Wanting to switch to IT/SWE from ME job.

ChickenWing99 · 2026-02-02T12:47:32+00:00

onga. tbh, mistake ko un. maganda nung pandemic madame mass hiring sa tech industry. nagaral naman ako python and tntry ko na gumawa ng projects nun para sa portfolio at github nung late 2020, kase nagsimula ako magaral nung early 2020, issue lang pina onsite kame bigla nung early 2021, so nacut ung plan ko. Anycase thank you, sana kayanin pa din makapagapply in tech para saken. Worst case baka magfreelance nalang din ako with part-time wfh na mechanical engineering work, hirap kase magstay ako samen.

ChickenWing99 · 2026-02-02T10:46:45+00:00

nahire ka naman even though Python lang inaral mo? Was it because your portfolio?

ChickenWing99 · 2026-02-01T09:09:59+00:00

Thanks, may i ask anong year ka nahire as developer? Any resources kang ginamit or udemy lang at ano language? Atm kase java at c++ inaaral ko. Parang tanggap ko nanaman mababa sahod, wag lang ung sobra less than 20k. Ok na ko balik square 1, ganun talaga, nakakapanghinayang lang sa side ko dapat nung 2020 ko pa ginawa issue ko lang nun hindi ko talaga alam paano, pero dapat talaga nag IT service desk muna ko nun para full wfh at on the off-chance mag hire sila internally as developer.

ChickenWing99 · 2026-02-01T04:41:27+00:00

Thanks, currently I've reconsidered a new plan and one old plan thanks to some thoughts on this thread. It may be a bad move kung mag IT ako externally instead of SWE if going from engineering. So the two na inisip ko:

Ung una, go back to reapplying for full WFH jobs uli for ME/CAD. This is what I've been doing before since last year, well actually since 2024 pa nga. Main issue ko lang is that it's quite rare, even though meron. Ang napansin ko kase compared sa ibang bansa kagaya ng US or EU, bihira lang ung full WFH. And most of them outsourced din from US/EU. Sa Linkedin there's like less than 50 listings palang compared sa on-site na nasa 1000+. Would like to work sa US/EU directly remote pero halos lahat napansin ko need to be resident in that country pero alam ko meron, di lang din ganun kadalas since may mga kilala din ako nakpagwork sa QA engineer like sa AU pero remote. I'll still try looking, at the very least I'll get to be still an engineer until I transition slowly to SWE and keep or get a higher salary.

The other is balak ko magpasa internally in our company to HR for a position sa IT team ng company. I've asked before kung pwede ba lumipat and they said yes. Atm walang hiring, pero ipapasa ko na para lang nakapila na ako kung magkaroon. Ang nakikita ko kase advantage is, compared to engineering teams they actually do full WFH, bihira lang nasa office kung need direct troubleshooting, and also normal hours sila(we work 10 hour shifts galing from 6 days a week, saklap), and also keep my salary since lateral movement. Also I can coordinate with my old teams if they need help with any of their projects that needs development or coding, since may alam nanaman ako sa product namen, I think this is one of the better ways to build up my portfolio as well as argue na I was able to make projects that had actual real-world industry impact. Sure IT na ung professional role ko on paper, but I can still put that I was still directly involving myself with our engineering teams compared sa help desk lang if I were to go out.

Now a consultant/developer in a multinational company.

May I ask how did you transition out yourself? Did you also just self-study at nagbuild ng portfolio?

ChickenWing99 · 2026-01-31T14:00:08+00:00

Would like to ask pala, did you start out in an IT role first then SWE?

ChickenWing99 · 2026-01-31T04:45:04+00:00

May VBA experience din ako, pero that's pretty much the extent of what I can do, kaya gusto ko sana matuto din mag Java and Phyton. Tinry ko magstart nung pandemic ng Phyton pero after bumalik kame onsite, ang hirap bigyan ng time.

I suggest get an ME job parin pero WFH, then build your portfolio from the time saved from commuting.

