How are you feeling overall in terms of job security and overall outlook for the next 10-20 years? I’m in manufacturing and it’s pretty clear the writing is on the wall even for senior engineers mostly due to offshoring.
I feel I'm at a crossroad in my career and want to get some opinions on what you would do in my shoes. Sorry for detail dump but I think it's important to get full picture to determine what I should do. info below anonymized and formatted with AI.
Title: Senior Network Engineer
Background:
38yo Senior Network Engineer, 15 YOE (Enterprise, Healthcare, MSP).
Planning to start a company-reimbursed checking-the-box Masters program soon to pivot into management/strategy/architecture.
Current Role:
Senior Ops role at a massive, slow-moving global corporation. Total comp is around $130k package with strong retirement matching in a LCOL area - median home price 315k.
The company favors tenure over tech skills. US hiring has stalled, and long-term tech roles are slowly being outsourced. I've been here nearly a decade. I could coast here for another $30k in base over the next several years, but skill atrophy and outsourcing is a real risk.
Personal/Financials:
Tied to my current low-cost-of-living area due to a sub-3% mortgage and high-earning spouse. No kids, on track for comfortable retirement, looking to speed up the timeline and prioritize job security in late 40s to retirement age.
My Three Options:
Coast: Stay here for the stress-free environment and retirement perks, risking a layoff at age 45-50 with outdated skills but with advanced certs and higher education to potentially at minimum get an interview.
Pivot to Pre-Sales: Use the degree to transition to a vendor or VAR space. High stress/competition, but significantly higher comp to pull forward early retirement.
Go Ultra-Local: Pivot to highly stable local sectors (Gov/Edu/Local Healthcare) that cannot be easily outsourced. Lower pay, but higher job security than current.
How would you proceed if you were in my situation?
I started in IT in 2010. Back then the landscape was much different. IT was black magic. If you were purely technical you could go far and make a fortune. Thus the industry and IT leaders pushed technical skills above all else and being naive this is what I did.
I went all in on technical skills and nothing else. CCNA>NP>work for a VAR/MSP>then after many years finally CCIE. I was laser focused on being a technical expert but never stopped to think about why and the purpose of the tech to being with. Further, I was cordial and pleasant but I never really put effort into building relationships with people and learning about the business or business concepts. I always had this elitist attitude like “business is irrelevant it’s all about tech; I know so much more than this customer or peer.”
Don’t get me wrong going all-in on technical abilities has given me a good life and fair salary; however, as I approach 40, and given the IT landscape in 2026, I realize that mindset was a mistake. I now realize how important business acumen, people skills and soft skills are. In 2026, I would argue they’re more important than tech skills which was not the case in 2010s.
By ignoring these skills I’ve kneecapped myself and have dug myself into a perpetual contributor role and thus have hit the ceiling on salary. People don’t see me as a leader and I don’t have the soft-skills to do so because I neglected them my entire career.
I am planning to go back to school for an MBA and pick up a few non-technical certs like PMP in an effort to develop these skills and continue to earn more. Better late than never.
If you’re new to the field don’t make this mistake. Learn the tech yes but put more effort into people skills and business acumen. Your future older self will thank you!
Last couple of days I’ve noticed occasionally the truck will start randomly juddering. It’s noticeable while on highway especially and oddly enough when I reverse. There are no unusual noises etc. it just feels like the fuel is being momentarily cut then restarted within a single second.
Any ideas?
I’ve got a fully loaded 2024 Limited. Considering trading for a 2024 STX 2.7. The truck already has nice extras like AT tires, level, window tint, bed cover, leather seat covers, and step bars.
One reason is although I’ve got the warranty I still have concerns about 100k+ miles on this engine. From what I gather 2024 2.7 should effectively be bulletproof. I intended to keep this truck 15-20 years as a work truck. Second reason is based on my goal it doesn’t really make sense to have a loaded trim to sit idle as a work truck. Lastly because I’m “downgrading” it’s going to lower my debt and monthly obligation.
Anyone here come from a gen3 Tundra? What’s been your experience overall thus far?
Quick details about me as I think it will be helpful for feedback purposes and how I should approach the program.
I'm a senior network engineer with over a decade of experience and an active CCIE. For the uninitiated, it's Cisco Systems top-tier cert that requires thousands of hours of studying. There are only a few thousand people who hold the certification out of 1M+ network engineers worldwide. As you can guess my career has exclusively been technically focused with business mindset taking a back seat. I want to change that as I enter the second half of my career and focus less on technicals and more on the bigger picture. I'm currently in a stable, low-stress job that does offer plenty of downtime for professional development and I don't have kids so further availability after-hours to study.
I'm considering obtaining an MBA to a.) allow me to check "masters" tick box on job applications, b.) structured way to learning business concepts - a departure from my strict technical mindset and c.) because my company will reimburse the full tuition cost as long as it's split between two calendar years.
I have a few general questions about the program. Would love to hear from everyone, but specifically interested in those who are current IT pros:
1.) Compared to technical info, how grueling do you find the material? How challenging are the quantitative courses? Would love if anyone could compare the courses to something like a technical cert like CCNA, NP, RHCSA etc.
2.) Did you decide on a 6 or 12 month term? How many hours per week are you studying respectively? If 12, did you decide on a 1, 2 or 3 month break?
3.) Prior to committing to the MBA program, did you ask your company if a raise would be awarded or are you either not interested in the raise or just assuming it will happen? For those that did get a raise, how much?
4.) For those who've completed the program with benefit of hindsight was it ultimately a worthwhile pursuit?
5.) Any general advice for me as a fellow IT professional?