Neil wrote:

> Carlos,
>
> First, I am originally from a third-world country (possibly 4th? :-) ri=
ght
> next door to you ... Trinidad.  In fact, if one stands at the
southwest-most
> corner of Trinidad, we can see Venezuela.  But I'm sure we don't have t=
he
> problems your gov't has, and have only about 5% of your total populatio=
n.
>

=DDou can bet on that!

> I can sum up my path with 2 things ... planning and being flexible.  Fo=
r
the
> first, realizing that there was little if any potential for electronics=
 on
> the small island, I took the business track, owned/ran a store, etc.  B=
ut
> later I realized it was not for me, and decided that college in the US
would
> get me back on my dream track, albeit with a little more difficulty.
> Foreigners have an additional battle of immigration and those who were
> educated in foreign countries also have to prove the quality of their
> education.  Halfway during that, I realized that software had more
> opportunity than hardware, so I re-adjusted a bit, and the next dozen
years
> of my life has been software and project-management.

I am really considering that too...
>
> The questions are ... when you first started your electronics education=
,
what
> were your plans, and were they realistic, or over-optimistic?  Did you
have a
> backup plan?  Two years ago, when you started looking and found the job
> prospects hopeless, did you consider adjusting or expanding your skills
into
> other areas?  The point here is that you should have opened up your ran=
ge
of
> opportunities.  Your first job or two or more may not be what you ideal=
ly
> want, but may be a foot in the door of a company you'd like to work for.
You
> could later work on getting into the ideal position.

I agree: I was over-optimistic. When I began studying there were thousand=
s
of opportunities
but now things changed too much... I=B4d say I had a combination of High
expectations - Bad luck!


>
> At this point, those options still exist ... think about what you'd
ideally
> like to do, what you can bear, what you can achieve, and try to get int=
o
> those positions directly OR indirectly.  But choose positions in which =
you
> know you will succeed.  Would you consider moving to another country?
Even
> for a short time to get some experience.  The job-market in the US is
really
> poor as well right now (I've also been unemployed for some time), but i=
f
you
> don't mind moving to countries that have a bigger scope for electronics=
,
you
> will have more options.  In this market, having a job is not solely abo=
ut
> your skills/experience, but also about being in the right place at the
right
> time.  The more options you give yourself, the better your chance of
getting
> "picked".  Also, try getting some certifications.  Some companies/peopl=
e
> respect them and others don't.  But I don't think that I have ever seen=
 it
> hurt anyone.  Be very flexible until you can claim to have the skills &
> experience to command what *you* want.

I see your point and I am learning from that, Thanks for the advices!

*Carlos*


>
> Cheers,
> -Neil.
>
>
>
> On Saturday 31 May 2003 22:20, Carlos Marcano scribbled:
> > Hi all,
> >
> >  I recently finished my studies and I graded as an Electronics Eng.
After a
> > 5 complete years of study and hard work I got finished my primary goa=
l.
I
> > took all posible classes, made thousands of practices, built tons of
> > circuits (for classes, for personal use and for fun!) and pass all th=
e
> > required tests. Now I have to deal with the working field and I have =
to
say
> > I am somehiw dissapointed. I live in a small South American country
called
> > Venezuela. Our country is incredible beautifull, extremely rich (in
> > oil -huge amounts of oil- , aluminun, iron, even gold) but we have ha=
d
the
> > WORST governments for the last 100 years. These days there is a 25%
> > unemployment rate ( 6.250.000 of 25.000.000 people) and growing. I ha=
ve
> > been trying to make job contacts TWO years before I finished but
everything
> > is useless. I have good grades, lot of developing experience (mostly =
by
> > myself I admit), I speak two languages (a plus here in my country), I=
=B4m
a
> > fast learner and I love my career, but the market is pretty bad and I
think
> > it will get worse. How were your experiences (for people in non-first
world
> > countries)? What do you think about this (for everyone)? What could y=
ou
> > advice to me? Sorry for bringing this topic on the list but I really
needed
> > to talk about it....
> >
> > *Carlos*
>
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