A senior engineer on my team is leaving, and our manager sent a link for a farewell gift card. She mentored me when I was a junior, so I want to chip in, but I can't see what others are giving and have never done this before. She makes great money if that matters. The default options are $20, $30, and $50. What's standard here? Is $30 enough, or should I go higher since she helped me so much?

Do you think engineering gets more technical or more psychological over time? The longer I work with teams and systems, the more human behavior seems to matter.

What was the biggest mistake you made early in your career that ended up teaching you a valuable lesson? One of mine was assuming everyone interpreted requirements the same way I did. Learning to ask clarifying questions saved me from a lot of rework. What’s yours?

Do you think engineers are better at solving problems or preventing them? I think prevention is harder because success is basically invisible.

I’ve been working in construction since I graduated 5 years ago. I’ve gradually realized I don't want to do this for the next 3 decades, but I feel stuck. Is it too late to switch engineering disciplines without destroying my career progression?