Quote Originally Posted by Partial
whats a good field to go into in terms of money for a long period of time? My understand is that engineers get laid off around 50 due to A. overqualifying themselves, B. younger, smarter prospects for significantly cheaper available
Sales. Good sales people are grossly overpaid. The problem with sales is that 95% of the sales jobs out there are truly awful, so you have to target the 5% that are decent. Technical sales people (engineers) can do extremely well.

I wouldn't get too hung up on the long term. Business models evolve, so you'll have to also. And it's somewhat futile to try and predict now what the hot market segment will be in 20 or 30 years. Darwin is your friend. Adapt, or you'll become stale and underemployed. That diploma should not mark the end of you investing in your skill set. Ideally you'll find work that continuously enhances your skill set. It's your skill set that will determine your value in the employment marketplace, not your job. Jobs come and go.

Make the effort to become a great communicator, as that skill translates across all jobs and all industries. It is of little value to be brilliant if you can't communicate it to anyone else. I'm amazed at the lack of business writing skills in today’s workplace. It's absolutely horrific. Though you rarely see that poor writing coming out of the executive suite, and that is no coincidence. Speaking skills are equally important, and if you are an engineer that cleans up well and can be trotted out in front of customers, you'll be even more valuable.

IMO