I just saw a news story that said 75% of teachers wouldn’t recommend their profession to the young. Same thing for doctors, lawyers, police officers, etc.
Would you recommend your profession to the young?
I’d only recommend my profession (Engineering) to the extent that it was well-compensated and allowed me to retire early. It was interesting for the first 2 or 3 years, but then as I moved up the food chain and spent more time in meetings, it got less so.
intercst
I didn’t in the last 30 years of my 37 years as a teacher.
I would heartily recommend the chemical engineering profession. The range in where an
individual can take the profession covers various industries, fields and details.
The main drawback is that the profession does have a degree of cyclical employment.
Howie52
Software programming: Yes
Property ownership: Yes
Property management: No, poor paying
Project management: Yes
My main advice is to find a business where you get a cut of the action, or get paid when other people work: sales (not retail), ownership, manufacturing.
Yes.
My main advice is to find a business where you get a cut of the action, or get paid when other people work: sales (not retail), ownership, manufacturing.
Over on the METAR board, that’s called being a “job creator”.
intercst
A neighbor was a PhD Electrical Engineer who worked at the RCA Sarnoff labs.
He sent both of his kids to medical school. He felt cyclicality made for becoming almost unemployable if you lost your job in a bottom. Career change. Uber. Taxi driving could be in your future.
Computer professions may have avoided the downs so far. One wonders how long that will last. Keeping up with the latest technologies in a fast changing industry has to be a challenge. If your skills become obsolete opportunities can be limited.
The best solution is develop a retire early plan. That gives many options to consult, start your own business, teach, etc.
As to chemical engineering, its mostly about keeping skills up to date. Lots of it is keeping plants running and adding new plants.
Manufacturing is in decline. Off shoring. Capital intensive business.
The future in the US depends on abundant low cost raw materials and energy.
Most chemical industries are mature and may be headed for decline with carbon taxes, global warming, etc.
What are the odds on starting a 30 yr career? There may be better choices.
The 3 most important things for a successful tech/business career is … data, data and data.
It can be data architecture/modeler, data analytics. Even cyber security is datareliant. The first two are easier for a long career as the underling tech is more stable. Cyber security is very hot now but I imagine it is challenging to keep up to date. Same with application development, changes too quickly.
Data modeler/ architect served me well for 30 years and understanding of how the data supports the business is more critical than ever.
bclstu
Tricky. For example, sometimes there are a glut of engineers, and sometimes a dearth. Depending on the type of engineer. Generally well-compensated if you land a job, but cyclicality can be an issue.
Doctor is pretty safe. People will always need them, and they are very unlikely to be replaced by computers/machines. Nurses: same.
A trade like plumbing is irreplaceable, and they can make good money.
I trained as a physicist. I would not recommend it unless someone wanted to go into academia. I was lucky, in retrospect. I thought I was so clever studying the “mother science”. “I can be trained to do anything.” Yeah…they already wanted me to be trained in an engineering discipline. Gamma ray astrophysics just confused them. I got the one manager who said “I can teach this guy what he needs, and he’ll run with it”. Like I said: lucky.
My advice to 1poorkid has been “study something you find interesting”. To me, it is useless being a doctor if you hate the field of medicine. You’ll be miserable, even if you are earning 6 figures.
After sputnik, 1957, science and engineering degrees of all kinds were strongly recommended. Grants were available to fund graduate students. A variety of government contracts funded lots of positions.
That changed during the Viet Nam war when LBJ cut many programs to help fund the cost of the war.
That’s when we got the billboard: “Will the last one to leave Seattle please put out the light.”
It was tough times for scientists and engineers for a while. Things do move in cycles. But also those with the smarts to get an engineering degree are pretty good at learning to adapt.
Many of us did not get the Nobel Prize we dreamed of in graduate school. And some aspects were more a struggle than the ideal. But most did have successful careers.
We wish the next generation good luck in making the right choices. My crystal ball is a bit cloudy. But learn to bend with the punches and adapt as you go along.
"As to chemical engineering, its mostly about keeping skills up to date. Lots of it is keeping plants running and adding new plants.
Manufacturing is in decline. Off shoring. Capital intensive business.
The future in the US depends on abundant low cost raw materials and energy.
Most chemical industries are mature and may be headed for decline with carbon taxes, global warming, etc.
