<p>Assume an Average college, Average grades, and a Bachelor's degree </p>
<pre><code>Which fields are growing?
Which fields of engineering have secure jobs (with the conditions given) ?
</code></pre>
<p>[url=<a href="http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm#outlook%5DEngineers%5B/url">http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm#outlook]Engineers[/url</a>]</p>
<p>About as average as you can get...</p>
<p>well. what i know is this:</p>
<p>if you are in for the money, do CS or petroE.</p>
<p>I don't consider engineering positions to be particularly secure especially as you get older.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I don't consider engineering positions to be particularly secure especially as you get older.
[/quote]
Compared to what?</p>
<p>compared to any job that has a fairly uniform geographic distribution of employment in the US.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I don't consider engineering positions to be particularly secure especially as you get older.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It really depends on the person more than anything else. If you don't keep learning throughout your career and keeping up with advances, of course your company is going to lay you off in favor of the younger folks. If you do, then probably not. I personally haven't heard of anybody being laid off because they were older. though I don't doubt that it happens in some companies in some industries. Then again, buildings have gone up pretty much the same way for the past few decades...</p>
<p>
[quote]
compared to any job that has a fairly uniform geographic distribution of employment in the US.
[/quote]
What does geography have anything to do with job security with age?</p>
<p>Assuming you are right, civil engineering has a pretty uniform geographic distribution of employment. I can get a job in a small town of a few thousand people or a metropolis with millions of people. I can be on the east coast, west coast, or wherever.</p>
<p>It isn't a matter of just age. Good engineering jobs are not distributed particularly well in the US. I see you are from NYC. I work at a company 45 miles away in CT. I personally know many engineers who have gotten layed off over the years, who are living and working > 500 miles away from their families because there isn't anything closer and the family won't move until the kids finish school. It is a lot easier finding employment in more business oriented fields. As far as age is concerned, I have found it rare for an engineer to continue doing real engineering as opposed to managing business units etc. when they get older. It is difficult for many older than 50 to keep up with kids right out of school. The older folks usually no longer have the drive or desire to put in 12 hour days. The added experience of older workers just doesn't pay off for a lot of companies.</p>
<p>
[quote]
compared to any job that has a fairly uniform geographic distribution of employment in the US.
[/quote]
I don't agree with you. Engineering has one of the lowest unemployment rates of any profession. If these older engineers were unemployable that would show in a higher unemployment rate.</p>
<p>Your job in a small metropolis isn't going to pay much. Larger companies pay a lot more.</p>
<p>In many cases, it isn't going to show up in the unemployment numbers because many have become "consultants"</p>
<p>
[quote]
In many cases, it isn't going to show up in the unemployment numbers because many have become "consultants"
[/quote]
Oh yeah, that poor underclass of "consultants", I forgot about them.</p>
<p>I agree that some fields are not very diverse geographically. My objection is your generalization of all engineering fields. Those working in the power industry are probably less prone to the situations you refer to. On the other hand, it may be a very different case for those in the computer sector.</p>
<p>
[quote]
As far as age is concerned, I have found it rare for an engineer to continue doing real engineering as opposed to managing business units etc. when they get older.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Agreed, but does that make the engineering field insecure? That person still has a job even though his or her job description may have changed.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Your job in a small metropolis isn't going to pay much. Larger companies pay a lot more.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>But the cost of living would be significantly lower, so you wouldn't need the extra money to maintain the same lifestyle.</p>
<p><a href="mailto:lol@Payne">lol@Payne</a>...</p>
<p>I'm unconcerned. I don't see anybody being laid off in structural engineering, and we've got more work than we can handle. There's a slight ebb in construction because of the recession, but our backlog is ridiculous so there's going to be work for at least a year. The world would have to be pretty apocalyptic in order for structurals to not have work to do, and in that case, we'd be busy making ourselves foil hats and finding nuclear-proof bridge abutments.</p>
<p>Plus, what's wrong with management? You're still usually brought in as an expert consultant, but you're teaching the younger engineers how to actually <em>engineer</em>. You deal with clients, you make suggestions on how best things should actually be designed... I really actually look forward to the day when I get to manage projects a little more. As much as owners and contractors drive me nuts, I like working with them more than I like crunching repetitive calcs.</p>
<p>Sure as heck is more secure than a degree in philosophy.</p>
<p>At least the philosophers can count on unemployment, and some of them make bank being the grand vizier for a sultan</p>
<p>
[quote]
As far as age is concerned, I have found it rare for an engineer to continue doing real engineering as opposed to managing business units etc. when they get older.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>
[quote]
As far as age is concerned, I have found it rare for an engineer to continue doing real engineering as opposed to managing business units etc. when they get older. It is difficult for many older than 50 to keep up with kids right out of school. The older folks usually no longer have the drive or desire to put in 12 hour days.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>So that's not so much a problem with job security, as a change of life goals and what constitutes job satisfaction.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Plus, what's wrong with management?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Nothing, as long as you're competent and productive (and lucky). I've seen low level managers laid off because their salary had gotten high, not because they couldn't do the work. That's the only problem.</p>
<p>From the Engineering career seminars I have taken, these are some statistics they told us. </p>
<p>-The average length of employment for engineers is 4 years. So expect to either quit or be fired on average of 4 years. </p>
<p>-Engineers are considered "Old Engineers" within 10 years of there 1st employment as a engineer.</p>
<p>-35% of engineers become managers, the rest either are fired or struggle keeping up with the younger kids.</p>
<p>I have more stats, il dig em up and post em.</p>