Engineer
(Male, Age 25) from Kaneohe, HI
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Male aged 25 who works as a Engineer in Kaneohe, HI. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Engineer |
|---|---|
| Salary | $50,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 50 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Kaneohe, HI |
| Years Experience | 2 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
Medium fir with about 20 people. Privately owned Mechanical Consulting firm.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I provide Mechanical Engineering consulting for new construction and building retrofits.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
Medical, Transportation, Vacation
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
Slightly under compensated
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes. I work some of the time with others and some of the time independently. I generally enjoy working as a team but also enjoy working on my own.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Main office. I like having all the resources available but I dislike the time it takes to go to and from work.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 2
Hours: 5
Co-Workers: 6
Supervisors: 3
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 7
The Actual Work: 4
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | Check email and reply to anything important. Usually my day starts at 7:30 am but if I have an important project due I may come in earlier. |
| 8am to 9am | Weekly meeting with office staff happens on Monday to assign projects and project teams. Other days this time may be spent doing visits to construction sites or work at the office. |
| 9am to 10am | This is also a prime time for construction site visits or inspections. These inspections involve walking through partially constructed buildings and inspecting work to ensure it is being carried out as we designed it. |
| 10am to 11am | After returning from site visits, reports need to be written. We report on the progress of the work related to air-conditioning and other mechanical systems as well as report any deficiencies in the ongoing work. |
| 11am to 12pm | A great deal of our day is spent in the office working on designs. We come up with concepts for air-conditioning and plumbing systems based on what the customer wants for their buildings. Much of our work is similar to previous jobs performed so we can refer to our previous successfully completed jobs as reference. |
| 12pm to 1pm | LUNCH. This time is also a time when vendors occasionally stop by our office and present their products. They usually bring lunch for us and in return, we listen to them present their products which we may want to specify for future jobs. These vendors include air-conditioning companies to water faucet companies and many others. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Usually meetings with clients and/or work partners happen around this time. We work together with architects and engineers of other disciplines (civil, electrical) to complete most projects. Large projects are headed by architects and general contractors. They will be the ones to organize meetings and set the schedule for the design team. The architect or contractor is also our link to the customer as we don’t have much direct contact with the customer when an architect is involved. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Every day’s events are different so what has been described thus far could be assigned to any time period during the day. One of the most important skills to have as an engineer is the ability to read and understand technical data written by manufacturers whose products we advise using. We are liable for anything we direct to be used in construction and it is important that we understand the correct application of each item we recommend. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Another skill we use constantly is report writing. By the time an engineer has finished college most will have little problem with calculations involved in the day to day job but being able to present your ideas is extremely important. As a consulting engineer, our job is to provide a professional product to the customer and if our reports are not well written then our professionalism will not be evident. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Finish work for the day. Tie up all loose ends and send out any projects that need to go out for the day. The last primary skill for my job is the ability to present ideas visually through computerized drawings or just a simple sketch. It is true that a picture speaks volumes and engineers have to have some drawing ability to be able to efficiently present their ideas. |
| 5pm to 6pm | OFF. Some days I will have to stay late but this is not an everyday occurance. |
| 6pm to 7pm | OFF |
| 7pm to 8pm | OFF |
| 8pm to 9pm | OFF |
| 9pm to 10pm | OFF |
| 10pm to 11pm | OFF |
| 11pm to 12am | OFF |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Referral while in school
What was the application process?
submitted resume
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. Casual one on one interview in which I knew almost right away that I would have the job.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I don’t remember
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
No. I am learning on the fly which often hinders my ability to perform well under pressure.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
NO.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Somewhat although my degree did not focus on this particular area of engineering. It didgive me some of the skills necessary for my job
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
Does not apply
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Must have the appropriate degree and then accepting a temporary internship would be helpful.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Must have strong analytical skills and be skilled in math and physical sciences. Must be able to relate well to people and solve problems.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Absolutely.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Go get a degree first and if you can handle the education you can probably handle the job.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes. I think I could use this to go in a number of directions.
What are your current career goals?
Provide what family needs. Become completely competent in my field. Possibly start my own firm one day.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
no
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | nuclear engineer | 6 months | 60000 | Nuclear engineer with navy. Serviced nuclear reactors on submarines. |
| Prior Job 2 | Intern | 6 months | $10 per hour | I was an intern at a local Mechanical Engieering consulting firm for 6 months where I did calculations, design drawings and other menial tasks while I was a student. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.8
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.1 | Univ. of Hawaii | B.S. Mechanical Engineering |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
na | na | na |
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