u/Pudogue

I’m in my mid-30s and need to build a career that can survive the life I actually have, rather than the one I expected to have.

On paper, my background looks relatively strong. I have a bachelor’s in business administration and two postgraduate degrees in international relations and diplomacy. I then worked for about three years on European cooperation programmes.

After that, I followed my spouse on work postings abroad. In practice, I wasn’t legally permitted to work in the countries where we lived. This has now lasted around five years, and we are about to relocate internationally again.

I originally expected this lifestyle to create interesting international opportunities. Instead, it effectively ended the career trajectory I had imagined. I’m still trying to accept that loss without making my next choice purely about recovering status or proving that I’m not “behind.”

To create a more portable career, I started an applied programming programme. I’ve completed most of the theoretical software-development courses and built web applications, APIs, databases, etc. I’m capable of coding, but I’m increasingly unsure that conventional software engineering is where I want to end up. The rapid development of AI coding tools adds to that doubt, although it isn’t the only reason.

What attracts me more is engineering involving physical systems: electronics, automation, energy, robotics, mechatronics and understanding how things actually work. I’m considering an online Bachelor of Engineering that would fit our mobile lifestyle, and some of my previous coursework may be recognised.

My concern is that I may be using another degree to create structure and postpone testing the real world. I’m highly curious but prone to scattering myself across too many interests: programming, Linux, mathematics, electronics, robot arms, drones and engineering books. I need a coherent direction.

What I think I need from a career:

• portability across international moves;
• a realistic way to gain experience despite local work restrictions;
• concrete and visible usefulness;
• some connection to physical or technical systems;
• a way to use, rather than completely discard, my business and international background;
• a credible entry point for someone in his 30s with substantial education but little recent professional experience.

My questions are:

1. What roles would you investigate with this combination of international/business experience, software foundations and an interest in engineering?
2. Does the engineering bachelor sound like a sensible pivot, or should I test the interest through projects or entry-level work first?
3. How would you build credible experience while moving internationally and sometimes lacking access to the local labour market?

I don’t expect to discover one perfect calling. I’m trying to identify a direction that is realistic, cumulative and useful enough to commit to for several years.

TL;DR: Mid-30s with several business/IR degrees but only three years’ experience after five years unable to work abroad. I studied programming for portability but not sure where this is going.

I’m in my mid-30s and need to build a career that can survive the life I actually have, rather than the one I expected to have.

On paper, my background looks relatively strong. I have a bachelor’s in business administration and two postgraduate degrees in international relations and diplomacy. I then worked for about three years on European cooperation programmes.

After that, I followed my spouse on work postings abroad. In practice, I wasn’t legally permitted to work in the countries where we lived. This has now lasted around five years, and we are about to relocate internationally again.

I originally expected this lifestyle to create interesting international opportunities. Instead, it effectively ended the career trajectory I had imagined. I’m still trying to accept that loss without making my next choice purely about recovering status or proving that I’m not “behind.”

To create a more portable career, I started an applied programming programme. I’ve completed most of the theoretical software-development courses and built web applications, APIs, databases, etc. I’m capable of coding, but I’m increasingly unsure that conventional software engineering is where I want to end up. The rapid development of AI coding tools adds to that doubt, although it isn’t the only reason.

What attracts me more is engineering involving physical systems: electronics, automation, energy, robotics, mechatronics and understanding how things actually work. I’m considering an online Bachelor of Engineering that would fit our mobile lifestyle, and some of my previous coursework may be recognised.

My concern is that I may be using another degree to create structure and postpone testing the real world. I’m highly curious but prone to scattering myself across too many interests: programming, Linux, mathematics, electronics, robot arms, drones and engineering books. I need a coherent direction.

What I think I need from a career:

• portability across international moves;
• a realistic way to gain experience despite local work restrictions;
• concrete and visible usefulness;
• some connection to physical or technical systems;
• a way to use, rather than completely discard, my business and international background;
• a credible entry point for someone in his 30s with substantial education but little recent professional experience.

My questions are:

1. What roles would you investigate with this combination of international/business experience, software foundations and an interest in engineering?
2. Does the engineering bachelor sound like a sensible pivot, or should I test the interest through projects or entry-level work first?
3. How would you build credible experience while moving internationally and sometimes lacking access to the local labour market?

I don’t expect to discover one perfect calling. I’m trying to identify a direction that is realistic, cumulative and useful enough to commit to for several years.

TL;DR: Mid-30s with several business/IR degrees but only three years’ experience after five years unable to work abroad. I studied programming for portability but not sure where this is going.

I'm 34 years old and trying to make a decision on which direction to follow for the next 5 ish years.

My background is in international relations (academic) and public administration/programme management (professional). Early in my career I worked in project and financial management roles and expected to continue along that path.

