shedrick cole ⋅ Lancaster, TX U.S. Navy, Petty Officer Third Class ⋅ 4 years served

Michael, I am a degreed engineer from UT Dallas. I have sent my resume to several job at Nokia Siemens AT&T sprint and T Mobile to name a few. I have also been contacted by numerous recruiters that have placed my resume in front of hiring managers but just like you said to telcom is really slowing down and I really want to focus on more traditional engineering work such as Lockheed Martin & Raytheon.

Michael Mitchell ⋅ Nashville, TN EMF Telecom Inc ⋅ 25 years experience

Shedrick,

I'm in Telecom and an Employer & was an ET in the Navy (many years ago) so I can speak from experience.

I have to ask a question you may not to like but it does make a difference, are you a degreed Engineer or, was "engineer" in your title? If you are not a degreed Engineer, taking a Tech job is perfectly acceptable. And as an employer, answering a question with " I did what I had to do to feed my family" is perfectly understandable.

If you hold a degree in Engineering, taking a Tech job still isn't a bad thing as long as you get out of the Tech role quickly. Additionally, if you have a chance to get back Engineering and can get your foot in the door you need to take the job. Even if its as a coordinator, get your foot in the door. Prove yourself and you'll get advanced quickly,.

Given the state of Wireless Telecom, AT&T shutdown, T-Mobile very slow, Sprint canceling 2.5Mhz and even the Manufactures are slow to dead right now.

My advice is to take what you can get as long as you stay in the industry.

Good Luck

Sam Chamberlin ⋅ Cincinnati, OH formerly of G4S Technology LLC ⋅ 20 years experience

Mr. Cole, it shows you can adapt and have a wide arrange of skills. In Telecom and Physical Security, it is fairly common for enigineers to have worked as technicians and vice versa. I have hired engineers in the past for physical security work (card readers, cameras) and engineering resumes that showed technician experience showed me the person brought hands on experience to the engineering role. Good Luck!

Mark Hannah ⋅ Incline Village, NV Hannah Business Intelligence Solutions, Inc. ⋅ 22 years experience

It doesn't look bad at all IF you're: going to school, family matters, or "working on your starting your own company" per se. Consider contracting, partnering with a business person in your field, and MOVING yourself, even if moving sounds painful. There are immigrants, college graduates, or retirees coming back to the workforce that make six figures and live as a roommate until they get back on their feet in the San Francisco as an example. If the jobs aren't in your location, go to the jobs, pretty simple. Most cities have more jobs than people, I know for a fact Cisco, Juniper, Verizon, AT&T, and their channel partner companies, etc. have more business than they can resource with engineers in your field, which is why they're contracting, hiring H1Bs, and paying great money. Shedrick there are jobs in your field throughout the U.S., go to Indeed.com, Dice.com, Careerbuilder.com, Linkedin Groups in your field, Meetup.com, etc. If your current on your hard skills, then the "who" you know is the easy part with Social Media. If you do not have a four year degree there are many small outfits in your field that support the big telecoms and care about certificates not degrees. Trust me there are jobs if you meet the requirements. More importantly your mission right now, this second, is to find the demand and supply it, in person, on the internet, on the phone, be hungry and never quit! If you've family, deployment isn't new, take a 3 month contract in California or New York or Austin...best to you.

Brent Hudson ⋅ Buffalo, NY ⋅ 25 years experience

My family and I thank you for your service.
Take it. Stephanie makes some good points. It is easy to explain it to a hiring manager stating you simply wanted to stay active and engaged in the workforce. As one who hires, I would much rather be speaking with someone who is active and engaged than someone who is idle and waiting for the right position. Good luck.

Stefanie Grasty ⋅ Cedar Park, TX ⋅ 17 years experience

In my experience, the eagerness to getting back to work after a layoff situation looks much better to hiring managers than waiting for the "perfect" replacement job. After a lay off, sometimes you will have to accept a position that is lesser in pay or even temporary. Hard work and determination at a temporary/contract job could open up doors for you down the road. It is also easier to find a job when you have one, even you are holding a temporary position that is not exactly a match with a position you held previously. Lay offs happen, and recruiters are typically understanding if you explain the circumstances surrounding the lay off.