From Aerospace to Tech, what i learned...

02-07-2025 Career Move: From Aerospace to Tech (4 Years Ago) I’m going to speak very frankly here, without hiding behind corporate fluff—and I hope whoever reads this appreciates that. In today’s world of AI, LinkedIn, and Instagram, very few people speak their minds anymore. Too many just play it safe. I’ve always been part of the aviation world. After finishing my studies, I joined Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, starting in New Manufacture (producing new parts for aero engines). Later, I moved to Singapore for a few years—one of the best decisions of my life. I was working in MRO Repair Tech and I loved it. That experience deserves its own post someday, especially to compare the UK and Singapore work cultures. But today, I want to write about something different: my career shift from engineering and manufacturing to tech. Why the Change? I was feeling stuck. Progression at Rolls-Royce was painfully slow—snail’s pace. It had nothing to do with my performance and everything to do with the company culture. No matter how productive or technically advanced I became, meaningful promotions only seemed to come to those who were willing to “kiss ass”—and that’s something I just couldn’t do. This was about 4–5 years ago, and honestly, I don't think that kind of culture is something you fix by swapping out the CEO or CTO. It’s systemic. I saw people getting promoted based on a skill I didn’t have: the ability to talk nonsense with a straight face. Just before COVID hit, I decided it was time to move on. I transitioned into the tech sector—specifically helping SMEs adopt digital technologies. The Tech Shock Within three months, I realized that Tech sector had its own flavour of nonsense—maybe even more than engineering and manufacturing. There was a lot of brown-nosing going on. With a lot of manufacturing experience behind, Outside of my current job, I contributed to a manufacturing strategy document and it got completely ignored, and the text completely changed by people who had no experience in manufacturing, but more experience in Business and Marketing. Thus I just kept my head down and did my job. Meanwhile, I was watching product managers and owners—many of whom had never written a single line of code—talking about “developing products” and “launching to market” with absolutely no clue about structured development. TRL levels? Nobody even knew what they were. They were selling half-baked products at TRL 3 or 4, making promises they couldn’t possibly keep. It was chaos.

So Why Am I Still in Tech 4 Years Later?

Two reasons: salary and freedom.

Salary

Let’s be blunt — manufacturing salaries in the UK are embarrassingly low. Put “manufacturing” , even "advanced manufacturing" in your job title and it’s practically a pay cut. Why? I have no idea. Example: an Engineering Manager at AMRC near Manchester or at MTC in Coventry earns around £45k–£52k. You’re expected to know cutting-edge technologies, machining tools, lead engineers, and manage complex projects—all for what maxes out at £52k. Don't belevie me ? contact an Engineer on Linkedin and see for yourself. Now contrast that with being a project manager in tech in London. You don't need deep technical knowledge, yet you make £52k–£62k. I genuinely can’t wrap my head around that disparity.

Freedom

Tech does offer more flexibility—especially during the early COVID years. It’s less now, but still more than I ever had in manufacturing.

Do I Miss Real Engineering and Manufacturing?

Absolutely, Hell Yeah !! I miss it a lot. I miss seeing components I helped repair or develop flying in the skies. I’m proud of the work I did. I have airplanes flying in the sky !!! But pride doesn’t pay the bills. Let’s see what the future holds.