It seems to me that the natural path is to move towards strategy/operations as you get older. These are two things that young designers don't do as well as more experienced designers – frankly, they don't seem interested in this stuff.
I think a working knowledge of engineering technology is always helpful but there really is no need to be proficient; leave it up to the pros. Learn just enough to have a good conversation about engineering.
It seems to me that the natural path is to move towards strategy/operations as you get older. These are two things that young designers don't do as well as more experienced designers – frankly, they don't seem interested in this stuff.
I think a working knowledge of engineering technology is always helpful but there really is no need to be proficient; leave it up to the pros. Learn just enough to have a good conversation about engineering.