Q4 2025 Insights
The prevailing sentiment among engineering professionals on Reddit presents a complex and somewhat divided view of the industry's current health, particularly regarding job market turbulence, compensation, and burnout. Many engineers, particularly those in entry-level roles across various disciplines like Mechanical, are expressing significant frustration and disillusionment with a job market they describe as brutal and saturated. There's a common feeling that the perceived stability and high earning potential of engineering are no longer guaranteed, with some lamenting that the expected "leapfrog" strategy of moving jobs for big salary bumps is a relic of a past, stronger labor market. However, this general mood of difficulty is often countered by the experience of more seasoned professionals, especially those with 10+ years of experience or specialized credentials like a Professional Engineer (PE) license, who frequently report a strong demand for their expertise, steady recruiter outreach, and lucrative salaries, suggesting the current market is highly stratified by experience level.
Discipline-specific trends reveal a difference in perceived stability. Civil Engineering appears to be a field where the sentiment is comparatively positive, often viewed as a stable career path with a permanent need for infrastructure work, making it less susceptible to the cyclical volatility seen elsewhere. This stability is partially attributed to a current shortage of mid-to-upper-level civil engineers following reduced enrollment after the 2008 recession and the continuous need for building and repairing aging infrastructure. Conversely, while Mechanical Engineering is projected by the BLS for solid long-term growth, the immediate job market, particularly for new graduates, is often described as abysmal and highly saturated. Electrical Engineers with significant experience, especially those in specialized, growing sectors like data centers or industrial/manufacturing automation, tend to report excellent "career security," often finding new work quickly even during economic downturns, by pivoting between different, in-demand industry segments.
A significant underlying trend across all engineering disciplines is the prevalence of burnout and work-related stress. Professionals with years of experience, even those with strong career security, openly discuss taking substantial career breaks, sometimes for six months or longer, to recover from intense, non-stop work cycles. This is often framed as a necessary measure for mental and physical health, despite fears that a career break might be detrimental to future job prospects. The sentiment is that companies, sometimes due to "value engineering" or a culture of "performative agile bullshit" and arbitrary deadlines, often prioritize appeasing stakeholders over maintaining clear designs and a healthy work environment.
Engineers are surviving the current environment by adapting their skills and exploring adjacent, high-growth sectors. Many recognize that software skills, such as Python, C/C++, and knowledge of specific industry software (e.g., Solidworks, Siemens NX), are becoming non-negotiable, even for traditional engineering roles. The hottest sectors for those exploring new jobs or specializations are heavily focused on automation and high-density computing needs, which include robotics, data center design (specifically cooling and electrical capacity), and alternative energy like nuclear power. While some engineers express concern about the long-term impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the current consensus is that AI is primarily acting as a tool for mundane tasks and is still far from reliably replacing the complex, hands-on, and critical-thinking work that defines much of traditional engineering. Other survival and advancement strategies include working towards a PE license (especially in Civil and Electrical), obtaining a Master's degree in Engineering Management for a managerial track, or aggressively job hopping every few years to combat wage stagnation, with the recognition that staying at one company for too long often results in being underpaid compared to market value.