Engineering - feeling a change but stick or twist?
Discussion
Been in my current company since graduating from uni (Bachelors Mech Eng) 11 years ago. It is an aerospace supplier in the Midlands and instead of specialising in CAD or manufacturing (which I feel opens a lot more doors) I’ve had project engineer roles - documentation, supplier discussions, design reviews etc. In all honesty I’ve become a bit too comfortable and the salary progression hasn’t been great either.
I feel it’s time for a change but I genuinely don’t know what to do next. I would love to hear from those who have gone from aerospace to say automotive or commercial products. Equally, I would love to hear from those who have left engineering altogether.
I feel it’s time for a change but I genuinely don’t know what to do next. I would love to hear from those who have gone from aerospace to say automotive or commercial products. Equally, I would love to hear from those who have left engineering altogether.
I'm midlands based too and went from doing CAD in machinery design/steel processing/construction over to CAD in nuclear and it feels like a new job all together. Worlds apart from what I'd done for the previous 12 years despite fundamentally being a very similar role.
Better pay, benefits and a massive change of pace (slower!).
I often see people going from aerospace to automotive and the other way round, but to me they're still effectively the same in terms of day-to-day as most are in supply organisations and people aren't going from designing a plane one week to cars the next.
Better pay, benefits and a massive change of pace (slower!).
I often see people going from aerospace to automotive and the other way round, but to me they're still effectively the same in terms of day-to-day as most are in supply organisations and people aren't going from designing a plane one week to cars the next.
I served a apprenticeship at rolls Royce , universal grinder then jig borer , development machine shop , left & worked at a place that rebuilt cars , aveling barford , matching parts for graders / rollers & dump trucks & various other engineering companies
Now drive a lorry for a living , the job I always wanted to do , worked at a local yard when a youngster at weekends , but dad a rolls Royce manager said your not going to do a dead end job like a lorry driver so I did a apprenticeship but couldn’t get the I want to drive Lorrie’s out of my system so that’s where I am now .
Was it the right decision, 70 - 80 hrs pw , nights in lay-bys , not eating / sleeping properly has took my health away , so no it wasn’t the right decision, dad was right But if I’d of dont done the career change I’d of always have that longing
Best of luck with what ever way you go op .
Now drive a lorry for a living , the job I always wanted to do , worked at a local yard when a youngster at weekends , but dad a rolls Royce manager said your not going to do a dead end job like a lorry driver so I did a apprenticeship but couldn’t get the I want to drive Lorrie’s out of my system so that’s where I am now .
Was it the right decision, 70 - 80 hrs pw , nights in lay-bys , not eating / sleeping properly has took my health away , so no it wasn’t the right decision, dad was right But if I’d of dont done the career change I’d of always have that longing
Best of luck with what ever way you go op .
Yes being in aerospace means long projects and deadlines so it’s fairly stress free which I like. Wouldn’t mind a crack at automotive - I am expecting it to be faster paced.
Where I am now, if you work hard you are not rewarded greatly. It is a good place to coast if you are approaching retirement.
Where I am now, if you work hard you are not rewarded greatly. It is a good place to coast if you are approaching retirement.
I'm in Motorsport/automotive CAD design in the Midlands.
I've spent most of my time in Motorsport (not F1). I've done two stints in automotive and bloody hell it's slow by comparison. At the very start of my career I did a few years in marine which was surprisingly more like a motorsport pace. I wouldn't go into aerospace or nuclear because I know it's glacial.
Currently I'm at a specialist engineering/manufacturing company in very high end low volume automotive, historic and motorsport and it's a real nice mix.
Mega busy all the time, fast paced, interesting but not 70hr motorsport hectic. F1 is a lifestyle choice.
I've spent most of my time in Motorsport (not F1). I've done two stints in automotive and bloody hell it's slow by comparison. At the very start of my career I did a few years in marine which was surprisingly more like a motorsport pace. I wouldn't go into aerospace or nuclear because I know it's glacial.
Currently I'm at a specialist engineering/manufacturing company in very high end low volume automotive, historic and motorsport and it's a real nice mix.
Mega busy all the time, fast paced, interesting but not 70hr motorsport hectic. F1 is a lifestyle choice.
How about Australia?
I graduated in Mech Eng. in 2001, spent a few years in the Midlands at an automotive assembly equipment manufacturer, went into ink jet printing for a few years, the back into automotive with a former colleague - regretted that move.
Applied for JCB, got offered a job, turned them down if favour of an electrical accessory company in the Midlands - Was more product design than it was engineering but fun none the less. Should have gone to JCB.... probably.
Then we decided to move to Australia in 2012 and we're still here, 12 years later.
Started here as Mechanical engineer, now Engineering Director at the same company. We convert vehicles and machines to run on railway lines. It sounds a bit "how hard can that be?" but the projects are all varied and a good duration so it's easy for the engineers to maintain interest.
When I advertise for engineers with design experience I cannot find ANY locally. My team has two Germans and a south African who started their careers in their home country before moving here. The two Australians also on the team started with us at Uni and haven't left.
If you wanted to continue the Project Engineer type work there would be a LOT of opportunities here in mining or oil and gas, most of which will pay very well.
Unlike the UK where an "Engineer" can be someone who fixes PC's in a computer shop or changes the filters in your Dyson, in Australia the profession is well regarded and you actually have to be an engineer to call yourself one. The pay is very good compared to the UK.
When I was in the UK I was on an average engineer's wage and my wife was a receptionist. We moved to Perth, Australia and she didn't have to get a job for us to achieve a better standard of living, despite the cost of living being a little higher here. 5 minutes walk to a long sandy beach, a cold day in winter is 7C overnight then 18C by 10AM. Wall-to-wall sunshine in the summer, autumn and spring are dry, warm and really rather nice!
I graduated in Mech Eng. in 2001, spent a few years in the Midlands at an automotive assembly equipment manufacturer, went into ink jet printing for a few years, the back into automotive with a former colleague - regretted that move.
Applied for JCB, got offered a job, turned them down if favour of an electrical accessory company in the Midlands - Was more product design than it was engineering but fun none the less. Should have gone to JCB.... probably.
Then we decided to move to Australia in 2012 and we're still here, 12 years later.
Started here as Mechanical engineer, now Engineering Director at the same company. We convert vehicles and machines to run on railway lines. It sounds a bit "how hard can that be?" but the projects are all varied and a good duration so it's easy for the engineers to maintain interest.
When I advertise for engineers with design experience I cannot find ANY locally. My team has two Germans and a south African who started their careers in their home country before moving here. The two Australians also on the team started with us at Uni and haven't left.
If you wanted to continue the Project Engineer type work there would be a LOT of opportunities here in mining or oil and gas, most of which will pay very well.
Unlike the UK where an "Engineer" can be someone who fixes PC's in a computer shop or changes the filters in your Dyson, in Australia the profession is well regarded and you actually have to be an engineer to call yourself one. The pay is very good compared to the UK.
When I was in the UK I was on an average engineer's wage and my wife was a receptionist. We moved to Perth, Australia and she didn't have to get a job for us to achieve a better standard of living, despite the cost of living being a little higher here. 5 minutes walk to a long sandy beach, a cold day in winter is 7C overnight then 18C by 10AM. Wall-to-wall sunshine in the summer, autumn and spring are dry, warm and really rather nice!
Edited by 200bhp on Saturday 20th July 16:17
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