"
We're not in the same profession"
I have to politely disagree with that comment because actually, we are..it's called aviation and flight safety and the word you are looking for is symbiosis...
I have to agree with Nutloose's post however
as the transition from mil ( Army, Navy and RAF ) was a natural progression which I, and many others followed. The airlines were an obvious choice, but so, for many, was "the circuit".
However, the focus on here regarding the shortage of engineers, is primarily it seems with regard to the airlines.
Which begs the question, as to how other sectors are coping ( and will cope in the future ) for example Biz-jets, G/A and vintage aircraft, the last two requiring a different range of skill sets in contrast to those required for the "Airboeing" fleets.
G/A has always been notorious for poor pay and conditions and I would suspect ( please feel free to prove me wrong however ) that the shortage will be more acute and imminent than in the airlines here.