Mid-life crisis or good idea?

[Timbuk2]

Well, you know how they that the pessimist sees the glass as half full and the optimist sees it as half filled? Well, the engineer sees it as being twice as big as it needs to be

And the realist asks what state the glass was in in the first place.

If it was an empty glass that was filled halfway, then the glass is half full.

If it was a full glass that was drained halfway, then the glass is half empty.

And as I said, you earn good money, at least in the field of electronics and I think also in mechanics. The reason is simple, there is a much higher demand then there are good engineers. Of course this implies that you are good in what you do.

Civil engineers don't. They earn piss poor money. My father was a Principal Civil Engineer who retired at the top of his field. The salary he was able to command was pitiful given the responsibilities and budgets his work involved. We spent much of our lives abroad in part because his taxed salary in the UK wasn't enough to raise a family with 3 children.

I hadn't really thought about Engineering, I suppose that is a more practical side. This may sound like a dumb question but what sort of opportunities are there with Engineering? What is it like in practice?

I studied Mechanical Engineering at University, for the first year and half.
The course was ok - but I dropped out as I realised in the second year that it wasn't a career I wanted to pursue.

If your mind works in a mechanical way then it could be for you. If you look at bridge structures and find elegance and beauty in design, or you are turned on by the suck-push-bang-blow operation of a four-stroke internal combustion engine, or the idea of modelling efficiency into production-line robotics takes your fancy, then it could be something to consider.

The pay is entirely average from the uni friends from that course I still keep in touch with. One qualified and now works in the design department of a lift company. Another qualified and went to work for a UK satellite company. Neither earns much.

~

From the little one can find out about others online, I'd certainly say you have a passion for Economics. Have you considered a career in your studied field? Or a related field - high finance? Large banks always need Economics experts. Their insight is invaluable to Market Risk departments for example. The pay is second to none.