That's how I'm trying to view this scenario @dwhntx. For now I'm resisting the inherent motivation to jump straight back in to similar work. What did you end up moving on to? Did you leverage personal contacts to make the change or did it happen through chance perhaps?
Thanks for commenting 👍
I went from engineer to police officer, eventually detective and now a science teacher. Pushing 40 and I still don't know what I want to do lol.
Wow, see that's a very well spent life to date @dwhntx. You see, I've often watched people who stay in either the same career, or worse, the same job for decades. I have often thought that living a life of utter monotony like that would be akin to a slow death of mediocrity.
For example, I think of those who still work at the company where I gained my first post-graduate job. I think of them still walking the same hallways and driving the same streets to and from the office - likely just on automatic.
In that time I've traveled the country, lived and worked in different states and experienced different industries within the engineering field. It's like I've lived many lives to their one.
What you describe sounds appealing and being ex-army, I'd wondered about serving in the police myself. Detective sounds very interesting but I'd imagine you have to do the hard-yards to get there.
Thanks for the motivation. Always nice to know that others have had success along a path that faces me now.
I totally agree. Engineering was the worst of them all and paid the best by far. I worked with people that showed up for money only and hated the rest of it. Actually when I made detective it was interesting but I really missed the action on the street. If I was single I would still be a cop, very interesting work. Now as a school teacher I have great classes and then ones that drive me crazy. Students get away with so much now compared to when I was a kid.
A lot of people think it is crazy but I think we need to go for what makes us happy. Money doesn't mean a darn thing if you hate life earning it.
You are touching on a realisation that I'm only just formulating at this stage of my life. My working hypothesis is that it should be an objective to only make enough income to live comfortably and secure a little for the future. By this I mean that perhaps earning in excess of that should be something actively avoided as by doing so, we trade more of our life than is warranted resulting in the engineering observations you describe.
I'm only coming to grips with this thinking after some time off from the rat race but experiencing what little nuances and small pleasures life has to offer when you're not stuck in an office every day makes for sobering lightbulb moments.