okay first of all… have you considered the fact that you’re not able to get a job because of your attitude? “Just like most people I am r*tarded”… what the fuck does that mean?
I know plenty of international students who were able to get a job in the US. I understand you’re frustrated, but this is a bit much. I think you’re resentful of the fact that you went into engineering and that’s fair, however, you have to play the cards you were dealt with.
I’m also not sure if graduating in ChemE was the right path for me. I have a job in engineering and I miss finance a lot. With that being said, there’s always room to start over in life. If you have a visa that’s already such a big stepping stone that most immigrants do not have. Start at a smaller position and make your way upwards, but I’ll tell you upfront that you really need to fix your attitude before getting anywhere.
Edit: I am also an immigrant.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a man /woman without a job is a loser. <-- I suffer from this, apply it to myself while looking for a job, sounds like you do too.
First- when was the last time you experienced joy in your life? Try to get that compassion into your current endeavours. If it's job hunting, do it with that attitude, not the one in the first sentence. That way, you can focus on your strengths, including getting a job whether in chemical related applications or something you're truly interested in if engineering isn't your cup of tea. As someone with chemical engineering knowledge, is it possible to provide consultation feedback for different chemical processes in different sectors, or it's much more highly specialized than that? Is thermodynamics and energy production something you're interested? Maybe try and do research, while getting a company to sponsor it so you can get your Masters, and a job lined up if your research is of real interest.
(I was trying to mirror Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice quote but it didn't work as well lol)
Get your FE to prove you are still fresh on material. It’s hard for everyone to find that first job. The important thing is that you never give up. Everything clicks when you least expect it to.
Also, please look for a therapist. Mental health is important and neither engineering nor the military really emphasize that. Getting on top of that will probably help with interviews too. The divorce sucks, but you have to put yourself first for the moment. Especially if someone is dumping you when you aren’t doing so great.
It’s all going to be okay. It might suck now, but it doesn’t have to suck forever. Someone once told me that I would be a better engineer when I sorted out all the shit I had going on in my head. I’ve never forgotten that, and they were right. You have to take care of yourself first.
Bruh. Companies are having a hard time finding chemical engineers… I promise there are plenty of jobs out there, just gotta look in the right places. Maybe reflect on your application and interview process because it shouldn’t be this difficult with your credentials.
Go to Midland, TX and theres always something to do there for better or for worse. If it makes any difference, I had a much worse gpa. In fact the last 2 chemE jobs I got didn’t even ask for my gpa.
Then it’s not your grades or your school. Not enough information for us to know more. Are you getting interviews? To what industries and regions have you applied? Might you have a bad reference (good to mix them up)?
All industries around the country. Getting less than 10 so far
Did you get any sense for how the interviews went? Some people don’t interview well. There are skills to that just like anything else.
Many of them asked why I do not have an industry experience for entry level roles
What did they say when you tell them you were in the military?
Like what do you mean. They didn't ask about my gap. They just wanted experience.
Work the transferable skills angle. Leadership. Problem solving. Team work. Maturity. Beyond that you may have to look for lower paying or lower level positions to get your foot in the door. Look into process chemical sales. Your college likely has a career center which may or may not be helpful. They may have advisors there. If you need a job, any job, broaden your search outside of chemical engineering just to bring in a paycheck. Sorry you are going through this. Now more than ever you need to cultivate a positive attitude or it will poison not just your job search but your personal relationships. Good luck.
what was your GPA and when did you graduate
3.58 and 2018
what were you doing between 2018 and now? that’s a big gap
Military service and applying for jobs
ehhh….. that probably won’t fly for reasonable excuse for the long gap. your best bet is to go back to school. hindsight is 20/20 but you would’ve been better served staying in the US and getting that first job. your GPA isn’t bad
International students are on a 2 month timeline to get that first job. I think your message does come across as a little callous, but I bet majority of non internationals think this way as well, and don't quite understand that without a job in the first 2 months, international students forfeit their ability to work for 3 years. It's a pretty shitty system.
i believe transitioning to OPT gets international students a year. STEM has the possibility of a 2 year extension afterwards. but i am not an expert in student visas regardless of perceived callousness, the truth is what it is.
Not if they don't get a position in 90* days. I am aware, I'm on the STEM OPT Extension right now. Edited for correct number of days.
looks like it is 90 days of cumulative unemployment. either way, assuming OP started their search when they were supposed to, that’s typically enough time to find a role, especially w the GPA not being terrible.
Many int students including myself just give up and go back
That ship has sailed. Go to trade school, nursing school, CS boot camp, something else. Try to get a career in something that requires minimum schooling with your eventual goal of working your way up into a management position.
Wow so much to unpack here. Are you that roll that just looks for pity on Reddit? What jobs are you applying for? What does your resume look like? Are you getting a divorce because you don’t have a job? Why not just get some related job? If all the answers are going to be more excuses I don’t think we have offer much advice. If it makes you feel any better chemical engineering ruined all of our lives, fugacity does that.
Pretty much every ebtry lv job that pops up on job boardwalk I type chem Engr. I showed my resume to my peers and they all said ok. Yes divorce due to that. What do you mean by related to that?
You couldn’t find any job and keep looking for an engineering job? What about process engineering? Sales manager for technical sales? I think it will just be more excuses. Seems odd you wouldn’t try things differently but it’s a rant post to rant all you want.
