My hope with sharing this video is that anyone who feels similar, who is questioning their career or feels lost on their path, will find comfort, inspiration, or hope in hearing this. There can be a sense of isolation when you're no longer happy at work, and I remember days when I would look around and wonder "does anyone else feel this way? is everyone really happy to be here?". It's ok to want something different or change your mind about what you want out of life. Hope this helps
I’m a civil engineer and have doing it for 7 years now. There are several things that I don’t agree with in your video. 1) you can be creative as an engineer in fact being creative makes your work better 2) You can dress any way you want 3) It may or may not be fun but what makes people stick to engineering is the responsibility and duty to protect the public and the greater long term goal of advancing civilization. 4) with the right job you can have a flexible schedule. I only work 4 days a week. 5) you can be both an entrepreneur and an engineer
I don't say this to be mean, but it possibly could be helpful for you or others: Is there a chance it could be some level of depression? I say this because most of your reasons for quitting sound like quite weak arguments. To me it sounds more like rationalizing. I think there is a very good chance you will find yourself in the same position in a few years. Everything in life is a compromise. And all jobs suck.
I’ve been an electrical engineer for over 30 years working with all disciplines and I have not experienced anything close to what you are complaining about. You don’t have to go into management if you don’t want to. You don’t have to nurse the clients along. You can be creative as hell. There is no master “body” that is supervising you in your career and penalizing you for breaking any rules. I have never met an engineer that has been sued or held personally responsible for their errors. You don’t have to be an “Engineer in Training” or a licensed engineer in any way to work for a company. What sort of engineer are you that you are going jumping these “hoops?” Maybe you are just working for the wrong people.
That was really a good summary of the situation. I worked as an engineer for 35 years, the first 10 because I enjoyed it, the last 25 because I had a family to support. In my experience, the nature of engineering jobs changed over my career span, so that all of the disagreeable characteristics you list eventually occupied the vast majority of my work life. I managed to get out at 57, but by then it was really taking a toll on my normally sunny disposition. :-) Thanks for sharing your experience, and best to you on your new path.
@@alex_ellenMy strategy was to save like fury, learn to be frugal, and retire from paid work. Had I been your age and not had folks dependent on me, I might well have followed the path you are on now, especially if I had known how the workplace would continue to evolve!
Recently retired after over forty years as an engineer. I always enjoyed the engineering, but corporate culture really changed over the years (I can hear you saying all the corporate culture buzz words), and all I can say is I have absolutely no respect for MBAs especially after watching them "manage" the company right into the ground. Much of what you complain about just was NOT a thing back in the day. We enjoyed our work, co-workers were great, but towards the end everybody was being micro managed to the point where it seemed the goal was to make everyone miserable (and they did.)
I am a corporate wage slave too.. I'm in my early 50s with family and mortage, 25+ years in engineering. I can relate to all this, God help me - I'm aiming to retire early.
I can confirm what you say about general professional culture. I worked over 20 years in government bureaucracy and it was a soul-sucker. I left it last year at age 53 and became a local route truck driver. NOW I LOVE MY JOB!! It satisfies all my needs in a career. I am so glad I made the change.
I've thought about doing something like as a career change as well. Something you can tangibly see the progress in. You don't take it home with you; when work is done it's done. And you have time and energy to invest in things outside work that give you true joy and purpose like family and hobbies.
@@SmallBobby Becoming a truck driver was the best career move I ever made. It satisfies my need to be valued in my role. It satisfies my need for meaningful work. It satisfies my need to be paid well for hard work. There is a sense of pride and comradery in the workplace that I have sorely missed for a long time. Plus I can wear shorts! 👍
Quit being an engineer after about the same amount of time. Loved being an engineer, hated the rest of the BS including yearly reviews where I got an average raise after exceeding all of my goals. Hard work meant nothing, and if I had to bring in work, then why not for myself. I started my own business that I can do exactly how I want. Don’t make quite as much as an engineer, but love everything else. My business is successful on my terms. Would never go bAck to corporate world. Started my business during the 08 downturn. I am happy and will sell when I retire!
@@collin9085 I share this sentiment as well. when I compare experiences with friends who are nurses, actuaries, real estate agents etc, it's rare for a perfect job. obviously she's her own person so it's possible engineering really wasn't for her but again I feel like any new job will eventually lose its shine
Spot on about the "polite veneer" and its difficult to be comfortable in your skin. Sadly, office politics will always be present in the workplace because everyone has different desires and goals within a finite system in that hierarchy.
This is really to the point. I am retired after 45 years in the manufacturing engineering world. Corporations suck. The lack of recognition was constant but the lack of vision was stifling, As a night school engineering teacher for 35 of those years I get to talk with students about their goals. Today's labor market is much better than the 50+ hour / 6 day weeks that was the norm (for manufacturing plants). When we have an open discussion on work and their future I stress that they need to have a dedicated mentor to support them. This is so true for women engineers. I have worked with some excellent women in engineering (way better than me) who just left because they could not handle all the stuff (polite word) of being a young woman in a male-dominated industry. When you do mature in the field the pay does not keep pace. The annual review (which needs to be eliminated) never addressed the actual work done. It was a joke. Please continue in your efforts and speak to as many young people as you can to give them some perspective in this career path.
The best advice I can give a high school student is to learn a high demand high income skill after graduation. Get a job and after a year or two start a side hustle that gives flexibility to leave your employer if needed.
I agree that having a side hustle is key, not only does it give you side income and a fall-back plan in case anything happened to your main hustle, but you also have the mental relief of knowing "I don't *have* to stay here, I've got something else going on"
My advice is to learn to do something useful that other's can't do, or aren't willing to do.....They'll always pay you to do that thing for them, and you get to name the price!
@@alex_ellen wtf is a side hustle. Any good examples for the "normal employees", those not having a masters nailed to their wall ? And no OnlyFans or any other scam like starting a podcast.
I spent 20 years in IT/SWE and the the field has become so unstable. Layoffs constantly and having to always worry about offshoring. I'm doing something else now.
I've been an engineer for 19 years. The work I do is pretty creative, designing machinery. But I had to make that niche for myself - I'm the gimp they keep in the basement LOL. I hate to say it, but the worst part about being an engineer is working with engineers. Don't get me wrong, some of them are cool, but it seems like engineering can attract a "certain" personality type that rubs me the wrong way. Big egos, abysmal people skills, finger pointy/ blamey people, zero sense of humor, people who love rigid rules and structure - you get the idea. I'm happiest when I'm barricaded in my office or in the shop.
You quit for the same reason most of us no longer are passionate about our careers: MANAGEMENT Once anything is corporatized with unnecessary numerous meetings, politics, administration, gaslighting, one-on-ones, performance appraisals, company events, etc. They are losing numerous best and brightest to this old hierarchical system of chaos. I can't wait to retire! 😳
What exploiters do with you: 1. They take you younger and teach you something. 2. They exploit you in a stressful environment (yes, liability with not much experience). 3. They lie that they support your learning (growth) because they do not provide you any laboratory for getting hands-on experience with new products. You have to buy HW and SW licenses for your home lab, read admin manuals and educate yourself. 4. When they think your reliability and productivity goes down due to aging, they lay you off to repeat 1-3 with someone else. Go washing WC or stay at home 10-20 years if you saved money for that.
Yes the replaceability of staff was something I witnessed many times as people were laid off or quit, another motivating factor to be in control of my own destiny
Depends on the skill in question. But that doesn't mean you have job security. Instead we should be focusing job skill security and keep shopping employer much like how employees shop for workers.
@@asadb1990 You are correct: some skillsets are less common than others (thus, more valuable), but it still doesn't exempt you from being expendable. The economy becoming globalized has had its way of making people with hard-to-find skills and knowledge accessible. A person in podunk Idaho may have to compete with someone from India for the same position, even if the position is listed in podunk Idaho.
I was actually average to below average in the technical subjects at school and my best were the languages and humanities, but it was a school attended by people who were good at and/or interested in sciences, so I was average in sciences in that environment and above average in the other subjects but probably still average there overall and above average overall in technical sciences. When I went to a meet up with former classmates recently, someone said they thought I would become an artist, another said they thought I would become a foreign language teacher. A teacher back then suggested becoming a writer, another said philosophy would suit me well... Basically, all that I did not attempt to do. I went into IT, I was into biology too until I realized I hated lab work. Other people can tell you whether they think you are good at something or what they want to see you as, but they can't tell you what you want. And there are always multiple options and professions we don't consider because we don't understand what they are like. You can't really predict what a job is like until you see it, and in those technical fields, your work place matters a lot too. I hesitated and was also asking myself whether I really took the right path. I then found a job that is not micromanaged, and that means a lot to me. I actually don't mind talking one on one or small meetings to other people on the team who are working with the product I create, it can be exciting to try and figure out what they think and add to the project, but having those typical clients would sure be hard on me. My team is also nice and does accept that we are all human and everyone splits the work based on their interests and knowledge and educates each other. When you feel like you have too much responsibility, just don't climb that ladder. Say no. You can't expect the pay for a management or consulting position when you don't want to do it, but so what if your life is better without it. So what if you decide to work 4 days a week being paid for the hours accordingly and end up with less than full time. In a profession that is as well paid as the technical careers are at the moment, just take that freedom instead of breaking apart your life. If you truly feel like it's not your field and you have no interest in any of the available subjects in that department, then yes, quit. If it's the hours or the work place, just change it. We don't need to constantly climb the ladder if we are comfortable where we are. You don't get rich from that anyway, and getting rich means nothing if you aren't happy.
Thanks for sharing :) Personally, I knew it was time to leave because I was working in what I thought was my "dream" engineering position at the time and it wasn't bringing me fulfillment. When you've improved everything you can and it still isn't working out, then it's time to consider the switch.
Agree. There are employers who are flexible, understand not everyone wants to climb…etc I’m an engineer who moved to academia…if things are not Ok it’s important to start thinking about what to change….talk to employer or switch. Some people need other outlets…they could cut back hours, spend time on hobbies…is less common in US more common in Europe but it can be done…
I have retired after 44 years as an engineer. I tried the high pay corporate world twice and decided it wasn't engineering. I was always happy in the small company world and it was worth the smaller salary less benefits to trade for the environment. I was able to add some art to my designs and exercise my creativity best in this world and it was very satisfying. You just need to look for the right job at the interview, they are out there.
The era of the "safe, secure corporate career" ended in the 1980s, with the advent of the shareholder model of capitalism, which led to widespread downsizing (euphemistically called "rightsizing") and offshoring. (I entered the corporate world in 1981; I know of this all at first hand.) The massive layoffs during the global financial crisis of 2008-09 make clear that the insecurity of corporate jobs is by no means a thing of the past. Corporate jobs might be a great fit for someone early in their working life, especially for the sake of the experience and, frankly, the money. But one must always be aware that any sense of security is an illusion. One should always be thinking ahead to one's next position (and what to do now to best set oneself up for that). One should always be working on a side hustle that could grow into one's own business. Aw, gee! Doesn't sound like that dream of the 1950s secure corporate job, right? Newsflash: the 1950s are dead as dirt. Get over it.
I definitely agree with this. Shareholders are the reason we have this type of environment where the company is the work horse that needs to create profits for these Shareholders and if they don't or fall behind cuts occur often times labor is the first to go to keep them happy. These shareholders expect to grow profits year over year when the amount of growth is finite.
