This is my personal opinion, and runt about my recent work environment.
I work for a hell of a corporation. I'm on a contract of employment, on an introductory internship to nothing. To all interns who have the opportunity, IF IT'S BAD AND YOU CAN QUIT, BETTER QUIT EARLY.
I would like this post to be a warning to everyone who is starting their career in the profession. In addition, my personal dishwashing/sharing of the inner pain of failing in my profession (which I could love but won't return to, I've written why below).
My former boss declared my career path as a project engineer in a factory as developing soft skills, expanding knowledge about machines and chemical processes taking place on lines. She personally couldn't give exact examples of the skills I would be taught (a big flaming red flag waving).
After taking the position, I noticed that most of the people involved in important process improvement projects/line start-ups no longer work for my current employer. (another red flag)
None of the current employees are satisfied with the rates offered to them and newly hired external candidates who require training by external employees get higher pay (madness).
In a large corporation, it is worth finding out how employees in other factories, with different management, are treated. Having the opportunity to view job offers, I was recruited to a theoretically less prosperous (according to my managerial staff) factory. My job interview was short, concise and to the point. I got a job offer with a salary higher by 2000 dollars, no additional requirements and no stressful process, additionally I found out that this “inferior” factory is at the same stage of the business model as my current employer.
Your current employer (manager) believes that his factory model is “better” because it is, without any justification for this statement. In addition, during internal audits, the training management team is unable to establish a uniform standard in the company.
The upper management has no idea who deals with the line documentation and at what level there are deficiencies in the technical documentation (concerning legal standards). The managing staff can justify the lack of documentation required by the “company standard” (laughs). Your management thinks you're a moron, and they can show it outright and still think that no one else sees it.
People with technical/engineering positions do not have training/studies in the field of knowledge in the subject (the company most often has to employ former rope workers because it cannot afford real specialists/such people get fired faster). This is not a rule, but a significant determinant, especially if a person in a technical position asks you for help in completing technical documentation during the internship (it happened more than once in my case). Nevertheless, a mentoring offer not related to the methodology of people management is needed if problems with the operation of the line are repeated.
The people you work with will consider very low-level positions like a process leader/positions requiring a high school pass (in other companies the only requirement) to be a huge success.
The management methodology is indirect threats “we are the best, leading company on the market, if you want you can try to quit and look for a better job”.
Hypocrisy after job interviews, after presenting 10 functionalities in a foreign language that I introduced in the company together with the teams, I was informed that I cannot speak this foreign language and I cannot present improvements in a “colorful” way. Then I was further asked after this conversation to give a presentation in a foreign language and to help translate the corporate requirements for the audit, because the people in the positions I applied for were not doing their jobs from 2016 to 2023 (sic).
There are no real performance verification systems. Look for people who have been involved in projects and have been in low-level positions for more than 6 years. In my soon-to-be former factory, I found several people who, after 4 years, are still waiting for raises for doing really important functionalities on the site (they don't even have project bonuses or any promotion opportunities).
My current main tasks based on what the management thinks, are: preparing PowerPoints, counting inventory in Excel. I expected that working in a profession related to production would be hard, but the lack of appreciation of current employees, underestimating employee rates and letting me know that in the eyes of the management I am an idiot provoked me to start intensive training and studies in an industry that quickly verifies and teaches (IT). Tomorrow I have my first IT interview, in a few months I will be resigning from my current job (I will earn more from selling underwear and it would be more satisfying in this case). I know IT is not great, but at least I know where I can go to have something even slightly better.
My additional task is to support the management in assessing the functionality of the systems (because they are not computer literate). Can't wait to quit.
PS The requirements for my job were: knowledge of AutoCAD, Inventor, knowledge of mechanics, knowledge of management systems.