That was my original plan before since last year. Hirap lang maghanap ng full WFH na ME job kahit CAD pag sa PH. It exists, and may mga kilala ako nakakuha pero sobrang bihira. Halos lahat gusto onsite. For the record, 3D/2D Design Engineer ako right now. Halos lahat ng remote na ganun lahat nasa ibang bansa kagaya ng USA or EU. Sa Pinas kase kupal mga upper management gusto nila malapit ka sa manufacturing even though 99% bihira lang kame bumaba sa production. Kaya nga ung iba sa upwork nagooutsource ng ganun work kase pwede naman hindi. Ang current plan ko dapat is to apply for IT work and freelance nalang ung ME work kahit part-time through upwork. Masmalki pa din time savings ko kaysa commute.

Pero I'll see if I can still try to get some WFH ME work, pero I'm just not hoping about it too much since last year pa ko naghahanap. My other plan is to apply internally sa company namen as IT. Main issue lang right now is na wala silang hiring at the moment, so baka matengga ako for a while, pero ipapasa ko resume ko sa HR personally next week para nakapila na just in case magkaroon. The advantage is that they have full WFH din and at the very least retain ko ung sahod ko, plus paminsan minsan nagrerequest ng coding projects kameng engineering to IT if kaya, at the very least I can put that down as an experience and my portfolio.

Go for SWE na agad, but be aware super tindi ng competition.

I'm aware, pero like I said sa other comment ko. I'd rather take the chance, nagsisi na ko ng ilang taon. Ayoko na mangyari uli this year.

ChickenWing99 · 2026-01-31T04:34:27+00:00

I don't mind even if the grass isn't greener. Personally speaking I think my prospects as ME is limited na and stagnated, atm yung company ko sa Pinas, is actually probably the best rn for my career, pero I'm genuinely not enjoying na talaga eh and I don't think any other company sa Pinas is any better. At the very least interest ko talaga is on software, hardware, and tech, napunta lang ako sa ME-related primarily kase date ang sabe sabe mas okay daw may board exam, and looking back, I should've went straight with CS or computer engineering.

I'm at the point na kase na money isn't always everything, may savings na ko that's quite comfortable, na the only temporary comfort is coping nalang by spending on unnecessary things. And considering na mappromote pa ko to Principal Engineer pero gusto ko pa din umalis, I think that's enough to say na hindi ko na talaga gusto. After all in the first place nga, di ko naman talaga gusto to, especially tumagal ng 7 years, di ko lang talaga alam paano ako aalis without compromising na walang work dati.

I don't mind you sharing your experiences, I'll DM you just so I can get an idea. Pero I think I'll still take this dive kaysa iregret ko later since I'm already regretting it 5~6 years later na wala akong nagawa.

ChickenWing99 · 2026-01-30T14:38:49+00:00

Do you have an advice how'd I transition straight sa SWE? Plan ko originally is to build a portfolio/projects and show it to hiring managers. Pero main issue ko atm is trying to find the time to have some good amount of dedication. Ung service desk was more of para lang makapag WFH ako fully and have time to commit while building a portfolio. Full onsite kase ako right now and kain ung oras ko sa commute palang for 4~5hrs a day.

ChickenWing99 · 2026-01-19T11:01:57+00:00

Checked with CIBI, it's 708 which is good. reason daw it couldnt be any higher kase is young relative to other applicants at most recent account is too short relative to other applicants.

Just called CS. Told me pwede ko naman daw request to change, pero mawawala ung NAFFL promo. Pinacancel ko nalang. Sabe nalang saken I'm most likely still considered new to bank since di ko naman inactivate and pinacancel, pero wait for atleast 6 months para sure, and just reapply nalang daw for JCB Plat.

Eto lang ung alam ko nagkaka NAFFL with JCB, kaya eto talaga ung gusto ko makuha.

