BrettC

Hi Everybody

I'm looking for some inspiration.

I am in the fortunate position of having no mortgage etc so i want to take this time to re-train to do something else.

My back ground is in biotechnology, molocular biology etc (A levels, degrees that sort of thing) since gcse time I choose to stay in biological sciences as I enjoyed the science but after 15 years of this I would really like a change.
I also have nutrition, gym instruction and personal training qualifications but don't really want to use them again.

If i dont change careers now in another 5 years i may not have the bottle to do it.

Is there anyone else out there who like me is having an early mid life crisis?

If you could start your training again what would you choose to do? or if you would choose the same route that you have already taken please tell us what you do?

There is nothing in particular that I am looking at and just need suggestions.

My one stipulation is that the training should take no longer than 12 months and be less than about £3000. But most importantly good salary and job prospects.

Any ideas?

Cheers

brett

Bonehead

Similar thing for me at the mo.
Was running a warehouse for yonks, got a job as a PCSO with the Police. Idea being to use it to see what the police is really like and to help get into the police if I thought it was something for me.
Not really impressed so far, so I'm looking at how practicle it would be to try and train as a plumber!

BrettC

Hi Bonehead.

What's a PCSO?

I sort of considered plumbing but I am looking for a balance of pay with enjoyment of the job and removing big steamers from peoples toilets doesnt really do it for me.

The other reason I sort of considered training to become a plumber was that the aussies needed them....although I'm not sure if removing big 'aussie' steamers from peoples toilets really does it for me either.

cheers

TurboMav

Police Community Support Officer

BrettC

Thanks.

OllyK

Not so sure about plumbing, but to be a sparky your looking at the best part of 4 years training, I imagine if you are looking to be CORGI registered to do the central heating stuff then you may be looking at a similar time frame.

IMO with training, you get out what you put in. 3 years on a degree course may pay more dividends than a 1 year basic intro to something menial. Unless of course you already have the founding in a specific area and are looking at specialisation training.

BrettC

I was even considering enrolling on a different MSc or something as my previous degree despite it being un related would be sufficient to get on the course.

A few friends did a masters in computer science after finishing their BSc in biology. Surely a MSc is worth doing or is this becoming a bit common now too?

How about those MSCEs, they normally take under a year to complete. Are these any good or are employers looking for other skills nowadays?

Im not particulary looking at getting in to a computer related industry. Just looking at all and any possibilites.

cheers

OllyK

MSCEs are invaluable to the companies that are looking for people with them. For the rest of us, a solid computing degree and experience will do just fine and we are a Microsoft Platinum Partner! Having said that, as a specialisation they do command a reasonable return with the companies that want them. Seem to hold quite a bit of value when recruiting contractors as well.

I'm not sure I do computing again, with hindsight, and I only finished re-training (second degree) in it 6 years ago.

BrettC

What would you do if you could do your time again?

I think I will look into MSCE training a little further.

OllyK

Now there's the question. The problem is finding a nice little niche that I'm happy in. My skills are broader than they are deep and trying to find a company that is looking for that isn't easy, unless you go for a one man band, which has its own problems.

There are plenty of things I'd like to do, but I don't think I have the skills, time or dedication to do them. I would like to do a law degree, but I suspect it would bore me. Much the same with medicine. The trouble is, once you actually know enough about something to get a real feel for what it is about, you are reasonably well qualified and have invested a lot of time.

I'm waffling a bit here, but what are you "life goals" are you looking for the big bucks or enough to be comfortable, what do you want to achieve - that may be a driver in what you end up doing.