Hi everyone,
I’m facing a bit of a career dilemma and would love some perspective from senior engineers in the industry.
To give you some background, I finished my PhD 3 years ago at a European university. My dissertation focused on developing large phased array antennas—mostly EM simulation, radiator design, and that side of things. During my PhD, I closely collaborated with a local defense contractor, and I really wanted to join them as an employee after graduating. My supervisors from the company even recommended me to the head of the antenna group. However, despite holding Western European citizenship, my non-EU birth and early childhood background triggered strict security clearance roadblocks, so they couldn't offer me a position.
Right after my PhD, I joined a commercial satellite company where I have been working for the last 3 years. I'm currently a Senior RF Engineer, working on a massive project developing a multi-thousand-element phased array. Despite my PhD focusing on antenna radiators, I also had a solid grasp of RF electronics fundamentals and a strong interest in the field. Because of that, my manager put me on the RF frontend design team so I could bridge the hardware and antenna domains. We already have a dedicated, veteran antenna engineer handling the radiator design, and because the project is in full swing, management won't move me to a different role in the middle of it. In my current role, I work as a frontend design engineer while also supervising, mentoring, and guiding two junior RF engineers.
While the work is interesting, my day-to-day is almost entirely RF electronics. I really miss the core EM and radiator design work I did during my PhD, which is what I actually find fulfilling. My manager has promised to consider transitioning me to an antenna role once this current project phase wraps up in next 3-4 years, but I'm starting to worry about my long-term positioning.
A few specific things are on my mind:
First, if I stay here working on the frontend for another 3-4 years, am I going to get permanently pigeonholed as an "RF Engineer"? I'm worried it will get harder and harder to pivot back to core antenna array design the longer I stay away from it.
Second, does system scale matter more than the exact role type? Is it better for my resume to stay on a highly complex, massive array project even if I'm on the frontend side, or should I jump ship to a company designing smaller, simpler antennas just to get back into core EM design?
Third, given my current title, if I try to move over to a pure antenna role at a new company, will I be forced to take a step back to a mid-level or junior role because my recent industry experience is on the frontend? Or does the combination of a phased-array PhD and senior system-level experience carry over to a senior antenna position?
Finally, the European market feels a bit restrictive. Because of my security clearance limitations, I have to stick entirely to the civil/commercial sector (commercial aerospace, satcom, or telecom).
Are there any specific companies or commercial hubs you would recommend targeting in Europe that work on ultra-large phased array designs but operate purely in the civil domain? And for anyone who has made a similar pivot—how do hiring managers view frontend work on a massive phased array versus basic radiator design for smaller antennas?
Thanks in advance for any insights or advice you can share!
(Note: This post was written by me with the help of AI to protect anonymity and organize my thoughts clearly.)
