Note that the Rakwell Treaty of 2xxx placed severe limits on nanotechnology after the Tertek Grey Goo Incident on the colony Rakwell 9(mainly, no unrestricted AI for nanomachines+all nanites require hardwired killswitches, as well as severe restrictions on offensive nanites). If you guys feel this is too restrictive I'll let you change the last specialty Edit: decided against nanites
Yeah, that's right, your name is Maxwell Mord, a promising prodigy of prodigious prototypes of Promethean origin(alteration FTW!). You've been recognized for your work in hybrid energy plating, as well as the fields of missile tech and unmanned craft. You return to the front office of the Institute and have your diploma corrected, then fire up your netmail and begin the process of mailing your resume to various public and private enterprises, hoping to be hired quickly(you have all those student loans to pay off, after all!)
A week later, you've received several replies to your inquiries. After sorting through the various junk mail and joke offers(seriously, why would you agree to be a custodian on a small, out of the way space station with YOUR credentials?), you find you actually have 3 serious offers:
Ectodyne Limited is looking for a new engineer. Ectodyne is one of the largest government shipyards in the Terran Republic, and it isn't often that they hire. Your resume must have impressed someone important!
Pros:Job security-your bosses will tolerate a lot of mistakes and screwups(it is a government job, after all!)
Your designs are sure to be built if your bosses like them!(note in this business most workers are paid per design produced)
Cons:You have very little say in what projects you are assigned
You'll likely be starting small, with drones and such
Berret Ships has an opening in their Fleet design division
A friend of yours from school is a senior partner in his family's shipyard and has sent you an offer to join his company.
Pros:You have a lot more flexibility in what you can design(up to a certain size of course)
You already have connections for advancement
Cons:You still have to adhere to size restrictions placed on you
No guarantee your designs will be chosen or built
Colony TYX-9-B Has need of ship engineer to head their new shipyard
A new member colony on the frontier has need of a capable person to jumpstart their ship production and military programs
Pros:You are the master of your fate, and can design ANYTHING that comes to your fancy
Being the guy in charge of the shipyard comes with a lot of influence with the planetary government
Cons:Being a frontier colony, you'll have to balance what you WANT to design against what they can realistically produce
TYX-9-B is WAAAAY out on the frontier, meaning long travel times and no guarantee that your job(and life!) is safe in case of....unforeseen circumstances