What did you do for a career and would you pick it again?

[trevj]

Hey, I know a guy that builds Model Engines full time, pretty much!

It makes him some hobby money, now he's essentially retired from his paying work!

Them lot that push the idea that if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life, get all vague, about how they pay their bills, eh? Mostly they seem to do it by selling books and seminars full of that idea, to those hopefuls that were looking for an easier way than what they need to muckle on to!

Learn the Professional skills that can get you a decent paycheck, AND be interested in the stuff you are doing, or seek work in jobs where you can be learning stuff that can be applied towards your own interests and longer term goals. Those goals and interests WILL change, over the years, the need to eat, won't, so much.

Sometimes you just gotta do what ya gotta, to keep eating!

 

[DPittman]

What is happiness?

That is what you need to ponder. My late uncle David, a Philosophy professor, would say something like its when pleasure is greater than pain.

So many say you have to do something that makes you happy. What BS I say. You have to do something that you mostly like (none of it is all good, even the brain surgeon gets bored after so many lobotomies) and the lets you meet your economic goals. It doesn't matter how much you like it, you will be miserable if you spend your life in a grubby apartment when you always wanted a nice house.

And you're picking a vocation, not a hobby. The whole point of a vocation is to get through the grocery check out line....to make money! Were it otherwise, I'd make model engines all day long and go to the replicator for a new pair of jeans or a ham sandwich. We go to work to make money, this its primary function.

Once the primary is satisfied....I agree, be happy. So.....what makes you happy? imo, or at least for me, it has to be involve striving for something as well as solid and increasing rewards, monetary being the most important. It also needs to be cerebrally engaging and have way grow. With four quite different careers and a few side trips (and I may still not be done); I've had lots of fun in each but each was pursed as a way to make money.

An engineering degree is hard to get and it would a shame to not build on that. Start by sticking it out until you get your P.Eng. Where my career choices were less than brilliant, they were because they did not build on experience I already had. Learn from my mistakes, becoming a welder devalues you having an engineer degree for example. How to do leverage and rise? Create an intersection of skills; i.e. two degrees from two different discplines or engineering plus sales/management experience etc.

Amen!

 

[little ol' e]

Hmmm, It doesn't look like anyone here will be taking up at seat @ the WEF anytime soon. I'm looking into making up a good pole vaulting stick in order to get me over the wall at least

 

[Engmaxx]

I haven't read all the responses so I may have missed answers to my thoughts and questions. How old are you? Do you have a family? Are you making enough to live: own a home, retirement savings, kids education (if you have kids), not live paycheque to paycheque? I too am a mechanical engineer. Right out of university, I started working in an engineering consulting company which was often tough as we would change jobs on the fly as information was missing/provided. Fun at times and a strong learning experience. We primarily served the nuclear industry and when that slowed down, it got 'boring' enough for me to look elsewhere. I spent 5 years there. I found another job with a corporate company that I am still with today after 19 years. No job is perfect but I am in an amazing work group with an awesome front-line engineering manager that doesn't micro-manage even when most of the team works from home, myself included. If you have hobbies that could lead to a side hustle or a permanent move to self-employment, then work on them until that becomes a reality but never quit a paying job in hopes of future elsewhere. Secure that other income first, then quit. Networking in your job is a strong plus that may open other doors.

 

[little ol' e]

You have already invested a lot of time and money in your education. Like any good investment, you won't get a return on it until it matures. If you throw the investment away before it matures, you have wasted it. Don't waste it. Build on it instead.

No harm in changing jobs though. There is no better time to do that than when you are young. The sooner you set your course, the faster you can get to where ever you want to be.


Start smiling my friend, and choose to be happy...... The rest is easy.

IMO,
This is the best advice your going to hear.

No better time then the present to begin paving your avenues to success, continue adding to the brains tool box compartment. Don't be afraid of failure in any event.

