advice sought on a brainstorm

hunnymonster

This could be long and boring but I'm a bit stumped and would appreciate any advice people could give me.

I would like to relocate (met a boy and all that). I've been following the threads here but most of the jobs discussed are clerical, internships or graduate jobs. I'm a couple of years out of my 4th level qualification. As with all PhD's it was highly technical. I've been teaching ever since and also getting experience in project management, project development and other skill sets that academia doesn't normally teach you. Getting a teaching job in the new location will not be possible but it seems a shame to waste all my expertise (and being honest my earning potential) by applying for basic grad jobs. That is if employers would even consider me for these jobs. I was wondering if anyone has ever moved out of their specialised field late on in their careers. Or maybe has anyone any ideas about what kind of jobs I should be looking at. It's so long since I've actually had to look for a job (rather than havingthem offered to me) that I can no longer read the "salary excellent" art of job descriptions.

dame

Could the boy not relocate to be near you?

the_syco

Help us help you. What field are you qualified in, and where are you based now, and where do you plan to move to?

hunnymonster

Yes, professionally it would be easier for him (Cork) to move to me (Dublin) but our quality of life is much better in Cork and I like there better than he likes here.


I'm a theoretical physicist. I use quantum methods to simulate problems in materials science. The Tyndall in Cork is the obvious choice but I would actually like to change direction a bit. I thought a research career would be exciting but I've found it's just a case of applying the same methods to different systems all the time. A trained monkey could do it.
I have been doing some work in academic development and I find that interesting. Does that help?

the_syco

Best idea may be to roam around Cork, and check out what companies you'd like to work for, and apply. The bit about "theoretical physicist" and "quantum methods to simulate problems in materials science" goes far over my head, so you'll have to look around yourself.

Failing that, apply what I did when looking for a computer job, for your job. I found a recruitment company that specializes in an area, has a good rep, and tried to get them to get me a good job.

Likewise, look around for a recruitment company that recruits people for your field, and go from there. Also, some companies only take from certain recruitment agenices (eg: CPL hires tech support for HP, IBM, etc).

dame

Why don't you apply to the Tyndall Institute then and when you get there present your own proposals for whatever new research you'd like to do, apply for funding and away you go.

dudara

hunnymonster wrote:

I'm a theoretical physicist. I use quantum methods to simulate problems in materials science. The Tyndall in Cork is the obvious choice but I would actually like to change direction a bit.

The Tyndall is a mixed bag of scientists and groups in my opinion. There are some excellent researchers there, but it's also been a graveyard for some careers too.

I have a degree in Physics from UCC as well as my PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. I worked in electron transport in semiconductor materials, and collaborated with people in the Tyndall. A lot of my friends who also did PhD are researchers there now, and it is generally a nice community. My partner did his PhD in the Tyndall in the Photonics Theory group.

I thought a research career would be exciting but I've found it's just a case of applying the same methods to different systems all the time. A trained monkey could do it.

I thought a research career was also what I wanted, but I became disheartened, especially as I saw people who I considered to be barely one step away from amoeba on the evolutionary ladder achieve PhDs and continue on to do research.

A large amount of people stay in academia because of the cosy cocoon that it provides. It is a comfort zone for many people. And I realised that it could be one for me too. During the course of my PhD, I was involved in community academic programs in Cork, I lectured in the CIT part-time and kept my PhD work afloat. I gradually realised that a lot of people in university life were not challenged, and were happy to keep it that way.

I decided to change tack. I applied for positions in consultancy firms, and currently work as a management consultant. I've worked on a range of engagements, dealing with large multinationals, managing projects on a scale that I would never have thought possible while in science. It's been a good transition for me.

I have been doing some work in academic development and I find that interesting. Does that help?

If you find this interesting, then you should persue it. A lot of scientists suffer from poor management and project leadership skills, so if you possess those, then you're off to a great start. The CIT might have some projects ongoing at the moment, and UCC are very aggressive in targeting research funding.