Lost in the Engineering world

[craftyexample]

Hi all,

Currently at a HUGE career quandary. I studied industrial engineering in college. Ultimately, I was unsatisfied there. I had a couple of internships that I didn't enjoy or was talented at, but finished the degree just to have a college degree. I never fit in with the average IE, who's an ISTJ or ESTJ (top cognitive functions are always thinking and sensing, the opposite of INFJ, which makes sense, and it's why I've always struggled). But I had the Ti to get me through. I graduated and decided to make a shift to human factors engineering, which blends psychology, design, and engineering, which I thought would be ideal. It's a better fit, however my current company is sucking the life out of me. Again, I've found myself surrounded by ISTJs and ESTJs, which makes sense since IEs often go to human factors. There still is a high need for sensing and thinking skills, which are not my strong suits, and so I'm struggling. I don't see a point in continuing with my current path. I don't think I would make a good engineering manager (as INFJs aren't suited to either engineering or management), which would be the only real direction I can progress. And my relationship with my coworkers gets worse every day as I miss minor details on reports or have a hard time keeping up in meetings.

Right now, I'm planning on quitting this month. I have a 3 week trip that I'm supposed to be going on for work that I'm dreading. Financially, I'm fine so I think it's the right decision to take a step back and look at other jobs. I'm also living rent free with my parents. But my current work is so busy/taxing there is no time for interviews or introspection or volunteering.

My current career options I'm considering are:
1. Financial Advisor. Many firms may hire me in at a lower level position, and I can work towards my CFP. My father is a financial advisor and is also an INFJ and has found meaning in helping clients to achieve their financial goals. I would act solely in the best interest of clients and I think I would succeed in the 1:1 meetings with clients and use my Ni and Fe to understand where they are at and act as a financial therapist. With my father being a financial advisor for 20+ years I have a strong base and grasp of financial knowledge and with a bachelors I think I could break into the industry pretty easily. The end goal would be to start my own firm eventually, probably where I'm the sole advisor so I don't have to manage anyone.

2. Therapist/Counselor/Psychologist. My main goal in life is to help others. That's what my natural talents are, and I think I would enjoy working 1:1 with either adults or children. Obviously, this is one of the most commonly recommended careers to INFJs. The main issue is I don't have much experience with counseling or therapy. I would need to pursue either a MSW, a masters in mental health counseling, or a PhD or PsyD, and I have no idea which would be the best fit at this point. I don't really care about the money (or lack of). The end goal would be to have my own therapy practice. At this point, that is a long way off though, and something I'm not sure I capable of shouldering the emotional burden of. So I'm just not well defined on what I know I want here.

My current plan is:
- Before quitting: To meet with a career counselor to try to determine other potential jobs where I may be a good fit. Talk to friends and family about the switch.
- After quitting: To meet with therapists and financial advisors and interview them about their roles. Volunteer in the mental health field to understand if I even like it. If I like the counseling, consider the masters. Possibly get a lower level job in a financial advising firm to keep me busy and help with the transition there.

What advice does the community have for before or after quitting when making a career shift? Are there other career options I should consider? Feel free to try to talk me into staying in the engineering field as well, but good luck (seen a lot of other threads here about INFJs getting out of engineering and never going back). Thanks for reading!

 

[Wyote]

It sounds like mainly what you want is your own business.
I would say rather than going somewhere or fiddling with anything else, just start that immediately.
You might not feel comfortably qualified, but if you attend small business meetings and get well networked I think you can get it running sooner than you think.

 

[craftyexample]

It sounds like mainly what you want is your own business.
I would say rather than going somewhere or fiddling with anything else, just start that immediately.
You might not feel comfortably qualified, but if you attend small business meetings and get well networked I think you can get it running sooner than you think.

Fair point. That is true. But I want my own business doing something meaningful. And at this time, I'm not sure what exactly that would be. That is why I'm leaning towards gaining some experience first in an area that I may be more naturally suited to before starting a business. I'll have to think more about potential business ideas.

 

[Wyote]

My point is, you won't know that for a while but you can still get experience with starting your own business today.
Either way you'll have to go through that growing pain if you decide to pursue it.

