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Comment by hn_throwaway_99 | Hacker News Reader

Really feel for those employees in a time like this. I mean, if you're a web software engineer and you get laid of, there are literally many thousands of companies who would have a need for your skills. If you're an aerospace engineer, how many options are there really besides Boeing and a couple of other big guys?

Curious what folks in the aerospace community think.

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Ex-aerospace engineer here, now software developer. This is one major reason why a lot of younger folks at Boeing leave (at least the ones with a more broader view of their industry).

A lot of "engineers" at Boeing are actually project / program / product managers and can pivot to similar roles at tech firms. The stress engineers have it a lot tougher.

> The stress engineers have it a lot tougher.

Well, there's always automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, etc.

For mechanical engineers, market is not great, but not too bad I guess.

Software engineering has almost zero transferable skills and as developers in high wage countries are about to find out, very easy to move to cheaper markets.

I wouldn’t be worried if I was in Poland as a web software engineer. I would be very worried if I was doing that in the United States right now.

We’ve seen many times already how fast software jobs dry up in high wage countries when the economy changes.

This is simply ludicrous. I was around in software during the .com bust in 2000, and again during the financial crisis in 2008-9. At both times there were plenty of chicken littles saying all software dev would be outsourced to India and China. Both times software dev positions came roaring back with even higher salaries than before.

You forgot to add “after several years of unemployment.“

Fortunately, there are a lot of aerospace companies still hiring. Look at the aerospace hubs (Seattle, Houston, Huntsville, etc.), the defense and space side is still booming.

I knew an engine mechanic at TWA when it folded up. He switched to auto transmissions and heavy drinking. :-(

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