16 replies to this topic

[Alex --GT3--]

Hi all to my many friends on here,

In 10 days time I will be being made redundant from my job for the 1st time in my life. The package I get is good and means I have plenty of time to find an alternate career after spending 16 and half years in toxicology. I am going to take time to reassess what I want to do, this means a short career break. It's a luxury many who are made redundant don't get. I expect over the next few months I will come up with many crazy ideas and I would like to lean on some of you for pearls of wisdom and sound advice about these as you all have lots of great varied experiences and expertise to draw on.

The immediate things for now I am doing are the usual cv building, LinkedIn profile, network creation, financial planning etc, job hunting, recruitment agency scouting etc, but I also need to get my old company off my skin. I see it as decompressing from the big corporate world and so I want to do some fun(crazy) things this summer if I can.

So two questions that maybe you lot can help.

1) ideas for a career change?
2) what sould I do for a laugh this summer to help me de-tox from work?

All ideas are good ideas it's just that some are crappier than others lol. Please fire away with your thoughts.

Cheers

Alex

[Bibs]

1 - Pizza topping creator
2 - Everest

[ramjet]

3 - Navel lint removing tool inventor
4 - TV car show presenter

[Kimbers]

1. I would do a cooking course or something along those lines. Increase your skill base!
2a. Learn to play poker. De-stress, its very sociable and great fun. Heres a good place to start but only 2 venues in Manchester right now. http://www.thenutspo...ague.com/search
2b. Go rent out a Villa in Cyprus. Take the kids for 2 weeks. Eat out every night by the sea, relax by the pool and explore the historical sights. I recommend James Villa's and Latchi for peace and quiet. Thats what I'd do if I was in your place.

Look good?

[mayesprit]

Are you wanting (preferably) to work in the same field of employment or do something totally different?

Biggest problem I found 10 years ago after redundancy was finding something that could replace the required income I needed - actually quite hard if changing careers.


Le Mans/Classic Le Mans

[alan]

When I saw the title I thought I was going to be saying something about the imminent arrival of a new baby!

As others have said are you planning on staying in the same field? If not I guess its quite likely the economy is going to go totally down the toilet for the next 6 months or so (depending on events in the Euro zone) so perhaps its a good time to retrain? Make sure any training though does not just simply cost money and not lead to a job.

To be truly successful you have to find something you both enjoy and are good at. These days I would also add something that can not easily be outsourced to China / India etc.

Have a look on the Monster job site at real world vacancies in the salary range you need, not to apply but to get a feel for possible areas you might want to work in. I tend to advise people to learn C# software programming if they are technically / logically minded - we always struggle to employ enough.

[molemot]

De-tox from work? Easy. Buy a boat and cruise around the european waterways. Absolutely nothing like it to counter the Class A behaviour. Also the boat is an asset that you can sell off afterwards for the same or even more than you paid for it....or you may, like others before you, never come back at all but just Carry on Cruising!

As for work...if it's not pressing...you'll find that bimbling along the continental rivers and canals gives you plenty of time to think, and you'll probably end up doing something completely different afterwards. I went from the RAF to Work Study with the London Fire Brigade to Electronic Instrument Calibration to Company Director to Immigration Officer!!! And found my place in France by going past it on my boat...

[cjtpb13]

Alex,

Best of luck is all I can say. Too many variables that are unknown to send you in a particular direction...lol

In the US it is said by many of an economist that the average person has anywhere from 5-7 career changes in their lifetime. The average American worker stays on a job for a company 4.1 years.

I have had two careers I guess to this point...however I have always owned a business since I was 14 years old. Only for a short period of time in my mid 20's did I not own a business. I sold the one I began at 14 when I was 20 because I could not attend University and maintain it at the same time...Worked for a subsidiary division of IBM for a few years.....HATED IT ! Went back to owning my own business...so here 20+ years later I own two international business'es that keep me moving constantly.

So the only advice I can give you is this...

Find what you LOVE to do and do it WELL...the money will always follow as long as you do not make it a priority.

