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Sort of, Devops definitely uses a ton of python, Backend development will frequently use Python. FE can but more rarely. Cloud developer can mean lots of things. I hear that as the people who are helping development teams host on a particular cloud provider, which can mean a solution developer, a network/sys admin, a devops guy, a CICD guy, etc. That some combination of BE and Devops. Learning AWS is a good idea regardless, but its more important for Devops and some BE roles. If you want to go the more developer/software engineer route I'd also say database skills are important, if you want to go more devops-route then CICD/K8s/Monitoring tools like Splunk or Grafana get more important. I think you should look into devops stuff since it sounds like its where you're gravitating. There are devops bootcamps too. There's always a demand for skilled devops folks.
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Feb 6, 2024 00:45
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Awesome! I think so too. Thanks again for all the help!
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Feb 6, 2024 00:51
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This may be a bit of a ramble, so apologies in advance. I'm currently working as a 'Senior Data Analyst'. My team is great and my job is fully remote with excellent work-life balance. The subject area I'm working on (games, but design not monetization) is interesting, I've been getting promoted quickly and there's a pretty clear path to becoming a Lead in the next year or two (albeit, assuming that the ongoing contraction of the whole industry doesn't put a hold on promotions). My boss is great, gives me a lot of freedom to choose projects, and is a v good advocate. I initially decided to start as an analyst rather than a data scientist because I wanted to explore design & data work, and this seemed like a good middle ground. My plan as of yesterday was to see what lead work was like, and then decide if I wanted to keep going or lateral. However, my company just opened up a lot of data science roles, including 2 where I'd specialize on the same type of problem I work on as an analyst right now, and another that matches up with what I did (and enjoyed) in school really well. One of the reasons I was reluctant to try DS is that I just don't find optimizing monetization very interesting (a v common focus in games), but both of these are things I'm much more excited about. There aren't usually this many roles open, and it could be a good number of years before similar roles open up. I've also found that there are some parts of analytics I don't care for - i.e., a lot of the time in practice the best tool for a given problem is just a directional analysis with some graphs, which can be interesting as a data storytelling problem, but just isn't fun for me to put together, and I don't feel like I'm learning. I do like the heavy collaboration and problem-solving, but the projects I've enjoyed more are ones where I'm figuring out how to simulate a system, or putting together a model, etc. etc. After the initial year or so of getting up to speed with data wrangling etc., I've been feeling a bit stagnant. It turns out learning is a lot more important for me than promotions or honestly even impact in terms of feeling satisfied with my work vOv. I kind of miss just really going deep on a project... I obviously don't know if I'd get the roles - I have a BS in Computer Science, with a focus on NLP and a lot of grad coursework, but most people have PhDs/Masters degrees, and I haven't used a lot of the skills from school much in my current work that'll be most relevant in these new roles. But I'd have some v strong internal advocates, and it seems like it makes sense to at least apply? Honestly the main things I'm worried about are: 1. I have some health problems that mean I have to take more time off sometimes, and the sub-org I'm working at right now, and my boss specifically, are v good about making time for that. Worried there might be different expectations elsewhere vOv 2. The unknown! I do feel bad, because my boss has talked about how he wants to set me up as a leader on the team and whatnot, but I have also made it pretty clear that I'm not sure if I may want to explore DS at some point so vOv. I'm talking with some coworkers on the DS team about the roles later today. Are there any questions y'all would suggest making sure to ask? I do think if they're fully in-office - or I'd have to move - that'd be a dealbreaker, but otherwise as I write this out I realize I probably should at least apply, but would definitely appreciate any advice re: what to look out for with the other roles, tips on doing well with this kind of application or any other advice/thoughts!
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Feb 6, 2024 22:57
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RIP ZEEZ
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foutre posted:
I mean I think you came to the same conclusion I'd steer you towards. Don't let fear of the unknown stop you, and I think that's probably the biggest hurdle. Otherwise this seems like an opportunity that's worth exploring. Remember, just because you're interviewing doesn't mean you have to take it. If your boss is as good as you say and you have trust with them, talk this out. Say basically what you said here. "I really like this job and I am excited about the lead opportunities, but I also think I should look into this other path too. What do you think?"
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Feb 6, 2024 23:13
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Ty, nice to have it validated for sure!Lockback posted:If your boss is as good as you say and you have trust with them, talk this out. Say basically what you said here. "I really like this job and I am excited about the lead opportunities, but I also think I should look into this other path too. What do you think?" Yup, good call- scheduled some time with him tomorrow. I guess the next thing is to cram reviewing my DS coursework in the next week before the interviews...