People get confused about “the career”. You do not get to have a career. Stop using that name as if you are going somewhere. Careers are for the top people who are financially independent, can move anywhere any time, have the golden parachutes, and no fear of the outcomes. You are part of the protected class where you support other people and get saved by your in group of top professionals. That is what career is. What you have is a job.
top people earned those positions, through years of hard work. The positions come with lost of responsibilities & worries -taking risks -running a business, not a school for beginners -hiring people & trusting them with your reputation -making payroll every month / paying bills -constantly dealing employees personal problems & frustrations -being the go to fixer & problem solver -taking all the responsibility, when shit gets tough Lots of people dont really want to work, but still want to get paid Its called quiet quitting
Thank you so much for this video, it's great to hear the same feelings and thoughts that I've had for many years. I come from Eastern Europe where as girls in school we were also thought to choose a career that was stable and provided a good income, also there was a push towards STEM careers. I have also moved countries within Europe, it is the same in all 3 where I have worked. I have also been in planning for a decade now, had a huge burnout, actually 2, but the first one I was not self aware to identify at the time. Now with the 2nd my body has shut down, I had to take it slower. And although I've been thinking about leaving the profession for many years now, I was staying because there's a certain prestige and it was super hard to get a degree here. As you said, the first few years are clearer, you have a path ahead of you, you see yourself develop and there is feedback. But all in all it is so true that this job lacks creativity. I think it is a great job for someone who wants the same days over and over and stability. I realised that I am not that kind of person and that I often need change and new influences. I have ADHD as it turns out, which has helped me to be a planner and see the bigger picture, see some connections that my colleagues couldn't, but I'm terrible at the bureaucratic and paperwork side. So I totally feel what you said about prospects: I have no desire to go down the management route and I also dread being the expert as it is always the same. I'm getting back to what I wanted to be as a child - a creative person, maybe in interior design, and can't wait to make the change. Good luck to everyone who has woken up, we are the ones who can take action in our own lives!
After working in the office for a few years, I decided to transition to a new role as a field engineer at the same company. While I feel like I've found a happier place without all the office politics, there remains an element of every corporate job you can't get away from. I'm at year 9 into my engineering career and I'm approaching this point you speak of. Somehow the algorithm knew to recommend this video.
So many people get manipulated into careers of the time that are unfulfilling. I quit engineering and am working my way into medical. I want to help people heal… not just build them crap
It's interesting to think about the idea of manipulation, from my experience this was a well-meaning or unconscious process. Adults want the best for the youth in their lives, but usually express that by impressing their beliefs, fears, or values onto them, rather than cultivating self-awareness and truth. Congrats on making the switch!
I always wanted to be an engineer, I remember being about 5 years old and wanting to be an electrical engineer. I’ve been doing it for 30 years now. I still get nervous about safety aspects of my designs, fortunately we have standards and peer review that make it a bit easier. I do find that ‘creativity’ is actually very useful in electronics design, I took the path of technical specialization, I dislike management tasks but really enjoy doing what I’m really good at. The downside is that I end up almost never taking vacation… HR gets upset because I just keep accumulating unused vacation, but the projects can’t really afford to have me gone for more than a day or two at a time.
This was also my motivation. At my core, I want to help others, and just building things became very mundane and boring after a few years. I miss solving problems/fixing things, etc. I wanted to be a doctor growing up, but was not in a position at the time to go to school for that. The only thing that has been there this whole time is my ability to tell great stories and music, so I am focusing on writing music and books, and hoping the new gig I am starting soon is the engineering paradise I have been seeking. Supposedly, I will only work 40 - 45 hours a week. What a dream. I am very excited about my first day next week and never felt so sure about something in a long time. I am glad you are pursuing the call to work in the medical feel! That's very awesome!
I have been an engineer my entire adult life (61 now), but as of April 19th (2024) I shall be leaving the engineering field, and going into semi-retirement and managing my investments. Engineering has been good to me, but my particular engineering job (Manufacturing Engineer, supporting a production line) is very stressful, and every day is just an endless series of brush fires that must be immediately put out. It is time to reduce my stress level, and get my life back !
Corporate ladder is a myth. I was promoted a few times; I even changed from UNIX support (7 years) to a Project Manager (7 years) and got laid off with a "golden chute". But it was always a kind of a different item in the same pile. Your education, skill and "development plan" have nothing to do with becoming a level 3 manager in a 7-level transnational corporation.
I was in IT support for almost a decade with a little bit of infrastructure on the side ... in an academic engineering dept. which lacked any dedicated budget and it (and some personal catastrophes) almost broke me. Did you like being a PM or was it something you got pushed in because I would never want it. I'm a soldier not a boss. I can be a great nr 2. but I'm not cpt Picard but they keep pushing just when you get good at something they want to throw you into new waters even if you know it ain't the right fit. It's disgusting: "force feeding the peter principle" down everybody's throat.
@@kevinpaulus4483 I am grateful for getting PM experience in a well-organised organization supporting global power generating customer. I got used to working with project agreements according to PMI PMBOK methodology (I personally consider PRINCE 2 methodology inappropriate). The agreements contained deliverable, schedule, budget, payment milestones, client obligation sections as well as appendices with technical solution design and detailed price lists. Project Change Management was enforced. It really saved lives of me and my daughter when such skills were required to fight in court. A PM is not a boss. A PM is a coordinator to work with people and maintain documentation about projects. A PM should have (or be able to acquire as required) technical knowledge to interface with technical staff. Personally I advised on UNIX configuration when deploying applications thanks to my sysadmin experience.
This is SUPER NICE and VERY IMPORTANT VIDEO! A subject "what will your work will look like? what kind of people will you be dealing with? what kind of money will you be getting in your field?" is missing in our schools. I have a friend who was collecting train models as toys and wanted to work in the railroad conducting a real train. To his amusement he has realized that he would be working with greasy dirty palms, very loud engines, long shifts, etc. He told me that he wished to know about those things in schools
Great video. Its sunk cost and stockholm syndrome keeping a lot of people stuck in a career they feel they have lost control of. 4 years post graduation and i enrolled in counseling a broken soul because: manipulative/verbally abusive bosses, depressed/angry coworkers, low pay, unpaid overtime and the industry put my mind in a really dark, scared, low, and angry place. Yes counseling was very successful and empowered me to take more risks with my career and life. While I am still am an engineer I have changed companies and job titles to something more in line with my talents.
Thanks so much for sharing! This is a helpful perspective for those feeling stuck, it doesn't always need to be a big leap into something completely different. Sometimes it's making the decision to find a new company or a new role that can make all the difference.
This is a good video and I'm glad you're happier now, but I don't know - to anyone out there please consider your own wants and needs before doing the same thing. Mainly this was about not enjoying corporate culture and not wanting the burden of responsibility. I'd argue that ANY job is stressful because of responsibility otherwise they would not pay you. Why would someone pay you if you had no ownership of your own work - like no one is going to pay you to specifically tell you how to do every task. In terms of being client facing and worried about the messing something important up - everyone has to go through this. Everyone is going to mess something up in a job at some point and anyone who has a decent career has to talk directly to the clients in order to understand their wants and needs (even blue collar work like HVAC, Plummer, etc.). To become either a SME or a manager is just natural progression, this only occurs because there will be more young adults doing the engineer work and then now they'll need to come to you for help.
you explain the reality of engineering well. Its all about making decisions & then taking responsibility for those decisions. Many young engineers come into the job expecting to be wowed by exciting projects, like what they saw in a magazine or utube video. In reality its a slow grind, that eventually rewards the patient & determined.
Thank you for sharing your story. It definitely feels like there's a lot of baggage that comes with the corporate environment that very quickly wears and tears a person's motivation to continue. And this just applies to every job, not just engineering. I feel like every job would be immensely improved if the hierarchical structure was squashed and you weren't treated as some cog in a machine. In this specific instance, you also found things about engineering itself that you didn't really jive with, but i imagine that even for people who love engineering, their love of the profession turns into a soulless grind when their livelihood depends on corporate demands. You're living someone else's dream, and it's hard to stay motivated in that field. I wish you all the best as you navigate what you want to get out of life. I hope you find fulfillment in your endeavors and happiness from its outcomes.
I am a commercial HVAC trades guy, with some college. Yet, I was put into the engineering aspect of my previous company. Mostly, temperature controls, project coordination with other trades, cad drawings, dumb meetings and arguing with "real" HVAC engineers. I would watch these "engineers" and how miserable their life where. Heavy responsibility,( even without a PE) and just endless soul sucking. Sales engineers are absolutely the bottom. Since I still physically worked too, I had the joy of "engineering" my systems, then deploying them. There is something satisfying seeing your creation come to fruition. You get to add your own spin to things, and experiment with the best way, not some cut and paste from 1000 previous jobs. I think that's the part that real engineers don't get ever get.
I work as a dentist in Europe and I face most of the problems you mentioned. The truth is that humans are not done to work 40+ hours a week, it doesen't matter the job. Wage slavery
The absence of sunlight at the office way just killing me. And I wasn't the one to do much of hiking or anything but the feeling like your in a bunker all day long and then it's getting dark and you go home, is just awful.
Relate to everything so much after 10 years of software engineering. The politics and corporate culture can be so draining with all the corporate talk even if you are working with great people. A lot of the creative problem-solving part of the job is slowed down or blocked behind red tape and project planning. Even when you do get to code it can be boring business related logic and problems. Helps to know there are people out there who can relate when none of my family has the context to understand.
Spot on for a corporate office worker. I am making 200k working remotely and really unhappy with my job. At 38, I've seen way too many people get laid off and know my job is not secure. However, hard to know and find what to do alternatively.
I agree finding the next steps can be tough, it took me about 4 years to quit once I was finally sure and a lot of trial and error to figure out my next career direction.
@@adammorra3813 Zero regrets, I'm happy I finally took the leap. I think it depends what your goals are or your definition of success, for me it was really important to feel better and not dread what I was doing everyday. My lifestyle and health have done a 180 and that's success for me in this stage of life, it gives me the foundation to continue to grow the more traditional measures of success, my channel and business
Wow, strong words. I don't think I've ever felt "miserable" because of my work. There's been ups and downs, as with anything in life, but "miserable" sounds too much.
This is a vid more about not liking the generic corporate environment rather than engineering specifically. Love engineering i get to solve the most difficult problems every day. After 35 years I still love it, rewarding, great salary, great people, great career oppertunities and working with the very latest tech that people don't even know if its possible.
Thanks for making this!!! I can relate. What did you do as self employed? What was the compromise? How do you deal with the uncertainty of being unpaid when you're sick or unavailable? Thanks! Not challenging you, just trying to answer my own questions
@@MugenTJ thx. Indeed there are other videos covering those questions. The short answer is to carefully plan your exit and also take a leap of faith. I believe what she's doing now is life coaching. Another question is why is the corp world any different from the rest of the world? Shouldn't we expect pretty much the same?
@@prodromosgerakios1682 yeah. Life coaching apparently. I think unless we are born into wealth, it takes a lot of hard work, ingenuity, and luck to achieve financial success. 9-5 is a risk free and predictable income. Many ppl cannot be self employed . I learned that Poshmark takes 20% on sales! Yikes. Many ppl are attempting to be life coach too. I too quit my job 11 years ago to become self employed.. it hasn’t been easy by any stretch. Success is based on the individual drive on top of the things I mentioned .
