This study investigated the perceptions of public school educators and Federal Government engineers in the Central Florida area to determine their self-perceived current and desired career stages (Dalton, Thompson and Price, 1977). The influences of age, education and tenure variables on these perceptions and on the employee's preference for a technical or managerial career track were also examined. The rationale for the study is based upon findings in the literature which indicate that both occupations are experiencing motivation and retention problems caused by the requirement to leave classrooms or technical engineering positions and enter management ranks in order to gain promotions. Questionnaires were used to collect information on the four career stages (apprentice, colleague, mentor, sponsor), demographic data and career track preferences. The data indicated that a higher percentage of engineers than educators perceived that they work in apprentice and mentor positions in their organizations. Engineers reported a desire to ultimately achieve a mentor position while educators aspired to be colleagues. Older engineers perceived themselves as mentors while educators as a group perceived themselves as colleagues regardless of age. Analyzed by tenure, engineers with 15 or more years experience perceived themselves in a mentor position. Educators perceived themselves as colleagues regardless of their experience after 5 years. Engineers holding a bachelor's or master's degree perceived themselves as working in and desiring higher career stages than did educators with those same credentials. Both educators and engineers who perceived themselves as working in an apprentice or colleague position indicated a preference for a technical career track. Those who perceived themselves as working in a mentor or sponsor position indicated a preference for a managerial career track. It was recommended that additional research on career stages be undertaken in other occupations to determine if similarities exist and that practioners begin to define and include current and desired career stage perceptions in personnel profiles to permit more effective training development and succession planning.