career advice

[Sweetum]

I'm at a sort of crossroads in terms of my career. I've been an engineer for all my life - professionally it's 6 yrs of work ex - in SW and as an electrical engineer. Today I found out that there's a position in marketing, but it may be entry-level in marketing. DH thinks it's not a good way to get into marketing since I don't have a degree (like an MBA) and that it won't build my credibility there (he's in marketing and he has an MBA). As for me, I sometimes feel I'm ready to move out of engineering, and sometimes don't. I do feel that I might find my "groove" in marketing, but I'm not sure. Anyone who's been in this situation and who can tell me about their experiences? And maybe give me some advice. TIA

[wellyes]

My first response to reading your post is that you should probably trust the advice of someone who's already a success in the field. And beware of the 7 year itch.

Having said that, my DH is an engineer (mech) and so many of his coworkers seem like a bunch of miserable b*stards to me. Not that most jobs are all puppies and flowers but there's definitely an engineering "type" and some of those folks can be exhausting to work with. So I can understand wanting a change. But if you're interested in marketing and your husband is marketing, I'd be inclined to trust his guidance in this area.

[pinkmomagain]

I have an MBA in Marketing. I personally think that Marketing is an area in which you do not *need* an MBA in order to succeed...but I'm not sure I'm understanding your post. It sounds like maybe there is a marketing position open in your current company where you are already an engineer. I think that might be a good place to break into marketing since your experience there as an engineer might be helpful in a marketing position, whereas if you were to take an entrylevel marketing spot in another company/industry, your background might not be as valuable. It sounds like you need to decide if you want to shift career directions at this point. My impression is that the engineering type is quite different from the marketing type....do you feel like you're kinda misplaced/dissatisfied being in engineering?