As an engineer, would you consider a temporary step back to designer?

[Bernoulli31]

This probably has been asked before, or in similar terms.

I'm looking at an opportunity to move on to a (slightly) different industry for which I wouldn't have the required skills otherwise, but as a senior designer. I'm thinking this could be an opportunity to learn the nuts and bolds of this industry (Bio/Pharma), and then move back to a more engineering role. But it means I would need to pick up the AutoCAD mouse again. Not looking down on designers, obviously, but I'm wondering if this would be a good career move. The time not spent doing engineering work is time lost, from a career perspective. Imo.

Thoughts?

I design aqueducts in a parallel universe.

 

[oldestguy]

Not enough info in the post. If there is some problem with existing field, maybe it is because lower level positions many times are not as interesting or may have some dead end situations, but most fields do have problems in the early years. I'd think very hard before making a change.

 

[MFJewell]

No.

 

[jari001]

I second oldestguy's comment about not enough info. I would say though, if Pharma/Biotech is only slightly different from the environment you work in now, you probably don't have to step away from a position with "engineering" in the title. Pharma/biotech consulting companies always need validation engineers for projects in aseptic facilities. Some more insight into what you're looking at and thinking about would help.

 

[KoachCSR]

I wouldn't recommend it - if I was to receive a resume from an engineer in which they stepped back into the designer role "mid-stream," I would view that as a red flag. Depending on the candidate pool, it may lead you to be dismissed altogether or, at best, discussed at length in an interview (where you're subject to swaying their opinion of that particular point).

I suppose the exception would be if you plan to retire at this company you are looking at going to.

 

[Bernoulli31]

Yeah, no.

I posted this last night after yet another disappointing day at the office, not thinking clearly. For a variety of reasons, I'm looking at moving on from my current position as a process engineer for a consulting firm (emphasis on semiconductors). There are tons of position in the Bio/Pharma/Food sector, but employers are passing my application because they say I don't have enough experience in that field. Then I saw this opening for a Senior Process Piping designer and had a knee-jerk reaction.

No, I'm not interested in spending my days doing AutoCAD. Been there, done that. I'll just need to be patient until the right opportunity comes along, I guess.



I design aqueducts in a parallel universe.

 

[truckandbus]

I see you have rethought your position.

If you do reconsider again, I would consider the size of the company. Small company I think you would be likely to move back up in to engineer role easily; large company my experience is that you will be pigeon holed in the designer capacity

 

[imagitec]

A close relative of mine in operations management went from the ink industry (process manufacturing, and not exactly a lively industry) to high volume, low value manufacturing of household wiring components (discrete manufacturing) to relatively low volume, high value manufacturing of sterile stainless steel kits for orthopedic surgeries (discrete manufacturing, regulated industry related to medical) to manufacturing of liquid medical products (process manufacturing, regulated industry) where he is doing very well and constantly fields serious inquiries for positions at other companies.

With some intention and planning, I suspect you could execute a similar segue with fewer moves and without "regressing" in terms of title.

Career changes like this interest me. Helping mid-career professionals considering a career change or encountering a precision engineering problem for the first time is one of the reasons I'm developing free resources an training in my field (I'm also trying to help are engineering students who don't even know what their options are, young engineers just starting out, and practicing engineers who have a specialized need).

- Rob Campbell, PE
Learn precision engineering at [link practicalprecision.com]practicalprecision.com[/url]

 

[HamburgerHelper]

I don't know. In some industries, it is harder to find a good designer than a good engineer. In some places, a designer is an engineer that doesn't have an engineering degree and gets paid hourly and 1.5 overtime. I suppose the bigger question is what are you doing now? If you're doing nothing, anything is usually better than nothing.

 

[CheckerHater]

I would side With HamburgerHelper on this.

I've seen many want-ads expecting "designer" to perform analysis one would expect from university professor and "engineer" to perform a deal of manual labor.

In many cases what you actually do is more important for your career development than how you call yourself.

On the other hand, if you must maintain some kind of uninterrupted experience to keep your licence / certification, then you have no choice.

But then, since you asked for advise, you DO have a choice. And anything IS better then nothing.

"For every expert there is an equal and opposite expert"
Arthur C. Clarke Profiles of the future

 

[lacajun]

No. There are no guarantees you will get into an engineering position in bio/pharma. I have taken jobs, with promises of promotion later, that never panned out as promised.

As an engineer, you are able to learn their industry and they should understand that.

Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC
NSPE-CO, Central Chapter