What you mentioned about northerners needing to finally go outside because the weather is nice, sun is out, etc - that DOES exist in the South too, its just the opposite. Its called November, and you can finally go walk outside and breathe fresh air without dying of heat stroke lol
1:06 all of us were somehow brainwashed into thinking being good at Math and Science means you should become an engineer. School and workplace are completely decoupled to the point that work isn’t really applying anything you learn in school. School is all abstract math and derivations and analysis under cookie cutter curriculums under the neglectful supervision of an expert in the field. Work is doing what you’re told by people who often don’t know or understand the work but have micromanaging type-A personalities. I always thought engineering was a good career for rational thinkers but I found both school and workplaces to be dysfunctional.
Maybe I've drank too much of the cool aid, but I've always felt a certain motivation from the goal/product I'm building. I like to think that my work (CAD, construction and manufacturing software) gives a net positive to society, and I'd imagine a civil engineer literally building the infrastructure that drives the world would feel something similar.
Automation-integration+plc engineer. I did feel similarly. Until i decided to either quit it or look for clients myself. Went the second way and never looked back at corporate culture. I work longer on "one person company" contracts but there is no one except me and client. Except WLB? It is very satisfying and well paid for me(gets me to higher 10 percent of the incomes of the population). Right now? I just count on saving, investing and retiring early.
I'm a civil AutoCAD operator/designer and I see that many civil engineers want to do CAD. I think many civil engineers were actually thinking of CAD when they got into civil engineering. The truth is many of them don't ever touch civil 3D.
I you hit the nail once you get into corporate if you show a bit of potential management will push you into the path of managing a team, in a way to entice you and make you stay... I think you have to be smart on what promotions you take and be prepared to leave money on the table because you should feel free to walk away anytime.
Most careers last approx. 4 decades. Know what you like; what you're good at and what is your value proposition. Great organizations/companies have good people, good culture and great leadership. Perhaps you might not have left civil engineering if you'd worked in a better environment. Best of luck in your new endeavors!
I left my engineering manager roll in 2016 after 13 years at the peak of my career. No fire drive and passion. I was only working for the paycheck. It wasn't worth it to me. Eventually I chased my passion and found so much internal reward doing so.
All that you describe is issue with poor management not with engineering. And I relate 100%. Perhaps someday in the future there will be better people in charge for whom it will be easier to work.
Wouvvv , I share every career step and feelings against corparate work :) I`ve always been good at math and physics , unconsciously end up with engineering on electronics. Worked as a project manager about 8 years. Once i feel the comfort of working remote in pandemic, realised 9-6 working hours or corporate world is not for me and resigned . I learned investment and trading , then produce olive oil , struggled lots of time finding out what i want to do. Its been 3 years , i had bad times but %100 worth it! Much better to push yourself and fail , then tolerating little things everyday. But i dont regret that ive studied engineering , i use that background even in agriculture , learning new things . My problem was corporate bureaucracy and lifestyle . I think that engineering is about questioning and problem solving basicly , you can use that in every area. And best option if you want to change field of work in future
Same here. I graduated in telecommunication with ambition to planning networks and only things i do in 3 years of working is some bs excels. Made me regret career track.
Wow I see so much of my story reflected in yours, thanks for sharing. I agree it can be hard to find out what to do next, I've tried a lot of things since deciding to switch careers as well, but agree that the struggle is worth it :)
I have been eating sleeping and breathing software building since I was 13. You have to own the development shop where you work if you want to be a lifetime software engineer. Waterloo was amazing for me. you work full time 4 months after starting at the university. So I got a great taste of full time life. Marketing and Selling software is where the money is. I made and marketed my own report writer add-on tool for actuaries. I took an existing tool... Changed it by 10% and called it my own.
I get everything you're saying but the arguments just seem lazy. Most people don't work at jobs they love. This is a recent concept that hardly existed 50 years ago. Now that it does exist, the same number of people still don't have jobs they love--they just travel through life with more anxiety about it. I'm sorry you entered into the wrong career. I was a graphic designer for a regional planning agency, a software company, an architectural and engineering company and a traffic engineering firm specializing in timing controls and system integration. I moved away from Atlanta to Iowa City and did freelance design for a while but I needed good health insurance so I parlayed my college library student assistant experience into a library job after 22 years not working in libraries. My job sucked at first but I was willing to change positions there and my jobs got better. Now I am about to retire at 65 and I'm just happy I had a job with great benefits and even not a terrible salary by Iowa standards. I don't think I would hire you as a life coach. I'm sure you're a nice person but thinking everyone gets a job they love seems like an impossible expectation few people will realize.
The comment at 15:10 is so true. "Working 40 hours often meant working more than 40 hours." That is without counting the study time you need to stay sharp for your work.
Saving up and paying off debt was integral to being able to make the transition. I knew the conditions I personally needed to feel comfortable quitting and worked towards those, and once I reached them I knew it was time to quit.
I obtained a civil engineering degree and shortly after aborted going down that path. This was probably a terrible career decision. However, I was unhappy in general with society (to state jejunely), and I have a creative side as much as an analytical side. I went into nonprofit work and it made my life meaningful. I would say that a person in such position needs to think whether money to buy comfortable house and finance a family on a daily structured office job will make them happier than some type of greater internal life fulfillment with reduced capacity of income.
Consulting engineering can pay well, but it's a desk job. If you like something more hands on, it will pay less long term, but probably more fun. Salaries for engineers have been poor for a long time now with some exceptions of course. But the years of experience don't mean much. Sorry MS in education get $70k jobs at state agencies doing BS work that contribute zero value to society. If you become a PE, the asinine continuing education system is a waste of time and money imposed by ignorant politicians.
Great video my friend..prayers and blessings to you in your journey...im not an enginner, just stumbled on your video, listened out of curiosity..it kinda seems to me..everyone regrets there 1st career choices..and that we all outgrow the 1st versions of ourselves.ive seen alot of videos..why i left engineering, why i left nursing, why i left truck driving, theres literally a why i left just about anything thing on here...but where your taking a different path...its funny and ironic i work with people who are studying electrical and industrail engineering as we speak...so life is full circle and cool in that regars..but at least ahe gor the chance to live it and experience it..and are still young enough to pursue other things😃😃
Great insight, thanks for checking out the video 🙂 I agree that many people seem to regret their 1st career choice. It's not about villainizing any particular career path, it's about recognizing when the one you're in isn't a fit for you.
I am a male and I wanted to transition to something else after my first internship in civil engineering and after talking to people in the industry. The amount of work that these consultants want from you in exchange for crap pay and terrible Work life balance wasn't worth the stress especially structural and project management. You had either two options do private for more money but terrible hours or go into government for less money and good WLB. All I wanted was to do real estate by knowing land development and construction but all you really need is capital.
Regarding "corporate politics": those people do not understand neither social relationships nor global politics. They just behave according to the matrix forced on them via so called education (soft skills and other scam).
Entrepreneurship is more diversified and generally speaking safer than being employed by others. You can have multiple customers instead of only one employer you can fire you at any time.
Quite frankly, there are fair points (we all hate the corporate world, and it seems you have landed in bad companies), but some are quite wrong, including your expectations. Engineering can be very creative and it has been so in pretty much any industry back in the past century. These days innovation has slowed down and the corporate logic has started to take over. It's also a misconception that engineering and arts are mutually exclusive. Indeed, plenty of engineers are excellent musician. That being said, the level of freedom you are seeking requires even more accountability: even if you are on your own, who pays you dictate what you can and cannot do. I cannot spend much time here and go into details, but not every engineering work is bad or inflexible as you describe, but please realise that once you start your own business you must become a people manager, a project manager, maybe an accountant, a marketer etc. Unless you are wealthy, a good amount of your work life is going to be unsatisfactory at the very least. That's life.
About liability. If the client wants to sue, they'll sue your business, not you personally (plus it'll more than likely be resolved through mediation or OOC settlement). You might get a repriment from your professional order, but only if the client issues a complaint and is able to prove it's only your fault alone (unless you actively work agains't the order's investigators (seen that happen, it's crazy), you're getting nothing more than a slap on your wrist). Also engineering businesses usually have insurance to cover for those types of issues. So really the burden of liability is there, but isn't as huge as you describe it. I can't agree with your criticism of the professional association either, forcing engineers to sharpen up their skills each year through extra training is a great feature. Plus you can make your business pay for that training, so it's basically free training. Also, having a body for consumers to complain to and also to check engineer's credentials is absolutely essential to society, imagine having to go to court instead of the much shorter complaint process and also having no way of verifying with 100% certainty that the engineer you have in front of you is qualified to do the job. I agree with the pressure relate to billables and KPIs, those are stressful and tied to bonus compensation too.
For clarification you get a PE if you deal with the public directly or your plans or work too. Ie Professional Engineering License. So if you work at Mattel designing toys you could be just a guru at design with just a high school education and be self taught.. and your job title at Mattel might be senior master Engineer. Or Wizard. Or King of Design. Ie you do not deal directly with the public so the word Engineer on the title has no bearing. But if your bridge plans at Acme Bridge company are stamped by you as a Civil engineer your name and responsibility get tied to those plans. Ie the bridge is on the freeway and collapses . Your plans are public with the contract to build the bridge. You screwed up and failed to analyze the stresses right. Left out rebar in places known 100 years ago. So ACME bridges insurance costs skyrocket since you goofed up. You might be canned for cause. Your screwup might get your license revoked too if too gross.Ie your gross neglect got 6 killed . So once you get a PE license folks will come out of the woodwork to try to get you to stamp dangerous designs. Ie they want you to have liability for their substandard big mess. Most Engineers are not registered Professional Engineers. A subset is. Civil Engineer tend to get PE licenses more than mechanical or electrical. So if you deal with the public directly Most states you cannot hawk your Engineering unless registered. That protects the lay public
Thank you for the very thought provoking video. I am a senior design professional (not an engineer) who has worked with and for engineers for almost 40 years. I have this job despite the fact that I have a BFA and MFA in visual art. I gave up my aspirations to be an artist to establish a career that would allow me to support my family. My experience was the opposite of what you describe in this video. I gave up my "freedom" and conformed to a profession and a work life that allowed me to create (with my wife) a family with three wonderful children. To me living an "authentic" life meant dying to myself and taking on the responsibility of providing for my family. I have a few more years in this profession - I will then transition to a new career and life of doing community service work.
I wish my job was only 9 to 5. Sometimes 270 overtime hours last year. Underemployed. In an engineering firm but trying to get the experience I need. I guess I had alot of axiety in my life before. Held me back a long time. I get a dumb smile when I was doing a small job in the right dirrection earlier this month. The pile monitoring aspect for the monst part is boring. At least I made the right call on site with a few of the piles where I had to pay attention to.
Everyone is replaceable. It doesn't matter if you're taking orders at McDonalds or if you're manager at a software company or an assembler for a factory or supervisor for a line. You can and will be replaced at some point. It's always smart to have some money squirreled away in a secret place in your home in case you get fired. Remember they can fire you for any reason or no reason. Always have another plan and keep your Ps and Qs in check.
A couple of comments that might help you. The first is that the skill set you must possess to be an engineer is transferable to almost any job, unless it is highly specialized. I left engineering after a while to pursue other careers and was successful there. In addition, I think your comments about management come from a position of ignorance. I don’t mean that as a slight to you I just don’t think you appreciate how management can create a wonderful work environment. when you are in management, obviously you have to navigate things politically, but I always took it as my role to bring everyone else under me up to my level. I worked hard to develop people and give them the tools they needed to succeed and learn. There is a lot of satisfaction in management and development of the engineers who are younger or less experienced.