I recall hearing my father tell me a few years back... Even when, the stocks were down, I still got up, put my suit on and polished my shoes each day!

 

[CWret]

Terrific that you are asking - and the Forum has given some great advice. My first suggestion is to read it all again and let it soak in a bit more.
I've had 5 VERY different working careers. Enjoyed them all, some more than others but I never disliked any job I had. Retired now and enjoying this job best of all.

If you dislike your job-
First: look for ways to make the job more: interesting; challenging; or enjoyable. Can you make new personal friends at work so that being at work is a little more fun?
Second: stick it out until you find something else.
Third: Do the First while working on the Second.

I told my kids "you work 1/2 your life, so like what you do". (Explanation - ONE: 1/3 of your life is working; TWO: 1/3 of your life is your personal time; and THREE: 1/3 of your life is sleeping or eating or looking after yourself. My math only considers items ONE & TWO as significant - therefore you work half your life). That's not to say you have to love your job, but don't dislike it. Also, I might add - if you can manage your finances for early retirement then all the better. Plus: make sure your hobbies and lifestyle will make for a happy retirement.

As others have said: a priority should be to turn your EIT into a P.Eng. Experience speaking here - I almost got off track after graduation and didn't get my P.Eng. I mentioned above that I had 5 careers, well it wasn't until my last job that I actually needed to stamp anything.

Try to find ways to make your existing job more interesting! Is there a seminar or night school course you could take to better understand the nature of the business? Ask questions. Learn the history of the company, where it started and where they intend to go. Be the first one to work in the morning and the last one to leave at the end of the day. Make it obvious that you are trying to learn about what this company is doing. Ask more questions.

If you do go job hunting, look for a good boss (as was said above) and look for an employer with extremely low employee turnover. If people are sticking around, it is likely because of the management culture and good managers (bosses).

Go ahead and get your welding tickets. Once you have them, they are not hard to carry around. If you have a smart employer (this one or the next one) they will likely help you get your welding tickets (pay for your community college welding courses or let you use their welding equipment after work). But I don't suggest you become a welder. I often directed several welding crews (heavy civil, deep foundation, shoring). The welders that I was directing knew that: I was a capable welder; I respected them and their ability; and I wouldn't ask them to do something that was not doable. The best benefit of my practical experience was that welders wouldn't tell me that something wasn't doable when it was.

I'll add another bit of advice that is somewhat applicable to your present job but applies more to your career in general. Get involved with some extracurricular organizations that are related to your work (Professional associations or local chapters that hold regular meetings or seminars). Volunteer to be on some committees. Give a presentation about a new process that is being used at your workplace. Step out of your comfort zone. Co-author a technical paper. Do MORE than the minimum to maintain your professional accreditation (CPD, PEAK). These endeavors will give you back twice as much as you have put in.

 

[Six O Two]

What an amazing thread! It's great reading and learning from the life experience on this forum.

I've known a few welders that went back to school to get an engineering degree, but I've never met someone who went the other way.

As for myself, 10 years out of university I found myself in pretty much my 3rd career and no longer really doing anything specifically related to my Industrial Design degree. It was office work and relatively well paid, but I didn't feel fulfilled. I felt I was on the wrong track and was looking at changing careers again. I'd enrolled into a woodworking trade program at SAIT. But the summer before I was set to start, I had a pretty huge accident rock-climbing which left me with a broken leg and crushed hand. I'd be off my feet for 2 months, and my hand would need a year and 3 operations to get back to being useful. During that year, I was immensely grateful that I had a job where I could still work one-handed while seated.

10 years on from that accident, and I'm still more or less in that same 3rd career although I've changed companies a few times. I moved from consulting firm to client side, which in my line of work offers a better work-life balance. I've also got a family. Like many others in this thread, I get my fulfillment outside of work through family and other endeavors. Work is... work. It doesn't define me, it pays the bills. I'm lucky that I have a job which allows me a lot of freedom hour to hour since I work from home and the job is performance-based, not clock-based.