What are the odds on starting a 30 yr career? There may be better choices. "
All things are cyclical. However, I rarely saw all industries cycle up or down
simultaneously. When power or oil was down, plastics would rise, then pharma,
then biotech, then food products, followed by renewables, pesticides, fertilizers,
seeds, paints, chips and other specialty electronics and high purity chemicals and
pulp and paper. Flexibility and loving to learn chemical processing and people makes
the field basically a joy.
There was a uniform cycle up in 2005/2006 which was followed by a total cycle
down. I spent time expediting equipment purchase/testing/delivery for a year or so.
Howie52
“Doctor is pretty safe. People will always need them, and they are very unlikely to be replaced by computers/machines. Nurses: same.”
A lot of doctors I talk to these days HATE their profession - or the way the field
is managed and regulated.
Howie52
Professionals generally dislike being told how to do their jobs by bureaucrats or less
trained regulators.
Especially when those groups of folks have an actual point.
The GPs who treat most patients continue to get squeezed by Medicare. Specialists usually do ok. But yes, insurance payments drive lots of decisions. That must be frustrating.
Most doctors have at least one person on staff to negotiate with the insurance companies.
“The GPs who treat most patients continue to get squeezed by Medicare. Specialists usually do ok. But yes, insurance payments drive lots of decisions. That must be frustrating.”
Thhe problems I hear are more related to hospital management groups - not so much
insurance or Medicare regulation. I suspect docs and nurses grew accustomed to those
sources of frustration and figured out how to get around the most idiotic problems.
But overbearing management can kill anyone’s joy in their work.
1poorguy writes,
I trained as a physicist. I would not recommend it unless someone wanted to go into academia. I was lucky, in retrospect. I thought I was so clever studying the “mother science”. “I can be trained to do anything.” Yeah…they already wanted me to be trained in an engineering discipline. Gamma ray astrophysics just confused them. I got the one manager who said “I can teach this guy what he needs, and he’ll run with it”. Like I said: lucky.
The most successful hedge fund in history is Renaissance Technologies, started in 1982 by former MIT math professor James Simons. If you invested $10,000 in its flagship Medallion Fund in 1982, you’d have over $40 million today. (It’s closed to new investors.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Technologies
Renaissance Technologies famously avoids hiring MBAs and people with a finance background. They prefer to hire computer scientists, mathematicians, physicists, signal processing experts and statisticians.
As James Simons says, "I can teach a physics major finance, but I can’t teach a finance major physics.
intercst
Semiconductor processing is replete with chemical engineers. And chips aren’t going away anytime soon.
A minor in materials science would help a lot.
data, data and data.
After starting out as a general networking and IT specialist, I moved to a more focused business intelligence role using a specific reporting tool. While that tool remains supported (at least through 2025 and probably longer), the business intelligence field has indeed advanced more into data analytics and new cloud-based AI-driven solutions.
Unfortunately, I have not advanced along with the profession. Part intentional decision, part circumstance (when you work as a contractor, you are not hired to learn new tools), I have chosen to ride my current specialty as far as I can, and that’s been a 20 year career so far since leaving Turner Broadcasting back in 2003, victim to the worst merger in the history of mergers.
Fuskie
Who keeps an eye on job opportunities out there while working his current 30 month (and counting) contract, and he needs to drive down this highway for another 4 years before he starts having retirement options that will let him be more discriminating as to when, or if, he wants to work…
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You’ve got to LIKE your chosen career. Not select a career based upon monetary returns.
I’ve seen many ‘bored’ engineers who wind up in a rut, don’t like the rut, but don’t have the drive to learn/do something different to get out of the rut. Others seem to like the rut until they become obsolete at one point or another, or just happen to be in the right rut for career survival.
I liked radio technology and got a broad based engineering degree in Electrical Engineering, Worked for first company 3 years in communications technology - two way radio systemms. They had a tendency to hire scads of new engineers, design a new product line, then lay most of them off after the product line was in production. Years later they’d repeat the process for the next new product line.
Much more careful in selecting next new company to work for and there for 13 years till Neutron Jack axed most of our profitable division. Went from design engineer to systems engineer working on large city/state projects.
then had opportunity to get into cellular radio in early phase designing cellular systems. Fun work - lasted a few years till company sold off business and I bounced into Advanced Technology group. Everything from digital microwave systems - later to fiber optic amps and satellite broadcast technology to undersea fiber cable systems.
