I really need some career advice. Getting desperate.
I fear I may have screwed myself out of a solid career. I am a recently graduated Biomedical Engineer. I got my bachelors as well as my masters from a highly ranked university and have graduated last May. I had been applying for months to any sort of biomedical related jobs but had some trouble. I have always been interested in R&D. Throughout college, I would say I was a bit lazy. I am the first person to enter a STEM field in my family, so I naively assumed my degree alone would warrant some sort of big time job where I do something important or at least interesting. I also won a design award from the dean for my senior research project, and have done contracted CAD work for my senior project sponsor on the side.
I never did any research during college. I attempted to reach out to every staff member I could find, but there was always some sort of reason why I was unable to join a research team. Even during my masters time, I couldn't land any internships. It felt as if there was no opportunity, so I decided to do many personal projects (these were mainly wearable medical device designs using 3d printing electronics).
After months of applying with tons of rejections, and loan payments approaching, I finally landed a job as a biomedical equipment technician. In my personal opinion, I kind of loathe it. No creativity. No real engineering. I'm basically a repairman in a hospital. Also, the pay is underwhelming. Now I am applying to as many engineering jobs as I can in efforts to pivot my career path(quality, r&d, project, manufacturing, etc.), but I can't find a thing. I have only landed 2-3 interviews so far.
I fear I may be stuck on a path that I do not want. Should I keep applying? Maybe post my projects to LinkedIn in hopes they may find the right eyes? I just want to find a way to gain some real experience. I am even beginning to think that I should return to college and get some sort of minor in electrical engineering. That way I can continue to apply to internships or potentially join some research. I know this may sound panicked, but I just want to do something I enjoy and make a real impact. I would greatly appreciate any advice.
Also, I have an interview coming up this week for a project development engineer role. It's the best I've gotten so far, so I would appreciate any advice on how to prepare for it as well. Sorry for the long rant!