Course Lab
Interview with Jeff Perry
Founder, More Than Engineering
Interview Summary
Jeff Perry, founder of More Than Engineering, helps purpose-driven engineers make intentional career transitions. His Engineering Career Accelerator course combines mindset assessments, group coaching, and one-on-one support in a tiered pricing model ranging from $597 to nearly $12,000. The key insight: engineers need reflective, mindset-oriented work as much as tactical career skills — but it has to be delivered in a framework that feels concrete and analytical enough for their problem-solving orientation.
From Developing Products to Developing People
Jeff has an engineering background spanning manufacturing, mechanical, and software engineering. A few years into his career, he discovered that mindset and personal development work lit him up far more than building technology. He began coaching engineers individually, but recognized that common patterns kept emerging — the same challenges, the same sticking points. In fall 2020, he piloted his first career coaching group, which evolved into the Engineering Career Accelerator. The course walks participants through three phases: foundational mindset work, clarity on career direction, and execution strategy covering networking, LinkedIn, interviewing, and negotiation.
I like to say that I went from developing products to developing people in what I do now.
Making the Intangible Concrete for Engineers
Teaching introspective, reflective content to engineers who are trained in pragmatic problem-solving is inherently challenging. Jeff uses mindset assessments — including a four-continuum tool developed by researcher Ryan Gottfredson — to make abstract concepts feel concrete and data-driven. Growth versus fixed mindset is one dimension, but there are three others that allow engineers to see where they stand on a measurable scale. This approach meets engineers where they are: it uses the language of testing and assessment, which feels natural and analytical, as a bridge into deeper self-reflection. The temptation would have been to create a nuts-and-bolts course about resumes and salaries — but Jeff discovered the deeper need for reflective transformation.
I find that some of those stereotypes that we have around engineers actually help promote and make that worse. And so part of the work I'm trying to do is actually help to break those down. Sometimes it feels like it's one person at a time.
Tiered Support: Letting Students Choose Their Level
Jeff structures his pricing around three tiers. The course plus one month of group coaching starts at $597, with $197 per month for ongoing group coaching. His most popular option — course plus two months of group coaching and four one-on-one sessions — is $1,997. A higher tier doubles the one-on-one support at $11,997. Critically, he encourages students to identify the right level of support from the beginning, because starting with less support does not just delay results — it changes the approach entirely. Weekly group coaching calls allow participants to share what is working and not working, and Jeff observed that the peer perspectives are often as powerful as his own coaching.
I want to win when they win, right? Like I want them to get the result they're looking for.
Building the Next Offering from Client Feedback
Many participants reach their career transition goal and then want to keep working with Jeff on leadership and personal development. He is transparent that he has not fully figured out the next step yet — but he is using group coaching sessions to ask participants directly what they need beyond the transition. The challenge is that people rarely use the same words to describe similar problems, making pattern-matching difficult. His approach: listen to the self-selected clients who want more, look for recurring themes, and build from there rather than guessing what should come next.
Jeff's Action Steps
Jeff recommends these 3 steps to improve your course planning:
Use assessments to make abstract concepts concrete
For audiences who think in analytical or data-driven terms, find or create assessments that translate soft concepts like mindset into measurable dimensions. This creates a vocabulary for change that feels familiar rather than uncomfortable.
Offer tiered support options and help students choose upfront
Rather than one-size-fits-all pricing, create clear tiers that range from self-study with group support to intensive one-on-one coaching. Guide students to select the right level at enrollment so you can plan the most effective approach from day one.
Design around coaching and interaction, not just content
Build the learning experience around coaching interactions and peer support as the primary delivery mechanism whenever the transformation requires behavior change or deep self-reflection. Content alone will not get students there.
About Jeff Perry
Founder, More Than Engineering
Jeff Perry is a career and leadership coach whose primary focus is supporting purpose-driven engineers and technical professionals. With a background spanning multiple engineering disciplines and leadership roles, he helps clients make intentional career transitions aligned with their purpose and passions. His Engineering Career Accelerator course combines mindset assessments, group coaching, and one-on-one support. He is the founder of More Than Engineering.
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