Career change from consulting to software distribution

[shadow401]

I recently obtained by PE license although I am already getting tired of working in the consulting industry. A local autocad distribution company has is looking for Profession Engineers to work in pre-sales support, product demonstrations, and end-user training. Has anyone made the switch from using an engineering software program to working for a software company? Are they really just looking for a good sales person with specialized experience? Do you think they would pay better then a typical engineering company? Any insight you could provide would be appreciated.

 

[Stringmaker]

I would base my decision what is important to you and what makes you happy. You will most likely make more money in sales than engineering consulting...I could be wrong though. If you won't miss the engineering aspect I'd say go for it! I used to be an application engineer and did much of the same for a finite element software company and let's just say it wasn't my cup of tea. Everyone is different though. I loved the interaction with people but missed the engineering aspect of my work.

 

[tygerdawg]

A consulting engineering gig can be dry and have little customer contact, but technically challenging. Your software gig could have lots of customer contact, applications engineering, and require a development of sales strategy skills, but minimal engineering content. The software will require constant updating of skills and knowledge.

At one time I made the change from a strictly engineering position (where I was the customer) to a Applications/Sales position where I was involved with selling. I rather enjoyed the variety, problem solving, and customer interaction.

You're at a fork in the road. What is it that thrills you and makes you want to get up in the morning? Perhaps you can do some online personality tests (e.g., Myers-Briggs) to help assess where your skills lie. You should try to predict where you may be & what the career prospects are 10-15 years hence.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com