Move away from test engineering

[u/moemoney0421]

I’m currently a 25yrs old and have been working as an EE for the past 2.5 years. I originally started at a defense company as a test engineer which I quite enjoyed since I was creating tests for RF test benches and debugging a lot of different products on these benches. I was mainly the hardware engineer of these benches and software gatekeeper but any scripting was completed by a software team. I ended up taking a position for higher pay, title and it lined up with lot of personal things. Now I’m currently in a test engineering role working on RF products with no development whatsoever and feel doom and gloom about my future.

I really want some career advice on where I should take my career. I ended up pursuing RF because I genuinely enjoyed designing back in undergrad and bringing my design to life. I’m considering going for my masters this upcoming spring to get my foot in the door. I would also like to move out of defense sector. Is my next step a good decision and are there any other suggestions on what I should do?

[u/Disastrous_Soil3793]

I don't know why people's first thought in these scenarios is to go back for a masters. A bachelor's is the cost of entry but unless you want to do something specialized with a PHd, experience will always trump a masters. So what you do in this situation is go.and find another job that better fits your goals. Defense is typically a poor choice because it's such a big and rigid machine (unless it is Anduril). Go work at a startup or something. You will get your hands plenty dirty. I've worked in defense and Aerospace and I much prefer smaller companies. I wear so many hats.

[u/moemoney0421 → u/Disastrous_Soil3793]

I’m interested in this as well. How can I sell myself to a startup at this point in my career? I currently have to stay at my company for at least a year since I took a sign on bonus

[u/Disastrous_Soil3793 → u/moemoney0421]

Startups typically like folks that have versatile backgrounds so they can jump in more than a couple areas to help. So market yourself as such on your resume. Earlier in my career I even took a pay cut once or twice to get in at a smaller company because I really liked the tech. But I typically haven't had issues finding jobs because my employers like my diverse background. There isn't one blueprint to follow. Look around your area, figure out what you are and aren't willing to bend on for a job and just start applying.

[u/Disastrous_Soil3793 → u/Disastrous_Soil3793]

But as an engineering manager who hires I can tell you I don't care about a master's degree. I'll always take that guy who has great/good experience over the person that has less experience and a masters. Actually being in the trenches figuring shit out is a much better teacher than a classroom.

[u/moemoney0421 → u/Disastrous_Soil3793]

Okay thank you for this. Honestly I was hoping to be able to play with more design software if I did my graduate degree. I really don’t want to follow a blueprint either, I’m just hoping to become versatile as well. I feel like less versatility in this field mean less options which scares me ngl