However, over the last several years I've followed my spouse's internationally mobile career. In several of the countries where we lived I was legally unable to work or faced severe work-permit restrictions. As a result, while many of my peers accumulated experience and promotions, my own career progression largely stalled.

I started studying programming through a distance-learning programme. I've now completed a substantial amount of programming coursework and have found that I enjoy technical subjects. However, while I enjoy programming and plan to continue developing those skills regardless of the outcome, I've discovered that what interests me most is the intersection between software and the physical world. I find myself increasingly drawn to electronics, automation, robotics, energy systems, industrial technology, sensors, embedded systems, and understanding how real machines and infrastructure work.

When I started this degree in software engineering, the industry looked very different. Since then, the field has changed a lot, and still is. While nobody knows exactly how software development will evolve over the next decade, it sometimes feels as though engineering skills tied to physical systems may provide a broader and more durable foundation. That may be a misconception, which is one reason I'm asking for outside perspectives.

Due to the reasons stated above, I'm now considering a pivot and would appreciate honest feedback on it.

Here's the plan:

1. Finish my current programming studies (I'm near the end in terms of credits).
2. Complete an online Bachelor's degree in Engineering (parallel to finishing the programming studies) while I am still abroad (still have 4 years abroad before coming home and probably staying there for the longer term this time).
3. Follow it with an in-person Master's degree in my home country in Europe in a technical field. Likely in renewable energy technologies, mechatronics, or a related engineering discipline.

The alternative would be to either just stick with my old skillset in public admin and hope to get back into it when we come back to our home country (not my preferred option, as I was not in love with what I used to do), or to double down on the SWE path, or stuff ancillary to it (cloud, cybersecurity, etc)

Main questions for you guys:

• If you were in my position, where would you invest the next 5–6 years?

I'd especially appreciate perspectives from:

• Engineers who entered the field later in life.
• People who completed engineering degrees after a non-technical career.
• Hiring managers who have seen candidates with unusual backgrounds.
• Anyone who has had to rebuild a career after a lengthy involuntary interruption.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

TL;DR: I'm 34 and my career largely stalled due to years of international relocations and work-permit restrictions. I'm considering finishing my distance learning programming studies and then pivoting into engineering through a bachelor's and master's degree, rather than doubling down on software or returning to my previous programme-management career. Does that sound like a sensible plan, or would you choose a different path?

Servus,

ich würde gerne ein paar ehrliche Erfahrungswerte sammeln.

Ich bin EU-Bürger, lebe in Wien und möchte mich beruflich neu bzw. besser aufstellen. Ich bin Anfang 30, habe einen akademischen Hintergrund und schon Berufserfahrung im Büro-/Projektbereich, aber durch mehrere Auslandsaufenthalte und private Umstände ist mein Lebenslauf nicht mehr ganz „geradlinig“. Ich möchte jetzt nicht nochmal mehrere Jahre studieren, sondern gezielt etwas machen, das am österreichischen Arbeitsmarkt auch wirklich einen Wert hat.

Meine Frage wäre daher:

Welche Zertifikate, Kurse oder Ausbildungen in Österreich dauern ungefähr ein Jahr oder etwas länger, kosten insgesamt nicht mehr als ca. 5.000 € und geben einem realistisch bessere Chancen auf einen guten bzw. soliden Job?

Das mit dem Jahr ist keine harte Grenze. Ich will damit nur sagen, dass ich nicht nochmal ein komplettes dreijähriges Studium anfangen möchte. Wenn etwas z. B. 12–18 Monate dauert, aber wirklich sinnvoll ist, wäre das auch interessant.

Mir ist klar, dass kein Zertifikat automatisch einen Job garantiert. Ich suche eher nach Dingen, wo Arbeitgeber nicht nur „nett“ denken, sondern wo es tatsächlich helfen kann, wenn man danach auch praktische Projekte, Motivation und halbwegs passende Vorerfahrung vorweisen kann.

Thematisch bin ich recht offen. IT und Technik interessieren mich grundsätzlich, aber ich bin nicht ausschließlich darauf festgelegt. Wenn es außerhalb der IT sinnvolle Ausbildungen oder Zertifikate gibt, die in Österreich tatsächlich gefragt sind, würde mich das genauso interessieren.

Hat jemand von euch selbst so etwas gemacht oder kennt jemanden, bei dem es tatsächlich bei der Jobsuche geholfen hat?

Mich würden besonders interessieren:

• Was habt ihr gemacht?
• Wo habt ihr es gemacht? WIFI, BFI, FH, online, anderer Anbieter?
• Wie viel hat es ungefähr gekostet?
• Wie lange hat es gedauert?
• Hat es euch beruflich wirklich weitergebracht?
• Wovon würdet ihr eher abraten?

Danke euch schon mal. Ich suche keine Garantie, sondern einfach realistische Einschätzungen, was sich in Österreich tatsächlich lohnen kann.