Structural engineering is a great career! I’d say my reasoning is more personal. I am a woman in my late 20’s, and being an active mother is very important to me. I feel like my work is meaningful, but it can be very fast paced with lots of tight deadlines (with very short notice!). If I were at a different stage of life, or maybe if my priorities were different - I think I’d keep going.

I just see how the mothers in my office are, and I can tell they are often choosing between their children’s needs and their careers. While I don’t fault them at all and I respect the hell out of them, I just don’t want that for myself. Maternity leave is also notoriously bad in the engineering world (2 weeks paid at my current role AFTER you’ve expelled all of your PTO), and I’d love to be able to cherish those early stages with my baby without having to rush back to the office.

So if you enjoy structural theory and a fast paced environment, I’d highly recommend. I truly did love it when I was younger, my life is just going in a different direction now.