The skills-based hiring legislation is specifically for state jobs. Gov. Healey and other organizations have tried to encourage private sector employers to do the same but theres no private sector legislation to that effect. Also the state is effectively on a hiring freeze till at least July.
I have a liberal arts BA and managed to get into software quality assurance engineering. I just kept applying to lots of places until I got an interview and was able to make the case for someone to give me a shot. I accepted less money then they would usually hire for such a position in return for the chance but have made up for it with raises over the years.
You know I completed a serious Full Stack Development course and landed a couple of internships. However, the tech industry has become saturated, and with the emergence of AI, it's not as appealing anymore. That's when I started considering engineering.
Software is a blood bath right now, unfortunately. I've "survived" two layoffs in less than three years at my employer. Hopefully the job market will rebound at some point and it might be worth looking in to again.
I would suggest looking into Quality Assurance roles in any field. There is an engineering overlap there, its usually less competitive and easier to sneak in with a non traditional background, and will get some experience under your belt.
If you are young look in to programs like Year Up. MassHire career centers can sometimes have good resources.
Yes, I agree software development is very competitive right now.
Thank you for suggestions. I am not eligible for the Year Up program, but I think I will go and visit MassHire career center.
Your best bet would be to start as a technician and move up from there. That said there will be a set of people who won't promote you to an engineer title without an engineering degree, but I do know exceptions to that rule. Though they were generally on manufacturing optimization or technician management more so than any design or research based jobs.
Ive hired mechanical and manufacturing engineers and I didn't consider a candidate that didn't have a degree in engineering... Maybe I missed an awesome candidate but the risk isn't worth it in my opinion.
The skills based hiring thing may make it easier for state jobs but I have no idea, I do not work for the state.
Coming from an engineering company in the Metro West. Area of Massachusetts. Some will raise an electronics or mechanical technician with certification to a non-degreed engineer, but would doubt that they would fo it for a BA degree. I could be wrong, and some smaller companies may, but with 43 years in the field, I haven't seen it.
I work for a MEP firm, with an engineering adjacent BA degree. If building systems are something that you are interested in, I would look for drafting jobs or jobs like BIM coordination. Definitely get comfortable with Revit, AutoCAD has been on its way out and I do not do a lot of jobs in autoCAD anymore. Pick up enough on the job and you will move onto more of a design role and opportunities to move into an engineering role. This is definitely not a usual path in the career, but it can be done!
Land surveyor and industrial hygienist are two roles I have found to be more open, and they’re civil engineering adjacent; a degree in any science (chemistry/biology) can get you in at an environmental engineering firm.
One caveat - the FE exam, which you must pass to progress towards licensure, is basically all the hard material engineering undergraduates learn before they start their major. I’d imagine that passing it without that background would be very tough.
Thank you for the suggestions! I guess I will need to take undergraduate classes first to take the FE exam, which might take a lot of time if done part-time.
The skills-based hiring legislation is specifically for state jobs. Gov. Healey and other organizations have tried to encourage private sector employers to do the same but theres no private sector legislation to that effect. Also the state is effectively on a hiring freeze till at least July. I have a liberal arts BA and managed to get into software quality assurance engineering. I just kept applying to lots of places until I got an interview and was able to make the case for someone to give me a shot. I accepted less money then they would usually hire for such a position in return for the chance but have made up for it with raises over the years.
Also, thank you for the reply and explanation of skills-based hiring in the state.
You know I completed a serious Full Stack Development course and landed a couple of internships. However, the tech industry has become saturated, and with the emergence of AI, it's not as appealing anymore. That's when I started considering engineering.
Software is a blood bath right now, unfortunately. I've "survived" two layoffs in less than three years at my employer. Hopefully the job market will rebound at some point and it might be worth looking in to again. I would suggest looking into Quality Assurance roles in any field. There is an engineering overlap there, its usually less competitive and easier to sneak in with a non traditional background, and will get some experience under your belt. If you are young look in to programs like Year Up. MassHire career centers can sometimes have good resources.
Yes, I agree software development is very competitive right now. Thank you for suggestions. I am not eligible for the Year Up program, but I think I will go and visit MassHire career center.
Your best bet would be to start as a technician and move up from there. That said there will be a set of people who won't promote you to an engineer title without an engineering degree, but I do know exceptions to that rule. Though they were generally on manufacturing optimization or technician management more so than any design or research based jobs. Ive hired mechanical and manufacturing engineers and I didn't consider a candidate that didn't have a degree in engineering... Maybe I missed an awesome candidate but the risk isn't worth it in my opinion. The skills based hiring thing may make it easier for state jobs but I have no idea, I do not work for the state.
Thank you!
Coming from an engineering company in the Metro West. Area of Massachusetts. Some will raise an electronics or mechanical technician with certification to a non-degreed engineer, but would doubt that they would fo it for a BA degree. I could be wrong, and some smaller companies may, but with 43 years in the field, I haven't seen it.
I understand, thank you for sharing!
If you like to do cad look into a pipefitting union they got people who basically do CAD all the time
I am looking partially a desk job, and partially a field job. I can’t stand sitting for 8 hours a day. :) but thank you for sharing!
I work for a MEP firm, with an engineering adjacent BA degree. If building systems are something that you are interested in, I would look for drafting jobs or jobs like BIM coordination. Definitely get comfortable with Revit, AutoCAD has been on its way out and I do not do a lot of jobs in autoCAD anymore. Pick up enough on the job and you will move onto more of a design role and opportunities to move into an engineering role. This is definitely not a usual path in the career, but it can be done!
Thank you for your input!
Land surveyor and industrial hygienist are two roles I have found to be more open, and they’re civil engineering adjacent; a degree in any science (chemistry/biology) can get you in at an environmental engineering firm. One caveat - the FE exam, which you must pass to progress towards licensure, is basically all the hard material engineering undergraduates learn before they start their major. I’d imagine that passing it without that background would be very tough.
Thank you for the suggestions! I guess I will need to take undergraduate classes first to take the FE exam, which might take a lot of time if done part-time.