[Closed] Mechanical Design Engineers.....how did you escape?

turned to the dark side (project management).

turning to the darkside #2 - Sales.

nope ....

Pretty sure I'm not a sales man (although I have never tried it!), and my lack of planning is what got me into this mess! 🙁

Gah this is a depressing thread so far.

Someone please say they took my preferred lifestyle career choice (running a bike workshop/cafe bar/microbrewerey) and now make loads more money and get all the women and have too many bikes to ride despite their acres of free time.

I have loved engineering all my life,I have no intention of leaving.

Phil, that's what I was hoping for.

Maybe someone looking to retire and hand over that successful business?

Stopped when my wife was ill. Now I am a stay at home dad and she is a HR business partner.

When the kids are older I will probably go back to it.

If you can't sell it or manage it then maybe something completely different 😉 (Was never a Mech Eng but know a lot and worked with plenty over the years)

Other options are going sideways to things like tech sales, training, quality, process etc, improvement and efficiency are key areas and somebody who can understand plants and machines but also material flow will do well in that field.

I got out of traditional engineering (consumer products then Motorsport) and moved into a very niche area (museums). Did that for quite a few years for a company. Similar work and hours but much more interesting, engaging and challenging. I have a hard job convincing people that it is still proper engineering but at least I know what I'm doing. Still doing it but now self employed, picking my own projects, working my own hours. Ups and downs, busy periods and quiet ones but it's works for me. I get to work with much nicer people too. Most people I work with do it because they enjoy it and so do I

I just paid off the mortgage and called it quits **** all to do with money more the fact it won't buy you an extra second of life nor the best part of the days with my kids so ****EM your a long time dead.

Watching with Interest....

Tbh, I've never ever thought of Engineering as something that you get stuck in and is difficult to get out of. I've been in Engineering for 26 years, through Defence, Aviation and now Pharma. All of those have taken people, sometimes surprisingly, from many different Engineering disciplines and utilised them in whatever capacity they required.

Projects does seem to be the one that has a very high turnover, and thus opportunities, but probably because it can be the shitey end of a very shitey stick at times.

I think there's a lot of variation in mech eng - it all depends who you work for. It can be very interesting and rewarding in the right company - and dull and/or stressful in the wrong one. Good engineers are in high demand so it shouldn't be too hard to find a new place if you want a change of scene. The place I work isn't in a specific sector, so we get a good turnover of different types of project which keeps it interesting. No(t much) overtime, nice office, nice colleagues. PM me if you like...

went from design to running the equipment i was designing offshore both project management and grunt work as i couldnt handle the office every day and no one was going to pay me enough to fix broken things all day.

seriously working towards mickmcd version of events.

when im busy im seriously busy - 24/36 hr shifts

when im not busy ....its noticable by levels of postage on here.

its not an escape - its just selling your soul and you need to plan it well or youll be trapped doing it for ever driving your rented range rover for the 5 days your at home.

i left engineering for a career break, feeling i wanted a change, investigated going into teaching and discovered they get paid even less (to start with) and work more and i don't really like children who don't care about themselves enough. ended up back at my first company from uni, and its more manic and dysfunctional than before, but its flexible hours and a nice commute. but there is definitely demand for engineers

Not a design engineer but in engineering but want out of "normal" employment.

Trying to line up some private gigs, and starting to develop some small product that will not make me rich but maybe will give me a one /2 man band business.

I asked for a 4 day week with my old firm, they said no so now I'm self employed working 3 days a week.

Extra time with family and 2 days to do whatever I like was well worth the change.

I don't imagine it'll last for ever and I'll no doubt look back and think I could have done it better but right now I'm happier than I was 12 months ago

Moved to the Alps. Started a bike guiding company and became a snowboard instructor. I recommend it. 😀

I’ve seen the videos, it looks awful for you. Keep battling on.

Have up on the mechanical engineering, mostly design and tried a few other things. Now work for a DNO as an operational engineer and overall, bloody love it.

I moved into research, but still do design and manufacture from time to time when I get bored or bogged down with a topic.

I moved from engineering (machining mainly) into education. Fortunatley a good bunch in the department and realistic manager. That said feels like we're circling the toilet bowl and on a downward spiral of less budget, lower entry grades and more students but expect more success following the execs current plans.

I'd like to move but into what i dont know.

I think it's the office environment, and the design by commitee that I'm frustrated with.  Not the engineering as such.  Often wonder about something more civil based, or actually supporting the equipment we design

Design engineering often turns out to be something different to what people imagine. You think you're  going to be hunched over a drawing board or CAD terminal designing race cars, jet engines, aeroplanes...when the closes you get is designing a bolt that attaches to a widget that mounts a thingymajig.

I got out by getting into our services part of the business, so directly supporting our customers out in the field. Was mainly a desk/office bound job but with lots of travel to see customers, sort problems out etc. Much more interesting I think...dealing with the product as a whole in its service environment, got an opportunity to influence product design far more than I ever did as a design engineer. Had a great 10 years or so doing that and recently moved into Marketing...which is very different, but its amazing how much my engineering background helps.

I left being a design engineer to become a maths teacher, was the best thing I’ve ever done! I would whole heartedly recommend it! And not JUST because of the 6 weeks off in the summer

The company I worked for in London folded, so with time on my hands I did a TEFL course and moved abroad (Basque Country) to think about what to do next.  That was ten years ago, still here as a self employed teacher & translator.

