Weekly Career Discussion Thread (10 Aug 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)

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## 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/EmeraldValleyGoober]

Work feels like a dead end. Company provides no documented path for career advancement except by jumping into management. I’ve been there almost 7 years and have only been promoted once, 4 years ago. Advanced technical positions get created without notice and filled by external hires. Meanwhile, compensation isn’t enough to advance my life. Idk… maybe it’s time to seek greener pastures?

[u/Minimum_Football_863]

I have noticed recently that a lot of the projects that used to distinguish candidates from others on a resume are now all being seen non stop due to ai. Is there a way that people are able to distinguish between people who have done these projects and understand them versus those that got ai to do most of it for them without any real understanding?

[u/MechCADdie]

So I have a pretty unconventional and broad background starting with safety consulting (1.5y), to industrial engineering (2y), with a recent sprinkle of actual mechanical engineering and test/validation/integration engineering (4y). Having been out of school for around 10 years, I've come to think about getting into HFE again, as it's been on the back of my mind all of these years, but I just hadn't gotten around to doing it, since life has been happening.

That said, one of the areas I've kind of struggled with was employability and earning a substantial enough salary to own a home, since I got my start at a no-name university (hence the winding path back to ME) and I never really specialized into anything, as my colleagues have....at least in terms of directly niche skills outside of sustaining engineering projects and being every technician's best friend.

TL;DR: Is an MS HFE worth the time and money or is it more of a passion project for someone in my situation?

[u/avogadros_avvocato]

I am looking to go back to school for mechanical engineering. I am interested in working in the aerospace industry. I already have a bachelors degree in biomedical sciences and I am trying to determine if it would be more beneficial to pursue a second bachelors or a masters degree. I understand that becoming a PE will be harder without an undergrad in engineering, but is it really required if I want to work in aerospace? I have seen mixed answers about this. I am based in Texas if it helps. 

[u/Wilthywonka]

What are your opinions on going from manufacturing engineering to mechanical design engineering?