Really just here to rant.

I've made a lot of decisions, sacrifices and put in a lot of work to set myself up as an ideal candidate for the jobs/work I want, but I'm seeing it's not paying off and that's life.

I graduated with an ME degree with 2 years of combined internship experience (1 year-long internship my high school senior year, 3 summer internships and 1 2-year long internship where I worked part-time while going to school). These were all at a very well known aerospace company.

Upon graduation, I took a job at this same company, but moved to a very high cost of living state to be closer to my company's "R&D/dark programs" work with the intention of transitioning to this some day (as the program I was on a the time was a bit more mature).

Spent two years trying to get on other programs with them falling through for various reasons.

I begin trying to learn skills on the side to make myself more attractive for other opportunities. I order some books on FEA so I can start learning that. I also began two home projects to learn a variety of skills and to put these projects on my resume. I'm desperate for anything that will give me real design work in fear of being pigeon-holed if I stay in my current role longer.

I quit and took a 6-month contract job at a space start-up. It was a great learning opportunity with lots of design work and actual engineering, and a huge eye-opener of life outside a giant aerospace company. At the end of my contract, my employer offered me a permanent role. For once I finally feel I've had a breakthrough getting to do actual engineering work that will only set me and my skills up for more opportunities down the road. But then boom, the company runs out of money and lays everyone off before I start.

I've once again hit the job market and applied to the neighboring space companies. I'm able to get to the second round of interviews, but I feel the question that always gets me is when they want me to talk about a "cool project I've worked on that I'm proud of". I feel they are looking for clean-slate design experience that I don't exactly have. I've tried to seek out that experience and quit my last job in hopes I could find that, but right when I was gaining that experience, that opportunity is no longer.

I have the education, years of experience, side projects and all the skills they are looking for, but I feel they want someone from a start-up type environment with lots of clean-slate design work, but I am finding it impossible to find that type of work. Even after moving across the country to a very HCOL area and quitting my secure job to seek that out.

I'm ready to give up and just spend my career collecting a paycheck and being a ppt engineer.