- #1
Bigman
- 27
- 0
I'm almost 25 years old and I've finally started going to college, for a bachelors in mechanical engineering. I feel like it's the perfect major for me: I love math and physics, and I love creating things. My only problem is that I'm not wild about the idea of having a 9-5 job, working 5 days a week, for 50 weeks a year. My girlfriend, who graduated over a year ago and has been working in advertising ever since, has become VERY disenchanted with the working world recently, and it's rekindling this old fear i had when I would look at my parents and how they've lived their lives, doing a 9-5er from the time they graduated college until retirement, working for people they didn't like, and hating their jobs by the time they were out. Don't get me wrong, I have a huge amount of respect for people that can work that much, especially those who support kids on minimum wage, but I can't stand the idea of having only 2-3 weeks of personal time a year, every year, until I'm 62 years old, even if I'm being paid well.
So, to get to the point, I was wondering: Is there much of a market for freelance mechanical engineers? I wouldn't mind doing the 9-5 thing for five or ten years before going into business for myself, but the thought of doing a daily grind for the rest of my life is extremely depressing. I would love to be able to travel and live in different countries, working on and off on different jobs... is this a pipe dream, or something that's plausible(maybe even common)? If it is in fact a pipe dream, are there any other math/physics related fields of study where it's common for people to freelance? If anyone has any thoughts or insights, please respond! Thanks!
So, to get to the point, I was wondering: Is there much of a market for freelance mechanical engineers? I wouldn't mind doing the 9-5 thing for five or ten years before going into business for myself, but the thought of doing a daily grind for the rest of my life is extremely depressing. I would love to be able to travel and live in different countries, working on and off on different jobs... is this a pipe dream, or something that's plausible(maybe even common)? If it is in fact a pipe dream, are there any other math/physics related fields of study where it's common for people to freelance? If anyone has any thoughts or insights, please respond! Thanks!