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In this video, I discuss the reasons why I left my corporate engineering career after 10 years. Including reasons specific to engineering and more broadly related to corporate careers in general.
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 intro
00:23 setting the stage
02:32 working as a young professional
03:28 why I quit - 3 categories
04:44 category 1 - reality of working as an engineer
08:15 category 2 - future career paths
09:19 a positive psychology perspective
10:55 category 3 - reality of being an office employee
17:16 something to consider
17:49 how I ultimately knew this career wasn’t right
18:21 when to quit reason 1
19:32 when to quit reason 2
21:32 living in denial
22:36 a different way to think about risk
23:58 final reflection :)
Thank you!
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#whyIquitmycareer
have you changed careers? What wisdom can you share with anyone thinking of switching careers?
If you are smart enough to be an engineer, you are smart enough to not be an engineer.
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?
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! 👍
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.)
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.
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for checking out the video :)
I needed this!!
Glad to hear, thanks for leaving a comment :)
Thanks for sharing. I found this helpful.
So glad you found it helpful :)
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"
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 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…
You just described my entire last experience as a Supervisor. It definitely is bittersweet
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.
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.
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 :)
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.
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 🙂
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.
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!
Popped up in my feed after a mental breakdown while doing engineering problems :,) faq u KZhead lol
The universe works in mysterious ways 😆
Wait, what do you do now?
You omitted to mention in what specific engineering field you were in.
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.
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
was it software engineering?
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.
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!
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.
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).
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 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
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 KZhead is a means of sharing and visibility. Thanks for commenting :)
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.
10 years of automation engineering. It seems to be the anniversary of real choice.
What do you mean by this
For me, 10 years marked a much better understanding of the career and myself. As I approached my 30's, I had a better idea of what I wanted in my life, and the career that I chose at 17 didn't fit.
I love how she's werering parallel lines in her shirt. Most engineers like parallel lines.
Maybe try being a researcher if you're not into the responsibility aspect.
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
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.
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
working for corporations is simply awful. Careers in 2024 are, well, over. good luck. Hope you have some hobbies or like to read.
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
It sounds like you always worked in an engineering consulting firm. You were never involved in product design. I think you missed the best part.
So basically you want to go back to Uni. You can always open up shop for yourself, then you can control what you like. If you are not in a position to open up shop for yourself then just hold on to your steady job until you do.
Getting payed involves on e or a combination of doing something; people can't do, don't want to do, or can make money from you doing something. If you don't like any of these things then be poor.(but you might be happy.)
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.
girl these are your colors!!! what lip product are you wearing? also, people may disagree with me but so many of these issues stem from capitalism and the patriarchy. I hope this changes because we cannot continue living like this.
I like that she's wearing a shirt with parallel lines. Most engineers like parallel lines.
First and foremost , great content. Lastly, You are a very attractive engineer
Good for you... Engineers need a wake-up call... The Iron Ring is a meaningless bauble when things we build fall apart too soon... ...there is a lack of real leadership and creativity in Engineering... about WHAT and HOW to Engineer to create a better world... ... The projects I work on lack long-term vision as well... No quality... Constant focus on Cost and Time... We build things to break... ...because NONE of my fellow engineers can define what the world really needs... and to top it off... ...its a f*****g disgrace that creative women Engineers like you are not at the table... We need 50% of Engineers to be Women!!!!
Don't like responsibility? Fear being held accountable? Both are the reasons there is so much money in Engineering. Be a housewife or teacher. Both claim to have the hardest job in the world. Both have no metrics to prove or measure skill. Both are protected from their own incompetence. I was a Microbiologist and every single time I signed paper was to release drugs and test results as safe for humans. The pressure was incredible and the business side constantly ordered me to falsify records to make more money. I wish I were a girl so I could be a housewife and just retire at 20 years old.
You just had a shitty employer. You seem to be a very different engineer than I am. You make it sound like this "THE PATH" for engineers, while the vast majority of engineers i know do jobs that have nothing i common with your description. I know creative engineers working in design, technical experts who never took any responsibility beyond their specific project. No one ever was sued for bad work, as the company is responsible for the product, not the individual engineer. There are engineers working on outdoor equipment and practically every eng. I know has flexible working hours including home office. We also have several engs. that work part time for one reason or another. So i cannot relate to anything you said at all..
These videos are for those struggling in their career or who feel stuck in a career that is unfulfilling. My hope is that by sharing my truth and my experience, I can help others connect with some part of their own truth. I can only speak from my singular experience and that won’t resonate with everyone. I’m curious what you were looking for when you clicked on the video?