The purpose of this study was to contribute to a deeper understanding of why engineers choose to train as military officers and work within the Swedish Armed Forces as military engineers. The study is based on nine semi-structured interviews with newly hired military engineers. The study shows that military technology was an important reason why the engineers wanted to work in the military - being a military engineer provides an opportunity to work with technically interesting systems while being close to the military application. At the same time, the study highlights that a desire for change and variation in the work situation, as well as a wish for meaningful work, were equally important reasons for them to work in the military. The newly hired military engineers are optimistic that the Armed Forces will offer them a career and a context that allows them to develop and be challenged, both as engineers and citizens, in a dynamic and varied environment - which is often perceived as the opposite of office work. How their expectations hold up in reality within the Armed Forces is therefore a question that both the Armed Forces and future research should prioritize.