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Feb 7, 2024 00:59
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Moving on to the "loop" interview process at Amazon for a Senior Financial Analyst position. Other than managing budgets and contracts in the Army my most relevant finance experience is stuff I learned in my MBA finance courses. Going to need to brush up and write some finance related STAR answers, the manager said all the other interviewers will be finance folks and they're not as open as she is to candidates without a traditional finance background. But she did tell me that if the decision was solely up to her, she would hire me on the spot.
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Feb 7, 2024 19:32
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Looking for some advice on professional conferences or other avenues of education/networking that may be worth attending in 2024-2025. To summarize I work in an extremely generalist local government middle manager position. I basically wear a ton of hats and end up producing community events and programs. I've been trying to move laterally professionally to produce more events and festivals for side gigs and local nonprofit fundraising. So far I've directed dozens of varied nonprofit events, festivals, and races in the 500-3000 participant range and feel like this sort of "ringmaster" event work is my calling as I move to mid career. Anyone know what might be a good conference to attend in the event planning space? Most everything I see is either corporate tech or hotel/hospitality related, which isn't exactly what I'm interested in. Thanks!
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Feb 9, 2024 17:26
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What kinds of jobs can I get with a bachlor's in history that doesn't involve teaching k-12?
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Feb 12, 2024 13:17
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Mr Interweb posted:What kinds of jobs can I get with a bachlor's in history that doesn't involve teaching k-12? generic office work. game designer. barrista.
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Feb 12, 2024 14:24
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Perhaps working in a museum or not-for-profit
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Feb 12, 2024 14:30
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Mr Interweb posted:What kinds of jobs can I get with a bachlor's in history that doesn't involve teaching k-12? I'm sure there's stuff that will be specific to History but for me the biggest advantage here is you have a piece of paper that says you were able to write complex essays, pass tough tests, explain complex and sometimes isoteric things, etc. Those are all good skills. So what other skills do you have that you can combine with that piece of paper?
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Feb 12, 2024 17:26
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Lockback posted:I'm sure there's stuff that will be specific to History but for me the biggest advantage here is you have a piece of paper that says you were able to write complex essays, pass tough tests, explain complex and sometimes isoteric things, etc. Those are all good skills. So what other skills do you have that you can combine with that piece of paper? This is the right way to think of education. It's not about what you studied; it's about the skills you developed as part of your degree. List those out, look for jobs that want those skills, and figure out how to illustrate what you can do on a resume.
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Feb 12, 2024 17:40
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Lockback posted:I'm sure there's stuff that will be specific to History but for me the biggest advantage here is you have a piece of paper that says you were able to write complex essays, pass tough tests, explain complex and sometimes isoteric things, etc. Those are all good skills. So what other skills do you have that you can combine with that piece of paper? Also, the ability to commit to something for years and complete it.
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Feb 12, 2024 20:44
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Still in hospital pharmacy after 13 years but managed to snag a position where I'm now underworked and overpaid. No real opportunities for advancement though and I'm still trying to transition to industry. Currently studying for an oncology certification which I'm hoping helps my resume. In the meantime, I'm thinking of picking up a position at a community college teaching future pharmacy technicians. What should I expect? Is this a bad idea to add to a full-time workload?
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Feb 16, 2024 19:07
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DTaeKim posted:Still in hospital pharmacy after 13 years but managed to snag a position where I'm now underworked and overpaid. No real opportunities for advancement though and I'm still trying to transition to industry. I can't answer your actual question but I can answer questions about getting into industry. What job are you targeting?
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Feb 20, 2024 14:21
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leper khan posted:generic office work. game designer. barrista. I'm 99% sure you're joking but on the off-chance you're not, a degree in history isn't going to be super helpful in being a game designer in any game design role, unless you've actually got some shipped games or playables under your belt
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Feb 21, 2024 06:00
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Lieutenant Dan posted:I'm 99% sure you're joking but on the off-chance you're not, a degree in history isn't going to be super helpful in being a game designer in any game design role, unless you've actually got some shipped games or playables under your belt Probably a ropekid reference.