I didn't pick this line of work, I stumbled into it, so it's hard to say if I'd pick it again since I didn't really pick it to begin with, though I do now choose to stay in it because what I want out of my work/career has changed. And despite it not being related to my degree at all, I don't regret my degree at all either because it was a heck of a lot of fun.

 

[Xyphota]

Thanks for the input everyone! I want to re-iterate that sticking with engineering is the current plan. To get my P.Eng, I will need some new job experience either way as I don't meet all the competencies laid out by APEGA.

But for the sake of discussion, I am not convinced that sticking it out for a P.eng just for the sake of getting it would make a difference if one were to decide to change careers? If you aren't practicing, both E.I.T. and P.Eng. memberships have expiration dates on them, and If one were to pivot into the trades or something like software development, I do not think there would be much difference in the long run? To me it seems like if one discovered their calling was to be an electrician, it would be more beneficial to move into that as soon as possible. What am I missing?

 

[phaxtris]

Having a p-eng designation on your resume is a huge bonus...even if you are not longer practicing and say working as an electrician it tells the employer that you will be able to communicate with the engineers regarding rfi's and project changes

You may even get a job in a trade for that, and that alone, it could easily be the straw in the hiring process, it is 100% worth your time to complete your p-eng designation

 

[Dabbler]

I trained to be an Engineer, but never practiced.

While in university I was on a co-op program. I interacted with management and engineers daily, and found out that in many cases the P.Eng people I was working with were making the same or less than I was, being a 'specialist' in software. (nowadays would be called Software Engineering).

My work has often been in fringe areas in software, from building operating systems from scratch, to devising brand new ways to take field data and present it to government and top management. It has been very rewarding. The stress of masking my own path was well rewarded. I finished the last 20 years of my career as an independent consultant.

@phaxtris If you can hang in there, Engineering Consulting is never dull (stressful, but never dull).

 

[Xyphota]

I know it definitely wouldn't hurt to get it, but If I hypothetically got a job offer today to live my dream as a plumber (LOL), would you still turn it down?

 

[Dabbler]

hard call. If you are profundly unhappy now, the change might be worth it. for the long game, even if you never practice, having the P.Eng is a good idea.

[update] I wanted to illustrate that other alternatives to the p.eng still work.

 

[phaxtris]

@phaxtris If you can hang in there, Engineering Consulting is never dull (stressful, but never dull).

Was this regarding myself? I'm not in engineering, it's to late to make the switch for me now, I don't hate my job, and it would probabaly take 10+ years to just get back to the income level I'm at now. I still get to do lots of design build's where I'm at now, at this very moment I'm doing an engineering review with the eor of this project, my input strangely enough gets valued, so that's worth something


Back to topic... toughing it out for the long game is worth it, I wouldn't drop an eit job to be a plumber, at least get the designation, it can only help you in the long run

 

[Crosche]

Thanks for the input everyone! I want to re-iterate that sticking with engineering is the current plan. To get my P.Eng, I will need some new job experience either way as I don't meet all the competencies laid out by APEGA.

But for the sake of discussion, I am not convinced that sticking it out for a P.eng just for the sake of getting it would make a difference if one were to decide to change careers? If you aren't practicing, both E.I.T. and P.Eng. memberships have expiration dates on them, and If one were to pivot into the trades or something like software development, I do not think there would be much difference in the long run? To me it seems like if one discovered their calling was to be an electrician, it would be more beneficial to move into that as soon as possible. What am I missing?

