Layoff Prompts A Career Role Decision

I really enjoy your column and I am hoping you might provide some suggestions in my career direction.

I am a 45-year-old hardware-focused EE (BS/MS) who over the last seven years has worked as technical marketing engineer and for four years prior I was a digital system consultant (application engineer pre/post sales) for digital test equipment. Prior to that, I spent 11 years in PCB/FPGA design.

My company went through some downsizing the past year and I am currently looking for work. I am trying to decide whether to continue pursuing a career in the customer support field with an application engineering role or move back into design and specialize in PCB signal integrity.

My concerns are having transferable skills that are marketable for the future.

In an application engineering role I have good general hardware/software design skills but often not much opportunity for technical depth. The high speed PCB signal integrity role provides the opportunity for to get the technical depth which I am hoping will make me more marketable in the future.

The other avenue I have tossed around is trying to find an application engineering role while going back to school for a CS degree. In searching for the online tech jobs there are many more software-focused jobs than hardware-focused.

Any suggestions to help me sort out a career direction would be greatly appreciated!

Steve

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Steve,

Thank you for your question and for the compliment. It is difficult to get into detail in this type of forum about your particular situation however I can offer you some suggestions.

I often hear of this type of situation as the technology industry is ever changing so one must be "flexible and adaptable" to the current technological and marketplace climate.

First, write your skills inventory and to what technology based and non-technology based skills you offer to the marketplace. Do a complete "memory dump" of your skills. Taking nothing for granted. What may be a not important skill to you may be quite valuable to your future employer.

Second, review the popular job boards to find out what the marketplace seeking at this time. Is it more marketing-based technology positions or more technically-based positions that are in demand? Third, prepare more than one type of resume. For example create one with more emphasis on technology marketing and another resume with more of a technology-based slant.

It is clear that you have quite a bit of experience and there is always demand for good people. The challenge is to "package" yourself in a manner this is appealing to the marketplace as to what is in demand in the current time.

I wish you much success with your search.

Regards,

Rusty

Oreste "Rusty" D'Aversa has over 20 years experience in the technology industry. In his current role as owner of Metropolitan Executive Search and Outplacement Services (MESOS) he is an Executive Recruiter, Outplacement/Career Consultant, Job Search Coach, former Human Resources and Hiring Manager and Author of The Resume Writing Kit and SELL More Technology NOW! His e-mail address is rusty@mesos.biz.

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