Hello everyone!
I've recently found myself jobless due to joining a company with the most toxic work environment I've ever experienced. Having no other jobs lined up, I decided to leave and find something after escaping this hellhole.
Career-wise, I got a technician repair job after uni (repairing VFDs for elevators and escalators). Wanting to be a layout engineer, it took a year before I decided to move on to another position with an IOT company as an Electronics Engineer. They would outsource the schematic capture and PCB layout of the products, but I would still be involved in the production design and testing phases.
After spending one and a half years with them (I know it's not a long time but I had to travel 3 hours a day and relocation was not an option so it became quite tiring) I got the job I mentioned above where I was responsible for everything from the design, schematic capture, PCB layout, and testing. I lasted for 6 months.
That was back in August. It's been 4 months and I'm still actively looking for another job. I can't say I have a great deal of experience when it comes to designing products on a professional level. I have worked on personal projects some of which are still ongoing but I think the situation of the job market is helping. Most roles that are available ask for Intermediate / Senior engineers and companies I have applied/interviewed with shut me off based on this lack of experience.
I feel completely lost as to how to continue my search or if there is anything more I can do to improve my chances. Most of my projects are simple MCU-based sensing devices that I use at home. I had no need to design something complex for myself, but I think that looks negative when I explain their functionality and way of operation to possible employers.
Forgot to mention that I'm based in London. Since it's quite late at the moment I may have committed other useful information that could provide a better insight in terms of my experience, situation or skills.
Any device would be appreciated, and please lets get the discussion going
