Recent Chemical Engineer Grad

[M'egga Wolf]

Hello tribe,

I stumbled across this forum while going through a rabbit hole trying to decide what to do next. I have been lurking for a while & seen some motivating threads. I read a few threads each morning to jump start my day.

As of now, I am in the slowlane. I am currently applying to jobs while working as a high school math teacher. The reason my title is "recent chemical engineer grad" & not "math teacher" is because I took this gig on short notice. Im not too proud of it ( feels like a step back tbh).I didnt land a job before I graduate and the wait game was eating away my savings.

anyways, I totally killed my academic career. I graduated at top 6% of my class, was one of two students awarded representing the entire engineering department, created a design team and won the EPA p3 award ( which will now be passed on to seniors every year). blah blah etc. all that added up to a happy grandma and no career (yet). Of course, my academic peers are salivating for me to join a PhD program. But I don't want to play that game no more.

I want to start becoming financial dependent, I have family to carry. I find myself getting out of the no jobs depressed state. I just need a clear cut goal and create a process to get there. Of course, the goal of me finding the job in my field = slowlane, yet I'm here posting on the fastlane...

So here I am, praying on receiving a job to validate my education and provide for my family V.S. jump into the fast-lane and become more than that.


I feel like the kid on the diving board scared to do a backflip

 

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[ZF Lee]

A job to validate your education?
How about A NEED?

I was discussing a deal with a client, and she was laying out a few problems on training human resource problems.
I proposed a SOLUTION: Create a game to train them.
She was floored.
The deal was struck.

You know what..it wasn't even Fastlane.
That client was my teacher, and we were working on a youth camp.
Yes, I have designed training games.
And they work better than boring seminars or books because they engage all senses.
But well, we Fastlaners have to be resourceful. The Slowlane is not a total waste as we can take the best of our skills from there and build value from there.

Don't just read threads here and there. Get to work!

And I should too

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Jose Maria]

Hello Megga,

I'm Jose, texting from Madrid, Spain.

As soon as I read your text I felt identified with you. I am currently in the same situation as you were 2 years ago.

I will finish my chemical engineering degree by the end of June of this year.

Last summer I did an internship working with British Petroleum and didn't enjoy the job at all.

I always wanted to start my own business but I have a strong lack of people supporting me. I am not sure about where is the future of chemical engineering moving towards. I think all the fields related to energy storage and batteries will keep growing up. Recycling (South America) is also a hot topic.

I would like to surround me with creative people as I am, from different countries and share ideas and possible business ideas to carry on with them.

I would be glad to get any help, thanks for your time guys!!

 

[GoGetter24]

I want to start becoming financial dependent, I have family to carry. I find myself getting out of the no jobs depressed state. I just need a clear cut goal and create a process to get there.

How wide are you willing to look?

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

So here I am, praying on receiving a job to validate my education and provide for my family V.S. jump into the fast-lane and become more than that.

Have you read the books? I'm just asking because people use the word "Fastlane" as if it were an event -- something to do, something to try. It is not. It starts from the head and grows from there.

Welcome and thanks for the intro.

 

[GoGetter24]

Just as a fastlane tidbit on this:

I once met a guy who was in the oil space, who used to get transferred by his company all around the world as his work came needed at the company's various offices (I can't remember the specialty, but he had to personally go out to the wells).

So he figured "I spend all this time in these places then leave, and I've got this spare income, why not buy my apartment when I go to a place, and then rent it out when I leave?" Automatic diversification too.

He then moved on to contracting (doubling his income), and accelerated this process even more.

When I met him he was mid 30s and rich. MJ puts it perfectly: it's centrally mindset. As long as you have the bigger picture and a passive income target in your mind, you're not stuck in the slowlane, you're just warming up before a lane change.

 

[Real Deal Denver]

Last summer I did an internship working with British Petroleum and didn't enjoy the job at all.

Jobs exist so you can do the things you enjoy. The better the job, the more money you make, and the more you have to enjoy life. (Unless you like working - can happen - I had two jobs in the past that I really loved.)

But jobs and enjoyment usually don't work well together in the same sentence. Work and jobs do usually go together. That's why they pay you the big bucks, I'm told. (I'm excluding being the "owner" intentionally.)

With that said - what was so bad about your job?

 

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[Kak]

@GPM

Of course, the goal of me finding the job in my field = slowlane, yet I'm here posting on the fastlane...

Why does this HAVE to be your goal? Just curious. Life is full of choices, YOU need to choose, not anyone, but you. The goal can be anything.

Go drive uber at night and build something in the daytime. Hell, you can even make it chemical related

 

[GPM]

Are you still around @M'egga Wolf?

There is lots of opportunity in the chemical world without needing a 9-5...