[Kimbers]

I agree with that Chris. If your priority is money its amazing how often you fail.

I'm glad to say my priority is work life mix and I have that at present. Still not got the money but I'm not bothered anymore

I don't think Alex is looking at that aspect anyway.

Alex. Chris is right, Spend your time doing something you enjoy. If you earn money from it as well then Bonus!!

I'd still spend the next few weeks lying next to a pool though!! Lmao!

[LooseCannon]

Le Mans/Classic Le Mans

Second this for no. 2

As for no.1 I have been in this boat for the past 8 months, and I too said that anything would do. However it has proven very difficult to be considered for anything too far removed from my previous life. It would seem that experience is the most valuable commodity at the moment, no one is really prepared to take a risk on you otherwise

[oneshot]

I tend to advise people to learn C# software programming if they are technically / logically minded - we always struggle to employ enough.

I teach C# to our undergraduates (and some postgrads) - if you want I can always post your adverts for our soon to be graduates

[alan]

Hi Dave - thanks for the offer! Let me know if the link below is OK.

http://pico.jobs/job-12.html

[AlexF1]

Thanks all, some good advice above.

My current industry, the large pharmaceutical sector is in contraction right now, my current company Astrazenca has shed 27000 jobs in the last 3-4 years alone. Pfizer R&D exited the uk by closing their massive R&D site in Sandwich in kent. AZ closed the R&D site in loighborough with the loss of 1300 jobs, my current site is shrinking by >10% this year alone. We suspect more will happen next year. This is a consequence of the massive costs of inventing new drugs and the loss of patents on many big drugs. My specialism of Toxicology is done by AZ and GSK and 3-4 contract research organisations so the pool of opportunties is small. However the biotech sector is still strong but is pausing its growth due to the workd economic crisis where venture capatilists are being more prudent and more risk averse when it comes to investment in new R&D right now. Ido believe though I have plenty of transferable skills in the science sector as a whole so I am not to worried.

I am thinking of both project management, maybe getting myself some Prince2 qualifications this summer but also thinking about setting myself up in business. The consultancy game is hard right now has about 6000 uk based scientist have been put into the job market alone this last two years but i am working with other pharma colleagues about potential opportunities.

But i am also thinking what could i do thats a radical depature. This is where I need to really take some time and research what it possible vs what is just pure day dreaming.

I would like to grow a business from scratch if i could.

Some of the other bonkers ideas or maybe not so bonkers ideas:

• Audiophile hi-fi business - specialising in media streaming. Connecting existing devices to new technologies as they come along. Also including bespoke PC building around entertainment.
• Being an politician. Theres a train with gravy on lol
• Scientific writing
• Scientific journalism
• Working for a think tank
• Working as a science/ pharma analyst for investment companies or banks

In terms of chilling this summer I like the idea of cruising the canals or rivers in france. I am also looking at a volunteering expedition. Places like madagascar or fiji look interesting. you can either to stuff like building schools/ teaching/ research collecting data in exotic locations.

Lots of ideas floating about, as an out placement consulted with me last week said, many of these ideas need to fall by the wayside to allow me to focus and he recommended that I take 3-4 months to allow that to happen.

keep the ideas coming

tvm
Alex

[internets]

Alex

Sorry to hear about your redundancy / congratulations on your new start!

Just as a thought have you looked into medical communications, as you are aware there is a large (dwindling?!) pharmaceutical base in the NW supporting many event agencies but just a few I have worked with in the past ....

http://www.parexel.c...s/career-areas/
http://www.complete-mc.com/team.aspx
http://www.adelphigroup.com/

There are more that currently do not come to mind, I appreciate this might be fire / frying pan scenario and also lots of competition for jobs, but they always seem very busy...many even travel to congress world wide. Just a thought

Good luck with what ever you decide....

[Simon350S]

Look forward to having a good chat about it all on the weekend dude

[Bibs]

Enjoying your free time?

[Alex --GT3--]

Yep, loving it already. Lots of time to chill and start to catch up with folk