It's 2025 and a lot has changed from offshoring engineering to AI. If I'm unlucky enough to get laid off and decided to get more education to switch to something more future proof: is there any good engineering or STEM based career path that wouldn't be a waste of money and a dead end?
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If you are a mechanical or electrical engineer, you can work at a power plant, a food processing plant, or places like airports or cargo ports, where these jobs will not disappear and move overseas. You should be fine in your technical career. Eventually, if you want and there are opportunities, you can move up to plant manager or facility manager roles.
Any Liberal arts, graphic design, anything math-avoidant / chill, definitely not STEM or medicine
AI skills are in demand, just do a job search on LinkedIn. There are tons of free AI training available online. BTW GenAI is only part of AI, there are whole other areas AI talents are needed.
Street sweeper
How about a career as a surgeon? They’re a very accountable profession unlike the management you work for.
Plumbing because you’ll FOR SURE deal with less 💩 than continuing to work at CVX!
Pharmacist is a good job but the OP asked,
"is there any good engineering or STEM based career path that wouldn't be a waste of money and a dead end?"
Pharmacist is a 6 year degree that pays well but some people would not like it as a career.
I have a close friend that is a Pharmacist and he told me he wished he had studied something else
How about pharmacist?
Nursing is always in demand.
OP asked for STEM based career paths. There are lots of jobs available for IT if they are willing to work hard. What about the Petrotechs with Petroleum, Chemical, or Mechanical engineering degrees & experience?
Repair plumbing is the only task that can never be replaced by a bot.
tenured professor, teacher
congress critter
billionaire investor
nurse, dentist, doctor
Cybersecurity. Can’t offshore national security ;)
Data science
Electrician
Plumbing comes to mind: Offshoring proof, AI proof. Makes decent money, be your own boss, set your own works hours.
No job or company is safe, but some career paths have better future outlooks than others. The harder something is to offshore, outsource, or replace with AI that is perceived to "add value" is safer.
Not sure any career is safe but I would consider a job skill that allows you to work as an independent contractor or even a small business owner. The days of the big corporation employing people for life are over. Have you ever watched, "Breaking Bad", he was a small business owner....
Just take the skills you've built somewhere else. No industry or path is safe