tidytext
Mechanical
- Dec 31, 2023
- 2
I can't tell if I'm burnt out of engineering, unhappy with the stress and instability of R&D, or what. Any ideas where I can get career guidance? 12.5 years in, although about 5 years ago I switched from my low paying high skill R&D job to do what turned out to be glorified consulting, and in recent years my company has turned entirely crooked.
Not sure exactly how to best dig myself out of the hole or if there is a more promising career to transition to. I worked in defense so never got my FE, never worked for a PE. Lots of successful complex R&D projects and good work ethic, I have a much longer list of stuff I would have liked to learn, than I will ever have time in life. I am also seeing that in engineering, politics and sleaziness hold more bearing to career progression than skill development.
I suppose my question is: where do I get real advice? Are mechanical engineering and disciplines therein really as niche as it seems? What's a realistic path to get back on track (i.e. grad school, FE, just apply places, do my own personal projects, learn about optics, learn about electronics)?
Very lost in all this. My old job might hire me back but pretty sure they sheltered me from the politics via a "low salary in exchange for skill development and psychological safety" type arrangement. No one getting rich over there, and the higher the salary the bigger target on your back when layoffs happen.
Not sure exactly how to best dig myself out of the hole or if there is a more promising career to transition to. I worked in defense so never got my FE, never worked for a PE. Lots of successful complex R&D projects and good work ethic, I have a much longer list of stuff I would have liked to learn, than I will ever have time in life. I am also seeing that in engineering, politics and sleaziness hold more bearing to career progression than skill development.
I suppose my question is: where do I get real advice? Are mechanical engineering and disciplines therein really as niche as it seems? What's a realistic path to get back on track (i.e. grad school, FE, just apply places, do my own personal projects, learn about optics, learn about electronics)?
Very lost in all this. My old job might hire me back but pretty sure they sheltered me from the politics via a "low salary in exchange for skill development and psychological safety" type arrangement. No one getting rich over there, and the higher the salary the bigger target on your back when layoffs happen.