When I Get to my Gulch...They Suck Me Back In...
Have had an interesting development in my career. I've been trying to quit. But...I enjoy engineering. And, I like making money. A year ago I was picked up by a very large firm to focus on a kind of engineering I love, something I've specialized in for many years. Several months in, after enduring the chaos of taking on a bunch of screwed up work that needed to be fixed, it hit me. There's a massive shortage of capable engineers. Those who should be in their prime don't exist. It's me, two or three guys at my level in the western US, and a bunch of greenhorns. And, we're burning out the greenhorns. There's a ton of work to be done...to be paid for. Spoke to my boss today and he, and others, are pushing me up in the organization. He's a great guy but is trying to obtain my level of credentials. I'm helping him with that. I've grown much more humble in my old age and even told him today, "I have no pride". He laughed. But, this massive shortage of knowledgeable engineers has created a void and I'm getting sucked into position to try to fill it. On the good side we agreed today that things are going to have to come off my plate to make time for the bigger things, things like high-level meetings with high-level clients, etc. Have never been in a position to completely call my shots, never really even strived for that. Just always wanted to geek out. Now, it feels like they're handing me the keys to the train. I'm going to have to set my Gulch departure date...the date when I disappear. Otherwise they might find me dead at my desk. I feel very fortunate - a good problem to have, I guess.
Anybody else experience this kind of thing? Delaying your complete retirement long enough to get recognized for your value?
Anybody else experience this kind of thing? Delaying your complete retirement long enough to get recognized for your value?
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I may have mentioned this before, but 9 years ago, Raytheon flew my husband, an engineer, to Tucson for an interview. They did not hire him, but he noticed that many other applicants were young enough to have been JUST graduated from college. OK, no issues - he got an offer with another company that sent us to Tulsa, and we spent SIX YEARS congratulating ourselves on staying close enough to Dallas to drive frequently. We were thrilled about "dodging that bullet."
Next thing you know, Covid hit and we came back to Dallas, as the aviation industry wasn't doing too well right then. He didn't get laid off, but he figured he was next. He always prefers to quit under his own terms, and so he did. He worked a few contracts, including a great one with Scott Parazynski (Astronaut in NASA Hall of Fame), but Scott eventually ran out of money (more's the pity - he did some good stuff.)
Anyway, a notice soon appeared in engineering circles that Raytheon in Dallas was interviewing and I almost literally kicked his butt until he went (he was convinced they'd not care about him at all), and before the sun was up next morning, the offer came in. Not just "the offer," but a GREAT offer. We literally couldn't turn it down.
So here we are in Tucson, husband just turned 73, and he is by far not the oldest engineer there. He eventually asked his group leader what happened. Turned out all those kindergarten kiddies simply could not handle the work. They needed a lot more knowledge than they graduated college with.
So....yes he is delaying his retirement and definitely being rewarded for doing so. Given his personality, I'm afraid he'll die within six months once he does actually retire. Yes, going to work is hard on him every day, but it's not as hard as sitting there wishing he was making a difference. And I take every tiny bit of stress off him that's possible for me to do.
I do believe that he has already told them he would quit ON THE SPOT if they even made noises about him becoming any sort of manager, but he is definitely willing to teach. His main focus, though, is to get in there in the trenches and make the antennas wiggle, the lights flash, and the toe brakes work.