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Feb 21, 2024 06:54
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knox_harrington posted:I can't answer your actual question but I can answer questions about getting into industry. What job are you targeting? Nothing specific. I'm kind of at a loss because I've been targeting medical science liaison jobs because it seems to be the most logical step but I presume I fail because I lack networking. I've been told I can break into clinical pharmacology with a PharmD degree but my work experience is more end-user related, not as much research and clinical pharmacology. I am a quick learner and have delved into some reading on the side, but nothing specific as I lack direction.
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Feb 21, 2024 18:21
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Need some Tech Career guidance. I've been working at Cloud MSP for nearly five years now. Started off as a contractor made my way up to Senior Solutions Architect. I enjoy the job, fully remote, great team, great pay. Recently we've gone through a reorg wherein a lot of positions were eliminated, including my boss' position, but they also opened up a few Lead positions in different disciplines including ones that I am fully qualified for. There don't seem to be any other higher technical positions at this org so I'm effectively near the top of my pay scale without much room to advance. So I can either apply for the Lead position or stay where I'm at maybe scrounge another few thousand before I max out this pay band. The Lead positions they opened up have a lower salary band than my current position. I make a little over 200k, the Lead position tops out at about 190k. I've asked if I'd have to take a pay cut or a promotion with no money. TBD. The Lead position seems to be still quite heavily technical and would also demand I have 5-7 direct reports. I have 0 direct reports now despite leading a small team of engineers. HR's reasoning is that this Lead position is a "transitional" management position and not a technical position, which sort of tracks with what I'm seeing online. However, everything I know about the company and our clients is that I will most likely need to keep up my technical chops while also managing a small team. Does that sound like typical HR cost cutting bullshit or is this actually legit? Now, I know most people will say this puts me on a management track which I'm not super keen on, to be honest. I actually enjoy being in the technical weeds and building and figuring things out. I don't mind working in/ leading a team I've just heard way too many techies say they wish they never got into management and just stayed a simple codemonkey. I've decided that I am going to be a team player and apply for the lead and do my best, because my Director explicitly stated that they had me in mind for one of the Lead positions. However, I am going to reserve the right to turn it down if it sounds like too much management and there's no extra pay. I think I'd be able to scrounge a couple grand out of them if they do offer it to me but we'll see. My basic questions are as follows: 1) Does this position as described really sound like a typical Lead technical position or is it just HR categorizing it as management for cost savings despite being heavily technical? Is this "transitory management" position common in tech? 2) Am I screwing myself out of more top end pay by chasing the management track? 3) If I accept this Lead role am I effectively setting myself up to get no more pay increases since I will be making above the top of the Lead pay band? 4) I also worry, not unreasonably I think , that pursuing a management track very often leaves little time for technical skills so I don't want to paint myself into corner where my technical skills have atrophied and I now only have marketable skills in management. This is kind of what happened to my boss who does no technical work.
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Feb 27, 2024 22:46
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5-7 reports is not a transition into management, that's FT management. Managing those people will probably encompass much/most of your time. 1. So while this seems like mostly a cost cutting thing, it also isn't super uncommon. But yes, it's a management track job. 2. Probably not? Sounds like your topped out here. 3. At Lead yes, but presumably this role would transition into Manager. 4. Yes, becoming a manager almost certainly means less technical growth. You can still keep your chops to an extent but there's only so many hours in the day. I am not sure why you're considering this if: A) You don't want to be a manager B) This makes your pay band problem worse C) You want to stay technical Am I missing something? Are you just trying to keep a path forward? If so the right answer is talking to the senior leadership about creating the next roles for you or looking elsewhere that offers that.
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Feb 28, 2024 00:19
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Lockback posted:5-7 reports is not a transition into management, that's FT management. Managing those people will probably encompass much/most of your time. 1. Ok, glad I'm not going insane. 2. Right, in my current job/payband I can squeeze another 7k. In the Lead role 0. 3. Here's the problem. The only position above Lead is Director, of which they are currently hiring, and there is only one. Much higher pay sure, but whoever gets that job now probably won't be moving for years. 4. Yup, pretty much what I've seen with my own two eyes. Yeah, after typing all that out I'm not sure why I'm considering it either because of the reasons you stated. I'm tight with my Director so I feel like it would be a bad move to stick my nose up at the position without even trying. If they do offer it I'll illustrate my concerns and see If they want me bad enough to offer me a 5-10% bump. Unlikely but not out of the realm of possibility. Ultimately I've decided to give it an honest try then play hard to get if they do offer me the position.
