Change of Career

All,

Some advice required please.

I am currently working in a job that pays good money, has good benefits and work colleagues are also good.
My problem is I am bored of the actual job, and I want out.

Next problem is where to go? Current job is in engineering, but I would like to move into the business end of things, whether that be management, sales, marketing etc.

Has anyone got experience of taking such a move, and if so how did you go about it?

I know this may sound a bit vague, but any advice at all would be appreciated.

First sales:
Have you many contacts in other companies that could be useful in a sales role? How customer focused are you at the moment? The biggest asset that a salesperson has is their contacts.
In a technical sales area it is essential that the salesperson knows what they are talking about, otherwise a prospective customer will not take them seriously.
If the answers to the questions above are yes and you are good at it and enjoy it you should have no problem getting into sales. Do remember that many customers treat sales people as the lowest form of life and there really is nowhere to hide when things are not going well. If you don’t like talking to people and feel uncomfortable around strangers then it’s not the job for you.

Management:
Are there any management opportunities with your current employer? Have you any project or personnel management experience? If you like your current employer and work colleagues then why not look at that option first?
Just a in sales if you are a manager in technical environment then you need to know what you are talking about so building on your existing skills is a good way to go.

I just hired a mechanical engineer in a customer-facing role that offers additional technical back up to the sales team. You could loom for this sort of role as a halfway step between your current role and a sales role.

As to how to get into the area you would like; apply for a few jobs.

How about applying for a job as a traffic warden?

sdelaney said:

Irrelevant - but did you see the job ad in the evening herald 12.04.07 for Luas Tram Drivers 35k+ PA incl bonus and benefits - for driving a tram!

Click to expand...

What's your point? What do you think is fair remuneration for doing such a job involving responsibility for the safe transport of thousands of people each week if it's not €35K + benefits?