Changing Careers: Can Engineers Make Money Part-Time?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of engineers transitioning to part-time work after gaining substantial experience in their careers. It explores the potential for utilizing mathematical skills in a less demanding capacity while considering financial implications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire to avoid working excessively while still making use of their mathematical skills, questioning the viability of earning a decent income part-time after years of full-time engineering work.
  • Another participant notes that many retired engineers have successfully transitioned to part-time consulting roles, suggesting that prior experience and connections can facilitate this shift.
  • A third participant challenges the initial sentiment by questioning the reluctance to work hard, implying that hard work is a common expectation.
  • A quote attributed to Thomas Edison is shared, emphasizing the idea that opportunities often require effort and may not be immediately recognized.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants exhibit differing views on the desirability and implications of working part-time after a full-time engineering career. There is no consensus on the necessity of hard work versus the pursuit of a balanced lifestyle.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about financial stability, retirement benefits, and the nature of consulting work are present but not fully explored. The discussion does not resolve the complexities of transitioning to part-time work or the varying definitions of "decent sum of money."

Who Am I
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I am trying to work my life out and I don't want my mathematical skills to go to waste, but I also don't want to be working my *** off for the rest of my life.

So, I was wondering, if you worked full time as an engineer for several years getting lots of experience, would it be possible to still make a decent sum of money part-time after that?
 
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Who Am I said:
I am trying to work my life out and I don't want my mathematical skills to go to waste, but I also don't want to be working my *** off for the rest of my life.

So, I was wondering, if you worked full time as an engineer for several years getting lots of experience, would it be possible to still make a decent sum of money part-time after that?
A lot of older colleagues who have retired from corporations now work part-time as consultants. Some basically started their own consulting business, and some hire other retirees. Mind one, many of them retired with generous benefits/pensions and/or retirement accounts after 4 or 5 decades of working in industry.
 


Why don't you want to work as hard as the rest of us for the rest of your life?
 


"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."...Thomas Alva Edison
 

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