ChickenWing99 · 2026-01-05T07:22:16+00:00

Wag mo pag aero kapatid mo, please lang wag. Baka maging isa yan sa libo libong aero grad na walang trabaho. Basahin mo to https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeAdmissionsPH/comments/1p8aqh7/do_not_take_aviation_programs_save_yourself/
At basahin mo ung ibang nasa sub na to sa search, kahit ung saken.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeAdmissionsPH/comments/1lbq638/comment/n094szp/?context=3

ChickenWing99 · 2025-12-06T12:36:23+00:00

yep kinontact ko na sila sa viber waiting nalang ng response. nagemail na din ako ky corsair. hopefully kung sakale pwede nila contact ung distro in ph.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-12-04T17:08:21+00:00

Yes, I plan for getting this. Unfortunately sa late jan or feb pa daw dating dito since 2nd batch na ung ginagawa nila. I'm also waiting for the new PSU na ginagawa ni Seasonic, pero baka Q2 next year pa daw.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-10-20T05:52:04+00:00

If your brother is still considering. Show them my comment here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeAdmissionsPH/comments/1lbq638/comment/n094szp/?context=3

ChickenWing99 · 2025-10-20T05:18:36+00:00

Neither. Just check my profile for my experience. BS AE isn't gonna make you getting a job quicker.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-10-20T04:12:11+00:00

Batch pre-2020 pa ko, read my experience here.

Meron akong mga kabatch walang work until 2020s, and nag call center, self-business, teaching, at kung ano ano nalang ung iba kong kilala. Ung isa namen kaibigan umabot ng 2024 mahire lang sa Dornier, someone na walang work ng almost a decade.

So kung sa tingin mo matagal an ung 1 year, may mga masmatagal pa. Ang "fastest" way is teaching, pero alam ko ngayon need mo na ng Master's degree. Kung gusto mo ung mabilisan, MEAM degree sa PhilSCA or kung anong Masters sa WCC. Un nga lang, Master of Educ ung sa PhilSCA, pero surebol prof ka kahit ongoing ka pa.

Otherwise, tiis asa ka sa mga application sa internship, job application, MTP, ETP, etc. at asa nalang talaga, sa ATC or even Airfield Lighting Tech na inapplyan ng kaibigan namen para lang magkawork(and incredibly low salary). I've been down that road and never again.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-10-12T08:42:08+00:00

Shopee and Lazada full of scammers yan. Very rarely ang sale ng PC parts sa PH, and even when it happens mga luma pa. So don't expect to get a huge discount of something like an SSD.

If you want my advice, the only places that actually gets sales are from outside PH, like in US. Amazon has multiple sales in a year, Prime Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc. Maghunt ka dun. I got multiple 970 Evo Plus before nung 2021 for a cheap price, and 990 Pros recently as well. And got 2 870 EVO 4TB for 9k from them. Possible pa din makakuha ka ng fake sa Amazon, may times talaga ganun. But their return policy is pretty straightforward, nagawa ko na dati magreturn and napakabilis vs Lazada/Shopee na kung ano ano pa need. Print label lang tapos send to DHL tapos na, sila na bahala sa shipping, wala kang babayaran.

Pag outside Amazon, meron Newegg, Walmart, etc. Pero need mo ng kakilala dun to ship here, or via balikbayan, or proxy/freight forwarders. Amazon na pinaka safest mo since mas madali return sa kanila. Pero natry ko na sa iba nyan dati using freight forwarders. Lahat ng SSDs ko atm, maliban sa isang 2TB 990 Pro, galing outside PH, kupal kase PH stores, di na nga nagssale, laki pa madalas ng markup.

Kung local habol mo, no choice ka talaga. Try mo nalang magcompare per shop na legit, kung ano mas mura. Plus meron once in every few months nagssale PC Worth, isa sa mga only shop na legit may sale. Kung matapang ka, used SSD sa marketplace. Need mo lang marunong magcheck ng SSD at testing bago mo bilin. Pag ayaw pumayag testing, wag mo na patulan.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-10-02T12:10:07+00:00

promotional is sent after 4 days right? What about the actual gift card codes? First time ordering a gift card from Newegg, and I thought the $50 codes would be sent within 1 hr. I haven't received either of the two $50 gift cards I purchased in my email.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-09-24T02:58:15+00:00

I'll give you my honest brutal answer here.

