The Surprising Reasons Why Changing your Engineering Role Might Be a Good Idea
As the workplace continues to evolve and opportunities emerge, considering a new role can be a great idea. It gives you an opportunity to expand your skills, pursue your passions, and earn better income and benefits. In fact, most people switch jobs up to 7 times in their lives.
However, moving to a new role can also be daunting. There’s always a risk you’ll end up shifting to a business with the wrong company culture, or fewer opportunities. That’s why it’s so important to take an analytical approach when making this decision.
Today, we’re looking at some of the most logical reasons you might consider changing to a new engineering role in the months or years to come.
1. Opportunities for Career Advancement
One report shared on LinkedIn found the main reason many people move to a new role, is to advance their career. While many engineering companies may have succession plans in place to help you move into new positions and opportunities, you may eventually feel your job has become a “dead end”.
If you can’t see any options for forward movement in your career in your current role, switching to a new role in a different company could be the best way to unlock the opportunities you want. You could even consider making a lateral move into a engineering job with a different set of responsibilities.
2. Learning and Skill Development
Around 94% of employees say they would stay with a company for longer if it offered valuable learning and development opportunities. Every engineering employee wants to constantly enhance their skills and abilities. If your current job doesn’t offer training, you may start to feel disengaged.
Moving into a new role means you’ll instantly encounter new challenges and opportunities to learn. You might find that other employers also offer a wider range of training, mentorship, and coaching programs, designed to enhance your soft and technical skills.
3. Increased Compensation
One study found that switching jobs can potentially increase your income by 6.6%. While you aren’t necessarily guaranteed a higher salary by moving to a new role, working with a engineering recruitment company can help you find a position that pays you what you’re worth.
If you feel you’re currently being underpaid, and you know your skills are in high demand, you might be able to negotiate a better income with a future employer.
4. Greater work life balance
Even if you love your engineering career and you’re passionate about what you do, it’s important to preserve a level of work-life balance. If you feel your job is making it difficult to live a full and satisfying personal life, switching to a new role could be a good idea.
You can look for an employer in your industry that prioritises employee well-being, offering more flexible schedules, remote work options, and even wellness programs. In 2023, lack of flexibility alone prompted around 4 million people to change careers.
5. Cultural Alignment
Company culture isn’t just a buzzword in the engineering space, it’s crucial to ensure you feel happy, satisfied, and confident at work. While many organisations are investing in improving their company culture, with DEI initiatives and new strategies, you may still feel you don’t fit with your business.
Moving to a company that shares your values and beliefs can help to reduce feelings of stress, and make you feel more fulfilled by your role. 87% of millennials in 2023 said they would consider quitting their role to pursue a career with an employer that shares their values.
6. Access to New Networks
Networking is one of the most important things any engineering professional can do to ensure consistent career growth. In today’s digital world, it’s becoming a lot easier to build a network through channels like LinkedIn, but you may still feel restricted in certain roles.
Joining a new company could give you an opportunity to interact with a wider range of new colleagues, clients, and industry contacts. The people you meet in your new position could open the door to the development of new skills, and even further job opportunities.
7. Geographic Relocation
These days, many engineering companies offer employees the opportunity to work from anywhere, with remote positions. But not every business is this flexible. If you’re planning on moving to a new home elsewhere in the world (or in a different part of your country), you may need to consider a new role.
If your current employer won’t allow you to work remotely, you’ll need to search for a position that’s closer to your new home.
8. Improved Compensation and Benefits
Even if a new company can’t offer you a better salary than your current employer, the unique benefits and compensation they can provide may cause you to consider changing positions. Different employers use various methods to attract top engineering talent. Some can offer access to on-site wellness initiatives and programs.
Others can give you more support when it comes to choosing your schedule or working flexible hours. Some employers may even pay towards you earning a specific degree or certification in your industry, so you can pursue more advanced positions in the future.
9. Alignment with Career Goals
Perhaps the most logical reason to consider a change in engineering career roles, is that moving to a new company will take you closer to your long-term professional goals. Ultimately, your job should align with both your personal and professional ambitions, helping you to achieve your targets.
Moving into a new engineering role could help you to spend more of your time on tasks that you enjoy doing or pursuing projects you’re passionate about. It could offer you chances to explore leadership positions and management roles that fit into your ideal career trajectory.
Is It Time to Consider a Engineering Role Change?
Although making the decision to change your engineering role can be daunting, it also opens the door to a variety of new opportunities. Make the right decision, and you’ll be able to accelerate your path toward your career goals, develop new skills, and expand your network.
However, moving to a new role isn’t something you should do without proper planning and consideration. The decisions you make should be grounded in a clear understanding of your aspirations, values, and priorities.
If you think your reason for changing careers is logical, make sure you get the right support to find the ideal new position. Work with a engineering recruitment team to find a new job that aligns with your expectations, and helps you thrive in your industry.
All the best
Steve
At Coalesce we have been partnering with engineering candidates for over 27 years; if you want to find out how we can help, call us on 07512 821708 or email us here.