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Career decision

bassist11

bassist11

Jul 14, 2009
95
4
Grand Forks, North Dakota
#1
I'm at a crossroads with jobs and am having a hard time deciding. I'm guessing a lot of people here have made similar decision so here it is..

I currently live in Grand Forks, ND and work hourly in the aviation field, specifically unmanned aviation. I've been graduated for about a year now but have been working the same job since before graduation so this will be my first "big" salaried gig.

I currently have two options as follows.

Option A -- stay in Grand Forks and get salaried for a decent amount. I'd be doing work that is not the most exciting but will be great networking for me. Other bonuses include cheap living, free tuition at UND (I could finish a degree or get a masters), and I'm part of a band that gigs around town once in a while. Drawbacks are Grand Forks sucks is small and doesn't have much to offer..

Option B -- move to Hood River, OR for an internship at an aircraft manufacturer. I'd be getting paid less hourly than I do now and won't be guaranteed a job afterwards. Bonuses include getting out and exploring my career field a little more and a much more beautiful area of the country to live in.

So basically I can get paid more or get a new exciting experience in a beautiful area of the country is the way I see it.
 
#2
Way I see it, the economy is still recovering, so I'd be playing the safer option at the moment.

You say you've graduated, then mention that you could finish a degree, what have you graduated with? I'd go with the option that'll let you finish your education.

Can't comment on the specific field, but generally an undergraduate or postgraduate degree + working experience at a company is going to help you more than just an internship alone.
 
#3
I graduated with a B.S. and a minor in engineering so I could finish my engineering degree or get a masters in something else. The engineering degree would be super helpful down the road.

The internship is really an odd thing. For that particular company, it's really the only way to get a foot in the door. Their normal job openings require large amounts of experience so the only way for a new grad to get a job there is to take an internship and hopefully get hired at the end.
 
#4
An engineering degree wouldn't do you any harm, that's for sure.

While internships can give good experience, they can often only be really helpful for working within the company that gave the internship. Experience where you are working now plus extra qualifications (which will be recognised throughout the industry and across borders) would be the better career choice (again, in my opinion).

Granted, this is talking careers. Sometimes the best career option isn't the best life option.
 
#5
I'm confused. You say you could stay in ND and finish a degree, but you already have a degree?

From what you are saying, you are being offered a foot in the door at a place you would like to work. You would sacrifice some security and some current income for that opportunity. I have been accused of being a risk seeking missile at times, so take this for what it is worth, but that decision would be a no-brainer for me. How fast can you get to Oregon?
 
#16
As a profesional working in a multinational corporation , one woman, four kids and a mortgage to paid, all I can say is: SHOW ME THE MONEY..... Option A: Get the good salary, save the money, get the master ,gain experience ..move somewhere else where you get more paid...yeah I sound like a prostitute but it is
what it is baby.

PS: Then join the mediocre player with expensive gear club :D
 
#18
Aviation is a rough field (BTDT).
The economy is really hurting GA and it is a continuous thrash of merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, layoff, and uncertainty. Very few people -need- private aircraft and they are expensive to own, operate, and maintain.
In military and commercial aircraft it's dog-eat-dog with Boeing vs Airbus.
In the closing days of the C-17 development McDonnell-Douglas (since acquired by Boeing - do you see the theme here?) laid off 8,000 engineers at the Douglas Aircraft Company facility in Long Beach alone. I was working at a different McDonnell company at the time, but did some C-17 avionics development just the same. I saw the handwriting on the wall and lined up a consulting/contract job in another field right before the big wave of résumés flooded the market.

Oregon is beautiful country, especially the Hood River and Willamette valleys - but I could not advise hitching my wagon to a career in aviation unless you really loved it above all else and were willing to travel a bumpy ride (including time in less-beautiful places, like Wichita).

Cheap living and free tuition? You are making me jealous... There's something to be said about being the big fish in a small pond...
 
#19
With an existing BS, take a one year accelerated nursing program (RN). Then, make $60k/year working only 3 days a week. You'll never want for a job, and can move anywhere in the country you want and easily get employment. did i mention most of your co-workers will be female?

I guess I'm partial having two semesters until I finish my nursing degree.
 
#20
I can see Hood River from my back window and know quite a few of the UAV players around here -- many are actually on this side of the river. PM me if you want to talk specifics about the internship or the Gorge. People take intern gigs in many different fields in order to get a foot in the door out here.
 

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