I quit engineering because I had all of the responsibility and almost no decision making authority. I can't tell you the number of times I've had my engineering judgment overruled by some know-nothing MBA with dollars in his eyes. Guess who has to cancel their family vacation and work for the holiday weekend when it turns out that reality doesn't care about your profit margins...
Worked a dozen companies, 1000s of engineers - 2 females total - one embedding and another mechanical - in 20+ years. As a whole, women hate engineering.
This is misleading .. the tittle should be why you left a civil engineering consulting path. I have been in the industry for over 8 years and yes I had to make a decision between SME and Management but there is one in between (architect), however, I have never have to worry about about bringing clients not dealing with the EIT, PE licenses. Consulting and PE, sounds like you are a civill Eng. I’ll argue that most civil Eng. positions do require a PE; but the majority of engineering jobs don’t (assuming you are not a Civil). My sector is aerospace/software and it is different to what you are describing, I don’t think I have ever worked with someone with a PE in my line of work.
This is a more traditional engineering path which in some aspects engineers in different industries will not go through such as tech or product development if you are more on the EE/Computer side in which companies are often less traditional. And some companies are less corporate feeling in the engineering department but it will vary. If you do more “trendy” work about half of this video won’t apply as much so if you want to be an engineer know there is more than one path you are stuck with so look deeper into your options and don’t just do what your advisors say. But if its not for you its not for you do what is best for you.
@@Zivety friend, you are believing boomer faerietales about the work environment. you are describing the 70s very accurately. I started in industry in the early 2000s, and they told me I had missed it. I learned CAD 25+ years ago, you will never get paid for CAD work. AI is about to do it all for free, and in such magnificent fashion that you will literally NEVER be able to duplicate it. Tens of millions of objects to your 12. not a fair fight at all. the largest companies, are going automated, now. Asia is remaking the economy, and they contain, so much more of it than us. no one talks about how are sanctions are utterly ineffective now. they adapted to our economic warfare long ago. the gravy train came down to nothing... the teams like what you see on TV are dead. the hope was they would be in the tech scene... but look at those layoffs. jobs funded in their entirety by venture capital... the economy gone mad. so for real, wise up, you're not gonna get a job. build bakcwards from what you need in your life, because this economy is wildly imbalanced and due to inflation, shortly out of both of our reaches. a store filled with AI optimized products, that we cant earn the first credit towards because no one in the world cares what we have to contribute anymore.
I was taught in high school, and when I first got a job they sent me to classes. the industry is changing so fast right now. all the teachers posing to you like CAD is a skill for work now are lying to you. in the US anyways. in developing economies... I just dont think they would bother with classes. they will play with the software and many of their kids will easily use it. its free, its powerful when we give it to the youth. Sorry to knock you down. but its the truth. once the layoffs that need to happen... are done... no one is going to be employed. its going to be rare to know an employee... the employed will disappear.
Almost sounds like you don't like to work as a typical employee in general, which I can understand would be unsuitable for many entrepreneur-type people. Would be interesting to learn what alternative profession does not come with the things you dislike about engineering but still pays you enough to cover your cost of living. I'm an electronic engineer and work in IT Security these days, with lots of responsibility and pressure but also with a stable salary and no threat/fear of being laid off.
Hey may I ask how you switched from electronics to IT security? Is your job basically like a Cybersecurity job? I’m thinking about majoring in computer engineering and then possibly moving into cybersecurity later in the future?
@@horizonlegos From electronics into IT administrator (I was a Linux hobbyist already), then to Security Manager, then to Security consultant, then to Security manager. The Administrator experience was vital to understanding the mechanics in IT security. The consulting bit was valuable to dealing with customers. I saw a few people switching from an admin role into a security role. That kinda worked.
@@318ishonk ok thank you I’m definitely interested in doing embedded systems for the very near future but I’m not sure if I’d ever be able to possibly switch into cybersecurity if my job for whatever reason stops to satisfy me , or resonate with where I am in life, thank you for the response!
@@horizonlegos embedded design is an excellent field to work in. In the car industry, in automation, in the IOT sector they all need security controls to protect against attacks. Easy ways to glide from E-engineer into security expert. Best of luck!
@@318ishonk ok thank you for the insight, I will definitely keep working within the Linux environment and will definitely want to work in embedded systems, although I here it’s a hard industry to get into
Anyone who thinks that starting your own business puts you in control of your own destiny is insane. Where do you think your orders are coming from? Who do you think your partners are? You think you are now somehow not dependent on the state of the economy and the state of the market?
agree with all of your points about corporate work. I work remote and I think that's worse. I need to find something else, remote work frankly has ruined my home sort of. I never wanted to live in an office.
even the people you think fit in well in a corporate world, are doing it not because it comes to them naturally but because they feel that either this is their best or only option to being able to provide for themselves or for their family and pay the bills especially late in life. So I see you are doing youtube now? Is that the main way you hope to pay bills? thanks for sharing your story.
I agree that it can feel more daunting later in life to make big career changes, and I was lucky to come to this realization at a time when I hadn't taken on a ton of the usual responsibilities that may hold people back. I offer coaching services for those ready to take the leap to change their life and RUclips is a means of sharing and visibility. Thanks for commenting :)
You don't have the wrong career you have the wrong job. I've been an engineer for over 40 years at all levels and it's been great. All the negatives you listed are avoidable. Being a SME is fine....mix it with field work and life can be a holiday. Being a sales "engineer" would blow.
Water resources! I found working in that area interesting and the environmental aspect fulfilling, just didn't enjoy everything else mentioned in the video 😂
@@alex_ellenthat’s quite interesting. I’m also a female engineer but I didn’t make the same experiences. I can’t imagine another lifestyle that’s this well balanced in terms of security, income, and time off. I wonder if a change in company would be helpful. It sounds like you were more on the side of sales engineering which is imo the best part of engineering. Hardly any consequences and much reward in terms of winning jobs. and a female with substantial technical knowledge, people typically are in love with seeing that.
One second, “incorporating 40 work hours into my schedule” - that’s a whole different issue haha. You want to freelance basically. But engineering has too much of responsibility resting on your shoulders to freelance. I get that struggle. You basically can’t freelance engineering.
@@Bav92 Really curious, what do you mean by "has too much of responsibility resting on your shoulders to freelance"? I've seen it done before in consulting, esp. with firms hiring subcontractors when they're over capacity.
@@ckpawlow I don't think I know many people in engineering that can pull off being a solo entrepreneur. How do you put a multi million dollar project together by yourself and how do you guarantee the work gets done? What larger company would trust you with millions of dollars when you can't offer warranty or on site repairs? The first thing new customers want to know from us "how good is your support, where are the techs located, and how quick can you turn around a broken component." How can you consult without being hyper specialized in whatever the other company needs? How do you protect yourself legally from faulty designs? The only engineering task I can see sub contracted is software engineering and maybe 3D/2D design work. I'm open for other examples, it's just not so simple when it takes an average of 5-10 years just to learn your job and become profitable to a company. Anything that has to be realized with mechanical components is essentially off the table in my opinion.
I'm doing SWE and I absolutely loathe the software culture. Please let me skip the coffee, pizza, disc golf, and lunches - let me check in, do the work, and check out. Everyone repeats during team-building events "Our culture is to ask ourselves WHY we do what we are doing!", and then when you actually ask "Why the hell are we doing it?" then the answer is "Commercial/Product side said so". Engineers' opinions really don't count when it comes to what to create, only how to get it done.
i like your video but i kinda wish you were more specific on the type of engineering you did, and the type of company you worked for without giving much away and give specific examples of your journey, more personal. i think this because it would hep those in engineering school right now. Maybe also change title to: why i left my engineering career after 10 years to help the kids in engineering see things you went thru so they can see what they are getting into.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, tbh this video is more for folks who are at least 4-5 years into their career than it is for students - I think students need to go through their own self discovery journey to learn who they really are and to figure out for themselves what they want out of life - and that's by experiencing things rather than theoretical knowledge
Got a degree in engineering but never got off the ground, difficult classes barely scraped by but didn't know what else to do so finished the degree. Doing fedex ground and still have no idea what I want to do, but at least I get to be outside with no office politics while I work, we'll see 🤷♂At least I don't have a wife or kids relying on me like some of these guys in the comments.
My hope with sharing this video is that anyone who feels similar, who is questioning their career or feels lost on their path, will find comfort, inspiration, or hope in hearing this. There can be a sense of isolation when you're no longer happy at work, and I remember days when I would look around and wonder "does anyone else feel this way? is everyone really happy to be here?". It's ok to want something different or change your mind about what you want out of life. Hope this helps
I’m a civil engineer and have doing it for 7 years now. There are several things that I don’t agree with in your video.
1) you can be creative as an engineer in fact being creative makes your work better
2) You can dress any way you want
3) It may or may not be fun but what makes people stick to engineering is the responsibility and duty to protect the public and the greater long term goal of advancing civilization.
4) with the right job you can have a flexible schedule. I only work 4 days a week.
5) you can be both an entrepreneur and an engineer
I don't say this to be mean, but it possibly could be helpful for you or others: Is there a chance it could be some level of depression?
I say this because most of your reasons for quitting sound like quite weak arguments. To me it sounds more like rationalizing.
I think there is a very good chance you will find yourself in the same position in a few years. Everything in life is a compromise. And all jobs suck.
I’ve been an electrical engineer for over 30 years working with all disciplines and I have not experienced anything close to what you are complaining about. You don’t have to go into management if you don’t want to. You don’t have to nurse the clients along. You can be creative as hell. There is no master “body” that is supervising you in your career and penalizing you for breaking any rules. I have never met an engineer that has been sued or held personally responsible for their errors. You don’t have to be an “Engineer in Training” or a licensed engineer in any way to work for a company. What sort of engineer are you that you are going jumping these “hoops?” Maybe you are just working for the wrong people.
I'm sure everybody can relate with TIMESHEET!!! in the email subject with your supervisors cc'd. lol.
On average women were much happier raising a family and making their neighborhood great.
That was really a good summary of the situation. I worked as an engineer for 35 years, the first 10 because I enjoyed it, the last 25 because I had a family to support. In my experience, the nature of engineering jobs changed over my career span, so that all of the disagreeable characteristics you list eventually occupied the vast majority of my work life. I managed to get out at 57, but by then it was really taking a toll on my normally sunny disposition. :-) Thanks for sharing your experience, and best to you on your new path.
Thanks for commenting, Alan. Glad the video resonated :) I'm curious if you retired early or switched career paths?
@@alex_ellenMy strategy was to save like fury, learn to be frugal, and retire from paid work. Had I been your age and not had folks dependent on me, I might well have followed the path you are on now, especially if I had known how the workplace would continue to evolve!
Recently retired after over forty years as an engineer. I always enjoyed the engineering, but corporate culture really changed over the years (I can hear you saying all the corporate culture buzz words), and all I can say is I have absolutely no respect for MBAs especially after watching them "manage" the company right into the ground. Much of what you complain about just was NOT a thing back in the day. We enjoyed our work, co-workers were great, but towards the end everybody was being micro managed to the point where it seemed the goal was to make everyone miserable (and they did.)
