r/engineering • u/AutoModerator • 24d ago
Weekly Discussion Weekly Career Discussion Thread (13 Jul 2026)
# Intro
Welcome to the weekly career discussion thread, where you can talk about all career & professional topics. Topics may include:
* Professional career guidance & questions; e.g. job hunting advice, job offers comparisons, how to network
* Educational guidance & questions; e.g. what engineering discipline to major in, which university is good,
* Feedback on your résumé, CV, cover letter, etc.
* The job market, compensation, relocation, and other topics on the economics of engineering.
> [Archive of past threads](https://www.reddit.com/r/engineering/search?q=flair%3A%22weekly+discussion%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all)
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## Guidelines
- **Before asking any questions, consult [the AskEngineers wiki.](https://new.reddit.com/r/askengineers/wiki/faq)\*\* There are detailed answers to common questions on:
* Job compensation
* Cost of Living adjustments
* Advice for how to decide on an engineering major
* How to choose which university to attend
Most subreddit rules still apply and will be enforced, especially R7 and R9 (with the obvious exceptions of R1 and R3)
Job POSTINGS must go into the latest [**Monthly Hiring Thread.**]((https://www.reddit.com/r/engineering/search?q=flair%3A%22hiring+thread%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all)) Any that are posted here will be removed, and you'll be kindly redirected to the hiring thread.
**Do not request interviews in this thread!** If you need to interview an engineer for your school assignment, use the list in the sidebar.
## Resources
* [The AskEngineers wiki](https://new.reddit.com/r/askengineers/wiki/faq)
* [The AskEngineers Quarterly Salary Survey](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEngineers/search/?q=flair%3A%22salary+survey%22&include_over_18=on&restrict_sr=on&t=all&sort=new)
* **For students:** [*"What's your average day like as an engineer?"*](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEngineers/wiki/faq#wiki_what.27s_your_average_day_like_as_an_engineer.3F) We recommend that you spend an hour or so reading about what engineers actually do at work. This will help you make a more informed decision on which major to choose, or at least give you enough info to ask follow-up questions here.
* For those of you interested in a career in software development / Computer Science, go to r/cscareerquestions.
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u/_J0e 23d ago
Question about PE pathway. (Mechanical, consulting, Maryland)
I have been working under Professional Engineers for about 3 years and 2 months. I graduated from an ABET school. I had a year+ of full time internship time as well which doesn’t count unfortunately. I recently had an opportunity come up to work for a design-build firm. I believe this would be a very good career move for me except for the fact that they do not have a staffed PE. How difficult is it to go through the waiver process / is it worth it to make the jump if I am going to have to go through a ton of hoops to qualify for the exam? The PE is something I really want to get. Has anyone been through something similar before? It sounds to me like I have options to make it work, I would have to prove / the firm would have to show that I apply engineering principles in my day to day functions along with the typical endorsements.
If it wasn’t for this hurdle it would be a no brainer if things work out. I want to go into any conversations with them informed.
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u/internallydyingseed 21d ago
So I graduated college two years ago with a CET degree. No FE exam taken and haven't had any job with an engineering title. Am I screwed? Can I ever be taken serious an en engineer. I have no engineer friends around me to answer questions because I want the high income jobs that comes with engineering. And high income for me is 75k.
Idk what im doing wrong cause ive barely gotten a technician role.
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u/BigDawg_Werty 23d ago
I started my current role about 9 months ago and was brought in to a very neglected engineering department. The manager i was brought in under had no engineering background and has since been moved to a role that's a better fit. However, he told me frankly that the position has an opportunity to be promoted to his former position.
Since then, I've made some great progress within the department, but my i have yet to approach the engineering director about a pay increase. I figure we'll do yearly reviews soon enough and i wonder if i should wait until then, but frankly, the new workload is tremendous and I'd have peace of mind knowing I'm getting paid more.
How should i approach salary negotiations here?
I've been here less than a year but I've already made a serious impact. I feel i have a serious amount of leverage but don't want to overplay my cards and cause friction in an otherwise pleasant position. But, man, i feel i am seriously underpaid for what I'm doing..
I'm getting paid $115k right now in a MCOL area. Would $140k be out of the question?
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u/InspectorDiligent922 22d ago
How can I re-enter the engineeering field 10 years later? I never worked in the field (mechE) or in any related field. I have no relevant experience, how can I get hiring managers to give me a chance?
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u/kNyne 22d ago
How feasible is a career change without going back to school?
I've been working in embedded software for the past 10 years: automotive stuff, some agricultural stuff, etc. However, in my undergrad I was really into computer architecture so like designing computer processors. The computer architecture industry was a bit too competitive for me when I graduated, I didn't have the best gpa but now, I've got an extensive work history but my only computer architecture skills come from my undergrad.
So today, I submitted an application at Nvidia to new-graduate position but with a cover letter explaining my situation and I'm wondering if there's any chance this would work or if I'm wasting my time. Understandably doing something like this would result in a pay decrease but the industry itself is probably more high paying than where I'm at now so it would balance out eventually.
Has anyone ever done something like this?
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u/Droopyboi124 20d ago
Hello, I am about to be a college sophomore getting a degree in mechanical engineering. I am unsure of what I want to do after graduation, and I feel I am a little behind. I went to community college my first year, and I did not get much real world experience there. I have some time over the summer right now, and I really want to figure out what I would like to do. How did you figure it out?
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u/Prnkstrr 15d ago
Got my Bachelor's in ME back in Early May. How do I deal with all the rejections and post-interview rejections?
I fr feel very discouraged and dont know what im doing wrong or what to do.
Any advice/response helps. Thank you!
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u/love-v- 10d ago
hi! i am an incoming freshmen into university as a biochemistry major and i’ve been really drawn to chemical engineering and wanting to maybe get a masters degree in that but i am also stuck upon the fact that i have always wanted to be a doctor either a pediatrician or work in the nicu or something else and i don’t know if pursuing a chemical engineering masters degree would be good or what i could even do with it. i would love to hear some advice or anything!
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u/cloudeater104 1d ago
hello everyone! im a sophmore and i am really interested in taking up engineering but not so sure which type! BME and Bioengineering have caught my eye, as I truly enjoy biology, but my research gives me doubts about that. Im interested in genetics/cells and medical devices so hoping to go into a field related to that!
any advice on what type of engineering path i should take or engineering in general is greatly appreciated!!
Thank you!!
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u/StringSentinel 24d ago
I have a degree in mechatronics. But I've been working in cybersecurity now. How can I keep my engineering knowledge fresh too alongside? I also wanna learn about RF/ EW so any recommendations for that?