But I get it. Having confidence that you have a marketable skill is important.

 

[Matty]

If you're INTJ, perhaps project management in an engineering company would be a way to keep your qualifications in your career path.

 

[John K]

@craftyexample it would make your transition easier if you could capitalise on your specific academic and work experience at the same time as moving away from being an engineer. Have you considered a job in Human Resources for example? You are off to a flying start with your inside knowledge of a particular industry and discipline and adding HR training and experience to that would make you pretty marketable eventually. Many folks set up on their own in HR consultancy and recruitment so you’d be able to do this after a few years experience.

A guy who was in my pharma IS team did just that. He had a biology degree and a couple of years computing experience then moved into corporate HR. That was a good many years ago. Since then he hit the big time and he’s been HR VP of several major companies and had done really well for himself. He wanted a more people oriented job and made the transition in a non-abrupt way like I’m suggesting.

Of course HR is only one example. Sales and marketing is very people oriented too, and you’d be in good demand from companies whose products include complex engineering. Another example would be staff training - so there’s all sorts of sideways moves that would get you away from the blue meanies xSTJs and give you a springboard to eventually setting up in your own business.

 

[craftyexample]

If you're INTJ, perhaps project management in an engineering company would be a way to keep your qualifications in your career path.

I'm not an INTJ and while project management would probably be a better fit for me, I don't think it's THE fit/something I want to do for the rest of my life.

 

[craftyexample]

@craftyexample it would make your transition easier if you could capitalise on your specific academic and work experience at the same time as moving away from being an engineer. Have you considered a job in Human Resources for example? You are off to a flying start with your inside knowledge of a particular industry and discipline and adding HR training and experience to that would make you pretty marketable eventually. Many folks set up on their own in HR consultancy and recruitment so you’d be able to do this after a few years experience.

A guy who was in my pharma IS team did just that. He had a biology degree and a couple of years computing experience then moved into corporate HR. That was a good many years ago. Since then he hit the big time and he’s been HR VP of several major companies and had done really well for himself. He wanted a more people oriented job and made the transition in a non-abrupt way like I’m suggesting.

Of course HR is only one example. Sales and marketing is very people oriented too, and you’d be in good demand from companies whose products include complex engineering. Another example would be staff training - so there’s all sorts of sideways moves that would get you away from the blue meanies xSTJs and give you a springboard to eventually setting up in your own business.

Thanks for the idea. The challenge is that it would take a lot of time to make a switch like that to recruiting. There's not really any opportunity to work in recruiting within my current company, and I'm still not sure if it would be a good fit or I'd find it meaningful. At this point, I think because I'm still very young (23) and financially have the capability to do a complete 180 - I think I am leaning towards going with the psychology/therapy route. I still am planning on quitting my job soon because I'm so burnt out, but I will keep in mind that there are a million other paths I could go down, as you've described. I think I just need a break from my current environment to be able to re-assess and pivot effectively.

 

[John K]

Thanks for the idea. The challenge is that it would take a lot of time to make a switch like that to recruiting. There's not really any opportunity to work in recruiting within my current company, and I'm still not sure if it would be a good fit or I'd find it meaningful. At this point, I think because I'm still very young (23) and financially have the capability to do a complete 180 - I think I am leaning towards going with the psychology/therapy route. I still am planning on quitting my job soon because I'm so burnt out, but I will keep in mind that there are a million other paths I could go down, as you've described. I think I just need a break from my current environment to be able to re-assess and pivot effectively.

You are very welcome. It was less the specific suggestion, but an alternative to a clean break - there are a number of possible careers you could explore that way, like I said.

