How does it look to future employers if you work in a different field for a while?

Kristen:

It sounds like you have taken the electrical engineering job that has been offered to you, right out of college. There is nothing wrong with that. You will certainly gain valuable experience which is something that most companies (Biomed. included) like to see on a resume. I agree with the advice given by Kampouridis, above. If you are serious about the Biomed. Field, it is best to look for your job in that field after 2-3 years working for the electrical company. Otherwise your choices in your desired Field may narrow, unless you are willing to take a substantial cut the pay increases you will have already earned.

Hi Kristen,

Biomedical and biotech companies are having issues currently with recycling of talent among the same companies and are always looking for people with diverse backgrounds but with solid engineering knowledge. Your electrical engineering experience will be invaluable towards developing devices that have electrical components, but be careful; if you stay in the electrical engineering industry for too long then your biomedical engineering career might become a lot more narrow in focus. I would suggest maybe staying at the electrical engineering product position for 1-3 years and start looking for biomedical engineering position after your 1st year.

There is always a long learning curve with biomedical documentation (FDA regulations and quality systems). Anytime you will enter a heavily regulated industry for the first time it will be difficult to find an entry level position but that's regardless of what previous experience you have.

Overall, since you're probably early in your career it should not have a significant impact and if anything it will help. Let me know if you have any questions!

The kind of employer you probably want to work for is going to love the rich perspectives you can bring to her firm because of the experiences you've had. It's all how you position it - to yourself AND to potential employers. "I wasn't sure I wanted to work in [your field] so I kind of took a different job" doesn't get you nearly as far as "After a year in [other field] I have a great perspective on why [your field] is so important / a better fit / where it fits into the larger picture" (depending on if there was any relationship between the two fields.

Also, depending on your specialty, some skills carry from field to field. I've been a learning developer and manager in healthcare, high tech, financial services, and nonprofit - and believe me, the issues don't change!