I am a corporate wage slave too.. I'm in my early 50s with family and mortage, 25+ years in engineering. I can relate to all this, God help me - I'm aiming to retire early.
I can confirm what you say about general professional culture. I worked over 20 years in government bureaucracy and it was a soul-sucker. I left it last year at age 53 and became a local route truck driver.
NOW I LOVE MY JOB!! It satisfies all my needs in a career. I am so glad I made the change.
That is quite the pivot. But if you say you love your job that makes you a success.
Congrats on making the shift! It's all about knowing what you need and going for it
I've thought about doing something like as a career change as well. Something you can tangibly see the progress in. You don't take it home with you; when work is done it's done. And you have time and energy to invest in things outside work that give you true joy and purpose like family and hobbies.
@@SmallBobby Becoming a truck driver was the best career move I ever made. It satisfies my need to be valued in my role. It satisfies my need for meaningful work. It satisfies my need to be paid well for hard work. There is a sense of pride and comradery in the workplace that I have sorely missed for a long time.
Plus I can wear shorts! 👍
KIPs and PARs ugh...I often wonder abut being a truck driver!!
Quit being an engineer after about the same amount of time. Loved being an engineer, hated the rest of the BS including yearly reviews where I got an average raise after exceeding all of my goals. Hard work meant nothing, and if I had to bring in work, then why not for myself. I started my own business that I can do exactly how I want. Don’t make quite as much as an engineer, but love everything else. My business is successful on my terms. Would never go bAck to corporate world. Started my business during the 08 downturn. I am happy and will sell when I retire!
Congratulations on taking the leap! The freedom you gain is totally worth the slight cut in income
Congratz on making a business work in such an economically unstable time!
Out of interest, what area of industry are you in?
What is your business?
What kind of business? Do you have a web site?
What engineer branch were you?
If you are smart enough to be an engineer, you are smart enough to not be an engineer.
I'm sure she can be successful doing many things. However, I think she will soon find herself in the same position no matter the career change.
@@collin9085 I share this sentiment as well. when I compare experiences with friends who are nurses, actuaries, real estate agents etc, it's rare for a perfect job. obviously she's her own person so it's possible engineering really wasn't for her but again I feel like any new job will eventually lose its shine
@@collin9085dont be so sure. Other jobs has challanges too. But corporate world is often pure toil.
Spot on about the "polite veneer" and its difficult to be comfortable in your skin. Sadly, office politics will always be present in the workplace because everyone has different desires and goals within a finite system in that hierarchy.
Thanks for checking out the video, glad you found something that resonates
It's definitely a necessary evil, because you don't want some of these people to feel too comfortable and "authentic" in the work place.
If I hear "circle back" again, I'll puke.
This is really to the point. I am retired after 45 years in the manufacturing engineering world. Corporations suck. The lack of recognition was constant but the lack of vision was stifling, As a night school engineering teacher for 35 of those years I get to talk with students about their goals. Today's labor market is much better than the 50+ hour / 6 day weeks that was the norm (for manufacturing plants). When we have an open discussion on work and their future I stress that they need to have a dedicated mentor to support them. This is so true for women engineers. I have worked with some excellent women in engineering (way better than me) who just left because they could not handle all the stuff (polite word) of being a young woman in a male-dominated industry. When you do mature in the field the pay does not keep pace. The annual review (which needs to be eliminated) never addressed the actual work done. It was a joke. Please continue in your efforts and speak to as many young people as you can to give them some perspective in this career path.
The best advice I can give a high school student is to learn a high demand high income skill after graduation. Get a job and after a year or two start a side hustle that gives flexibility to leave your employer if needed.
I agree that having a side hustle is key, not only does it give you side income and a fall-back plan in case anything happened to your main hustle, but you also have the mental relief of knowing "I don't *have* to stay here, I've got something else going on"
My advice is to learn to do something useful that other's can't do, or aren't willing to do.....They'll always pay you to do that thing for them, and you get to name the price!
@@alex_ellen wtf is a side hustle. Any good examples for the "normal employees", those not having a masters nailed to their wall ? And no OnlyFans or any other scam like starting a podcast.
I spent 20 years in IT/SWE and the the field has become so unstable. Layoffs constantly and having to always worry about offshoring. I'm doing something else now.
I’m in tech as well, mind sharing what you’re doing cause I’m so done with IT
I've been an engineer for 19 years. The work I do is pretty creative, designing machinery. But I had to make that niche for myself - I'm the gimp they keep in the basement LOL.
I hate to say it, but the worst part about being an engineer is working with engineers. Don't get me wrong, some of them are cool, but it seems like engineering can attract a "certain" personality type that rubs me the wrong way. Big egos, abysmal people skills, finger pointy/ blamey people, zero sense of humor, people who love rigid rules and structure - you get the idea. I'm happiest when I'm barricaded in my office or in the shop.
That's great that you were able to carve out a career with fulfilling work for yourself, that's the ultimate goal 🤗
You quit for the same reason most of us no longer are passionate about our careers:
MANAGEMENT
Once anything is corporatized with unnecessary numerous meetings, politics, administration, gaslighting, one-on-ones, performance appraisals, company events, etc.
They are losing numerous best and brightest to this old hierarchical system of chaos.
I can't wait to retire! 😳
Management is capitalism. It's a race to the bottom rewarding idiots who just put profits above people, quality, and everything else.
What exploiters do with you:
1. They take you younger and teach you something.
2. They exploit you in a stressful environment (yes, liability with not much experience).
3. They lie that they support your learning (growth) because they do not provide you any laboratory for getting hands-on experience with new products. You have to buy HW and SW licenses for your home lab, read admin manuals and educate yourself.
4. When they think your reliability and productivity goes down due to aging, they lay you off to repeat 1-3 with someone else. Go washing WC or stay at home 10-20 years if you saved money for that.
The "skill shortage" is a lie. There are always at least 19 people lined up to take your job if you leave or fuch up.
Yes the replaceability of staff was something I witnessed many times as people were laid off or quit, another motivating factor to be in control of my own destiny
Not if you learn how to do something that those 19 goobers can't do.
Depends on the skill in question. But that doesn't mean you have job security. Instead we should be focusing job skill security and keep shopping employer much like how employees shop for workers.
Agreed! The notion of a shortage has been around for 40+ years. If true, engineering salaries would be earning more than doctors and lawyers.
@@asadb1990 You are correct: some skillsets are less common than others (thus, more valuable), but it still doesn't exempt you from being expendable. The economy becoming globalized has had its way of making people with hard-to-find skills and knowledge accessible. A person in podunk Idaho may have to compete with someone from India for the same position, even if the position is listed in podunk Idaho.
I was actually average to below average in the technical subjects at school and my best were the languages and humanities, but it was a school attended by people who were good at and/or interested in sciences, so I was average in sciences in that environment and above average in the other subjects but probably still average there overall and above average overall in technical sciences. When I went to a meet up with former classmates recently, someone said they thought I would become an artist, another said they thought I would become a foreign language teacher. A teacher back then suggested becoming a writer, another said philosophy would suit me well... Basically, all that I did not attempt to do. I went into IT, I was into biology too until I realized I hated lab work. Other people can tell you whether they think you are good at something or what they want to see you as, but they can't tell you what you want. And there are always multiple options and professions we don't consider because we don't understand what they are like.
You can't really predict what a job is like until you see it, and in those technical fields, your work place matters a lot too. I hesitated and was also asking myself whether I really took the right path. I then found a job that is not micromanaged, and that means a lot to me. I actually don't mind talking one on one or small meetings to other people on the team who are working with the product I create, it can be exciting to try and figure out what they think and add to the project, but having those typical clients would sure be hard on me. My team is also nice and does accept that we are all human and everyone splits the work based on their interests and knowledge and educates each other.
When you feel like you have too much responsibility, just don't climb that ladder. Say no. You can't expect the pay for a management or consulting position when you don't want to do it, but so what if your life is better without it. So what if you decide to work 4 days a week being paid for the hours accordingly and end up with less than full time. In a profession that is as well paid as the technical careers are at the moment, just take that freedom instead of breaking apart your life. If you truly feel like it's not your field and you have no interest in any of the available subjects in that department, then yes, quit. If it's the hours or the work place, just change it. We don't need to constantly climb the ladder if we are comfortable where we are. You don't get rich from that anyway, and getting rich means nothing if you aren't happy.
Thanks for sharing :) Personally, I knew it was time to leave because I was working in what I thought was my "dream" engineering position at the time and it wasn't bringing me fulfillment. When you've improved everything you can and it still isn't working out, then it's time to consider the switch.
Agree. There are employers who are flexible, understand not everyone wants to climb…etc I’m an engineer who moved to academia…if things are not Ok it’s important to start thinking about what to change….talk to employer or switch. Some people need other outlets…they could cut back hours, spend time on hobbies…is less common in US more common in Europe but it can be done…
I have retired after 44 years as an engineer. I tried the high pay corporate world twice and decided it wasn't engineering. I was always happy in the small company world and it was worth the smaller salary less benefits to trade for the environment. I was able to add some art to my designs and exercise my creativity best in this world and it was very satisfying. You just need to look for the right job at the interview, they are out there.
The era of the "safe, secure corporate career" ended in the 1980s, with the advent of the shareholder model of capitalism, which led to widespread downsizing (euphemistically called "rightsizing") and offshoring. (I entered the corporate world in 1981; I know of this all at first hand.) The massive layoffs during the global financial crisis of 2008-09 make clear that the insecurity of corporate jobs is by no means a thing of the past.
Corporate jobs might be a great fit for someone early in their working life, especially for the sake of the experience and, frankly, the money. But one must always be aware that any sense of security is an illusion. One should always be thinking ahead to one's next position (and what to do now to best set oneself up for that). One should always be working on a side hustle that could grow into one's own business.
Aw, gee! Doesn't sound like that dream of the 1950s secure corporate job, right? Newsflash: the 1950s are dead as dirt. Get over it.
I definitely agree with this. Shareholders are the reason we have this type of environment where the company is the work horse that needs to create profits for these Shareholders and if they don't or fall behind cuts occur often times labor is the first to go to keep them happy. These shareholders expect to grow profits year over year when the amount of growth is finite.
People get confused about “the career”. You do not get to have a career. Stop using that name as if you are going somewhere. Careers are for the top people who are financially independent, can move anywhere any time, have the golden parachutes, and no fear of the outcomes. You are part of the protected class where you support other people and get saved by your in group of top professionals. That is what career is. What you have is a job.
Facts.
top people earned those positions, through years of hard work.
