I disagree with this. Trust me, I’ve been married to an engineer working in both manufacturing (private sector) and defense X 20 years and you are at the whim of the economy and the political wind of the time. When times are good, times are really good. But there are layoff threats every 3-5 years in both of these industries and with all types of engineers (mechanical, electrical, etc.) . On the other hand, I work in healthcare and I’ve never once felt even the whiff of a job threat or layoff (although I’ve seen it happen with upper level management). And this isn’t just my husband…this involves the whole 30+ engineers we’ve known throughout the years who work across the board in different engineering industries. Plus, I’ve yet to meet an engineer who is not a slave to the 9-5 + daily grind and I don’t think any of them are particularly happy…all knowing they can be replaced with a younger version or axed when the economy tanks. On the other hand, she has watched family members with healthcare jobs (we have a CRNA, an anesthesiologist, a lab tech and an FNP in the family) enjoy wonderful job stability and flexibility with their careers.