Imagine: An early-career engineer begins a job in her desired field. She loves the technical work, but management falls short of her expectations. Overall, she’s not finding growth opportunities and hasn’t received any mentorship despite asking for it. She begins to wonder: Is it time for a change? Should I stick it out for a few more months to gain experience?
What would you do in this situation?
The right answer can lead to personal and professional growth, and the wrong one may hinder career growth. (At least, that is what it might feel like at that moment.)
To help answer this question, let’s examine the decisions to stay or go made by some women engineers at different phases of their careers.
Go to grow
Rebecca Lin is a mechanical engineer and fiscal year 2025 secretary of the SWE Columbia River Section. About a year into her first job out of college, she noticed she wasn’t making as much of an impact as she had hoped. Plus, as much as she loved fashion and sports, that industry wasn’t as reliable as working in utilities, “an industry that will see massive growth in the next 20-plus years,” Lin said. She decided to move for career growth and industry stability.
Lin is now a research and development engineer at Pacific Air Switch Corp., known as PASCOR, an electric utility manufacturing firm. “Both transitioning to R&D for the creative engineering work and knowing that work would keep others safe while using electrical products were reasons why I switched roles,” she said.
In general, “if my environment isn’t supporting me, the era of life requires a different income, or I need or want to relocate, then I will consider a role or company change,” Lin said.
Balanced decision
Early in her career, Michelle Davis had her dream job as a quality engineer. She was surrounded by colleagues and a manager she admired and respected and was receiving growth opportunities. Yet she left that job. Why?
Because she wanted to relocate her family, said Davis, who is now the associate director of enterprise supplier quality at Collins Aerospace. “The decision to move was based solely on providing a better life and education for my two daughters,” explained Davis. She learned that the Poway school system in San Diego County, California, was one of the best in the nation, so she relocated her family there. “I wanted my daughters to attend these schools to have more opportunities in life.” It was also important to Davis to stay in the medical devices industry so she could continue to have an impact in society. In her new location, she did just that, through determination and networking.
Davis has worked in quality assurance for more than 25 years. The San Diego Business Journal named her a Woman of Influence in Engineering in 2021 and 2024. “If I’m not being developed or given the opportunity to grow, if I am not valued as an employee, if I don’t see a path for climbing up the corporate ladder or having a healthy work/life balance, I will make a move,” Davis said.
Enter entrepreneurship
Connie Rascon Gunther, a manufacturing engineering leader, worked in the medical, energy, and aerospace industries for 20-plus years. The responsibility of caring for an aging parent led her to start her own consulting company, Gunther Services Inc. She is now in her second career as an entrepreneur and CEO.
How did Rascon Gunther think of starting her own consulting firm versus finding another job? “Experience,” she said. “When leaders are approaching you about helping them solve problems or leading projects, it is time to consider perhaps you can start your own business.” For those interested in entrepreneurship, Rascon Gunther advised, “Entrepreneurship has many roles. Understand what you want to pivot into and the gap in your skills to get there.”
It feels as if there should be a single right answer to a successful career path. The truth is there is no universally right path in life.
According to Rascon Gunther, there are two reasons to change roles: “If you like the challenge of building your career and moving up the career ladder and you are no longer making progress on your timeline, then a company change will help you accomplish this. Secondly, to keep learning new skills or take on a higher challenge in responsibilities, such as being an entrepreneur.”
Key takeaways
Besides the reasons discussed earlier, people may also leave roles due to broader employer or industry factors. Some of these include whether an employer has undergone frequent layoffs, restructuring, employee exoduses, or changes in management. Be aware of the industry climate and the employer’s financials, too, since they may impact future opportunities.
The reasons people stay in the same roles vary. Some reasons may include job satisfaction, belief in the company’s mission, growth opportunities, or chances to contribute to innovative projects. Other factors may include job security, flexibility, leadership opportunities through rotation programs, continuing education and training, and mentoring, among other benefits. Staying in the same role may also earn you more freedom and flexibility as a trusted member of the team.
Rascon Gunther offered a rule of thumb for deciding to stay in a role: compensation that is fair for the level of commitment and technical experience she brings.
“Most important of all,” Davis added, “is having a great boss; that’s priceless. If you have a great boss, you don’t feel like you are working because you are enjoying your work so much.”
According to Rascon Gunther, if these conditions are met, staying in a role can be the best option, regardless of how long one has been with the employer.
Conclusion
So, what should the early-career engineer from the introduction do?
It depends on her goals and needs. If she values the technical experience and has enough support to work well, then she could stay longer. If the environment is stagnant and not collaborative enough, then she could choose to leave.
If the situation becomes complicated because of a toxic or unhealthy workplace, a stepwise approach may be more successful. She could first consider switching to another role within the organization or to a similar role with another employer that offers a healthier environment, even if the role is not the best fit. However, with patience, the peace that comes with a healthy workplace should enable her to hunt for a more suitable job.
Understandably some collegians or early-career engineers may be skeptical about this option. It feels as if there should be a single right answer to a successful career path. The truth is there is no universally right path in life.
In hindsight, a professional may regret a decision to stay or go or wish she had managed the decision better. But if the decision was made to the best of her abilities, considering her knowledge at the time and ability to manage the situation, then it was the best decision.
Others can only share the decisions they have made and the consequences that came with them. No one understands the nuances of one’s own situation better than that person. Everyone’s reasons and choices are different. Ultimately, whether one stays or goes is not as important as continuing to move forward.
