Desperately Needed Advice

[EducationChaser]

Hi, I hope everyone is doing well. I am in search of guidance and some well wishes.
As far as Education:
AAS Electrical Engineering Technology with majors in Computer Maintenance and Instrumentation.
BAS Technology Management
MS Engineering and Technology Management

ATMAE Certified Technology Manager
ATMAE Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, retesting soon to obtain Black
Studying for CQE or CMQ/OE

10 years experience within Automotive Quality for Tier 1 Suppliers. Everything from hand gauges (go/no go), running a CMM, faro Arm, metra scan/crea form system, to check fixtures etc.
Initially, a Quality Technician > Team Leader > Quality Engineer

I lack "experience" and took the first opportunity to hold the title as QE. However, I took a REALLY BAD offer, and am severely underpaid. My quality manager is not the most motivated individual, and I end up doing a majority of his work. As well, they also made me the ISO 14001 Environmental Manager.

I have no training in ISO 14001, and the company has provided no resources to assist me. Are there any certifications out there for ISO 14001 and IATF 16949?
Currently, I am only making for $65,000 as an entry level QE and Environmental Manager. What would be a fair salary for someone with my education and experience?
I've only been here 6 months and just cannot stand the job anymore! The job and responsibilities are not the issue, but being a constant doormat for my quality manager is getting old quickly. As well, the company opposes all efforts for continuous improvement.
Listed Below are my current responsibilities as the plants only QE:

• Document Control for Plant
• APQP Activities
• PPAP Activities
• Perform 3-Legged 5 Why’s
• Root Cause Analysis Activities
• Report R1/Feed Forward Mill Claim Documents
• Champion Containment Efforts
• Liaise with Customer (Ford) & Mill Representatives
• Manage Gage R&R
• Manage Communication Boards
• Conduct Control Plan, FMEA, Layered, 5s, Environmental, Quality Process Audits
• Environmental Auditor & Champion for plant issuing Corrective & Preventative Actions
• Issue training for all employees regarding the plant QMS
• Supervise Quality Technician(s)

I am also considering pursuing my Doctorate in Technology Management Majoring in Smart Manufacturing and Quality Management Systems. Is it worth it? Should I just focus on certifications after my masters?

 

[Randy]

Education without experience = Entry level. How many years of real, hands on work experience in industry and what industries?

As for $65K in Arkansas and a couple other places you might be over paid, in others, under paid, often enough Experience + Education + Location = Salary

 

[indubioush]

I am also considering pursuing my Doctorate in Technology Management Majoring in Smart Manufacturing and Quality Management Systems. Is it worth it?

No.
Go out and get a new job that can provide you with additional real-world experience.

 

[Randy]

I am also considering pursuing my Doctorate in Technology Management Majoring in Smart Manufacturing and Quality Management Systems.

Real world business value? Probably no more that $0.37 with nothing to offer but the phud degree itself (I dropped my DBA program because it probably wouldn't net a nickel more that I've been getting the last 20 years or so.) Kinda like wearing a dark suit and wetting yourself, gives you a warm feeling but nobody really notices.

You're setting yourself up to teach, but if you attempted to survive in a classroom with nothing under you but paper support you'd get eaten alive.

I'm harsh and unlike others I'll be horribly honest devoid of feelings. Your "attaboy's" are very good, but it just looks like a structure built on shifting sands, the foundation is weak.

I've been working nearly every single day since it was legal for me to get a W2 and that started in 1967...........a pee-pot longer than you I'm sure, and it's been from the ground up more than once and guess what, one of the top questions has always been (except for when I enlisted in the Marines in 1968) has been............Any experience we can use?

So again.................What experience (s) do you have?

 

[John Broomfield]

Education Chaser,

You seem to be acting like an academic in industry. Are you acquiring paper qualifications instead of developing your competencies to make the best use of your talents?

Perhaps your talent is for research and becoming a professor. Or is it to become a leader of the people doing the work or adding the value needed by the organization.

Know yourself and your life goals before making your next move on your career path. You may find there is no shortcut to developing the necessary abilities and skills to make the best use of your talents and qualifications.

Good luck and please let us know how you do.

John

 

[CharlieUK]

My background is that I've been working as an independent consultant for 17 years after spending 10 years working for manufacturers and I offer the following advice

> Listed Below are my current responsibilities as the plants only QE:

I'll be blunt - that sounds like a job description from HR.

I would have a think about what you can demonstrate that you can do, with specific examples, that would add value to a prospective employer:
- what issues have you encountered and how did you solve them? What were the benefits to the company (if there was no benefit, there was just a cost of your time )
- what process improvements, reductions in costs, reduction in product return have you implemented and what was the demonstrable improvement?
- what can you do now that you couldn't do 5 years ago. ( don't forget there's a big difference between 10 years of evolving work experience and 1 year of experience repeated 10 times)

Don't forget you can be "responsible" for something without (a) actually having to do anything if the issue doesn't arise, or (b) not being able to solve the problem if it arises.

I'm in the UK, not the USA, but don't just look at the salary, but look at what you would have at the end of the month after covering essentials such as housing, commuting and food.

Your boss won't change, so you need to get out to see a change and I wish you the best of luck.

Charlie

 

[Tidge]

Since there is some level of "desperation" expressed, allow me to contribute this. There are two ways to demonstrate more value at a job:

1. An employee can become more efficient at the requirements of a job, allowing them to do more in less time than their peers.
2. An employee can learn more tasks, so they can do more (different) things their peers in the same amount of time.

A "paper-based" education (degrees, certifications) only goes so far. In my experience (as someone with degrees and certs) those things only serve as a tool for me to assess what is the baseline level of introductory material(*1) a person ought to have been exposed to when I am in conversation with them. Folks can be proud of degrees and certifications(*2), but they are best used as a foundation for self-improvement.

Chasing titles/salaries may improve a person's self-assessment, but it doesn't make them more valuable.

(*1) Some examples. I don't expect someone who holds CQE to off-the-top-of-their-head give me a sampling plan for a hypothesis test, but I do expect that they could come back to me with one in less than six hours. Someone with a mechanical engineering degree ought to be able to generate a stack-up calculation. Someone with an electrical engineering degree ought to be able to calculate voltage drops. Someone with a program management certification ought to be able to describe a projects risks and immediately state its risk controls. Someone with a programming degree ought to be able to propose meaningful unit tests.

(*2) I don't object to experienced folks seeking certification; there can be value in it. Some employers (and peers) don't know how to recognize mastery of a subject... so certification by a respectable organization can provide such a thing. It's also possible that there are important 'corners' of a job that an experienced person isn't familiar with, and could learn something new (and valuable). I will caution: certification can be a double-edged sword. I have lost much respect for people who claim to have certifications but don't understand the basics of the regime... think "certified auditors" who don't follow audit plans, or project managers who answer "the risk to the project is that we fail."