The Job/Role

Engineering was my 3rd different functional area I worked in while at Superior Recreational Products. The role of an Engineer in the mechanical, civil, and the like sense requires a degree in that field of study. As I did not have a degree but was doing work within the department to a lesser extent that those that were graduates, I had the title of Engineering Assistant. The main responsibility could be summed up as producing documentation to be used by the shop floor to produce product. This was primarily for metal fabricated structures, indoor playgrounds, and water slides. I also had administrative tasks of making sure things like Bill of Materials were accurate so that correct parts were ordered and inventory would be appropriately allocated. I got my introduction into this role because during the time of an Enterprise Resource Planning software implementation there wasn't any one individual in engineering department that knew the specifics for product that was distributed from a building I worked in. Having worked on the floor for years and installed structures many times, I had the advantage of knowing granular details that would be needed. After the project came to completion I stayed on as part of the team in the supportive role of Engineering Assistant.

What I learned

This was one of those times in life where you face an uncomfortable amount learning needed to accomplish a task or set of tasks. Although it is an uncomfortable time, the amount of growth gained by being forced in a sense to expand is a fantastic reward. I gained a girth of tangible skills, specifically with data manipulating in Excel. I also learned concepts that are specific to engineering software. During this time I was also attending a technical college for drafting, so I was introduced to software such as AutoCAD and Solidworks, and ideas like parameteric modeling. During the software implementation I worked at a small conference room table with a team of about 6 people, and I learned how to work very well with a tight knit team of different personalities. Through that implementation project I learned a lot about the functions of a business as well, at least the broad strokes, not the specifics of accounting functions or anything similar.

Why I moved on

One thing I haven't explicitedly listed in a separate section in my other job history posts is why I left the position. I thought having the reasoning behind these would help explain who I am in a way. Many of the roles I filled after this one only lasted for a year and a half to 2 years, and this is largely because I struggle with not moving forward or being in the same routine for too long. At the time of the engineering role, I felt like I needed to be physically up and moving more than I was. I would come in sit for 8-10 hours and go home, just like a large portion of Americans, but I wanted something more mobile. So I decided to start looking back into production type jobs that would require me to be on my feet more, but this time in a role that paid more than a typical floor employee. The purpose for this type of role is because it felt like a safe move. I already had experience, and they don't typically require any additional education that I lacked. I started looking for jobs at Southwire, which is a cable manufacturer in town that pays well. Co-workers I had asked to be references more or less conspired to keep me there by letting the operations team know I was looking. Then I was convinced Quality Manager was my next endeavor. If I were to feel this way now, I would have just told my boss at the time. I didn't learn until later that the difficult conversation of letting your employer know you aren't happy with your work is actually ok, a good employer will hear you out.