I am in my mid thirties. Is it too late to switch careers? Any tips welcome.
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118540: A lot of advancement in sciences other than engineering progresses through trial and error, then rigorous testing. It's not as exciting as it appears on TV--and the big breakthroughs are not made in 44 minutes plus the requisite commercial breaks. Testing is part of the job--just like software. Only difference is instead of using industry specs or customer's specs, you are required to meet gov't specs.
@ 118598: You are full of crap. First time I was ever laid off was at my very first job. With an insurance company. I was a math prodigy as a kid, and thought being an actuary might be fun. Big mistake. I did not fit in. Company wanted "YES" men (--sort of like QCOM does now.) The Company only let us take 3 of the exams toward full actuary's license per year. After the first couple of months, I had passed all 3 (We had a year.) So they put me in the accounting section with a flock of older ladies doing bookkeeping. The Company had also just gotten a new computer--which no one knew how to program. I read the books and figured out how it worked. Then I programmed it to do all of the accounting. Instead of being happy, the head of accounting was horrified that I had essentially eliminated her job--and all of the bookkeepers'. The generous severance package given by Company paid for me to go back to graduate school to get my M.S. in CS. Now 30 years later, despite being an expert in my field, I am wondering if companies will discriminate based on age. If I am not hired within a few months, I will probably switch careers again. I am an expert in my field. I did a lot of work with QCOM legal b/c my Mgr. and Dir. didn't like working with them. I am thinking of sitting for the Patent Bar.
I don't think you can change careers now because you are not serious. If you were serious enough... You wouldn't ask a bunch of loosers on layoff website for career advice!
Biotech industry is well paid with job guarantee, lot of them are very stable. No need to worry about job like Qualcomm. Lifelong
Medical device is a pain in the ass to work on. Too much regulation, and too much procedure to develop software, because obviously if you screw up someone could die...Unlike a cell.
Thanks guys! Going to polish my resume and look into openings. Dont want to be holding onto a WARN notice with no idea and no options.
What do you know about bioinformatics, or pharmaceutical chemistry, or medical devices? You don't have to have a degree in the field, but it does help when you apply for a job because it signals to the employer that you have some basic knowledge in that field. Apply to companies that have positions in EE and also in the area in which you would like to work. Gradually assume responsibility more closely aligned with your ultimate goals. If that company won't take you as a lateral hire, apply to another, and list project responsibilities that demonstrate you can do the job.
Medical device could be one