1

I am a mechanical engineer by education (master's degree). I have been working for 6 years in industry. However, I am beginning to search for a new job.

I work at NASA as an instrumentation engineer. I design opto-mechanical structures (no ray-tracing or heavy optical design), I write software and firmware for embedded applications to read sensor data and analyze data, I integrate sensors and instrumentation into mechanical structures. I am a jack of all trades with what I feel like no "expertise"?

As I begin my new job search, I am having trouble on classifying myself, as one does. My knowledge is a mix of electronics, optics and mechanical engineering. I wish to work on sensor design and integration, including the whole system (data aquisition, sensor capabilities and mechanical integration). So, what would you all say?

I categorize it as a systems, control or test and integration engineer? Thoughts?

Thanks :)

Beaker
  • 11
  • 2
  • 3
    Why do you need to classify yourself at all? Find a job that does what you do. – DKNguyen Sep 28 '21 at 21:50
  • I have an analogous background, originally mechanical and centered around niche precision fluid manipulation, bringing together 3-4 different engineering disciplines. I've tried introducing this as "systems engineer" for a while, but it inevitably requires clarification. If there's a lot of niche detail work to present, systems isn't really accurate, but might lead to more interesting jobs. "Multi-specialist" or "cross-domain specialist" or something like that are possible too. In terms of job apps, all of the above have been good enough to get to the next conversation. After that it depends. – Pete W Sep 28 '21 at 21:55
  • the jack-of-all-trades may be a big plus ... it shows your adaptability – jsotola Sep 28 '21 at 22:12
  • Sensor systems engineer? If you aren't getting a job through who you know, your title matters a whole lot less than getting the right keywords in the resume. – Tiger Guy Sep 28 '21 at 23:52

1 Answers1

1

Instrumentation engineer, with emphasis on optics, controllers, and the other stuff you said. What you described is a great rap sheet for looking for a new job! And definitely emphasize NASA.

I would not say "systems engineer" since in my experience in aerospace that implies someone who works on writing and tracking requirements all day, and you have a ton of hands on experience.

I like being a jack of all trades. Life doesn't get boring, and you end up getting pulled into more projects because somebody thinks, "Hey, we have a complex project coming up, and I know this person has done this type of thing before."

Good luck!

RC_23
  • 791
  • 4
  • 12