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Feb 28, 2024 02:00
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drhankmccoyphd posted:1. Ok, glad I'm not going insane. Idgi , that was totally not the conclusion I was tracking - have you expressed any of these concerns directly to your director, even just generically in terms of your desired career growth? If so, are they still trying to push the Lead role?
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Feb 28, 2024 02:08
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Crazyweasel posted:Idgi , that was totally not the conclusion I was tracking - have you expressed any of these concerns directly to your director, even just generically in terms of your desired career growth? If so, are they still trying to push the Lead role? I have raised those concerns with my Edit: to be clear the lead role is the ONLY option I have for career growth in the current org structure. drhankmccoyphd fucked around with this message at 14:50 on Feb 28, 2024 |
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Feb 28, 2024 03:20
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Might get a promotion this year and there’s an off chance I get the double promotion this year. I’ll believe it when/if it actually happens but it’s p cool that my manager is discussing it.
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Feb 28, 2024 03:33
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DTaeKim posted:Nothing specific. I'm kind of at a loss because I've been targeting medical science liaison jobs because it seems to be the most logical step but I presume I fail because I lack networking. Sorry for the delay getting back. So. You really need to work out what specific niche you want to work in. The pharma industry is huge and broad and has lots of specialisation that does not transfer directly to other specialties. If it's medical affairs / MSL you want to do then fine but you should consider that as the industry you're looking at. My impression is that you don't have enough relevant experience to get through the initial screen. To work effectively as a MSL you need to be able to discuss the therapy you're working on with physicians who are key opinion leaders, and that means having very good therapeutic area experience (in a medical way rather pharmacy way) and facility with all the research context for competing therapies. A PharmD is a good start but you need to have some way to demonstrate how you will do the above and what value you will bring. I would not really think clinical pharmacology is a natural fit, they are really stats heavy rather than pharmacy, I may be wrong though. My own work is in clinical development, so designing and running clinical trials. We get lots of PharmDs coming in to clinical science, but you need to bring something to the table in one or more of: deep therapeutic area experience (eg, heme-onc), therapy experience (eg, cell therapy), clinical research experience, pharma industry experience. A straight PharmD doesn't cut it. I'm not a pharmacist I'm a medical scientist, but what qualified my entry to industry in clinical science was many years of clinical research experience in heme-onc / HSCT and gene therapy, to get a junior clinical scientist position. I'm not sure what point you're at in your career but a PharmD fellowship is an excellent way to get into an industry job. (I actually don't really like hiring PharmD fellows because their expectations are high compared to their experience, but it is a good route for the individual). Failing that you could look at getting research experience at a hospital (and hospital inpatient pharmacy experience is a different league from retail).
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Feb 28, 2024 12:36
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knox_harrington posted:Sorry for the delay getting back. I've actually been working as an oncology specialty pharmacist for 13 years with involvement in running clinical trials, mostly on execution and the pharmacy side. I think I'm falling short because of the lack of networking and the fact I'm working for a less prestigious hospital system in a major city (I had one interviewer tell me that if I had worked at one of the research hospitals in the city as opposed to a suburban one, I'd be a better candidate).
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Mar 6, 2024 00:00
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Given that feedback your next move seems fairly clear to someone outside the industry. )Lateral to go work at a prestigious research institution for a bit?
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Mar 6, 2024 15:21
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DTaeKim posted:I've actually been working as an oncology specialty pharmacist for 13 years with involvement in running clinical trials, mostly on execution and the pharmacy side. I think I'm falling short because of the lack of networking and the fact I'm working for a less prestigious hospital system in a major city (I had one interviewer tell me that if I had worked at one of the research hospitals in the city as opposed to a suburban one, I'd be a better candidate). I think they are right, you would be a better candidate. The trick is that making the step from the clinic to industry is always going to be hard, and employers will always treat you like you're an unknown quantity - and they are right. Your existing experience is related but it is not the same as industry experience. It is annoying but you need someone to take a chance that you will transfer well. Things you can do: if you have specific experience with niche therapies then target companies investing in those therapies. It is beneficial to target smaller companies that specialise in that type of therapy as you can be a real benefit to them. Get lots of applications out to increase the chance of a bite. Additionally, get yourself to conferences and tap up people that can get you an interview. If you want to get into clinical development I would head for poster sessions and speak to the presenters there, they will most likely be clinical team. Again target whatever niche interest you have. Don't bother with the booths, they'll be commercial types and not of use to you.