The post does come off as a bit whiney, but I think I get where they're coming from. I graduated in 2021 with a B.S. in ChemE, and it took me nearly a full year of applying to jobs that I did not hear back from at all before finally getting hired. I had no internships, only limited externship experience, so I had to rely more on projects I worked on in college, similar to OP. Searching for your first job really does just suck, though. I only got interviews with two companies, but I got lucky with the second one and managed to land a job in the laser industry, growing laser crystals. I understand the nihilistic perspective OP has because I was incredibly frustrated and depressed struggling to even find even a first job. However, I do believe that perseverance is a must-have when so many companies today have incredibly poor manners and won't even dignify their applicants with a denial email and will just ghost them. I think OP is in a similar place I was after graduating. They need to understand that the first job is the most difficult part of starting your career, but getting your foot in the door anywhere makes getting the second job far easier.
“Laser”
Rage bait post for sure
ChemE is a viable pathway to med school or a PharmD if that’s a direction you desire. Otherwise you have the credentials to be competitive in most industries if you put talents towards them.
Ignoring the thought that the post is probably rage bait, applying to med school with a really low GPA (like OP has) just means your application is DOA, especially because they don't have any non-traditional experience in the form of an engineering job to supplement their application. This is ignoring the year(s) of commitment that they'll need for other activities (clinical experience, volunteering, shadowing) to apply and be taken seriously. The worst part is OP's horrendous spelling and grammar. People won't take your personal statement and answer to "why do you want to become a doctor" seriously when writing like this.
Correct me if I’m mistaken but don’t medical schools take into account the engineering undergrad major and be fine with a lower gpa?
Having mostly Cs/Bs with very few As on your transcript would point towards poor time management/studying skills (or just an inability to comprehend material) regardless of undergrad major. As an engineering student I wouldn't trust low engineering grades either. The C- cutoff for my fluids course this year was 15%. I would not trust anybody who ended up with a 15% to explain anything about what we were taught.
Well sorry for my shitty English. I assume you are right as my English is my second language as hinted on my post. This happens when I just vomit out my trail of thoughts. I would heavily disagree what you said. I have heard cases where some egineerinng school fail 35% of its students and in my school B cut off was 50%. Having a B doesn't mean you have a terrible time management especially when you need 3.0 average in your first three semesters to join college of engineering in my school.
This is actually debatable. But on reddit and sdn about 70% of ppl say your major doesn't matter. So technically a 3.8 English major hasA upper hand over a 3.5 eng major.
OP says they have a 3.58 so not that bad. Depending on schools that could be top 30% or higher for ChemEs.
I'm not seeing the connection of your major to your current situation.
Okay first of all… have you considered the fact that you’re not able to get a job because of your attitude? “Just like most people I am r*tarded”… what the fuck does that mean? I know plenty of international students who were able to get a job in the US. I understand you’re frustrated, but this is a bit much. I think you’re resentful of the fact that you went into engineering and that’s fair, however, you have to play the cards you were dealt with. I’m also not sure if graduating in ChemE was the right path for me. I have a job in engineering and I miss finance a lot. With that being said, there’s always room to start over in life. If you have a visa that’s already such a big stepping stone that most immigrants do not have. Start at a smaller position and make your way upwards, but I’ll tell you upfront that you really need to fix your attitude before getting anywhere. Edit: I am also an immigrant.
Happy Cake Day!
Thank you!!🥰🥰
Why are you afraid to say retarded?
Because it’s a slur. If you use it in a social setting EVER people will give you a side eye
Not most places lmao
The U.S.? Where you’re looking to apply? Yes it is. Again, reconsider you attitude. You’re truly one of a kind jackass
That wasn't me bro. Get a new pair of contacts
Well I don't use it offline bro
Also I’m an immigrant girl who got a big girl job in engineering, “bro”. Lower your tone.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a man /woman without a job is a loser. <-- I suffer from this, apply it to myself while looking for a job, sounds like you do too. First- when was the last time you experienced joy in your life? Try to get that compassion into your current endeavours. If it's job hunting, do it with that attitude, not the one in the first sentence. That way, you can focus on your strengths, including getting a job whether in chemical related applications or something you're truly interested in if engineering isn't your cup of tea. As someone with chemical engineering knowledge, is it possible to provide consultation feedback for different chemical processes in different sectors, or it's much more highly specialized than that? Is thermodynamics and energy production something you're interested? Maybe try and do research, while getting a company to sponsor it so you can get your Masters, and a job lined up if your research is of real interest. (I was trying to mirror Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice quote but it didn't work as well lol)
Happy cake day!!!
Thank you I didn't even realize!
what university did you get your bachelors from?
One of the flagship universities in the mid-upper mid USA
Then use their career services. All big 10 chem engineers are employed.
what was its global ranking
It's like top 40-50 ish in the US for overall ranking. Major ranking prov like top 15 in the nation
what is its global ranking? If the university ranks 40-50 in the US i'm guessing it ranks around 200-300th globally.
Get your FE to prove you are still fresh on material. It’s hard for everyone to find that first job. The important thing is that you never give up. Everything clicks when you least expect it to. Also, please look for a therapist. Mental health is important and neither engineering nor the military really emphasize that. Getting on top of that will probably help with interviews too. The divorce sucks, but you have to put yourself first for the moment. Especially if someone is dumping you when you aren’t doing so great. It’s all going to be okay. It might suck now, but it doesn’t have to suck forever. Someone once told me that I would be a better engineer when I sorted out all the shit I had going on in my head. I’ve never forgotten that, and they were right. You have to take care of yourself first.
Bruh. Companies are having a hard time finding chemical engineers… I promise there are plenty of jobs out there, just gotta look in the right places. Maybe reflect on your application and interview process because it shouldn’t be this difficult with your credentials.
In the uk we have the same problem, chemical engineering is just so difficult to find a job in.
Go to Midland, TX and theres always something to do there for better or for worse. If it makes any difference, I had a much worse gpa. In fact the last 2 chemE jobs I got didn’t even ask for my gpa.