Career change - work outside Dublin

onrail

I'm 31, newly married with a baby on the way next month. Degree, masters and chartered in Civil/Environmental Engineering and work in civil engineering consultancy for the last 9 years. Currently making around €50k gross, albeit based in N.Ireland where cost of living is a manageable. In Dublin, the same position would command around €55-60k.

For family reasons I have to move back down home to rural Carlow in the next 18-24 months; however, the only jobs in my current industry are based on Dublin city centre - this would mean 3-4 hours commuting per day to keep a similar job.

In addition to the impending move, I've concluded in the last few months that the job is making me miserable. Hours are long, work is stressful and the salary is relatively poor. I could deal with the hours and stress if the salary was a bit better and vice versa, but the balance is way off.
So, with the baby on the way and the impending relocation I'm in a bit of a bind. I can't tie myself to a terrible job for the rest of my life just for the sake of it, but then again I'm not sure what industry I need to pursue to end up with a decent job outside of Dublin. If something could be found close to home, money wouldn't be too important.

Skills-wise, I'm fairly numerate, have decent experience (although no formal qualification) in Project Management and have all the reporting, communication, analytical and IT skills you'd expect from 9 years in a professional environment.

I've about €80k savings and I'm renting, so there's flexibility and about 18months of a window to get myself re-trained, but for my sanity, I'd really need to know that there's a job waiting for me in Carlow/Wexford/Wicklow at the end of it all.

Does anyone have any advice on a reasonable career/industry to pursue? IT seems lucrative, but with a severe learning curve. Finance/accounting interests me, but the industry seems too Dublin-centric. Teaching could be local and flexible, but I'd make a terrible teacher.

Is there such thing as mid-career guidance? I'd love to talk to someone that isn't a recruitment consultant to see what opportunities are out there.

Samuel T. Cogley

Have you looked at the public sector? www.publicjobs.ie

onrail

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

Have you looked at the public sector? www.publicjobs.ie

Daily! There are a few positions crop up, but they tend to be massively oversubscribed unfortunately.

drunkmonkey

Why are you only looking east?

Wildly Boaring

If you want to stay in your own line, irish water have a kilkenny office and are hiring.

Never worked for them but did couple watermains, not a bad number despite previous negative press and nowhere near the grind of a consultancy office.

They probably cross hire in the likes of RPS, NOD, Motts, Aecom etc too

www.water.ie

BTW I reckon you're underestimating the earning potential of a CEng in the south.

onrail

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Why are you only looking east?

Yeah cheers, Kilkenny/Waterford are possibilities.

Grassey

onrail wrote:

Skills-wise, I'm fairly numerate, have decent experience (although no formal qualification) in Project Management and have all the reporting, communication, analytical and IT skills you'd expect from 9 years in a professional environment.

Easily resolved. Do a 4 day accelerated PRINCE2 course. I did it 18 months back as a tick box for the cv.

ParkRunner

Offshore renewable energy is about to explode in this country. Wonder if your skills are transferable to that area?

onrail

Grassey wrote: »

Easily resolved. Do a 4 day accelerated PRINCE2 course. I did it 18 months back as a tick box for the cv.

Really good to know - would it likely open up many opportunities?

Grassey

onrail wrote:

Really good to know - would it likely open up many opportunities?

It's an internationally recognised Project Management standard. It was looked on favourably when I moved to another company shortly afterwards (not in a PM role specifically). If you have project management exp and want to work in that sphere then I'd see no harm in having it.

onrail

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

BTW I reckon you're underestimating the earning potential of a CEng in the south.

Possibly, but not from what I've seen within my specialism anyway!

listermint

Aren't the NBP looking for civil engineers for their nationwide planning process.


Broadband baby.... Was advertised recently

Iscreamkone

SF are going to build a million houses. Plenty of work there for Engineers

onrail

ParkRunner wrote: »

Offshore renewable energy is about to explode in this country. Wonder if your skills are transferable to that area?

Yeah, there are a couple of companies that I could jump to, but based in Dublin unfortunately!

Wildly Boaring

onrail wrote: »

Possibly, but not from what I've seen within my specialism anyway!

Fair enough
Ceng myself, with few more years than you, moving at the minute, 2 offers both 80 and some perks.
Louth/Meath direction, purposefully not Dublin.

If you got the 60k in Carlow you'd be doing ok no?
Very specialised? Geotech or fire or some such?
There's a pretty serious shortage right now.

onrail

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

Fair enough
Ceng myself, with few more years than you, moving at the minute, 2 offers both 80 and some perks.
Louth/Meath direction, purposefully not Dublin.

If you got the 60k in Carlow you'd be doing ok no?
Very specialised? Geotech or fire or some such?
There's a pretty serious shortage right now.

Bingo - Geotech. I'd be more than happy with 60k in Carlow,but the jobs just don't seem to be there.
Well done on the 80k offer away from Dublin - you must be good at what you do!

Wildly Boaring

The only geotech I could think of in kk or carlow were AGEC in Carlow.

Bought out by FT it seems.
FT have always been a great employer in cork.

https://www.fehilytimoney.ie/expanding-fehily-timoney-takes-over-agec-and-doubles-its-geotechnical-team-expertise/

I know for a fact our project engineers getting 50k in cork (not ft). You're surely the level above.
Worth keeping an eye on or even getting onto them.

Grassey above mentioned PRINCE2, never bothered myself, but could broaden your horizons.
I wasnt joking about irish water above. They're constantly hiring. Even if the job was cork/dublin most of their guys work from nearest office 3 days a week.

onrail

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

The only geotech I could think of in kk or carlow were AGEC in Carlow.

Bought out by FT it seems.
FT have always been a great employer in cork.

https://www.fehilytimoney.ie/expanding-fehily-timoney-takes-over-agec-and-doubles-its-geotechnical-team-expertise/

I know for a fact our project engineers getting 50k in cork (not ft). You're surely the level above.
Worth keeping an eye on or even getting onto them.

Grassey above mentioned PRINCE2, never bothered myself, but could broaden your horizons.
I wasnt joking about irish water above. They're constantly hiring. Even if the job was cork/dublin most of their guys work from nearest office 3 days a week.

Thanks for that - really helpful. Irish Water would be attractive - but I might be a little too specialised for their taste?