My husband is an engineer and looking to switch careers. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Actuary requires a certificate after completing several exams. Explanation

@tedibear what type of company does he have 19 years experience with?

something to do with ameliorating energy consumption, that’s what my friend has done and fashioned a decent career out of.

I have a close friend who went from Engineering to working in pharmaceutical sales and then biotech, he is now high up in the organization making a whole bunch of money.

I also think engineers can crossover to artificial limbs, there are several companies where I live in Memphis.

If he wants to consider staying in engineering, maybe the railways? I think train travel is being looked at again as something America should focus on, assuming you are in the US. I think the rail in FL was passed, not sure. Even if he wants to be in another part of that industry, at least he would have some engineering experience.

What about HR work? My husband does Compensation and Benefits, and they get paid very well. Working for an Engineering company would be great for his understanding of sales, management, and the engineers. And the best thing about HR is when one industry has trouble you can easily move industries. My husband does have certain certifications he keeps up with. HR, especially comp, works intimately with the finance people.

Oh, by the actuaries make a lot of money. My uncles son-in-law made a huge amount of money in that line of work, until he lost his job, during the whole wall street nightmare.

Perhaps silly questions, but they may help point the way a bit

— If he’s leaving his current field, why? It doesn’t sound like money is the issue since he’s just looking for a lateral move there. Perhaps he’s reached as far as he can go there and is looking for something with a higher ceiling?

— Does he want to build something himself, or maybe work for a company he believes in? Is he looking for a new challenge?

— Is working a big part of his identity or just a way to pay the bills?

I think if he figures out why he’s leaving, he’ll probably have something in mind that he’d love to try. Now may be the perfect opportunity or it may be something that he can work towards while in the current job if a bit of extra schooling is needed.

I always think people leaving a long time career need to find something that inspires them again. That could be a great company, a project, a new challenge, something to wrap their mind around, or just a simple goal but it seems he’s probably looking for that more than just another job. Find out what’s missing from the current job and it will be easier to find the right new one.

the social science might be something to consider… or business or fine arts

start his own consulting company
sales of almost anything
teaching analysis
servicing electrical items

@bkcunningham – He has worked in R&D and manufacturing engineering for a water softener company.

@Tropical_Willie – hank you for the actuary links. I will pass those along to him.

@JLeslie, @funkdaddy, @talljasperman, and @kelly – Many thanks! You have given me good ideas and thoughts to present to him!

@tedibear the reason I asked is because there are still job opportunities for construction management engineers with general contractors and others.

I went from electrical engineering into computer science somewhat gradually. That is probably the most natural course of progression if he wants to change fields. There is some middle ground there; for example, I worked as an embedded systems programmer before moving on to the financial programming I do now. I’m curious as to why he wants to change fields. Maybe all he needs is a change of scenery; a lot of what I didn’t like about engineering was related to the Dibert culture, not to the field itself.

It takes many, many years of study and a series of grueling exams to become an actuary. That isn’t something you choose to do mid-career unless you’re a total masochist. If he wants to move into finance, he might look at business analyst positions. Business analysts serve as go-betweens between business and market types and technology people. Companies are always looking for them.

German companies are hiring engineers big time. Lots of career options.