I want to switch careers but I'm not sure what I can possibly do. I have been in the field for 11 years. Anyone changed fields? How did you do it? Was it worth it?
Ask HN: How can I move away from engineering?
1–10 of 43 posts
Re: Ask HN: How can I move away from engineering?
#2It's been discussed a few times on here, but one way is through technical sales. For me it was that or management. I was a coder for 25 years. At some point, it doesn't matter if you are still getting better at code. There's a ceiling there that doesn't seem to budge. Sales has given me a lot of money and free time for my family.
Re: Ask HN: How can I move away from engineering?
#3It's been discussed a few times on here, but one way is through technical sales. For me it was that or management. I was a coder for 25 years. At some point, it doesn't matter if you are still getting better at code. There's a ceiling there that doesn't seem to budge. Sales has given me a lot of money and free time for my family.
What do you sell?
Re: Ask HN: How can I move away from engineering?
#4If you want to stay in the technology sector...
* Technical Trainer (usually requires travel)
* Sales Engineer
* Project/Product Manager
These would assume you're reasonably good at public speaking and/or have solid interpersonal skills.
I've been in IT for 15 years and recently started learning to repair and shine leather shoes, as in my city there are only 2 places that do this and they don't speak English (Europe), so they're missing out on the expat population. I'm not sure if this will be my long-term plan, but I'm making money on the side and it's something I don't need a storefront for. Hoping to retire from full-time IT in another 5 years or so, so maybe this will be one of the ways I generate income.
Re: Ask HN: How can I move away from engineering?
#5To what?
If you want to remain in the industry, but just switch job to something non-Engineering, like management, an MBA could work.
If you want to try something completely different, you may need to re-educate yourself, if it's a different professional job / licensed profession (nursing, medicine, accounting, etc.)
If you want to try something that doesn't need a new degree, well, try reaching out to your employer of choice, and explain your situation.
Re: Ask HN: How can I move away from engineering?
#6It's been discussed a few times on here, but one way is through technical sales. For me it was that or management. I was a coder for 25 years. At some point, it doesn't matter if you are still getting better at code. There's a ceiling there that doesn't seem to budge. Sales has given me a lot of money and free time for my family.
What do you sell?
Closed-source software for aerospace and industrial.
Re: Ask HN: How can I move away from engineering?
#7Earlier quoted context omitted.
What do you sell?
Closed-source software for aerospace and industrial.
That's a very specific market, and I suppose your 25 years of experience in the field helps you market it. I don't think I can sell anything (other than my skills), which I don't want to do anymore.
Re: Ask HN: How can I move away from engineering?
#8Read the book Inspired by Marty Cagan. If that doesn't get you excited about Product Management I don't know what will. Having 11 years of experience in tech will help tremendously but you'll need to have some awesome soft skills too.
Re: Ask HN: How can I move away from engineering?
#9What type of engineering?
A few years back I got a job at a university cancer center doing bioinformatics. It required a massive paycut (I had savings), but was super fun to be on the steep part of a learning curve again learning a new domain and being a key part of a good team (I brought a decade+ of software engineering experience to a team of mostly biologists). 100% worth it. But did require saving a lot beforehand.
Re: Ask HN: How can I move away from engineering?
#10Are you okay with staying in the same field so you can still leverage all your experience?
I recently (Dec. 2020) switched to Engineering Manager from Engineering Lead, and it's been a pretty welcome change over all. I was pretty weary about stepping away from code (it's been my life's work for 20 years), but it has opened the door to learn a whole host of interpersonal skills that I had not previously valued that much. It has also put me in a position to help mentor and guide my direct reports (all devs) in our 1:1 meetings that I have not previously had as much of a chance to do even as lead. It's been very rewarding, and if you're looking for a way out of the day to day code itself (but still in the ecosystem), it's a great option to try.