top of page

Recovering Engineer

Writer's picture: Brian GattshallBrian Gattshall


There’s a term that has been used in the business world for decades. It utilizes the idea that the employee will stay in an environment longer because the money, incentives and benefits are so good they just can’t walk away from it. Does this describe you? Ok, well how about this definition- I am dissatisfied with my job. In fact, I’m burned out, but the money is so good and I have finally got to a reasonable amount of paid time off with great healthcare coverage. Don’t even get me started on how great the 401k match is with only being one year from full employer contribution. I couldn’t possibly switch careers without losing everything I have already worked so hard to build and start over at the bottom to slowly work my way up again. Does this definition describe you better than the previous one? Both definitions describe what society calls the “golden handcuffs.” This is the incentive companies provide to make an

employee stay with their company longer. The golden handcuffs are not inherently bad. There are plenty of employer/employee relationships out there where they are very beneficial to both. The employer has an employee that stays at the company longer and the employee is generally satisfied with what the employer is offering. Where golden handcuffs start to become too heavy is when definition two applies!


I left off , in The Wrong Career Path, with how I picked the wrong career and it led me down a path of burnout. So, let’s continue on with the story. I was ready to leave computer aided drafting design (CADD) and even leave the industry. I started looking at other options like photography and web design. I took a couple of courses on photography and photoshop at the nearby community college and enjoyed them, so I started to look at getting certificates. When I put together the number of credits I needed to get the two certificates I wanted, I quickly realized that I had 80 hours of courses to complete the certificate requirements. Did I want to spend that much effort to start at the very bottom of photography or graphic/web design? I couldn’t do it. It didn’t help that I had about the same number of hours to go back and finish the engineering degree I had started 18 years before. At the time I felt that this was a God led direction to allow me to close a door that I left open due to poor decisions in college. (I still feel this way but realize now that there was a different purpose behind it.)


So, I voluntarily placed those golden handcuffs on and merrily went back to school for engineering. This wasn’t an employer incentive set of handcuffs, this was a desire to finish something I had started long before and knew I could finish. As well as the opportunity to “change” my direction and not have to completely start over with my salary. I was excited to go back. I saw it as a challenge to prove to myself and everyone that I could be an engineer and get some of the status that being an engineer gives over being a CAD technician. Money and pride were my golden handcuffs that kept me tied to an industry that I already knew didn’t fit me correctly.



Construction workers building a column

Burnout didn’t happen right away when I started working as an engineer. At first, you’re trying to learn everything you need to be able to do the design tasks set before you. I had my new challenges, like I discussed needing in my last blog to thrive, as I learned the necessary aspects for bridge and retaining wall design. After a while I realized that the engineering design side is just as repetitive as the CAD side. Once I had worked through my design worksheets, all I needed to do was make sure any new design code changes were implemented and the sheet was modified to meet the new requirements of the project. Getting a degree didn’t change the boredom that I had before, it only increased the stress. I had more expectations, responsibilities and people to look after. Leading projects and working with people who inherently think that their ideas, designs and calculations are right so yours must be wrong (because let’s face it, every engineer believes they are right all of the time). This makes for interesting and lively conversations, but it does not decrease stress!


I chose to stay in a career that made me miserable because I didn’t want to give up the money and lifestyle that I had set up for myself and my pride said, “I refuse to believe I can’t be successful at this.” You don’t always realize when you’re letting those golden handcuffs control your life, I hadn’t even heard of the golden handcuffs until recently and I realized that is what I did to myself. I believe that God will let you go down a path He knows is wrong for you because that is an experience you need to be able to move on in your life. My wife and I decided that we both needed to uncuff ourselves and start to find out where our talents and passions collide. Not everyone can just walk away from a burnout situation but be aware that it’s there and if you don’t start to make changes, it will not get better. Physical and mental problems can occur. It is scary to walk away from what you know, but it can also lead you to discover what your talents are and how those talents can lead to your passion. Hi, my name is Brian, and as of writing this blog I have gone 517 days without engineering. I am a recovering engineer.

9 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Commentaires


FOLLOW US

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • X
  • Spotify
  • YouTube
  • rumble
  • apple-podcasts_wechat__cq3l3kjucay6_og

Disclaimer: We are individuals who have experienced different levels and types of burnout. This website is intended for educational and inspirational entertainment. Anything discussed on the website is strictly the opinions and personal methods discovered by the individuals and does not include medical advice.

©2024 by reKindle XM™. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page