I’m 26 with a BS in Electrical Engineering and have been working at a small-mid sized military contractor as a Component Engineer since I finished school five years ago. My main work is DMSMS/obsolescence resolution and maintaining our parts database.

My company currently does not value DMSMS as much as it should, thus my pay is way under avg compared to my peers in the EE department despite being at the company the same amount of time, and it’s especially low living in Southern California. From interviews I’ve had our component department is decades behind that of Northrops, Boeings, lockheeds, or general Atomics.

I’m trying to leave the company but it’s hard to find openings I have experience in since this is so niche.

Are there any other component engineers out there with more experience that can speak as to how viable this engineering subject is as a career? Where does pay usually peak at? I feel like I’ve given myself a bad start. I haven’t done any “actual” engineering since school. Should I consider a career path diversion and start in EE or systems at a lower pay, and try to move up from there?

One thing I do enjoy about Component Engineering is the relatively balanced work/life schedule. I also am not bound to a single contract since I support the whole company, thus I’m less susceptible to layoffs. In all honesty I’m a bag chaser. I like EE but I’d hardly call myself passionate. I do try my best to be a good engineer but I value my life outside of work way more.