The positions come with lost of responsibilities & worries
-taking risks
-running a business, not a school for beginners
-hiring people & trusting them with your reputation
-making payroll every month / paying bills
-constantly dealing employees personal problems & frustrations
-being the go to fixer & problem solver
-taking all the responsibility, when shit gets tough
Lots of people dont really want to work, but still want to get paid
Its called quiet quitting
Ok Jordan Peterson lol
😂
I sense some frustration somewhere😅
Thank you so much for this video, it's great to hear the same feelings and thoughts that I've had for many years. I come from Eastern Europe where as girls in school we were also thought to choose a career that was stable and provided a good income, also there was a push towards STEM careers. I have also moved countries within Europe, it is the same in all 3 where I have worked. I have also been in planning for a decade now, had a huge burnout, actually 2, but the first one I was not self aware to identify at the time. Now with the 2nd my body has shut down, I had to take it slower. And although I've been thinking about leaving the profession for many years now, I was staying because there's a certain prestige and it was super hard to get a degree here. As you said, the first few years are clearer, you have a path ahead of you, you see yourself develop and there is feedback. But all in all it is so true that this job lacks creativity. I think it is a great job for someone who wants the same days over and over and stability. I realised that I am not that kind of person and that I often need change and new influences. I have ADHD as it turns out, which has helped me to be a planner and see the bigger picture, see some connections that my colleagues couldn't, but I'm terrible at the bureaucratic and paperwork side. So I totally feel what you said about prospects: I have no desire to go down the management route and I also dread being the expert as it is always the same. I'm getting back to what I wanted to be as a child - a creative person, maybe in interior design, and can't wait to make the change. Good luck to everyone who has woken up, we are the ones who can take action in our own lives!
After working in the office for a few years, I decided to transition to a new role as a field engineer at the same company. While I feel like I've found a happier place without all the office politics, there remains an element of every corporate job you can't get away from. I'm at year 9 into my engineering career and I'm approaching this point you speak of. Somehow the algorithm knew to recommend this video.
So many people get manipulated into careers of the time that are unfulfilling. I quit engineering and am working my way into medical. I want to help people heal… not just build them crap
It's interesting to think about the idea of manipulation, from my experience this was a well-meaning or unconscious process. Adults want the best for the youth in their lives, but usually express that by impressing their beliefs, fears, or values onto them, rather than cultivating self-awareness and truth. Congrats on making the switch!
I always wanted to be an engineer, I remember being about 5 years old and wanting to be an electrical engineer. I’ve been doing it for 30 years now. I still get nervous about safety aspects of my designs, fortunately we have standards and peer review that make it a bit easier. I do find that ‘creativity’ is actually very useful in electronics design, I took the path of technical specialization, I dislike management tasks but really enjoy doing what I’m really good at. The downside is that I end up almost never taking vacation… HR gets upset because I just keep accumulating unused vacation, but the projects can’t really afford to have me gone for more than a day or two at a time.
This was also my motivation. At my core, I want to help others, and just building things became very mundane and boring after a few years. I miss solving problems/fixing things, etc. I wanted to be a doctor growing up, but was not in a position at the time to go to school for that. The only thing that has been there this whole time is my ability to tell great stories and music, so I am focusing on writing music and books, and hoping the new gig I am starting soon is the engineering paradise I have been seeking. Supposedly, I will only work 40 - 45 hours a week. What a dream. I am very excited about my first day next week and never felt so sure about something in a long time. I am glad you are pursuing the call to work in the medical feel! That's very awesome!
I needed this!!
Glad to hear, thanks for leaving a comment :)
I have been an engineer my entire adult life (61 now), but as of April 19th (2024) I shall be leaving the engineering field, and going into semi-retirement and managing my investments.
Engineering has been good to me, but my particular engineering job (Manufacturing Engineer, supporting a production line) is very stressful, and every day is just an endless series of brush fires that must be immediately put out.
It is time to reduce my stress level, and get my life back !
Congratulations on getting to a place where you can reduce stress and feel more like yourself :) 10 more days!
Just a way to make money. All sress, near zero kudos.
Corporate ladder is a myth. I was promoted a few times; I even changed from UNIX support (7 years) to a Project Manager (7 years) and got laid off with a "golden chute". But it was always a kind of a different item in the same pile. Your education, skill and "development plan" have nothing to do with becoming a level 3 manager in a 7-level transnational corporation.
It's really who you know and how well you can play the corporate politics game at the top
I was in IT support for almost a decade with a little bit of infrastructure on the side ... in an academic engineering dept. which lacked any dedicated budget and it (and some personal catastrophes) almost broke me. Did you like being a PM or was it something you got pushed in because I would never want it. I'm a soldier not a boss. I can be a great nr 2. but I'm not cpt Picard but they keep pushing just when you get good at something they want to throw you into new waters even if you know it ain't the right fit. It's disgusting: "force feeding the peter principle" down everybody's throat.
@@kevinpaulus4483 I am grateful for getting PM experience in a well-organised organization supporting global power generating customer. I got used to working with project agreements according to PMI PMBOK methodology (I personally consider PRINCE 2 methodology inappropriate). The agreements contained deliverable, schedule, budget, payment milestones, client obligation sections as well as appendices with technical solution design and detailed price lists. Project Change Management was enforced. It really saved lives of me and my daughter when such skills were required to fight in court. A PM is not a boss. A PM is a coordinator to work with people and maintain documentation about projects. A PM should have (or be able to acquire as required) technical knowledge to interface with technical staff. Personally I advised on UNIX configuration when deploying applications thanks to my sysadmin experience.
This is SUPER NICE and VERY IMPORTANT VIDEO! A subject "what will your work will look like? what kind of people will you be dealing with? what kind of money will you be getting in your field?" is missing in our schools. I have a friend who was collecting train models as toys and wanted to work in the railroad conducting a real train. To his amusement he has realized that he would be working with greasy dirty palms, very loud engines, long shifts, etc. He told me that he wished to know about those things in schools
yes, super important to think about what the job will look like day-to-day. thanks for sharing :)
The problem with engineering can be summed up by saying that it is not engineering.
Great video. Its sunk cost and stockholm syndrome keeping a lot of people stuck in a career they feel they have lost control of.
4 years post graduation and i enrolled in counseling a broken soul because: manipulative/verbally abusive bosses, depressed/angry coworkers, low pay, unpaid overtime and the industry put my mind in a really dark, scared, low, and angry place.
Yes counseling was very successful and empowered me to take more risks with my career and life. While I am still am an engineer I have changed companies and job titles to something more in line with my talents.
Thanks so much for sharing! This is a helpful perspective for those feeling stuck, it doesn't always need to be a big leap into something completely different. Sometimes it's making the decision to find a new company or a new role that can make all the difference.
This is a good video and I'm glad you're happier now, but I don't know - to anyone out there please consider your own wants and needs before doing the same thing. Mainly this was about not enjoying corporate culture and not wanting the burden of responsibility. I'd argue that ANY job is stressful because of responsibility otherwise they would not pay you. Why would someone pay you if you had no ownership of your own work - like no one is going to pay you to specifically tell you how to do every task. In terms of being client facing and worried about the messing something important up - everyone has to go through this. Everyone is going to mess something up in a job at some point and anyone who has a decent career has to talk directly to the clients in order to understand their wants and needs (even blue collar work like HVAC, Plummer, etc.). To become either a SME or a manager is just natural progression, this only occurs because there will be more young adults doing the engineer work and then now they'll need to come to you for help.
you explain the reality of engineering well. Its all about making decisions & then taking responsibility for those decisions.
Many young engineers come into the job expecting to be wowed by exciting projects, like what they saw in a magazine or utube video.
In reality its a slow grind, that eventually rewards the patient & determined.
💯💯💯
Explaining the project delays, writing requests for additional funding, failure investigations with too many stakeholders, etc...
Thank you for sharing your story. It definitely feels like there's a lot of baggage that comes with the corporate environment that very quickly wears and tears a person's motivation to continue. And this just applies to every job, not just engineering. I feel like every job would be immensely improved if the hierarchical structure was squashed and you weren't treated as some cog in a machine.
In this specific instance, you also found things about engineering itself that you didn't really jive with, but i imagine that even for people who love engineering, their love of the profession turns into a soulless grind when their livelihood depends on corporate demands. You're living someone else's dream, and it's hard to stay motivated in that field.
I wish you all the best as you navigate what you want to get out of life. I hope you find fulfillment in your endeavors and happiness from its outcomes.
Great video!! What did you end up doing? I related to everything you spoke to. Still trying to find my way in this world.
Thanks for sharing. I found this helpful.
So glad you found it helpful :)
I am a commercial HVAC trades guy, with some college. Yet, I was put into the engineering aspect of my previous company. Mostly, temperature controls, project coordination with other trades, cad drawings, dumb meetings and arguing with "real" HVAC engineers. I would watch these "engineers" and how miserable their life where. Heavy responsibility,( even without a PE) and just endless soul sucking. Sales engineers are absolutely the bottom.
Since I still physically worked too, I had the joy of "engineering" my systems, then deploying them. There is something satisfying seeing your creation come to fruition. You get to add your own spin to things, and experiment with the best way, not some cut and paste from 1000 previous jobs.
I think that's the part that real engineers don't get ever get.
I work as a dentist in Europe and I face most of the problems you mentioned. The truth is that humans are not done to work 40+ hours a week, it doesen't matter the job. Wage slavery
The absence of sunlight at the office way just killing me. And I wasn't the one to do much of hiking or anything but the feeling like your in a bunker all day long and then it's getting dark and you go home, is just awful.
Wait, what do you do now?
Relate to everything so much after 10 years of software engineering. The politics and corporate culture can be so draining with all the corporate talk even if you are working with great people. A lot of the creative problem-solving part of the job is slowed down or blocked behind red tape and project planning. Even when you do get to code it can be boring business related logic and problems. Helps to know there are people out there who can relate when none of my family has the context to understand.
This is a great description, thanks for adding your perspective 🙂
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for checking out the video :)
Popped up in my feed after a mental breakdown while doing engineering problems :,) faq u RUclips lol
The universe works in mysterious ways 😆
Spot on for a corporate office worker. I am making 200k working remotely and really unhappy with my job. At 38, I've seen way too many people get laid off and know my job is not secure. However, hard to know and find what to do alternatively.
I agree finding the next steps can be tough, it took me about 4 years to quit once I was finally sure and a lot of trial and error to figure out my next career direction.
@@alex_ellen how are you liking it so far? It's one thing to figure out what you want to do. It's another different ball game to be successful at it.
@@adammorra3813 Zero regrets, I'm happy I finally took the leap. I think it depends what your goals are or your definition of success, for me it was really important to feel better and not dread what I was doing everyday. My lifestyle and health have done a 180 and that's success for me in this stage of life, it gives me the foundation to continue to grow the more traditional measures of success, my channel and business
@alex_ellen very happy to hear that, wishing you all the success!
In the US, one good thing about corporate work are the medical benefits. Self insuring after leaving the corporate world is expensive!!!
Wow, strong words. I don't think I've ever felt "miserable" because of my work. There's been ups and downs, as with anything in life, but "miserable" sounds too much.
Not if you have been there. Try working for a narcist.
This is a vid more about not liking the generic corporate environment rather than engineering specifically.
Love engineering i get to solve the most difficult problems every day. After 35 years I still love it, rewarding, great salary, great people, great career oppertunities and working with the very latest tech that people don't even know if its possible.
Thanks for making this!!! I can relate. What did you do as self employed? What was the compromise? How do you deal with the uncertainty of being unpaid when you're sick or unavailable? Thanks! Not challenging you, just trying to answer my own questions
She said Photography, poshmark, Etsy, and RUclips . There is a video on that it seems .
@@MugenTJ thx. Indeed there are other videos covering those questions. The short answer is to carefully plan your exit and also take a leap of faith. I believe what she's doing now is life coaching. Another question is why is the corp world any different from the rest of the world? Shouldn't we expect pretty much the same?
@@prodromosgerakios1682 yeah. Life coaching apparently. I think unless we are born into wealth, it takes a lot of hard work, ingenuity, and luck to achieve financial success. 9-5 is a risk free and predictable income. Many ppl cannot be self employed . I learned that Poshmark takes 20% on sales! Yikes. Many ppl are attempting to be life coach too.
