# How Being Strategic During A Career Transition Can Yield The Best Opportunities

- Show: [Global Medical Device Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast)
- Published: 2020-06-11
- Length: 39m
- Episode: 150
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2020-06-11-how-being-strategic-during-a-career-transition-can-yield-the-best-opportunities
- Listen: https://podcast.greenlight.guru/episode/how-being-strategic-during-a-career-transition-can-yield-the-best-opportunities

## Summary

Aaron Moncur, owner of Pipeline Design & Engineering, joins host John Spear to discuss his transition from employee to entrepreneur after being laid off in 2009. Moncur explains how he narrowed his firm's focus to custom test fixtures and automated equipment for medical device companies, citing a client's improvement in Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA) first-pass success rates from 50% to nearly 100% as a key value proposition. The conversation covers the psychological aspects of career changes, the importance of mentorship through organizations like Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), and the technical challenges of delivering complex engineering projects on tight schedules.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2020-06-11-how-being-strategic-during-a-career-transition-can-yield-the-best-opportunities#t=0) Introduction and Guest Background
- [3:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2020-06-11-how-being-strategic-during-a-career-transition-can-yield-the-best-opportunities#t=218) Career Transition and Entrepreneurial Origins
- [16:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2020-06-11-how-being-strategic-during-a-career-transition-can-yield-the-best-opportunities#t=996) The Value of Specialization and MSA
- [24:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2020-06-11-how-being-strategic-during-a-career-transition-can-yield-the-best-opportunities#t=1489) Niche Focus and Mentorship
- [30:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2020-06-11-how-being-strategic-during-a-career-transition-can-yield-the-best-opportunities#t=1819) Technical Projects and Team Culture

## Topics

- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)
- Greenlight Guru (company)
- Being an Engineer (product)
- Entrepreneurs' Organization (company)
- testfixturedesign.com (other)
- designedtheproduct.com (other)
- LabVIEW (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [S1E08 Getting laid off and starting an engineering company | Aaron Moncur](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-05-20-s1e08-getting-laid-off-and-starting-an-engineering-company-aaron-moncur) (Being an Engineer)
- [S2E36 Shaking Things Up As We Get to Know Aaron Moncur](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-08-23-s2e36-shaking-things-up-as-we-get-to-know-aaron-moncur) (Being an Engineer)
- [21: The Tent Is Flat and Everyone Is Wet](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2013-10-02-21-the-tent-is-flat-and-everyone-is-wet) (Embedded.fm)
- [S7E18 Aaron Moncur | Building Pipeline, the Being An Engineer Podcast, and Engineering Communities](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-04-24-s7e18-aaron-moncur-building-pipeline-the-being-an-engineer-podcast-and-engineeri) (Being an Engineer)
- [S6E18 Nikolaj Kloch | Public Speaking, Career Changes, & Leading with Value](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2025-05-02-s6e18-nikolaj-kloch-public-speaking-career-changes-leading-with-value) (Being an Engineer)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2020-06-11-how-being-strategic-during-a-career-transition-can-yield-the-best-opportunities. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Global Medical Device Podcast.