Everything John said. Read it twice, then again for good measure
Perhaps you should change your job searching resources - don't use those recruitment agencies, so those private conversations with the Chief Eng are less likely to happen. If it's that bad you could always pretend you didn't work there and say you have been out of work for all that time. I've done that, but it was somewhere I'd only been a few months and I suspect I am rather older than you.
You are obviously clever - use that cleverness to engineer your opportunities a bit.
If you are a competant design engineer you will get other work.
You just have to deal with the situation, is this firm still in business?
Throbs, I've done that kind of thing before, theres a name for it.
But HE is primarily concerned with the electronic side, as evidenced by all his replies here.
A quick look at Flyback's started threads here; https://www.electro-tech-online.com/search.php?searchid=3246828
looks like a complete "A to Z" of designing high frequency lighting systems. Add to that the massive defense (and promotion?) he has showed for one particular lighting company in THAT O.T. thread, it could be that Flyback is trying to manipulate people into solving all his design problems for him?
Even this thread which at first glance appears to be a personal matter quickly shifted the emphasis onto the circuit discussion, evaluation and improvement.
Then again, maybe I'm just a suspicious grumpy old guy.
Personal experience. I invented myself more than 3 times in my life. Opportunities come once, sometimes we move on. If we move with the right potential, we gain more experience and knowledge.
Always pursue what pay's, in these day's of our economic reality we must question, old thinking vs. new. You and I don't hold the handle to the future of anything, they do. We just re- adjust to it's pervasive nature and bow to those who hold the key's to our future. Once you have gainful employment you can position yourself by reading into their needs and overlaying it with your abilities but, they have "Intellectual Property over what you do." If you learning the hows and why of the position and any other opportunities you can gain, in knowledge, skills, and abilities. You will be able to bring the proper chip to the table when seeking other employment.
But HE is primarily concerned with the electronic side, as evidenced by all his replies here.
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Even this thread which at first glance appears to be a personal matter quickly shifted the emphasis onto the circuit discussion, evaluation and improvement.
Then again, maybe I'm just a suspicious grumpy old guy.
I have bought a lot of things on faith. Some have worked out, and some haven't. I try not to dwell on the latter (my wife on the other hand...). I generally believe people, unless I have a reason not to. Flyback began this thread with the title, "Full Bridge SMPS lost me my career in electronics...how solve?" His first sentence was, "I have difficulty getting work in electronics now because at a previous company where I worked as an Electronic Engineer in 2012, I revealed a design mistake in the company’s 250W Full Bridge converter."
If a young person came to me who had lost their first job and was having difficulty finding another, my first inclination would be to give them another chance. That said, I would exercise due diligence. Has that person learned from his mistakes? Does he realize the real reason he lost his last job? Has he been earnestly looking for a job versus laying at home waiting for a job to just happen. (He has been without a job in his field for at least 8 months.) Does the person have a realistic view of his own abilities and goals?
Flyback believes he is getting bad recommendations from his last job. In the modern era, written recommendations are pretty much devoid of opinion and are just factual. I have seen recommendations that simply state the dates of employment. Not much can change that. My suggestion that he write an apology was not just given off-hand. It is very hard to give someone a bad verbal recommendation who has written a sincere apology. I would be interested in whether Flyback follows that advice.
I'm having a hard time understanding the timeline. OP says he's having a hard time getting work since ~2012 yet all his 2013 posts are generally about his manager dropping off bits of hardware on his desk that he seemed woefully unable to comprehend. I'm gobsmaked the OP's an "Electrical Engineer" (maybe that's just a job title).
Yes, there are inconsistencies, but should that stop us from giving our best advice about getting a second job after being fired from the first? There may be other people who have experienced that type of failure, feel they have been wronged, and feel the best approach is to prove they were right. If anything is to be learnt from this thread, whether it helps Flyback or not, it is that several of us know that is not the best approach.
Am I completely naive to Flyback? No, I checked into that thread on more efficient lighting and agree this is a bit odd in that context. Also, if you check EDA Board for "treez", you will find someone else coincidentally has the same problems.
Please step back and look at the situation. I was not responding to any electronic question. There are a lot of us here who were once, bright, young, brash, and eager. In my field, we were referred to as "young Turks" by the established individuals. (That was not meant as a derogatory term.) We still had to follow the rules. It is not against the rules for a company to do dumb things and waste millions of dollars.
It is against the rules to violate company policy and to go outside the chain of command. Those were your mistakes. From an electronic standpoint you could be right as rain, but that is not what is important when you apply for a job.
As long as this unpleasant period is bugging you, it will influence your performance on a job interview. Put it behind you and move forward.
Nah, just a Good guy who has seen and been there. Have seen it too many times. I too like you John would give the Guy another chance..provided he listens and tells me all and is Truthfull about all. No lies. No cover ups...at all. I don't want unexpected surprises once he is hired...and he drops me.
After all, handled the correct way, maybe an absolute Gem could have entered the fold.
People are hard to deal with though. Some listen. Some don't. A total mind bender.
Well I don't think anyone here would confuse you with a fool.
I try hard to give people the benefit of the doubt too. But in some cases the evidence seems to pile up in an overwhelming fashion, and gets to the point where it would become foolish not to consider it (or mention it). Not everybody "reads between the lines" so to speak.