I too quit my job 11 years ago to become self employed.. it hasn’t been easy by any stretch. Success is based on the individual drive on top of the things I mentioned .
Totally agree with you. 100%. I hate work, period!
What you mentioned about northerners needing to finally go outside because the weather is nice, sun is out, etc - that DOES exist in the South too, its just the opposite. Its called November, and you can finally go walk outside and breathe fresh air without dying of heat stroke lol
1:06 all of us were somehow brainwashed into thinking being good at Math and Science means you should become an engineer.
School and workplace are completely decoupled to the point that work isn’t really applying anything you learn in school. School is all abstract math and derivations and analysis under cookie cutter curriculums under the neglectful supervision of an expert in the field. Work is doing what you’re told by people who often don’t know or understand the work but have micromanaging type-A personalities.
I always thought engineering was a good career for rational thinkers but I found both school and workplaces to be dysfunctional.
Maybe I've drank too much of the cool aid, but I've always felt a certain motivation from the goal/product I'm building.
I like to think that my work (CAD, construction and manufacturing software) gives a net positive to society, and I'd imagine a civil engineer literally building the infrastructure that drives the world would feel something similar.
Good for you. Everyone’s different though.
Automation-integration+plc engineer. I did feel similarly. Until i decided to either quit it or look for clients myself. Went the second way and never looked back at corporate culture.
I work longer on "one person company" contracts but there is no one except me and client. Except WLB? It is very satisfying and well paid for me(gets me to higher 10 percent of the incomes of the population).
Right now? I just count on saving, investing and retiring early.
I'm a civil AutoCAD operator/designer and I see that many civil engineers want to do CAD. I think many civil engineers were actually thinking of CAD when they got into civil engineering. The truth is many of them don't ever touch civil 3D.
I you hit the nail once you get into corporate if you show a bit of potential management will push you into the path of managing a team, in a way to entice you and make you stay... I think you have to be smart on what promotions you take and be prepared to leave money on the table because you should feel free to walk away anytime.
Most careers last approx. 4 decades. Know what you like; what you're good at and what is your value proposition. Great organizations/companies have good people, good culture and great leadership. Perhaps you might not have left civil engineering if you'd worked in a better environment. Best of luck in your new endeavors!
I left my engineering manager roll in 2016 after 13 years at the peak of my career. No fire drive and passion. I was only working for the paycheck. It wasn't worth it to me. Eventually I chased my passion and found so much internal reward doing so.
What is the passion you chased?
All that you describe is issue with poor management not with engineering. And I relate 100%.
Perhaps someday in the future there will be better people in charge for whom it will be easier to work.
Wouvvv , I share every career step and feelings against corparate work :) I`ve always been good at math and physics , unconsciously end up with engineering on electronics. Worked as a project manager about 8 years. Once i feel the comfort of working remote in pandemic, realised 9-6 working hours or corporate world is not for me and resigned . I learned investment and trading , then produce olive oil , struggled lots of time finding out what i want to do. Its been 3 years , i had bad times but %100 worth it! Much better to push yourself and fail , then tolerating little things everyday. But i dont regret that ive studied engineering , i use that background even in agriculture , learning new things . My problem was corporate bureaucracy and lifestyle . I think that engineering is about questioning and problem solving basicly , you can use that in every area. And best option if you want to change field of work in future
Same here. I graduated in telecommunication with ambition to planning networks and only things i do in 3 years of working is some bs excels. Made me regret career track.
Wow I see so much of my story reflected in yours, thanks for sharing. I agree it can be hard to find out what to do next, I've tried a lot of things since deciding to switch careers as well, but agree that the struggle is worth it :)
I have been eating sleeping and breathing software building since I was 13.
You have to own the development shop where you work if you want to be a lifetime software engineer.
Waterloo was amazing for me. you work full time 4 months after starting at the university. So I got a great taste of full time life.
Marketing and
Selling software is where the money is.
I made and marketed my own report writer add-on tool for actuaries. I took an existing tool... Changed it by 10% and called it my own.
I get everything you're saying but the arguments just seem lazy. Most people don't work at jobs they love. This is a recent concept that hardly existed 50 years ago. Now that it does exist, the same number of people still don't have jobs they love--they just travel through life with more anxiety about it. I'm sorry you entered into the wrong career. I was a graphic designer for a regional planning agency, a software company, an architectural and engineering company and a traffic engineering firm specializing in timing controls and system integration. I moved away from Atlanta to Iowa City and did freelance design for a while but I needed good health insurance so I parlayed my college library student assistant experience into a library job after 22 years not working in libraries. My job sucked at first but I was willing to change positions there and my jobs got better. Now I am about to retire at 65 and I'm just happy I had a job with great benefits and even not a terrible salary by Iowa standards.
I don't think I would hire you as a life coach. I'm sure you're a nice person but thinking everyone gets a job they love seems like an impossible expectation few people will realize.
working for corporations is simply awful. Careers in 2024 are, well, over. good luck. Hope you have some hobbies or like to read.
The comment at 15:10 is so true. "Working 40 hours often meant working more than 40 hours." That is without counting the study time you need to stay sharp for your work.
Hopefully you made and save enough to hold out during your transition. I think many of us in different industries are in the same spot
Saving up and paying off debt was integral to being able to make the transition. I knew the conditions I personally needed to feel comfortable quitting and worked towards those, and once I reached them I knew it was time to quit.
I obtained a civil engineering degree and shortly after aborted going down that path. This was probably a terrible career decision. However, I was unhappy in general with society (to state jejunely), and I have a creative side as much as an analytical side. I went into nonprofit work and it made my life meaningful. I would say that a person in such position needs to think whether money to buy comfortable house and finance a family on a daily structured office job will make them happier than some type of greater internal life fulfillment with reduced capacity of income.
Consulting engineering can pay well, but it's a desk job. If you like something more hands on, it will pay less long term, but probably more fun. Salaries for engineers have been poor for a long time now with some exceptions of course. But the years of experience don't mean much. Sorry MS in education get $70k jobs at state agencies doing BS work that contribute zero value to society. If you become a PE, the asinine continuing education system is a waste of time and money imposed by ignorant politicians.
You omitted to mention in what specific engineering field you were in.
Great video my friend..prayers and blessings to you in your journey...im not an enginner, just stumbled on your video, listened out of curiosity..it kinda seems to me..everyone regrets there 1st career choices..and that we all outgrow the 1st versions of ourselves.ive seen alot of videos..why i left engineering, why i left nursing, why i left truck driving, theres literally a why i left just about anything thing on here...but where your taking a different path...its funny and ironic i work with people who are studying electrical and industrail engineering as we speak...so life is full circle and cool in that regars..but at least ahe gor the chance to live it and experience it..and are still young enough to pursue other things😃😃
Great insight, thanks for checking out the video 🙂 I agree that many people seem to regret their 1st career choice. It's not about villainizing any particular career path, it's about recognizing when the one you're in isn't a fit for you.
34 years as Civil Engineer, I cant tell you how many females I have seen leave the profession Vs. males quitting...
I am a male and I wanted to transition to something else after my first internship in civil engineering and after talking to people in the industry.
The amount of work that these consultants want from you in exchange for crap pay and terrible Work life balance wasn't worth the stress especially structural and project management. You had either two options do private for more money but terrible hours or go into government for less money and good WLB.
All I wanted was to do real estate by knowing land development and construction but all you really need is capital.
Usually women aren’t good engineers, that is why a lot of them quit. I worked with very good ones and some that have no clue what they are doing.
In our culture, many women can quit while many men can't quit, no matter the abuse.
The real problem is corporatism, work for small companies that trade in black.
Regarding "corporate politics": those people do not understand neither social relationships nor global politics. They just behave according to the matrix forced on them via so called education (soft skills and other scam).
Entrepreneurship is more diversified and generally speaking safer than being employed by others. You can have multiple customers instead of only one employer you can fire you at any time.
Quite frankly, there are fair points (we all hate the corporate world, and it seems you have landed in bad companies), but some are quite wrong, including your expectations. Engineering can be very creative and it has been so in pretty much any industry back in the past century. These days innovation has slowed down and the corporate logic has started to take over. It's also a misconception that engineering and arts are mutually exclusive. Indeed, plenty of engineers are excellent musician.
That being said, the level of freedom you are seeking requires even more accountability: even if you are on your own, who pays you dictate what you can and cannot do.
I cannot spend much time here and go into details, but not every engineering work is bad or inflexible as you describe, but please realise that once you start your own business you must become a people manager, a project manager, maybe an accountant, a marketer etc. Unless you are wealthy, a good amount of your work life is going to be unsatisfactory at the very least. That's life.
been in Civ Egr. 20 years and only ever asked about my career plan in interviews, after that, the subject was dropped
About liability. If the client wants to sue, they'll sue your business, not you personally (plus it'll more than likely be resolved through mediation or OOC settlement). You might get a repriment from your professional order, but only if the client issues a complaint and is able to prove it's only your fault alone (unless you actively work agains't the order's investigators (seen that happen, it's crazy), you're getting nothing more than a slap on your wrist). Also engineering businesses usually have insurance to cover for those types of issues. So really the burden of liability is there, but isn't as huge as you describe it.
I can't agree with your criticism of the professional association either, forcing engineers to sharpen up their skills each year through extra training is a great feature. Plus you can make your business pay for that training, so it's basically free training. Also, having a body for consumers to complain to and also to check engineer's credentials is absolutely essential to society, imagine having to go to court instead of the much shorter complaint process and also having no way of verifying with 100% certainty that the engineer you have in front of you is qualified to do the job.
I agree with the pressure relate to billables and KPIs, those are stressful and tied to bonus compensation too.
This seems painfully obvious. How could it be otherwise. Should have given her seat at university to someone els.
@@ssehe2007 Nobody said that, cynical/sarcastical user no. 40559
For clarification you get a PE if you deal with the public directly or your plans or work too. Ie Professional Engineering License.
So if you work at Mattel designing toys you could be just a guru at design with just a high school education and be self taught.. and your job title at Mattel might be senior master Engineer. Or Wizard. Or King of Design.
Ie you do not deal directly with the public so the word Engineer on the title has no bearing.
But if your bridge plans at Acme Bridge company are stamped by you as a Civil engineer your name and responsibility get tied to those plans. Ie the bridge is on the freeway and collapses . Your plans are public with the contract to build the bridge.
You screwed up and failed to analyze the stresses right. Left out rebar in places known 100 years ago.
So ACME bridges insurance costs skyrocket since you goofed up.
You might be canned for cause. Your screwup might get your license revoked too if too gross.Ie your gross neglect got 6 killed .
So once you get a PE license folks will come out of the woodwork to try to get you to stamp dangerous designs.
Ie they want you to have liability for their substandard big mess.
Most Engineers are not registered Professional Engineers.
A subset is. Civil Engineer tend to get PE licenses more than mechanical or electrical.
So if you deal with the public directly Most states you cannot hawk your Engineering unless registered. That protects the lay public
Thank you for the very thought provoking video. I am a senior design professional (not an engineer) who has worked with and for engineers for almost 40 years. I have this job despite the fact that I have a BFA and MFA in visual art. I gave up my aspirations to be an artist to establish a career that would allow me to support my family. My experience was the opposite of what you describe in this video. I gave up my "freedom" and conformed to a profession and a work life that allowed me to create (with my wife) a family with three wonderful children. To me living an "authentic" life meant dying to myself and taking on the responsibility of providing for my family. I have a few more years in this profession - I will then transition to a new career and life of doing community service work.
