Newbie’s troubles
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Graduated in 2014 with a regular bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering. During my final year, I worked at a small chemical factory while working on my graduation project. Sadly, my job involved performing statistical tasks in the factory’s workshop, while my graduation project required the use of ASPEN software – something that even my supervisor didn’t understand... From February 2014 to June 2014, I alternated between working at the school’s factory and attending classes; the factory was within easy reach by bus. I also tried to pass the civil service exam, but I was one of 22 candidates competing for just 7 spots, and I didn’t make it to the interview stage... In June, I resigned and returned to school to defend my thesis. The process went fairly well, but during the defense, the examiner asked a question related to a field I wasn’t familiar with, leaving me stunned. I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t know anything about it... In the end, I scored around 70 points, which wasn’t even considered a passing grade... It was disappointing. After resting at home for a few days, I joined the company where I work now. The boss is a friend of my family, and it’s a small company, so I got the job after a mere formality. It’s a Taiwanese-owned company with very low salaries. My job involves process design; I mostly sit in the office without much to do, as there are hardly any business trips. Starting from October 2014, I spent three months on construction sites, working alongside mechanical engineers. After that, I returned to the office to continue doing the same routine tasks... After working there for over a year, I hadn’t done any actual design work – I merely helped my supervisor revise drawings and translate documents. I felt that I wasn’t adding any value, and I wanted to leave, but I couldn’t find a reason. On one hand, I didn’t want to disappoint my family, and on the other hand, I wasn’t sure what I would do if I left... The company operates more like a branch of its Taiwanese headquarters – there aren’t many employees, and I’ve never been given independent projects to work on... So, there’s nothing much to say about benefits either... Sometimes I ask myself what I really want to do, but I can’t come up with an answer. It’s frustrating... Nonsense aside, I don’t even know what I’m talking about
There will be times of confusion; just leave it to time! I’m confused too, you know?
Thoughts determine the direction, and mindset determines success or failure!
What’s wrong? Tell me
Find a wife quickly, have kids, and you won’t have any worries. We welcome you to participate actively in the events – wealth and tangible rewards are waiting for you! Not only weird ideas can be shared; interesting ones can also be posted~ Not only pictures are allowed, but drawings as well~ “Fun Chemical Engineering” ★★Coming in big style★★ Season 2 of [Chemical Engineering Processes]: the “Weird vs. Interesting” design sharing event http://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-1419966-1-1.html Fun Chemical Engineering ★★Coming in big style★★ Season 2 of [Chemical Engineering Processes]: the “Weird vs. Interesting” design sharing event – Summary post http://bbs.hcbbs.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1420010
Actions can change a person’s mindset.
I graduated 10 years ago; I chose a operational position at first and have been working shifts ever since. I’ve tried hard, I’ve gone crazy, and I’m still working shifts now; I really envy you. As for leaving? It might not sound very pleasant, but within less than a year of learning, you’re left to do menial tasks everywhere. If you’re really interested, take the opportunity to listen more to the vendor’s suggestions and recommendations, such as suddenly replacing a certain device, altering a pipe, or switching to ED lights, etc. In summary, this is enough to help me build professional skills over a considerable period of time. There are also many **standards** and professional books available; I can go through a few pages of them in just one day. I really envy you; I’m not that lucky. I made a mistake at the start, and now no one wants me
At the beginning of my career in design, I was very confused. It was the same when I graduated in 2012; the first thing I heard upon arriving at the company was that it took process engineers a long time to develop their skills – around seven or eight years. This was different from civil engineering, where people could work on several projects before they could handle projects on their own. I really believed that for the first half of my time there, I was just doing trivial tasks every day – basically doing nothing more than printing drawings or looking through files. I hadn’t even been sent on any business trips yet. Around the middle of that 13th year, I felt that I should learn something, so I started reading books. At that time, I didn’t know what standards and specifications to look for. In the 14th year, I accidentally came across Haichuan Network (not trying to promote it here); I saw that there were many talented people there, both those in design and those involved in actual production. I took some time to browse the site, and after that, feeling unsatisfied, I registered an account and started answering the daily questions posted there. This served as a way to force myself to keep learning. I also downloaded many standards and specifications as well as tutorials on how to use various software. In fact, I think when it comes to design, one shouldn’t rush; one needs to stay calm and learn slowly. Even if you learn a little bit every day, over time that knowledge will become a valuable asset. By then, once you’ve grown up, it will be much easier to change companies. The above are purely personal opinions
Thank you for your reply. I referred to many resources from Haichuan while working on my graduation project. To be honest, one of the diagrams used in the project was provided by an expert on the forum. There are already so many aspects that need to be taken into account in the design... I can’t go on listing them
It’s no big deal. I just came in to help a colleague edit some images, and he told me to add the valves that were missing from the images. I had no idea where those valves should be, as I didn’t know which parts required valves at all. He then asked me if I had any training in chemical engineering; well, it was really embarrassing and shameful. Since then, I’m no longer afraid of looking stupid; if I don’t know something, I just ask. If my colleagues can’t help me, I search online – there are always kind people willing to assist. Knowledge is acquired through accumulation over time. Now I even dare to say no to my colleagues sometimes. For example, there was a small issue with PID earlier; he asked me why the dimensions weren’t indicated as the larger end first and then the smaller end. I replied that the specifications state that regardless of direction, it should always be the larger nominal diameter followed by the smaller nominal diameter. Once you know this, you can walk with your head held high.