[jaden]

First off, I’d say YOU always control how much success you experience on your own path (as it appears you are already doing), regardless of others opinion. I too, took my bachelor Mech Eng degree, and then did 10 yrs of destructive testing, and then got into NDT as level II for the next 10 yrs. I encourage you to do as much “hands-on” and certifications now early in your career while opportunities exist, which will support any potential future roles that your degree may open up for you later. The experience you gain is all transferrable regardless. The industry obviously has a massive shortfall of NDT techs, and although there isn’t as many Engineering oversight and/or ECA (Engineering Critical Assessment) type roles required, there is an equivalent shortfall of good people for these roles as well. Challenging career whether you want to stay pushing a probe or eventually doing Procedure/Code review, or Finite Element for ECA etc….

Good luck, and keep working hard, and I believe you will earn a good living and enjoy the work!
Regards,