I wish my job was only 9 to 5. Sometimes 270 overtime hours last year. Underemployed. In an engineering firm but trying to get the experience I need. I guess I had alot of axiety in my life before. Held me back a long time. I get a dumb smile when I was doing a small job in the right dirrection earlier this month. The pile monitoring aspect for the monst part is boring. At least I made the right call on site with a few of the piles where I had to pay attention to.
Everyone is replaceable. It doesn't matter if you're taking orders at McDonalds or if you're manager at a software company or an assembler for a factory or supervisor for a line. You can and will be replaced at some point. It's always smart to have some money squirreled away in a secret place in your home in case you get fired. Remember they can fire you for any reason or no reason. Always have another plan and keep your Ps and Qs in check.
A couple of comments that might help you. The first is that the skill set you must possess to be an engineer is transferable to almost any job, unless it is highly specialized. I left engineering after a while to pursue other careers and was successful there. In addition, I think your comments about management come from a position of ignorance. I don’t mean that as a slight to you I just don’t think you appreciate how management can create a wonderful work environment. when you are in management, obviously you have to navigate things politically, but I always took it as my role to bring everyone else under me up to my level. I worked hard to develop people and give them the tools they needed to succeed and learn. There is a lot of satisfaction in management and development of the engineers who are younger or less experienced.
May I ask what you are currently doing for income?
I quit engineering because I had all of the responsibility and almost no decision making authority. I can't tell you the number of times I've had my engineering judgment overruled by some know-nothing MBA with dollars in his eyes. Guess who has to cancel their family vacation and work for the holiday weekend when it turns out that reality doesn't care about your profit margins...
What about dealing with demanding clients?
Worked a dozen companies, 1000s of engineers - 2 females total - one embedding and another mechanical - in 20+ years. As a whole, women hate engineering.
This is misleading .. the tittle should be why you left a civil engineering consulting path. I have been in the industry for over 8 years and yes I had to make a decision between SME and Management but there is one in between (architect), however, I have never have to worry about about bringing clients not dealing with the EIT, PE licenses. Consulting and PE, sounds like you are a civill Eng. I’ll argue that most civil Eng. positions do require a PE; but the majority of engineering jobs don’t (assuming you are not a Civil). My sector is aerospace/software and it is different to what you are describing, I don’t think I have ever worked with someone with a PE in my line of work.
I’m sorry, but as a man, it’s not an option to not be accountable for just about everything he has “touched.”
I legitimately could've made this entire video, except I don't live in Canada, and I've been feeling this way since 2014. 😩
sorry to hear you've been feeling that way since 2014, I know how much of a toll it can take on you to go into a job everyday that you no longer love
I totally understand literally every bullet point. totally can relate.
This is a more traditional engineering path which in some aspects engineers in different industries will not go through such as tech or product development if you are more on the EE/Computer side in which companies are often less traditional. And some companies are less corporate feeling in the engineering department but it will vary. If you do more “trendy” work about half of this video won’t apply as much so if you want to be an engineer know there is more than one path you are stuck with so look deeper into your options and don’t just do what your advisors say. But if its not for you its not for you do what is best for you.
"Engineer" needs early qualification. Software? Civil? Space? Electric?
You just described my entire last experience as a Supervisor. It definitely is bittersweet
you must be talking about civil engineering, because in manufacturing, they have new hires programming industrial robots... its pretty crazy rn.
You are correct.
I'm studying CAD right now. I know it's an applied science so I guess they train you to jump right into the field.
@@Zivety friend, you are believing boomer faerietales about the work environment. you are describing the 70s very accurately.
I started in industry in the early 2000s, and they told me I had missed it.
I learned CAD 25+ years ago, you will never get paid for CAD work. AI is about to do it all for free, and in such magnificent fashion that you will literally NEVER be able to duplicate it. Tens of millions of objects to your 12. not a fair fight at all.
the largest companies, are going automated, now. Asia is remaking the economy, and they contain, so much more of it than us. no one talks about how are sanctions are utterly ineffective now.
they adapted to our economic warfare long ago. the gravy train came down to nothing... the teams like what you see on TV are dead.
the hope was they would be in the tech scene... but look at those layoffs. jobs funded in their entirety by venture capital... the economy gone mad.
so for real, wise up, you're not gonna get a job. build bakcwards from what you need in your life, because this economy is wildly imbalanced and due to inflation, shortly out of both of our reaches. a store filled with AI optimized products, that we cant earn the first credit towards because no one in the world cares what we have to contribute anymore.
I was taught in high school, and when I first got a job they sent me to classes. the industry is changing so fast right now. all the teachers posing to you like CAD is a skill for work now are lying to you. in the US anyways.
in developing economies... I just dont think they would bother with classes. they will play with the software and many of their kids will easily use it. its free, its powerful when we give it to the youth.
Sorry to knock you down. but its the truth. once the layoffs that need to happen... are done...
no one is going to be employed. its going to be rare to know an employee... the employed will disappear.
Almost sounds like you don't like to work as a typical employee in general, which I can understand would be unsuitable for many entrepreneur-type people.
Would be interesting to learn what alternative profession does not come with the things you dislike about engineering but still pays you enough to cover your cost of living. I'm an electronic engineer and work in IT Security these days, with lots of responsibility and pressure but also with a stable salary and no threat/fear of being laid off.
Hey may I ask how you switched from electronics to IT security? Is your job basically like a Cybersecurity job? I’m thinking about majoring in computer engineering and then possibly moving into cybersecurity later in the future?
@@horizonlegos From electronics into IT administrator (I was a Linux hobbyist already), then to Security Manager, then to Security consultant, then to Security manager. The Administrator experience was vital to understanding the mechanics in IT security. The consulting bit was valuable to dealing with customers.
I saw a few people switching from an admin role into a security role. That kinda worked.
@@318ishonk ok thank you I’m definitely interested in doing embedded systems for the very near future but I’m not sure if I’d ever be able to possibly switch into cybersecurity if my job for whatever reason stops to satisfy me , or resonate with where I am in life, thank you for the response!
@@horizonlegos embedded design is an excellent field to work in. In the car industry, in automation, in the IOT sector they all need security controls to protect against attacks. Easy ways to glide from E-engineer into security expert. Best of luck!
@@318ishonk ok thank you for the insight, I will definitely keep working within the Linux environment and will definitely want to work in embedded systems, although I here it’s a hard industry to get into
Anyone who thinks that starting your own business puts you in control of your own destiny is insane. Where do you think your orders are coming from? Who do you think your partners are? You think you are now somehow not dependent on the state of the economy and the state of the market?
are you INFP? I got similar feelings lately.
you just described my mid 20s identity crisis with unnerving accuracy
agree with all of your points about corporate work. I work remote and I think that's worse. I need to find something else, remote work frankly has ruined my home sort of. I never wanted to live in an office.
even the people you think fit in well in a corporate world, are doing it not because it comes to them naturally but because they feel that either this is their best or only option to being able to provide for themselves or for their family and pay the bills especially late in life. So I see you are doing youtube now? Is that the main way you hope to pay bills? thanks for sharing your story.
I agree that it can feel more daunting later in life to make big career changes, and I was lucky to come to this realization at a time when I hadn't taken on a ton of the usual responsibilities that may hold people back. I offer coaching services for those ready to take the leap to change their life and RUclips is a means of sharing and visibility. Thanks for commenting :)
@@alex_ellen so the path was from engineer to a coach ?
You don't have the wrong career you have the wrong job.
I've been an engineer for over 40 years at all levels and it's been great.
All the negatives you listed are avoidable.
Being a SME is fine....mix it with field work and life can be a holiday.
Being a sales "engineer" would blow.
6yrs into med device quality engineer, 3 different companies, and now I just want to do my job without having to worry about the boss's metrics 💀
If you’re a guy, being an engineer means dumping a bag of super toxic material into a feeder. You gotta keep safe and keep track of that.
This doesn’t make sense to me
Engineers don't end non-question sentences with the up-talk sound of a question.
Its a trait i noticed with females in the millineal age.
Non-question sentence? Statement : question;
Not every engineer is a nerd.
Super curious - what kind of engineer?? (asking as an engineer myself!)
Water resources! I found working in that area interesting and the environmental aspect fulfilling, just didn't enjoy everything else mentioned in the video 😂
@@alex_ellenthat’s quite interesting. I’m also a female engineer but I didn’t make the same experiences. I can’t imagine another lifestyle that’s this well balanced in terms of security, income, and time off. I wonder if a change in company would be helpful. It sounds like you were more on the side of sales engineering which is imo the best part of engineering. Hardly any consequences and much reward in terms of winning jobs. and a female with substantial technical knowledge, people typically are in love with seeing that.
One second, “incorporating 40 work hours into my schedule” - that’s a whole different issue haha. You want to freelance basically. But engineering has too much of responsibility resting on your shoulders to freelance. I get that struggle. You basically can’t freelance engineering.
@@Bav92 Really curious, what do you mean by "has too much of responsibility resting on your shoulders to freelance"? I've seen it done before in consulting, esp. with firms hiring subcontractors when they're over capacity.
@@ckpawlow I don't think I know many people in engineering that can pull off being a solo entrepreneur. How do you put a multi million dollar project together by yourself and how do you guarantee the work gets done? What larger company would trust you with millions of dollars when you can't offer warranty or on site repairs? The first thing new customers want to know from us "how good is your support, where are the techs located, and how quick can you turn around a broken component." How can you consult without being hyper specialized in whatever the other company needs? How do you protect yourself legally from faulty designs? The only engineering task I can see sub contracted is software engineering and maybe 3D/2D design work. I'm open for other examples, it's just not so simple when it takes an average of 5-10 years just to learn your job and become profitable to a company. Anything that has to be realized with mechanical components is essentially off the table in my opinion.
I'm doing SWE and I absolutely loathe the software culture.
Please let me skip the coffee, pizza, disc golf, and lunches - let me check in, do the work, and check out.
Everyone repeats during team-building events "Our culture is to ask ourselves WHY we do what we are doing!", and then when you actually ask "Why the hell are we doing it?" then the answer is "Commercial/Product side said so". Engineers' opinions really don't count when it comes to what to create, only how to get it done.
i like your video but i kinda wish you were more specific on the type of engineering you did, and the type of company you worked for without giving much away and give specific examples of your journey, more personal. i think this because it would hep those in engineering school right now. Maybe also change title to: why i left my engineering career after 10 years to help the kids in engineering see things you went thru so they can see what they are getting into.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, tbh this video is more for folks who are at least 4-5 years into their career than it is for students - I think students need to go through their own self discovery journey to learn who they really are and to figure out for themselves what they want out of life - and that's by experiencing things rather than theoretical knowledge
Investing aggressively is the solution to risk of being a corporate cog in someone else's wheel. The best thing money can buy is financial freedom
Got a degree in engineering but never got off the ground, difficult classes barely scraped by but didn't know what else to do so finished the degree. Doing fedex ground and still have no idea what I want to do, but at least I get to be outside with no office politics while I work, we'll see 🤷♂At least I don't have a wife or kids relying on me like some of these guys in the comments.