It is no small matter trying to decide what to do with one's life. All I can offer you is my experience after I dropped out of 3rd year Mech. B.Eng.
After years of working in technical sales and project management I decided that I needed to get a trade ticket. I did this for several reasons: 1) I didn't think that my college diploma was enough of a safety net. 2) I never felt confident in what I was saying or doing because I didn't have "field experience" 3) my brother-in-law was making at least twice as much money working in the patch. So at 38 years old I left the office behind and started an instrumentation apprenticeship working in Northern Alberta....my childhood stomping grounds. From my experience I can tell you what you are missing:

1) performing a lot of menial labour because you are the FNG
2) long days away from family, friends and home
3) eating fast food from gas stations
4) frostbite
5) working with people who should be behind bars or just arrived from there (not kidding)
6) an instant loss of social status among your peers (until they need work done)
7) long term earning potential will probably suffer
8) health risks, long & short term (arc flash explosions, welding fumes, driving to remote sites....ect)
9) living in a work truck 10+ hours a day
10) PortaPotties


There is nothing wrong with being in the trades and working with one's hands; however given the opportunity at this point in my life I would rather be a "professional" and in a position to dictate my daily activities.

I sincerely wish you all the luck in the world in finding the right career path to follow. There is a great deal of wisdom and experience contained in the posts on this thread because many of us have struggled with the very same question you have now, but only one person can provide you with the right answer and that person is YOU; therefore the best advise that I can offer to you is to quote Socrate's words "Know thyself".

Cheers,

Chad

P.S. - you are welcome to drop by my shop again anytime and do some blacksmithing, machining, welding or just have a beer & chat.

 

[Dabbler]

@phaxtris and @Xyphota - Apologies to you both. I met you both in the same week, and I still have you both cross-wired from time to time.

I was also on the way to @phaxtris house, when @Xyphota called, and I was trying to find it, while google maps has a serious mistake on it, and I was *very lost*. Many thanks to @xyohota who bailed me out!!!

(I really hope I got everybody straight this time!!)

 

[phaxtris]

@Dabbler ha, all good, i was a little confused myself!

it kinda sounds to me like the overwhelming majority of the advice is to stay the course, get it done, whats 2 years while your getting paid ?

every job has crap jobs/times within them, it cant be all roses all the time, i know i definitely get jobs i hate, but then it makes the good ones that much sweeter

on another note, every welding company that is cwb registered HAS to have a p-eng on retainer/staff, the market for those positions may be saturated atm im not sure, but that is an option that will get you into fabrication...i realize that is probably more structural than mechanical, but i imagine a pivot could be made, and that could get you in line with more fabrication, site visits, etc

 

[trevj]

What did Heinlein write? "Specialization is for Insects!"

It's good to have some skills that will allow you to be a more useful hire. Or, to fall back on, when you cannot or will not, take a specialized job, for whatever reason. Some jobs, are NOT worth having. At the very least, base knowledge of those skills may put you a step above another applicant.

If you have two years in schooling in a field that may well be able to be turned into a profitable career, I'd suggest sticking with that, and doing the related 'interests' on the side. Even if your side interests are un-related, they may lead you to opportunities later, you pretty much never know.

 

[Chicken lights]

I’ve read most of this thread and enjoyed hearing the stories and backgrounds to members lives and experiences, it’s interesting to hear how most of our geriatric members bounced around through life (no jabs), just like how it’s interesting to share a coffee or a meal with members to banter

I’m in the camp I don’t think you “need” a document proving education in a field to perform that job, and I also believe that many of those with schooling and letters behind their name cannot function on “most” jobsites because they lack the hands on. Yes I did read that the people with hands on plus the fancy letters after their names do better than schooled only folks

My takeaway- if you want a career built around dollars, pursue the education and shoehorn yourself into an office job to do so

If you want to enjoy life- don’t worry about the dollars and find good co-workers with travel opportunities and hobbies, and the time to pursue both

Some are lucky to be blessed with a mix of both , but we all only get one kick at the can, as it may

 

[phaxtris]

but we all only get one kick at the can, as it may

Pfft! Speak for yourself! I fully plan to live forever!

 

[Chicken lights]

Pfft! Speak for yourself! I fully plan to live forever!

@Susquatch is like 95 and counting so you should be fine for another 50 years