After 9 years in a Class A hospital, what are the career prospects in process design?
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Since graduating with my master’s degree, I have worked at a Class A design firm for 9 years, always in the process design department. My main task has been to take the process packages and convert them into construction drawings. I have participated in several large-scale projects; I was very motivated for the first few of them, but the pay was low. I initially thought it was to gain experience, and I’m still working on such projects today – the workload remains the same as before – but the pay is extremely low. The job is stable, but the low income makes it difficult to stay motivated. Others have advised me to change jobs, to stop working in design and instead work on projects at factories, so as to gain some experience in construction and factory operations. I think this is a good idea – having both design experience as well as experience in on-site construction and factory management would be quite helpful for my future development. What do you all think of this idea? Are there any colleagues who share the same thoughts as me?
It’s better to forget about it; it will be very difficult to go back to the design institute after being at the factory. In China, design work stays confined to the design institutes, and it’s almost impossible for people from factories to get into those institutes, which leads to a disconnect between design and production. This situation has existed for ages
One can pursue a career path that goes from the person in charge of the specialty to the design manager and then to the project manager; but it’s better not to go to the factory – starting from scratch, one will still not be able to match the skills of an operator with 3–4 years of experience.
For some jobs that require insight, rather than wasting time on them, it’s better to find another path that suits one’s own abilities.
It’s better not to try it if you don’t understand the technical processes.
You can definitely go to the production site to attend the project kickoff when it starts. That’s experience. Hehe, it’s a bit awkward for you to switch from design to production work. If you start with production and then move on to design, there’s no problem with that. You’ve been working in design for 9 years, and to be honest, many things remain superficial. When you then switch to production work, it’s very difficult to reconcile the contradictions between your mindset, what you know, and your actual job responsibilities. It will be you who suffers in the future.
In my experience, after graduating I worked as an operator at a phosphoric acid plant; later I moved to a small design firm. The projects at that firm were varied, and it was there that I encountered situations similar to those described by the original poster. After that, I participated in the construction of a spice factory, but in the end I returned to a Class A design firm. In my opinion, simply focusing on design is indeed insufficient in many ways. However, unless one can master the operation of a particular device, it’s impossible to understand all its details; and mastering such operation really takes at least three months. Therefore, it is recommended that unless the original poster has a particular passion for this industry, it’s better not to get into it – the investment of time and effort does not yield a proportional return at all!
Mainly, I’m not satisfied with my work as a designer. In my own words, my boss really doesn’t like me; he often makes me upset. It’s extremely frustrating to work in such conditions. I really want to do my job well, but constantly being annoyed ruins my mood and takes away my motivation to work
The poster can get in touch with me. We are an environmental protection company that specializes in environmental protection design and construction related to coking plants; we are looking for designers. WeChat: 13854885298