Cold Feet Retirement: Destination Is Key

More than half of U.S. engineers are now age 50 or older, 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.