Cold Feet Retirement: Destination Is Key

In 2015, more than half of U.S. scientists and engineers were between the ages of 30 and 50, according to the National Science Foundation. With Baby Boomers and older Gen Xers approaching traditional retirement age, questions of when—and how—to step away from full-time engineering work are becoming increasingly common.

For many engineers, deciding to retire is not just a financial milestone—it’s an identity shift. In a profession where the quality and impact of the work often matter more than money or title, leaving a career built on problem-solving, professional pride, and project-based achievement can be especially challenging.

“It’s hard to give up being an engineer when that’s what you’ve been your entire professional life,” said David Giangrande, P.E., who retired in 2024 after more than 40 years in the industry. “You go to school for it, you do it every day, and then you stop. Your self-esteem and self-worth are wrapped up in being an engineer, and you have to let that go. It’s like losing a piece of yourself.”

Retirement’s emotional side

Giangrande offers a rare perspective on this retirement transition. In addition to working as a hands-on project engineer with long-standing client relationships, he spent more than two decades running the engineering firm that he and his father started in 1981. He then worked for the acquiring firm for the agreed-upon three-year period, gradually easing back until he finally separated completely from the firm. 

Giangrande found that there was added complexity in simultaneously letting go of his professional identity, his close client ties, and the legacy company that he and his father created and that he nurtured and carried through as president for over two decades.

His experience reflects a broader pattern among highly skilled professionals. A 2023 report by the Urban Institute highlighted that professional identity is one of the most significant non-financial factors delaying retirement among educated technical workers. 

At the same time, burnout is contributing to earlier retirements for some engineers. A 2022 Burnout and Retention Survey by Deloitte found that 57 percent of senior professionals across multiple industries, including engineering and technical fields, reported feeling “worn out” at work, a number that rose sharply during and after the pandemic.

Yet experts caution that even when burnout is present, an abrupt exit can leave retirees feeling adrift.

“It’s imperative to have a transition plan,” Giangrande emphasized. “You can’t just stop cold turkey. I was able to ease out over a three-year period, which was essential for me.”

Phased retirement strategies—gradually reducing hours, shifting to mentoring roles, or taking on board work—have gained traction in engineering and architecture firms. Professional organizations and retirement experts encourage companies to offer phased options as a way to preserve institutional knowledge while creating smoother leadership and ownership transitions.

Community and staying connected

Many senior engineering executives stay engaged with the profession even after formal retirement. “People want to remain productive and maintain their professional identity, even after they step back from full-time work,” said University of Florida professor Mo Wang, one of the nation’s leading retirement researchers, in a 2021 interview with SHRM magazine.

Serving on boards of directors for other AEC firms, advising startups, or representing former firms at conferences and industry events are common avenues. Similarly, some project-level engineers choose to work part-time for their previous firms or others in an emeritus capacity—providing peer reviews, mentoring junior staff, or contributing to business development.

“I like keeping my hand in it by serving on boards and helping people I know with problems that my engineering background can be useful in solving,” Giangrande said. “But everything changes so fast, especially with the pace of technology today, so it’s difficult to stay sharp in a field like engineering. When you’re working, you learn and grow every day. When you’re out of it, the changes go on without you.”

This doesn’t mean that the engineering skills he learned over the years are obsolete. “Technology changes, but the basic skills and concepts don’t. Those base skills are still valuable as an advisor or consultant on a board. As an engineer, your experience is still unsurpassed.”

Wang’s research has also shown that this type of engagement provides important benefits for retirees themselves. In an article in the Journal of Management, he and co-author Kenneth S. Shultz wrote: “Engaging in bridge employment is associated with better mental and physical health because it helps maintain a sense of purpose.”

Plan transition

Experts emphasize that retirement should be thought of as a pivot rather than an endpoint. In a MarketWatch column, career author Kerry Hannon advised: “Don’t think of it as retirement. Think of it as prototyping your next chapter.”

Robert Laura, founder of the Retirement Coaches Association, echoed the sentiment in Forbes, writing: “If you don’t retire to something, you will end up retiring from everything.”

For Giangrande, his next chapter includes extensive community involvement. He now serves on his town’s permanent building committee, volunteers with a local charity assisting with facility-related issues, works with his homeowners’ association, and serves on a school board. He is also exploring development projects that draw on his engineering expertise.

“I think it’s important to stay involved with your community and to keep contributing in ways that are meaningful to you,” he said.

As the engineering workforce continues to age, firms and individuals alike will need to design new pathways for real-world, late-career transitions. Phased retirement, mentoring roles, board service, and emeritus positions not only help individuals ease into the next phase—they also preserve valuable expertise for the profession.

For engineers with “cold feet” about leaving, having a well-thought-out transition plan can make all the difference. Retirement is a major life transition that deserves thoughtful preparation. Yet too often, engineers are so focused on their next project that they ignore the need to design their own futures. As the profession grapples with an aging workforce, it’s clear that purposeful retirement planning needs to become top of mind—for both the engineers and the firms that rely on their expertise.

Jerry Guerra is an independent writer in Lynnfield, Mass.