I was a voracious reader. Collected books on communications technology and history.
You had to be curious. You had to keep up with latest technology in industry.
Got my MSEE degree at University nearby and company paid 100% tuition. I had to pay for books.
Got degree and took another 10 courses working on MA Telecom Policy
Got transferred to TX and continued - worked 17 years for company and early retired at 52.
Some anecdotes. In my library of about 500 books, I had come across an 1890s tome from the British Telecom authority. 3 volumes - 1000 pages. Everything on how to design, install, test, repair from the details of cable laying ship mechanisms to recovery and repair of cables from 3000 feet deep. All the problems, special requirements for cable armoring, etc. Also had the 1950s AT&T comprehensive book on TAT cables across the oceans. One day boss asks around if anyone knows anything about undersea cable systems. Bingo. Next thing I’m on my plane with my boss to London England for a week to discuss and review design specs for new undersea fiber cable - TAT X. Other than fiber instead of copper cable, 90% of the technology of getting the cable into the ocean exactly the same. Same cable laying mechanisms. Same repair systems. Updated of course with more modern equipment. Fun. Later company decided not to do the cable system because AT&T suddenly moved up 2 other ‘future’ systems by years (immediate future) to avoid new competition. Which was part of the plan. If they didn’t the new system would go ahead.
Of course, two way radio systems were separate from ‘cellular’ but naturally I read all the IEEE journals on evolving technology. When the opportunity to get into the cellular business came about, I was ready (most weren’t in my department).
Company was looking at getting into satellite broadcasting. Naturally in bounced into the Advanced Technology group for the technical part. Wasn’t up to speed but luckily there was a 4 day intensive course in satellite broadcast technology at a local facility (taught by a 3rd party who had designed satellites for the industry). Fantastic 4 day intensive workshop everything from radio transponder design to thermal stability, electrostatic shielding, G-testing, solar cells, power systems, fuel systems for orbit maintenance., etc. . talked boss into it. Great. Next thing I know we are off to the satellite construction company to review specs. One fellow in department wound up going the Ukraine to arrange satellite launch on Russian rockets. Company later decided the finances didn’t quite line up with high return as some other projects would, but it was fun couple of months work.
There again, if you kept up on technology, curious about lots of things, know where to get the resources quickly to be up to speed… a ‘jack of many trades’. Not in a rut.
Today I wouldn’t recommend ‘electrical engineering’ to most. Unless you find a good niche. too many cycles of ups and downs.
Go into computer engineering - or if you want to be an EE - power engineering for longevity. Got to be PE for most of those jobs in the power industry .
Or semi-conductor engineering/technology - but most of that probably takes a MS or PhD.
Nephew went same college as me- but in comp science. Doing very well - changed jobs once or twice in 25 years. Making lotsa bucks. Knows his stuff. Then again, he keeps up on things. You’ve got to.
my 2c worth
t.
The best solution is develop a retire early plan. That gives many options to consult, start your own business, teach, etc.
Paul, great advice. I’d like to add that if consulting or starting your own business is possibly in your future, it would be best to make sure that you have all of the skills and support needed to be successful in your new endeavor.
I’d suggest that anyone considering these career options, please talk with a SCORE.org mentor prior to starting so that you have a better idea of what you may be getting into. They have the tools and experience to help you set up a realistic business plan for getting started in your own business.
I have been a SCORE business counselor for the past 6 years or so and I have had the opportunity to help a number of people who have been displaced from their position, decided to strike it out on their own, and come to the stark realization that they DO NOT have ALL of the skills needed to succeed in building a consulting or small business. Successful small business owners typically are more well-rounded and have the foundational skills needed such as: money and time management, inventory management, sales and marketing combined with a strong desire to win in the marketplace. These are not skills that most “career folks” have the opportunity to develop throughout their career working for a typical company.
SCORE has 100,000 mentors across the country that can be available for guidance and consultation on a host of topics re: small business startup, growth and divestiture. They receive a minimal amount of Federal funding through a grant from the Small Business Administration - so it’s your Federal tax dollars at work. The services are free and confidential.
Here’s a link their website → www.score.org
'38Packard