Weekly Career Discussion Thread (20 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/WannabeChunLi]

Q: Aerospace & Structures

What are some niches in the aerospace field where having a PE is beneficial? I hear that a PE is essentially useless in aerospace engineering, but is there an element of the field where structural engineers can apply themselves? Do airframes need to be structurally designed/stamped/damage-inspected by PEs? Do PEs test loads on aircraft/satellites similarly to how buildings are tested?

If anyone is a PE working in aerospace structures in any way, I’d love to hear about your opinions & how you got into your niche.

Thanks!

-recent bsme graduate with EIT currently working a civil role & aiming to eventually transfer into aerospace

[u/Virtual-Curve8320]

Is engineering worth it?

Hi everyone, apologizes if this ends up being kinda long. Any input you have is appreciated, I’m just trying to get as much feedback as possible.

I recently graduated college with an environmental science degree (also completed the “pre engineering” track since my school didn’t have an engineering major), and I work for an engineering consulting company mostly involved in wastewater treatment. I interned with this company the summer before my senior year and they really liked me, so they hired me and they discussed potentially helping me pay for grad school (an environmental engineering degree) about a year or so after working. So hypothetically I would have to start applying to grad schools in the next few months.

I’m having trouble deciding whether or not I want to go to grad school and continue pursuing engineering. I’ve always been good at math/chem/physics, but I’ve never been passionate about engineering. All my life I wanted to pursue marine biology, but I live/went to school in a landlocked state and decided it wasn’t realistic, so I chose environmental science (and then decided on environmental engineering because it would make me more money). I’m okay with working a job I’m not so passionate about for a good paycheck, but I’m afraid that working in engineering could get too stressful for me to ignore the lack of passion. In my mind, the three pillars of a career are salary, passion, and amount of stress, and I think having 2/3 of those pillars “in the red” wouldn’t bode well for me.

I don’t dislike the job I have now, it’s a small company and I get great benefits as compared to most entry level jobs. I just don’t really see a future here, so I’m wondering if my lackluster feelings are just about wastewater or about engineering as a whole. The owner of my company is a wonderful mentor that has a lot of knowledge and experience, but I know her 30 years in wastewater/water treatment have been very stressful, and I don’t want that for myself.

Open to any questions, thoughts, or advice anyone might have. Thank you!

[u/essentialaccount]

I do not know if this is the right place. I work for a specialized case goods manufacturer and we are contemplating taking on intern draftsmen or engineers for a few months. We are based in Western New York, but any interns could carry out their work remotely.

Am I allowed to advertise this here, and is there any interest.

[u/bluefridgebird]

I'm looking to make a pretty significant career change into engineering. I currently have a BA in English and an MA in Economics. Obviously I need to get my math and science credits,  but im uncertain about whether that means getting a second bachelor's,  a certificate, or even taking the prerequisites individually before attempting a second masters. Does anyone have any insight into which is most common?

[u/Wilthywonka]

I think I know the answer to this already but how is it looking for a new job currently compared to past years?

[u/Impressive-Loss-2449 → u/Wilthywonka]

It’s still pretty bad. I graduated during Covid and it was horrible then. It started to slightly get better towards the tail end of bidens admin.

When the new administration came in with all the tariffs and stuff it got worse again and has been worse ever since.

But I will say Covid’s period was way worse. Anytime administration changes companies just don’t know what to expect and are hesitant