It’s no secret that engineers switch jobs quite often. In this article, I’ll discuss eight reasons why engineers leave their jobs.
Of course, this is a highly personal matter, and a lot depends on your individual personality and life goals. However, from my experience, engineers usually leave their jobs due to one or more of these reasons.
#1 Lack of learning opportunities
In some jobs, you find yourself doing the same tasks over and over, with nothing new to learn even after a year. Picture designing lighting for residential homes nonstop. Sure, mastering lighting calculations might be cool at first, but eventually, you’ll probably feel bored and see work as mind-numbingly dull.
And then there are those roles where you don’t even get to flex your engineering muscles. Instead, you’re stuck filling out form after form like a paper pusher.
You went through years of engineering education for a reason, right? I’ve noticed that most engineers who don’t feel mentally challenged start eyeing the exit pretty quickly.
That’s why jobs should be a win-win for both parties. Personally, I want to feel like I’m getting smarter every day.
Just imagine working for years, copying and pasting code snippets, only to be suddenly let go. You’d be at a huge disadvantage in the job market due to your lack of deep skills!
#2 Feeling undervalued as an engineer
In some companies, engineers find themselves at the bottom of the totem pole, treated as second-class citizens. This can be especially disheartening when the company’s product or service is tech-driven.
Naturally, every employee wants to feel valued for their contributions. For engineers, this sense of value comes in various forms, such as competitive pay and benefits, employers who listen and consider their opinions, and management that understands and appreciates their work.
Once engineers feel mistreated or ignored, they won’t hesitate to start looking for new opportunities. This also applies to situations where they’re overloaded with work and face unrealistic deadlines, while management seems to be unproductive or indifferent.
#3 Favoritism and infighting
Imagine a manager picking a group of engineers over you just because they’re playing favorites, not because they’re more talented or hardworking. When moving up in a company isn’t fair and transparent, you can’t help but feel like you’re wasting your time.
I wouldn’t want to bust my ass for years only to watch someone who does half my work get promoted. It’s infuriating when people don’t carry their own weight but still get preferential treatment over you.
Any form of politics among engineers can be toxic, especially when logic takes a backseat. It ruins company culture and breeds resentment.
#4 Working with assholes
We all know that one unbearable person we dread being around. Now imagine if they’re your boss. Every day would feel like a nightmare, and even the commute to work would be torture.
The workplace should be a comfortable environment, not a place where you’re constantly on edge and looking over your shoulder. This kind of atmosphere not only kills productivity but can also make you hate your life.
And to make matters worse, imagine if your boss took credit for everything you did while doing nothing themselves. No business should ever tolerate such toxic individuals, as they can quickly drive away talented employees.
#5 Office politics
Many large engineering companies move at a snail’s pace, with nothing exciting happening from week to week. This usually occurs when office politics become more important than products and customers.
To get anything done, you might need to jump through five different hoops. It’s not only frustrating but also slows down technical progress. Engineers struggle to build any momentum.
I’ve seen some big companies where every decision requires approval from a higher-up, who then needs to consult their own higher-up. This process alone can take weeks before a single technical design gets started.
This level of inefficiency is maddening, and it’s enough to make any ambitious engineer want to pull their hair out. Naturally, they’ll look for a new job—one where they can see their contributions making an impact without any artificial roadblocks holding them back.
#6 Feeling unfulfilled
One day, you might wake up with deep philosophical thoughts running through your mind, and suddenly realize you’ve been designing screws all your life. Yeah, screws! You then can’t help but ask yourself, “What the heck have I been doing all my life?!”
It’s like a midlife crisis.
So, you start scrambling to find something more fulfilling to do.
That’s why so many engineers gravitate toward working at Tesla and SpaceX, despite the long work hours. Both companies have deeply entrenched missions that resonate with people—missions that are greater than most other companies in the world.
Simply put, many engineering jobs aren’t fulfilling. You might do some obscure task that has no real-world tangible meaning to you. Combine this with a life-altering ‘aha’ moment, and the feeling of unfulfillment can become overwhelming.
#7 Too much travel
You might have the best job in the world with amazing pay, awesome co-workers, and exciting projects, BUT if you have to constantly travel, your work can get old fast. I’m talking about hopping on a plane 2 to 3 times a week and living in hotels.
Things get even more difficult if you have a family.
So, excessive travel can be a deal breaker for many people, especially as you get older and your responsibilities typically grow.
#8 Improved standard of living
Life is becoming more challenging with every passing year. So, any job that’ll improve your standard of living is reason enough to switch jobs, especially if you’re providing for a family.
Improved standard of living can include any of the following:
- Increased pay
- Improved benefits
- Better living zip code
- Fewer working hours
- Option to work remotely
These factors can go a long way in making someone switch jobs or, on the flip side, make someone stay at a job they hate.
For example, you might not feel fulfilled and you’re not valued as an engineer in your company. But, getting a salary that’s twice as much as anywhere else will make up for any nonsense you have to put up with. That’s why I think this factor is one of the most impactful on our list.
“Why engineers leave their jobs” wrap up
If you’re even contemplating leaving a job, then more than likely one of these 8 reasons is giving you an itch. And the longer you stay, things more than likely will only get worse.
To improve your situation, write down what you hate about your job. Then write down what you ideally want to find in your new place of employment.
I’ve even written on the work-life balance of engineers. This will help you better find the perfect job based on your personality.
So once you have your list of requirements, start researching new jobs. Without this level of preparation, you’ll find the grass may not always be greener on the other side.
What’s more, don’t jump ship until you have another employment opportunity lined up. Don’t let your frustrations override your rational decision-making.
Why do you think engineers leave their jobs? In the future, do you think there will be new reasons why engineers will leave their jobs?
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Koosha started Engineer Calcs in 2020 to help people better understand the engineering and construction industry, and to discuss various science and engineering-related topics to make people think. He has been working in the engineering and tech industry in California for over 15 years now and is a licensed professional electrical engineer, and also has various entrepreneurial pursuits.
Koosha has an extensive background in the design and specification of electrical systems with areas of expertise including power generation, transmission, distribution, instrumentation and controls, and water distribution and pumping as well as alternative energy (wind, solar, geothermal, and storage).
Koosha is most interested in engineering innovations, the cosmos, our history and future, sports, and fitness.