wrote:

One of the reasons that engineers are disappearing from the
marketplace is because a lot of them are getting sick of the lack of
job stability, declining pay, and generally poor workplace
environments that have come into being in recent years and have left
the profession for other vocations. I know of several that did that
here in Idaho.

In my business (automatic temperature control systems), technicians make more
than the mechanical engineers who design the HVAC systems we control.

For a few engineers, the ceiling is higher, especially if they become
partners in large firms. Still, for the most part, being a controls
technician-which does not require a 4-year degree-is a better job.

--
Dan

"The future has actually been here for a while, it's just not readily
available to everyone."
- some guy at MIT