How many people earn a degree in Engineering but don't pursue a career in it, for whatever reason? I know at least one and I don't know why they spent all that time and money if they weren't going to continue in it

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I am a petroleum engineer and so is my wife, but she does not practice, although she does not regret having studied that career since it helped her a lot to get to where she is. It is not something you know at the moment so I don't think they just want to waste money and effort.

I find the question very interesting as I know several engineers who do not practice, but some of them would like to and keep trying but simply have not been able to, while others are not interested in practicing.

Good question, while I didn't finish, I did about 65% of a bachelor's and spent 5.5 years in school and got through the heavy math, physics, and some dynamics/mechanic classes. I personally stopped and started working in manufacturing, I'm currently pursuing programming and software engineering (going back to "school" to get a certificate). I'm maxed out as a machinist making more than entry and junior level engineers. In my opinion here is why some may stop

1) it could be boring, some positions look like a morgue more than a job. I've seen, at a previous manufacturer, where the engineering department looks as dead as security job at night more than a career.
2) it doesn't pay that well, yes some engineers can make close to or more than 6 figures, but only a few companies and jobs get there and it may take years until they reach there. I've seen grads make as little as 20-25$/hr
3) not a lot of growth, some jobs can be so focused and tunneled you never really grow, just my observation no real example

Well, in my case, I'm a petroleum engineer, and when the labor market became difficult, I began to learn other things, including programming. Guess what I live for now?

Sometimes it is not so easy to get a job that suits your needs, I am a mechanical engineer and I work in the marketing sector, something crazy, right? but it was the only good-paying job that allowed me to spend time with my family.

I know many people from engineering school who studied with me and now they dedicate themselves more than anything to programming and development, as engineers we manage to find the money HAHAHAHA...

It all depends, for example in my case I graduated as a mining engineer, but at the same time I had a growing family business, our business is the manufacture of gelatos and we are doing very well.

Now it is not as usual as it was 15 or 20 years ago, now you can study to be a doctor but you end up working in customer service, it all depends on what you want for your life, nothing is definitive.

I didn't pursue a career in engineering because I wasn't interested in it. I was more interested in business and decided to pursue a degree in business administration. I am very happy with my decision because I love my job and I'm great at it.

I'm one of those people. I have a degree in engineering, but I'm not pursuing a career in it. There are many reasons why this might be the case for someone, but for me, it was mostly about the money. Engineering jobs don't always pay as well as other jobs in the same field, and I wasn't willing to take a pay cut just to do something I loved. There are also many other opportunities out there that can be just as fulfilling (if not more so) than a career in engineering, so it was an easy decision for me to make.

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