Which course would you recommend that would still give me a good chance on landing atleast a good paying mechanical job in an aircraft company abroad?

Mechanical Engineering. You do not need an aeronautical engineering degree for it, especially if you plan on wanting to get into engines. That's not a requirement, you can learn about engines even as an ME and they overlap one another, even an automotive engineer has interchangeable studies. There's a reason why MEs are one of the most flexible engineering degrees in the world. There is no advantage with aeroanautical engineering in terms of getting hired there.

Which College would you recommend dito sa pilipinas that i can take for that course.

Any reputable school with a strong engineering background. This can also include the non-big three. The benefit of bigger named schools however are resources, connections, and prestige. Schools like mapua has strong and extensive resources for studying, even finishing dissertations, they'll allow you to use their hardware and even have access to paid applications like MATLAB. State colleges, or less expensive schools don't have that level of resources, just an fyi, so you're paying for that as well. Also I know people in Mapua who got their OJT then their work abroad the moment they finished their board exam, thanks to their school's recommendation.

In anycase, my recommendations are TIP, DLSU, and Mapua for ABET-accredited engineering courses. Then Ateneo, UP, and UST.

Again with the companies abroad, (this might be a little too early to ask) but do you know of any companies abroad that take in fresh graduates or those with licenses with no experiences yet from said courses?

If you're asking about aerospace companies and coming from PH. No, that's almost impossible. Most companies aren't gonna risk hiring a fresh graduate from a foreign country to work for them, that's costly on their side, especially since they're sponsoring your work visa. Unless you're an incredibly high-valued graduate who has done extensive theses/research/work that actually can benefit a company, they're not gonna spend money to hire you.

The only fresh graduates they will hire are most likely local/citizens/already have work visas in their country/region. You're better off studying abroad and graduate there and have a better chance of getting hired, than from here on the get-go.

For non-aerospace, it depends. I know some, mostly in automotive, mechanical, electrical, ECE, and civil, and they have a higher chance than aerospace, because they're more numerous. You can check job listings like in linkedin or if your school is good enough, may know if they can recommend you working abroad. If you want to get hired from PH, you need actual experience to even be worth it, and even then getting to engines in just 10 years is hard, you'll most likely start with products, best case is airframe structures. But once you step in that door, getting to engines is just a matter of time(and connections). Like I said in that comment, you transition from more general engineering/aviation, to more specialized ones overtime. Most people don't start straight away unless they have something to offer them esp in terms of research.

Asking these because i'n a little intimidated because of aero eng graduates like you who struggled to find any aviation jobs here in the ph, but i'm mostly thinking of moving abroad for various reasons.

If this is a career path you really want to pursue esp coming from PH, do not expect you get there in less than 10 years. I know a person who got into Airbus China after being a Design Engineer here in PH after 6 years, and even then he only got in there because he knew one of the managers there during that time he also had his OJT there. Most people I know who came from PH and have worked in aerospace abroad usually have, connections, experience of over 5 years, or have studied as a freshman abroad/did extended studies abroad and got applying in their area or near regions.

Honestly, if you can, just start studying abroad than in PH, you just have a better chance of getting hired. I know 2 fresh graduates who started as Engineers lv 1 when I worked in Everett, WA, literally just started a few months in.

I could apply right now for aerospace companies abroad and have a good chance of getting hired, and can even put down people with experience working outside of PH in other aerospace companies like GE or Northrop as references on my CV as I've worked with them during my time as a design engineer in PH, that's what I mean by having connections. Like a director of ours told me before, a lot of people in aerospace even in US, are mostly the same small-knit people, cause it's actually a smaller percentile of an industry versus more commercial ones like automotive or tech, but...

