r/ECE • u/PhilosophicalCPU • 1d ago

CAREER Should I pursue field application?

I feel like I graduated with my EE degree but I failed in my career because I couldn't get an internship. One of my good friend is making 120k+ in Santa Clara while I'm here 4 months unemployed post grad. I didn't get an internship or anyone to call me back, despite having good projects on my resume. I am studying for my FE exam because I think I want to get into power but even then, I can't find entry level jobs in power that would go through with my application. They always "moved on to another candidate that better suits their needs".

Anyways, I did have a recruiter call me a few days ago for a position that is more field application engineer. It's more people focused (sales focused) and I am fine with that i guess. But it isn't something like working at Apple (or any other big company) as a hardware engineer, like I wanted to.

Any advice? I will continue to go through with whatever I have in front of me but I feel really defeated seeing people post here about how they have internships for these great companies, my friends having roles at companies that match what they studied for, and everyone else moving forward in their career and actually making use of their EE degrees...

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u/morto00x 1d ago

FAEs are usually problem solvers. They are sent out by the company when a customer is having trouble using their products. The type of work will vary a lot depending on the company and the product. OTOH, you're unemployed without any other offers. What's the point of this question?

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u/PhilosophicalCPU 1d ago

I don’t know if it’s a good place to start. Sure, I’m unemployed. But would getting my FE certification and continuing to apply for power related jobs the better option? I feel that the ship has sailed for me to get into the fun technical jobs in the Bay Area. Next option is working in power, but I’m not getting called for that either.

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u/DownloadableCheese 1d ago

the ship has sailed for me to get into the fun technical jobs

You're a new grad. The ship absolutely hasn't sailed.

General advice: I've gotten way more job offers over the years while employed than while unemployed. Get a job, any (engineering) job, and then leave when you find something better. You can be more selective once your bills are paid.

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u/faceagainstfloor 1d ago

4 months post grad I would take anything I could get. Once you have a job and steady employment you can transition into those careers you want through networking or graduate school. FAE is a pretty fun job too and I wouldn’t look down on it.

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u/nicknooodles 1d ago

gunna be honest, FAE is glorified customer support. Pay is decent but you simply won’t do a lot of hands on design work.