Midlife career transitions of male scientists and engineers

Abstract

This article summarizes the results of a qualitative study of career-transition experiences of male scientists and engineers in the current socioeconomic environment. The participants were selected from research and development organizations, industry, and academic fields in the United States. Examples of career transitions are job reassignment, relocation, being laid off, leaving the corporate world to become a consultant or establish own business, and taking an early retirement. The study addresses the challenges these professionals faced and the impact of these challenges from psychosocial perspectives. A narrative approach was used to collect data from 12 male scientists and engineers. The data was then analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Helpful strategies for a successful career transition were found to be self-efficacy, resilience, optimism, adaptation, and flexibility. The major factors that describe the dynamics in the career transition experiences were identified to be personhood, relationship, lifestyle, workplace environment, and corporate culture. The findings and their implications are discussed in reference to developing appropriate counseling strategies for this population. Coping skills are described to support the tasks of reappraising the past, modifying the structure, and completing the transition process as a life-enhancing transformation. These strategies are useful for helping recognize midlife transitions as both developmental crises and opportunities for scientist and engineers.