I think if you have the resources, and can stand being dependent for a further several years' training, then go for therapy / psychology. I'd strongly advise you to meet and talk to people up front who are already working in the profession though. The grass always looks greener from a distance, and there has been more than one other INFx forum member here in that line of career who has found that some other psychologists / therapists can be difficult to work alongside. People are people wherever they go - type might change the way we interact with each other but we can always find ways of making life difficult for each other . Then there's the routine of such work - oh I'm sure every patient / client is different, but 20 years from now, as you deal with your 500th PTSD case, you might find it feels like Groundhog Day. One of my brothers was a teacher, and all his classes over 30-40 years must have blurred into greyness in the same sort of way by the time he retired. Of course many people like the stability of such work, and find all the variety they need in the ever changing individuals they teach or help heal, but it's good to go in there with your eyes open at the outset. You can bring variety into it too by changing the way you provide your services - setting up your own practice for example, as I think you would hope to do, and maybe even forming a partnership. You have all the challenges of running the business side of it then which is a whole new dimension - but you'll need to have a set of xSTJ clothes to wear for all the accounting and tax management, maybe even hiring and managing staff.

 

[craftyexample]

You are very welcome. It was less the specific suggestion, but an alternative to a clean break - there are a number of possible careers you could explore that way, like I said.

I think if you have the resources, and can stand being dependent for a further several years' training, then go for therapy / psychology. I'd strongly advise you to meet and talk to people up front who are already working in the profession though. The grass always looks greener from a distance, and there has been more than one other INFx forum member here in that line of career who has found that some other psychologists / therapists can be difficult to work alongside. People are people wherever they go - type might change the way we interact with each other but we can always find ways of making life difficult for each other . Then there's the routine of such work - oh I'm sure every patient / client is different, but 20 years from now, as you deal with your 500th PTSD case, you might find it feels like Groundhog Day. One of my brothers was a teacher, and all his classes over 30-40 years must have blurred into greyness in the same sort of way by the time he retired. Of course many people like the stability of such work, and find all the variety they need in the ever changing individuals they teach or help heal, but it's good to go in there with your eyes open at the outset. You can bring variety into it too by changing the way you provide your services - setting up your own practice for example, as I think you would hope to do, and maybe even forming a partnership. You have all the challenges of running the business side of it then which is a whole new dimension - but you'll need to have a set of xSTJ clothes to wear for all the accounting and tax management, maybe even hiring and managing staff.

Another option I recently thought of along the counselor route is a career advisor. I think as an engineer, I have a great understanding of the corporate world and finding a job, and my own struggles to find a career have given me a perspective on what makes a career a good fit. I'm really great with resumes, interview prep, and I would love to give people psychological tests and empower them to find a career that works for them. This is something I could start right away after quitting as well. It's funny, because I am meeting with my career counselor this week, so we'll see how that goes. But I think I could set up a website and start offering my services pretty easily. This is really similar to your suggestion of recruiting, but I think it would be both an easier transition and better suited to me!

 

[John K]

Another option I recently thought of along the counselor route is a career advisor. I think as an engineer, I have a great understanding of the corporate world and finding a job, and my own struggles to find a career have given me a perspective on what makes a career a good fit. I'm really great with resumes, interview prep, and I would love to give people psychological tests and empower them to find a career that works for them. This is something I could start right away after quitting as well. It's funny, because I am meeting with my career counselor this week, so we'll see how that goes. But I think I could set up a website and start offering my services pretty easily. This is really similar to your suggestion of recruiting, but I think it would be both an easier transition and better suited to me!

That sounds like a really good idea. If you can build on the positive side of your existing experience it's a great boost to your change plan. People with dual skill sets in complementary fields are usually in high demand.

 

[craftyexample]

I wrote this poem 6 months ago when I was going though a similar spot with my same job. Came across it today, it illustrates my view of my current job pretty well.

"Work is on the mind of many
Stress, strife, grief
It creates, it destroys
Life is too brief

A man may be beaten down
Tears, depression, anxiety
Keep your chin up
Be a member of society

Many a child today
Buried far away
Not in life, but in death
Will they realize they forgot to live"

Anyways, wanted to update that I'm putting my 2 weeks in next week, I'm making my pivot. I've been continuing to talk to people and I'm thinking right now I either want to do a Masters in Social Work or a simpler shift to UX Research which is more closely aligned to what I do now. I'm exploring both options through volunteering and applying to some research jobs. I'll come back with a positive poem in a couple of months. Think this is the end of being an engineer for me. Every end is a new beginning.

 

[craftyexample]