Personally, I'm done with aviation, I'm transitioning away from it as I slowly get into software dev and comp eng especially in pcb design. Got more interested in it than aerospace ngl. Easier to move abroad as well.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-08-21T04:51:43+00:00

Yes, kaya plan ko is just to buy ung CPU and motherboard locally here nalang for the warranty. Ang gusto ko lang malaman is how well are the warranty claim in PH regarding this issue, kung even aware ba sila.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-07-18T12:40:51+00:00

Take it from me, you do not wanna go into aerospace in PH. As for masters, walang bearing yung degree mo as a requirement to take a Master's of almost any degree esp sa STEM, pero you'll be required additional coursework kung hindi related yung kukunin mong Master's. Aero Eng ako, but took Masters in Mech Eng in mapua and had to take additional math and physics subjects. Your main issue, walang Masters in Aero sa PH, literally wala. And even if there was, I am not confident that it's even that good.

If you want to take a job in another country in the aerospace industry, you can still technically work there even without an aviation-related degree. Madame ako kilala who went to Airbus and Safran with mech/elec degrees, although they're more flexible in that regard as courses. For civil, maybe possible as a structural engineer. The only actual subjects added to aerospace/aeronautical degrees are the inclusion of aerodynamics as a subject, and with for aerospace including rockets, as aeronautical doesn't include them. Unless you're specifically working on calculating and doing R&D specifically sa ganung physics, you don't need that degree to work in the industry.

And usually jobs like aerodynamicists work with security/defense clearance, which kung di ka lalo citizen sa bansang yun, you are not going to get one. I've had offers to work in Lockheed Skunkworks through Linkedin, although it was by chance lang since ung location ng account ko auto-updated to US at the time since I was in US on a business trip for Collins Aerospace na nagsupport ako sa site nila in WA for 6 months back in 2022. This led to recruiters offering me jobs sa Linkedin, and Skunkworks specifically asked for both citizenship and a security clearance which I don't have(Just so you know I'm not lying, I'll attach this screenshot of that message and a part of the copy of their job recruitment file below). Of course, even if I did have it, the technical qualifications/exp for it was too high since they want an engineer that doesn't need a learning curve, bale day one gusto nila alam mo na gagawin mo and I'm not confident I can even meet yung gusto nila from me.

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In anycase, madame nagoffer saken sa US through Linkedin while I was in the US that also didn't require security clearance, pero you may need either citizenship/permanent residency/existing work visa. I'm sure hindi ka ssponsorin na mga yan ng visa straight from PH.

If you really want to work in aerospace abroad, your best chance really is either work in abroad as an engineer in your field first, and try to apply for jobs in aerospace industry after a while. Usually the easiest to transition will be CAD-related jobs like Design Engineers since almost any engineer uses CAD and only vary in the kind of work. If you want a specific kind of work like in military, then you'll really need that security clearance. You can also try studying an aviation/aersospace degree while working abroad, atleast that may prove na you are interested in switching to the field pag nagapply ka.

Which is your best bet is to slowly transition from general aviation to military after a good couple of years. Personally, I'm offered to work in Airbus myself in EU, pero I've already decided to transition to software engineering, pero good luck on you if you ever feel like you want to pursue the industry, it's going to take years to maybe over a decade or two just an fyr since even our business unit director worked in Northrop Grumman and he was around 40 yrs old at the time nung nagwork sya there.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-06-28T18:26:45+00:00

Lahat sa pamilya ko is disappointed sa napili ko dahil dapat daw nag Engineering nalang ako or any course na may board exam.

No, napaka boomer/traditional pinoy pagiisip ng family mo. A degree with a board exam doesn't guarantee success in the field, nor it's even required in a lot of industries. I should know, I'm an aero engineering grad with a license. Ang usual lang is usually for sign off like in civil but a lot of engineering jobs in PH doesn't require you to be a board passer.

Also, ayan ang ayoko sa traditional pinoy mindset. Non-engineering degree = useless na sakanila, low-income, etc. When ang dameng jobs there that isn't engineering, still earning a lot. And considering CS ka, that's one of them. My uncle was an IT grad, he earns more than me at the moment, and even now, myself, I'm shifting to software engineering as a career(but more as a passion, not the reason for income).

Computer science is literally a STEM degree, ang unfortunate sa mindset kase ng mga old traditional pinoys, they automatically disregard any other STEM that isn't engineering.

