Yes it’s another Friday introspective look at me me me me what should I do with my life thread!

I’d like some singletrack massive career advice.

Short version:
Just finished PhD corrections after some cockups and rough patches. Also just finishing first part of city and guilds electrical insulation evening course after nearly doing it when I finished university. Should I try and get a job doing programming type stuff / technical or go with the electrics/green energy solutions? I have experience laboring on-site so do know a little about the building trade.

Long version:
Last year I submitted my PhD in applied mathematics (fluid dynamics). I had not wanted to submit as I did not feel the thesis was any good but had to as my three year + one year write up period were over and my supervisor was pregnant. The last two years of my PhD had been pretty rough as I was very unhappy both in where I was living and my working arrangement (alone in room). This severally effected my work and hence why I felt my work should not be submitted. After some considerable time that kept on being extended due to clerical errors I eventually had my viva which as I expected I fell apart in resulting in major corrections. The money I had saved from my PhD payments had runout so I worked in a bike shop part time for 6 months while doing these corrections then when my partner got a job in Hong Kong I reluctantly moved back to my parents to finish off my corrections. During this time I also found a critical error in some of my work meaning more PhD work so corrections took longer than I expected. I finished off writing up earlier this month and am now polishing the turd so to speak. So I am back job hunting.

When I moved into my parents house I also enrolled in a City and guilds electrical installation course evening course as I nearly did the electrical course when I finished university. Thoughout my time at university I worked as a labourer and have worked with my dad on building jobs all my life on and off. I’ve enjoined the course and done well on both the technical side and the practical side. I love doing things with my hands and have always enjoied physical work which is what applied to me about electrical installation, a mixture of physical and mental work.

During this entire period I have become very disillusioned with academia due to the virtually non-existent support I feel I have received. I also am aware that due to this situation the chances of me gaining a post doc are virtually non-existent. I’ve sacrificed a lot, forgoing the chance to travel e.t.c. and I am now 30 years old and feel like I am having to start from scratch again. I’ve worked for a government scientific agency before and for JPMorgan albeit in a pretty shit role. Working at JPMorgan convinced me that I have no place in the corporate world, the level of bullshit was through the roof. Besides I am a technical guy who likes fixing and making things. I’m a tinkerer. I’ve been looking at programming jobs as I did a large amount of FORTAN programming and fair amount of BASH scripting during my PhD dealing with HPC and have done MATLAB in previous role and have played with C++ and python recently as well as the usual playing setting up servers e.t.c.

So I feel like I’ve got two possible work routes to take. On the technical side he problem is that I can’t stand to go back to living in London but I also hate the idea of following jobs around the country every year or two. My years of work experience pre PhD seem to be ignored by recruiters. I don’t think I’m been overly ambitious either as I’m only look for low to mid £20sK for this type of job technical. (I’d except less starting out on the electrical side). On the electrical side I might have the chance for some work experience with a (green technology) electrician coming up with a bit of luck but after that I’m not sure what to do. I don’t know if I’m suffering from grass in greener syndrome or if I’m just burnt out. I’m very keen to be self employed / small business in some form too with in a relatively short period of time. i.e a couple of years not the decade or so it would take to become a freelace whatever programmer. I’m worried on the other hand that if I go down the electrical route I am throwing away the possibility of ever getting back into the technical side things again should my circumstances change. What would the singletrackmassive do?

CFD?

Of course you could go into teaching.

I aint doing this fully on here but my mail is in profile I am a careers adviser mail me and i can sort some stuff out for you to read and sort you out with an [FREE] appointment locally with someone to discuss all this

CFD?

I’ve looking into that but they all seem to want knowledge of package xyz where as I have just been doing hard coding from first principles. Seem impossible to get into.

Of course you could go into teaching.

I don’t like children (as in other peoples teenagers), my partner is a teacher so I have an idea of what they are like and know what they can be like! I did always enjoy the odd seminar I got to take though.

Thanks Junkyard. email winging it’s way now!

Thanks Junkyard. email winging it’s way now!

don’t do it! The only job he offered me was blow!!

I think there are jobs out there in the sort of technical area that you seem to have. How hard have you looked? Are you willing to move? I’m in Cambridge and there are always people looking for Phd type’s.
Have a look here:

Cambridge Network

Good luck.

Thanks I am up for moving just not keen on moving every year or two for a different job. Looks like there is a lot going on around Cambridge.