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Mar 6, 2024 16:58
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Thanks for the input and insight. I thought about the lateral move, but doing so would significantly increase my work commute (25 minutes to 75 minutes) and lower my pay by 10 percent, which doesn't seem to be worth it. I'm currently pursuing another certification (board certified in oncology) and then plan on networking at professional meetings afterwards.
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Mar 7, 2024 14:39
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I have a dilemma I could use some feedback on. I'm in my mid-30s and I stepped away from a very successful Marketing career, specifically onboarding, managing etc action sports athletes. One was a wearable camera company that I was fortunate enough to IPO with and cash out before the awesome fail, and the second is a household action sports 16oz of poison. I stepped away because of two reasons, one was having a problem peddling poison. Naturally. The other was for the last 6 years the role had me flying from LAX to Frankfurt and off to wherever-the-gently caress-the-event-is. HR did the math and over my 6 years of employment I was traveling 70% of the time or every 2 weeks for 6 days on average. Pretty rad for awhile, then you're 35 and need to kinda slow down cause that is not a sustainable lifestyle. The perks, and the fact that my job was to abuse the corporate card was great for awhile. At both companies I've watched the classic rat race politics of fuckery and misery. I am well liked but getting sucked into it at GoPro made me realize what was starting again.. -- I am single, I'm very outgoing (but hate sales, am amazing in negotiations), I am not tied down to any single location, and because of the successes in my career I have a very healthy savings to be able to even do this. I know I will have to go back to school of some type which I am actually pretty excited for. What I am currently looking into: - Flight Dispatcher (my father is a pilot) - Something in ATC if it's not too late - ROV Pilot/tech - Emergency Linemen - Renewable Energy / EPA I know that I can make a career change successful eventually, but insights into the above or similar opportunities or industries would be great
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Mar 11, 2024 19:55
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I can only comment on being a lineman. You can basically start today as a groundsmen and try to work through the apprenticeship or you can try to go to lineman school. There is a lot of work so you might be able to get into the apprenticeship with the local IBEW. At the end you can stay somewhat local with a utility (harder job to get though) or travel as much, if not more than your old job only your per diem will be way less and you will typically be in bumfuck wherever. It is an extremely demanding job and there is significant danger in it. You do need some smarts to pass all the tests. It can be a very good career although I typically wouldn't recommend it as a mid 30s pivot unless you were a factory worker or something like that.
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Mar 11, 2024 20:25
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Exactly what I was wanting insight on. Thank you.
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Mar 11, 2024 23:00
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Why not a sales/marketing/strategy role that doesn't involve so much travel?
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Mar 12, 2024 03:47
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Lockback posted:Why not a sales/marketing/strategy role that doesn't involve so much travel? I am at a Sr. Manager/Director rung in the race and I'd either resign myself to never moving or being worked into the corporate gears to where I'm managing others.
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Mar 12, 2024 04:12
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Starting over as a lineman seems a helluva reaction to that. Carving out a well paid niche where you just don't try to move up anymore or working somewhere small where you'd wear lots of hats seems like an easier, healthier, and long term more lucrative than trying to start over as a hands on yeah or air traffic controller.
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Mar 12, 2024 04:45
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I want the money, I am brainstorming how to get the money
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Mar 12, 2024 04:54
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96 spacejam posted:I am at a Sr. Manager/Director rung in the race and I'd either resign myself to never moving or being worked into the corporate gears to where I'm managing others. There's a lot of senior manager or director jobs that rarely travel and work about 40 hours per week. However, it sounds like you kind of enjoy the action and chaos. Any truth to that?
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Mar 12, 2024 22:29
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I graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemistry a few months ago and have been banging my head against the wall ever since. My issue is that my degree/experience is in subfield A and the vast majority of the jobs I can find are in subfields B, C, and D. I have gotten plenty of rejections along the lines of "impressed by enthusiasm/skills/etc, but decided to go with someone a bit more specialized." As far as I know, the only other places that do the same type of chemistry that my experience is in is academia (pass) and one subsection of NOAA (guess who all of my advisor's main collaborators are). I'm open to doing just about anything chemistry-related, but convincing a company to hire me instead of the specialized folks isn't going so great.
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Mar 14, 2024 18:43
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Do you have the option of doing a postdoc to try to broaden your experience and network?
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Mar 14, 2024 19:04
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Theoretically yes, but A) I'd prefer to not have to take a temp position and do this whole process (and move) again next year B) I think postdocs are a tremendous racket and rather not sign up for it
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Mar 14, 2024 19:44
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