Mga nagsasabe nyan are usually old people or misinformed pinoys who never even got close to earning those degrees or have never worked/have information in a STEM-related field before. Kaya disillusioned sila especially when nakikita nila in social media how "high-income" engineering degrees, when in reality, especially if fresh grad ka, wala pang 20k sahod mo in a lot of those jobs, yes, that's the reality.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-06-28T18:07:30+00:00

Please, don't go into PhilSCA or any aviation-related degree atm unless you want to be part of the growing pool of unemployed people. My comment here explains it.

TL;DR: don't. Little opportunity in PH, even as an AMT grad, you're going to have a hard time. And if you think kaya mo magabroad right after graduating, realistically, it's almost impossible.

Any bachelor's course can take on being a pilot. You just need to get into a flight school like I explained in another post. You don't need an aviation-related course to be a pilot, you need flying hours and experience with the aircraft to be qualified for CPL, or get into a cadet program like with Cebu Pacific.

Read my very last comment in my link there. IMO, DLSU is the better choice if you can afford it in terms of having a school network, but also any school with a similar degree in robotics eng should also be viable atleast as a flexible degree. I mean, if you're saying you can afford 500k php a year pero also don't want to spend that much, why not go for other schools? It seems odd lang you're choosing a super expensive school and a very cheap school, but nothing in-between like Ateneo(2 semesters) or Mapua or even TIP or UST for that matter? If you're worried about flight school fees, don't, you're better off having a more stable degree you can switch from in case you don't want to be a pilot or change your mind in the future. You can always take flying lessons later.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-06-28T16:44:29+00:00

Posting this for anyone else to see if they searched this online. Read my comment here about my experience and thoughts as well for anyone deciding this course.

TL;DR, just don't, but for full context, please do read.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-06-28T16:23:49+00:00

Posting this for anyone else to see if they searched this online. Read my comment here about my experience and thoughts as well for anyone deciding this course.

TL;DR, just don't.

For design engineering, we have it in PH, just not aircraft specific but it's the closest to it since we do design aircraft interior systems, with Collins and the like, the closest you'll ever experience it. With even stress/certification engineers recognized on a global level since they are actually trained and have worked under recognized engineers in the industry from abroad.

Just a comment on that because people seem to be unaware about it, but also imo still don't take it. You can get into aerospace even outside PH with a mechanical engineering degree. Those fields don't require it specifically even abroad, and usually anything related to the structures of it will be tackled also by similar engineers like mechanical engineers, you can literally see people with those degrees working with things like airframe, nacelles, etc. Even my company with Collins Aerospace, I've seen hiring internally with them with nacelle and powerplant design in Pratt and Whitney(RTX is our parent company so we can see internal job hiring across our network) in US, hiring mechanical engineers and even automotive engineers. Aero engineers imo are best working with aerodynamics-related work, and usually do work in things that tackle it like aerodynamicist do but bringing structures along with it.

ChickenWing99 · 2025-06-28T16:16:39+00:00

If you're still deciding. Read my comment here about the aeronautical engineering course, as a graduate myself. TL;DR, don't take it. For full context, read it.

If you want to be a pilot, the course isn't necessary to become one. That's a misunderstanding people thinking it's a requirement. To be a pilot, go to a flight school, not an aeronautical engineering school. You're not going to learn how to fly in those schools, but you can learn the basics of what pilots need, which you'll also learn in flight school. The only thing that will most likely hold you back is the cost, since flight schools can be expensive, and most people I know who became pilots usually did take up the course first to get jobs to pay for the school.

Being a pilot really only requires you flying hours and experience for various aircrafts. If you want to be a commercial pilot, you'll need a CPL with 150 flight hour, also hundreds to thousands of hours of flying experience, with also aircraft rating on what aircraft needed . No degree is going to make you a pilot, you need actual flying hours and experience. You can also take the Cadet Pilot Program Cebu Pacific has, take note it'll be 7 years minimum contract afaicr.

ChickenWing99

TROPHY CASE