<p>I have seen some people say online that engineering is not a stable position. As you get older, the chance for you losing your job is greater and that people eventually make the move to business. Can anyone shed some light on this for me? I am expected to graduate when im 22.</p>
<p>I mean, that is sort of the natural progression. You start at a company, you start really learning your field, eventually gain enough knowledge to know about the bigger picture, and start running the bigger picture. Are you saying you want to stay purely engineering for your career span?</p>
<p>No, I just want to know what the common trend of the career path is like</p>
<p>If you’re looking for maximum stability, it does exist, but generally only through government organizations/national labs. In fact, you can usually progress through your entire career, starting as a new hire fresh out of college, all the way to retirement working as a civilian engineer (not a contractor). There may be some cases where you are furloughed, but layoffs are very uncommon if you’re a civilian employee with good performance ratings. </p>
<p>On the other end of the spectrum, defense contractors and small start-up companies usually offer poor stability. These engineering jobs are usually the most volatile. It’s not uncommon for defense contractors to change jobs (and in many cases, location too) every 5 years or more. On the plus side, however, contractors can make a lot of money, but the job benefits are generally poor.</p>