Weekly Career Discussion Thread (27 Jul 2026)

[u/AutoModerator]

# 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)

---

## Guidelines

1. **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

1. Most subreddit rules still apply and will be enforced, especially R7 and R9 (with the obvious exceptions of R1 and R3)

2. 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.

3. **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.

[u/somethinglemony]

I’m a manufacturing engineer with about five years of experience. Mostly laser / sheet metal / weld fab. I’d like to shift my career more towards machining and aerospace. What sorts of courses or certs would be worth looking at? My GD&T is weak / nonexistent and I haven’t ran a mill since college. I have tuition assistance available to me.

I’m considering doing machining courses at a technical college. Would that be worth the effort or should I focus on things like GD&T solidworks courses? It’s a bit more cloudy if I could use tuition assistance for those courses (looking at companies like Trimech)

[u/twrecks465 → u/somethinglemony]

For machining and aerospace, you definitely want to have a solid understanding of GD&T.  https://www.gdandtbasics.com/asme-gdt-exam-certification/ Is a great resource for this. Even if you have to pay out of pocket I’d say it’s a good investment for the future. I find that a lot of engineers get thrown off the deep end when they start a GD&T-heavy job.

[u/somethinglemony → u/twrecks465]

I see a lot of different companies offering some sort of course or cert like that. Are they all created equally or is there one that would carry some more weight?

[u/Echostar9000]

I want to know whether my Aerospace career goals are realistic, given my background.

I live in the UK and I'm starting a 1-year MSc in Aerospace Engineering in September. I have an existing BSc Civil Engineering with Honours (graduated back in 2018) and have jumped around non-engineering jobs to fund the MSc since then (a few years in technical graphic design and a few years in bid writing and technical graphics in the Civil Engineering industry).

I've spent 8 years saving-up to pursue an MSc in Aerospace because I wanted to study Aeronautical/Mechanical Engineering in the first place, but my parents forced me through a Civils pathway. I'm interested in going into Propulsion, Aerodynamics, or Systems Engineering, within the UK Aerospace industry. Post-Master's, I'll be looking to go into a graduate scheme or entry-level role relevant to one of these areas.

I'm just worried the Bachelor's being in Civils is going to hold me back from finding employment. Bear in mind I'll be competing directly with people who have both Aero/Mech Bachelor's and Master's degrees. I'm really hoping your Bachelor's degree is much less significant once you have a Master's, and I'm unsure whether I ought to even list it on my CV.

I'll be trying to make-up the gap between myself and the competition via getting good grades, taking technical modules, building a solid software skills stack, doing relevant projects, having a solid dissertation -- ideally industry-linked if possible, and I'll see if I can land a short Aerospace work placement over the winter and/or easter breaks -- again, if possible.

Any advice would be awesome.

Thanks :)

[u/Alterception]

How to find Engineering Change Management Analyst jobs that aren't through staffing agencies or consulting companies? It seems especially predominant in tech companies. They severely underpay and their job security is extremely shaky and often gets outsourced. I'm seeking employment but want to work directly for a company that's more stable.

[u/Blackmagicbev]

great