Passionate Professionals Often Decide Retirement Can Wait
Passionate Professionals Often Decide Retirement Can Wait
Not just a job, many mechanical engineers are passionate professionals who stay engaged, consult, mentor, teach, and ultimately put off retirement.
Mechanical engineering jobs are stressful, and these engineers often pursue careers that require long hours, but they’re not the easiest to leave behind when it comes time to retire.
“Engineers are that breed where there’s really no such thing as retiring,” said Daniel Robles, 63, who lives in Seattle, Wash. “I can’t ever say I’m going to stop working on something.”
John DePiano can relate. Easing his way into full-time retirement, the 69-year-old said he has had “a sweet deal” with his employer, Massachusetts-based Boston Engineering, for the last 18 months.
“If they need help, I can come in and consult with them, so I still have my toe in the water,” he explained.
Despite spending time with his six grandchildren and juggling building projects at home, DePiano was afraid he would “get bored and go stir-crazy” if he gave up his director of product development position completely.
“I’m the type of guy who needs to be solving problems and doing innovative things, and this place is a utopia for that,” he said.
For some, the decision comes from a purely practical point of view. Roughly 25 percent of U.S. adults over age 50 who are still working say they expect to never retire because of their finances, given everyday expenses and housing costs, according to a 2024 AARP survey.
But more than money, it’s a passion for the profession that often keeps engineers tied to their work long after they’re eligible to leave the workforce behind in retirement.
“A lot of my colleagues, some older than me, say they’re going to die with a wrench in their hand,” said Robles.
Career Content: There’s More to a Job than Money
Kamala Grasso, 57, started her own business as a product design and launch leader after serving in a variety of roles at Bose Corporation and other companies. The mechanical engineer says she can’t imagine herself ever fully retiring because there are numerous places where a mechanical engineering background is helpful, which keeps things interesting.
“You know how to think and problem-solve, and there are so many areas where that is applicable—not even where you would consider a traditional ME job,” said Grasso, based in Wayland, Mass. “Knowing how things fit together is of tremendous value to companies.”
Grasso also teaches courses on product development at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
“Universities these days are looking at more adjunct and lecture positions,” she said. “It’s a great way to be engaged with students, and there’s lots of energy around it. The downside is it definitely doesn’t pay to the level of consulting.”
Robles sort of backed into one of his sources of income when a friend’s condominium building needed to be repiped. Robles decided he could help.
“I hooked up with a construction management firm, put together a deal between the two, and made some money,” he recalled. “I thought, ‘Wait a minute. That wasn’t too difficult. I can put deals together.’”
It was a good living for a while, but then he decided to get into expert witness work, helping lawyers with “very, very complex and nuanced” cases. He has done this for several years now, specializing in plumbing and piping situations. It’s a position that can only come from experience.
“You have to put yourself in a position where you’re not competing with kids,” Robles said. “They’re always going to be better at technology, so you have to go somewhere they can’t go, then mentor them—and they'll bring you the work.”
That said, Robles took a rigorous, 12-week course on artificial intelligence through MIT and now writes “a lot of technical reports at a very competitive price” for companies that can't keep an engineer on staff.
Productivity Tips: Useful Strategies to Beat Productivity Killers
For those looking to become an independent engineer in later years, a good place to start is by building a professional network. Robles suggests joining organizations such as Rotary International or Toastmasters International or teaming up with somebody else.
“Engineers generally are pretty risk-averse,” he said. “They want to have the whole thing laid out before they make the jump. But you just have to get out there and expose yourself to other people. They’ll tell you what their needs are, and you figure out whether you can suit those needs.”
It’s all about going at your own pace and continuing to do what you love.
“You’re not getting off the road,” said Grasso. “You’re just slowing down. You don’t want to disappear from view.”
DePiano puts it this way: “It’s like this little ramp [to retirement], rather than an abrupt stop.”
Robin Flanigan is an independent writer in Rochester, N.Y.
“Engineers are that breed where there’s really no such thing as retiring,” said Daniel Robles, 63, who lives in Seattle, Wash. “I can’t ever say I’m going to stop working on something.”
Consulting and more
John DePiano can relate. Easing his way into full-time retirement, the 69-year-old said he has had “a sweet deal” with his employer, Massachusetts-based Boston Engineering, for the last 18 months.“If they need help, I can come in and consult with them, so I still have my toe in the water,” he explained.
Despite spending time with his six grandchildren and juggling building projects at home, DePiano was afraid he would “get bored and go stir-crazy” if he gave up his director of product development position completely.
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Skill and knowledge
For some, the decision comes from a purely practical point of view. Roughly 25 percent of U.S. adults over age 50 who are still working say they expect to never retire because of their finances, given everyday expenses and housing costs, according to a 2024 AARP survey.But more than money, it’s a passion for the profession that often keeps engineers tied to their work long after they’re eligible to leave the workforce behind in retirement.
“A lot of my colleagues, some older than me, say they’re going to die with a wrench in their hand,” said Robles.
Career Content: There’s More to a Job than Money
Kamala Grasso, 57, started her own business as a product design and launch leader after serving in a variety of roles at Bose Corporation and other companies. The mechanical engineer says she can’t imagine herself ever fully retiring because there are numerous places where a mechanical engineering background is helpful, which keeps things interesting.
“You know how to think and problem-solve, and there are so many areas where that is applicable—not even where you would consider a traditional ME job,” said Grasso, based in Wayland, Mass. “Knowing how things fit together is of tremendous value to companies.”
Grasso also teaches courses on product development at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
“Universities these days are looking at more adjunct and lecture positions,” she said. “It’s a great way to be engaged with students, and there’s lots of energy around it. The downside is it definitely doesn’t pay to the level of consulting.”
Robles sort of backed into one of his sources of income when a friend’s condominium building needed to be repiped. Robles decided he could help.
“I hooked up with a construction management firm, put together a deal between the two, and made some money,” he recalled. “I thought, ‘Wait a minute. That wasn’t too difficult. I can put deals together.’”
It was a good living for a while, but then he decided to get into expert witness work, helping lawyers with “very, very complex and nuanced” cases. He has done this for several years now, specializing in plumbing and piping situations. It’s a position that can only come from experience.
Train and continue
“You have to put yourself in a position where you’re not competing with kids,” Robles said. “They’re always going to be better at technology, so you have to go somewhere they can’t go, then mentor them—and they'll bring you the work.”That said, Robles took a rigorous, 12-week course on artificial intelligence through MIT and now writes “a lot of technical reports at a very competitive price” for companies that can't keep an engineer on staff.
Productivity Tips: Useful Strategies to Beat Productivity Killers
For those looking to become an independent engineer in later years, a good place to start is by building a professional network. Robles suggests joining organizations such as Rotary International or Toastmasters International or teaming up with somebody else.
“Engineers generally are pretty risk-averse,” he said. “They want to have the whole thing laid out before they make the jump. But you just have to get out there and expose yourself to other people. They’ll tell you what their needs are, and you figure out whether you can suit those needs.”
It’s all about going at your own pace and continuing to do what you love.
“You’re not getting off the road,” said Grasso. “You’re just slowing down. You don’t want to disappear from view.”
DePiano puts it this way: “It’s like this little ramp [to retirement], rather than an abrupt stop.”
Robin Flanigan is an independent writer in Rochester, N.Y.
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