How to work in the US as an entry-level mechanical engineer

>>1391907
Move to other states and apply everywhere. Where I live here in CA is high-technology firms usually dealing with manufacturing and R&D for manufacturing.

I'm also a mechanical engineer within a few years and most are asking at least 5 year minimum experience in the field. Average job growth by 2024 but thankfully get into six-digit salary for top earners if you put in the work.

>>1391907
Are you applying to oil companies? Because if so the oil industry is pretty much dead right now

>>1391956

You went a bit off topic, but you are trying to be helpful so i will respond.

1. Moving is complicated.
>can stay in the US max of 6 months a year.
>must work illegally to sustain myself without biting into savings.
>When I do get an interview and an offer, I have to fly back to Canada then FLY back to the same STATE making it look extremely suspicious for the guys at homeland security, they will probably think i've committed visa fraud on my first entry (tourism visa, not looking-for-job visa).

2. Texas is the state that i'm getting the most call-backs from so i rather focus on this state alone. I already got 2 interviews in CA but they fell through. I also have a gf there that is a US citizen, works as a mechanical engineer making 15/hr, 13/hr in her first year. Doesn't look too great considering the cost of living.

>>1392017
None of them are oil companies. Can't wait till oil prices go back up within 1-2 years.

>>1392025
>$15 an hour

Jesus, maybe I chose the wrong major...

you'll need references , and networds

>>1391907
>>>/adv/

>>1392038
Where to find references?

>>1392034
it ramps up with experience just like most other jobs

>>1391907
>Texas
>Most the engineer jobs are in fracking or refining
>oil price tanks
>facking companies layoff engineers, don't hire grads for last 1.5 years
>Market flooded with engineers looking for work

Engineering/STEM got meme'd too hard as well as extremely shilled on Reddit. People are always chasing money, and with the oil crash the nail has been put in the coffin.

People not coming out of a top 20 engineering schools with 3.0+ will have lots of trouble in this market.

>>1392025
If your girlfriend has completed her ME degree and is working full-time at $13 or $15 per hour, then she's getting ripped off big time.

Unless she graduated with a positively dreadful GPA and/or graduated from an utter garbage college, the going rate for new hires with an ME degree is on the order of $65,000 - $75,000 per year, which is equivalent to at least $32 per hour.

I live in Texas and I can state categorically that a legitimate company will offer at least $65,000 per year to an entry-level mechanical engineer.

And, yes, it is true. The energy industry in totally in the shitter right now and the layoffs keep coming. The company I work for has laid off tens of thousands of employees the past two years. Not only that, our budgets are still being cut and we're being asked to find cost savings that might not exist.

The only reason there hasn't been a total bloodbath, IMO, is because the E&P companies want to avoid the 1980s - 1990s destruction of the field (there is wishful thinking, too). The old hands are retiring and there aren't enough good and experienced people capable of taking over from them.

Put together your CV excellently, consider using a pro resume writer (up to you to determine if this is a waste or not).

Dedicate the time needed for applying to jobs. You should be doing it for 4-5 hours a day a few times a week at least, literally just sending resumes/uploading to company portals, and looking for newly posted jobs in the areas and fields you're focusing on.

Contact professional recruiters. Don't deal with anyone who wants you to pay for it, that's a scam. Legit recruiters can make a huge difference and they only get paid if you accept the offer they find for you. Most of them do junior-level and up, ie jobs with experience, but you'd be surprised how many are interested in good entry-level candidates. They have relationships with employers and so have credibility when recommending an entry-level person or can bypass HR/typical CV screening and pitch you to managers and VPs.

None of this helps if you shit the bed in school, didn't have any sort of internship or paid internship in your field, or haven't held any recent/regular employment (even just working as a server or whatever).

>>1392044
You should have good relationships with those you've worked with or studied under in the past. Best are managers from paid internships in that field, others are professors, former/current bosses at unrelated jobs, etc.

>>1391907
Apply to shift manager positions at medium to large production and logistics facilities. These are jobs that don't necessarily require an engineering degree but large companies will recruit from their shift managers to fill jobs that actually require engineering experience.

>>1392025
>15$/hr

Holy shit that is garbage, what kind of shitty company does your gf work for? I make more than that as an intern at a mediocre engineering company.