Am I confused about my career?
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I majored in computer science; I worked as a high school teacher for 3 years and now work as an instrumentation and control engineer at a petrochemical storage company. I have been working in the field of instrument automation for 5 years, and I hold a certificate as a network engineer as well as a certificate as a chemical instrumentation technician. However, since my company is not a production-oriented enterprise, there isn’t much opportunity to work with instrumentation and control systems. I applied for jobs at several chemical and refining companies, but they all rejected me because they felt my knowledge was insufficient; I wasn’t successful in any of those attempts. If an individual wants to develop professionally, they must switch to a manufacturing-oriented company to gain experience, but no one wants to hire them. Ironically, one of the companies I interviewed said that their computer-related positions would be perfect for me, but I don’t want to pursue a career in computing. What should I do? Please give me some advice! !
It seems they graduated in 2004 or 2005; they’re around my age. Back then, computer science was still a popular major in universities, and I almost spent money to switch to that major (but in the end I stayed in chemical engineering). The instruments used in factories don’t seem that complicated, so why is it such a hard time to get an interview? If that doesn’t work, one could try working for a construction company and work on engineering projects – it’s a good way to gain experience.
Suddenly I realized that everyone in this field works with instruments; it’s frustrating – not high enough in status, nor low enough. Ugh