Don't miss it, though I do a lot of translation work for the rail industry so the Mech Eng still comes in handy.

I'm currently trying to work out if I want to get off the shop-floor and do something a bit different. There's an applications engineer job I'm mulling over..

So I don't want to get out of engineering, maybe just the area I'm in at the moment as I've done it for 25 years. Only problem I foresee is that I won't have such easy access to the machines to make stuff for myself..

I’m going the other way - started as an estimator 10 years ago and worked my way up the greasy pole into a sales position.

Will be starting at a well renowned Building Services consultancy in Jan 2019. Will be more of an engineering/design role.

Yes, the perks are there with sales - company car (maybe not so much of a perk these days) Very good salary, bonuses, managing own time etc.

But the stress and pressure is horrible! I’m responsible for the North and Midlands and as it’s a technical role I’m responsible for producing my own quotations. I’m targeted on everything, not just sales, from meetings held in a quarter to quotations produced. The metrics seem to have been created by idiots and are sometimes unachievable.

Constantly being chewed out by my d?!k of a sales director who has no technical capability at all and has a very limited idea about what we actually do is definitely no fun!

Cannot wait to bugger off into the sunset!

@stevied I did this for a cadcam company 600 quid a day you can buy a good used machine for 15-20k and put it in your shed😉

Seriously though you still get people ranting that you didn't fix their problem ..it's the softwares faulfault etc etc...did you have training....I don't need training is often the reply YMMV

you can buy a good used machine for 15-20k and put it in your shed

I'd need a bigger shed 😉

As someone looking to get into Mechanical Design Engineering, I'm intrigued as to why you want to escape.

Graduated in Mech Eng with a first class hons back in 2009, I've subsequently spent a few years as an Applications Engineer for 3D CAD and FEA software - supporting and training design engineers. Took a bit of time out travelling, a bit of time doing CAD contract work  - drafting, not designing.

I now find myself doing Project Management in consumer product... the bike industry ! Would love to get back into technical design stuff but there's no scope for it here, so considering finding a Mech Design role in another industry.

If anyone is looking for a mech eng design role in Sheffield, please pm me. We're constantly looking for decent engineers with a bit of experience of the real world.

@beer247 which consultant you going to?

Not a Mech engineer but Electrical (building services) I'd love to get out of it lol

If you're a talented writer, why not think about technical authoring? I've made a career out of it for almost thirty years. When I was a kid, I loved science and creative writing. During my apprenticeship with GEC (remember them?), I spent some time in the technical publications department .WOW! Engineering and writing. I enjoyed it thoroughly and impressed the manager who offered me a job when I'd completed my apprenticeship.

I still really enjoy my job. Having an analytical mind and being adept at translating jargon into comprehensible language is what it's about. I've documented projects in rail, paper and now pharmaceuticals. Great variety and you can make decent money. There's a demand for authors as industry becomes more and more documentation driven.

@dirkpitt74 I’m off to work for Arup.

Its actually a controls engineer role so will sit alongside the mechanical/electrical teams.

@beer247 nice one - think they're pretty good to work for.

I'm at WSP - have been for the last 14 years.

Brakeforcake; I enjoyed it for the first few years; but after moving companies I am now working on much slower projects with big teams. Basically don't get the same sense of ownership as I used to.

I think I would like to move into supporting the kit, but would probably mean moving house or week ending.

Anyone moved from a megacorp to a smaller company? I think a lot of frustration is caused by the manner in which I'm forced to work

Not mech eng specifically but I can tell you that a good way to get out of a job is to start swearing loudly at the external consultants during meetings, 'exposing' them as charlatans and their 'work' as useless, and walking around all day with 'a face that says **** off'.

Worked for me 🙂

But you wanted to know more about escape routes than self-destruct strategies? Can't help you there 🙂

I think a lot of frustration is caused by the manner in which I’m forced to work

This.

'Agile' anyone? It's not for me, that's for sure.

Well, according to my boss, I’m no longer an engineer, I’m a manager...

Despite there being a requirement for me to (finally) become chartered... (which I now am).

I’m now firmly committed to the public sector, but it’s a poisoned chalice right enough.

But I’ll just quote Gillian Welch: Never minded working hard, it’s who I’m working for...

Anyone moved from a megacorp to a smaller company? I think a lot of frustration is caused by the manner in which I’m forced to work

Not worked for a megacorp, but I don't think I'd last long if I did! It's nice in a smaller company with smaller projects where you can have complete control and ownership of your work, and actually make progress at a reasonable pace rather than e.g. designing a beam for 18 months before it gets canned, as some friends have done at Atkins.

Often thought about buying a lathe, milling machine etc and setting up to make 1 off parts for people like back in my apprentice days. How viable that would be now when you can get stuff made and flown in from China in days for cheaper than I can buy the raw material though 🙁

^depends on your skill level surly?

You would be looking for specialist repairs, one offs customisation etc so would need to be able to have the full workshop package available to you I would have thought.

Often thought about buying a lathe, milling machine etc and setting up to make 1 off parts for people like back in my apprentice days. How viable that would be now when you can get stuff made and flown in from China in days for cheaper than I can buy the raw material though

pick your clients carefully and charge up front at least 50 percent the dreamers quickly run away leaving the guys who will pay for your services,

Mech Eng here. Job title variously Mechanical Engineer, Design Engineer, nor just Engineer. No need to escape being an engineer. I like designing things, drawing pictures and doing a few sums to prove it won't break..