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Bluben wrote:Here goes,

I really hate my job right now. Im an engineer, but my job is one that a trained monkey can do. There is no learning or growing going on here and when i asked my manager for training, she responded by saying "this is not college, im not here to teach you what you need to know." Most of what i do is fill out spreadsheets and i see 50 yr olds doing the same thing i am doing. So once i hit the 2 year mark in June I am peacing out. Money factors into my decision because I dont have any big savings, have some loans left over from undergrad, around $20k, and I would expect to make more as a patent lawyer than i am making as an engineer.

Option 1:
Go to Chicago-Kent with $20k/yr scholly, no stipulations. (Tuition = around $40k/yr and living expenses i hear are around $20k/yr)
Pros
-Ive never been to chicago but i imagine i will love it, as i love every large city ive ever been to. Will visit in two weeks.
-I would do patent law, which they have reputation for.
-i can possibly negotiate to $30k scholly against a UNH scholly.
Cons
-I have no clue whatsoever as to how Kent has been placing IP graduates when it comes to patent attorney jobs
-Will a job as a patent lawyer leave me feeling like I'm doing the job of a trained monkey? I do love reading about, and working with, new technology though.

Option 2
Take a job that a friends dad offered me.
Pros:
-Will pay around $85k/yr which is about a $20k/yr pay raise for me.
-Comes with production bonuses, so around $5k/yr
-Includes a pension
-I would be workign operations at a chemical plant, which is something I've done before and know i enjoy.
-If it doesnt work out, I can retake and ED to UVA after a couple of years (well, you know what i mean).
Cons:
-Its a freaking chemical plant in Houston. Hot, sweaty, tough work
-Its 50 miles outside of Houston, so I'd probably end up driving 100 miles/day because there is no way in hell i'd live in suburbs.
-I would feel like im being complacent rather than making a big move and doing something completely different, and i am a rather adventurous fella.

fragged wrote:Don't ask questions like this on TLS forums or you will (likely) get responses like the one above. No one can answer this but you because no one can quantify exactly how unhappy you currently are and/or how much happier/unhappier you will be at a new job.

Remember, quitting one job to take a new one is like dumping your ex and then immediately finding a new girlfriend. Sure, things are great at first - but then you realize she has a WHOLE NEW set of issues. Pretty soon your ex starts looking pretty good again.

My only advice is to think long term - what you want to be doing 10-15 years from now, not 2-3 years from now.

fragged wrote:Don't ask questions like this on TLS forums or you will (likely) get responses like the one above. No one can answer this but you because no one can quantify exactly how unhappy you currently are and/or how much happier/unhappier you will be at a new job.

Remember, quitting one job to take a new one is like dumping your ex and then immediately finding a new girlfriend. Sure, things are great at first - but then you realize she has a WHOLE NEW set of issues. Pretty soon your ex starts looking pretty good again.

My only advice is to think long term - what you want to be doing 10-15 years from now, not 2-3 years from now.

Bluben wrote:Thanks everyone. This is great advice, and you all are pointing light to something that I already kind of knew but didnt want to accept.

stratocophic wrote:Take the job. I repeat. Take. The. Job. Go to law school in 2 years or so - shoot for NU or UVA, but for now take the job. It very likely pays as much as or more than you'd make coming out of Kent. No disrespect to the school - I'd tell you the same thing if you were considering WUSTL or ND.

ajr wrote:I'm always surprised by the admiration for engineering/ business careers on this forum Having worked for 8 years in engineering, I can totally see OP's point. I don't see many happy people in engineering after 4-5 years of WE. The money is ok, but it tops out, and the excitement is usually zlich.

fatduck wrote:

ajr wrote:I'm always surprised by the admiration for engineering/ business careers on this forum Having worked for 8 years in engineering, I can totally see OP's point. I don't see many happy people in engineering after 4-5 years of WE. The money is ok, but it tops out, and the excitement is usually zlich.

have you seen the grass over there? it's totally greener.

howell wrote:Another suggestion. Take the Patent Bar, get a job as a patent agent, and then see if IP is what you want to do. If so, then you know, and you can either shoot for a better school or a part-time option somewhere and take on much less debt. I had thought about doing IP/patent stuff before I came to law school, but really finding out what was involved in patent prosecution completely divested me of that interest. Much easier to find that out from dropping a couple of grand (or less) on a prep course, a couple of months of part-time studying, and taking the patent bar than pushing 6 figures of law school debt and giving up 3 years of your life.

You also might end up living in the suburbs in Houston. It is a VERY different city with very few residential areas downtown. There are walkable communities in the suburbs. Definitely find someone who really knows that town to help you figure out what life would be like there.