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Ask HN: Looking for Specific Career Advice?

2 points by encima 11 years ago · 1 comment · 2 min read


So, I am not in the job market having just started a job with a new startup after completing my PhD in Wireless Sensor Networks from Cardiff University.

However, I am a 25 year old computer scientist with a love of sensors, tracking, quantified self and the like. However, I have worked in both academia and industry but never seem to stick a job out for more than 6 months at a time (aside from the PhD). I seem to get bored/complacent easily and my mind makes me want to move on. Until recently, I blamed this on the jobs (poor dev team, no freedom for research, not adaptive, not learning etc), but someone made the obvious point, 'it is probably you' a couple weeks back and now I am curious.

I am just doing the corrections for my thesis and I plan to continue work with this London startup for as long as my brain allows but I thought you guys would know where one could go to hash out all the things they look for and have someone tell them an area/company/country etc. General career peeps do not cut it.

The PhD was awesome in that it allowed learning, development, teaching, flexibility but never a time to be lazy. But academia is not a stable career choice, with short contracts and the like.

I apologise that this seems like a brain dump but I was hoping some people here could help?

Thanks!

JSeymourATL 11 years ago

> computer scientist with a love of sensors, tracking, quantified self and the like.

Have you considered a career path in project consulting? You might imagine that there are senior execs working in all of the areas you mentioned-- that could use your help with short-term projects lasting 3-to-12 months. The duration and variety might appeal to your particular strengths and personality.

The challenge for you now is finding agreeable clients, with interesting challenges, who will pay your fee. On this subject, Alan Weiss is masterful > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/142757.How_to_Acquire_Cli...

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