Elaine Goode, management and IT consultant
What type of assignments or tasks does does your job entail?
I work on a variety of projects such as helping clients with information security risk assessments,
developing IT strategies, and business change analysis.
What skills from your physics training do you use on a regular basis?
Skills, I use daily include problem solving, learning new things quickly,
knowledge of IT systems, and finding simple ways to explain complex problems.
My job is challenging, intellectually stimulating,
and I am constantly learning and understanding new things.
This covers many of the aspects I enjoyed about working in science.
I don't have to write code anymore, but I consider this to be a good thing.
I sometimes miss solving maths problems though.
Is a bachelor's degree sufficient?
Yes, my employer will consider candidates with a bachelors degree
if they have done well in their degree and have demonstrated an interest in IT.
Is having a Ph.D advantageous?
Yes, my employer values a strong academic background
and ideally looks for graduates to have a Ph.D. in a science subject.
Other employers will be less fussy about candidates having a Ph.D.
The experiences I had during my Ph.D also gave me something to talk about in my interviews.
The extra few years of independent study and working full time in a research environment
gave me more examples to draw on when I was answering interview questions.
This alone is not a good reason to do a Ph.D,
but it would be wrong to say that the Ph.D didn't help me out in interviews.
A word of warning though, in every interview I went to, I was asked why I was leaving academia.
You need a good, ideally positive, answer to this question.
Did you go through a headhunter, classified ads, word of mouth?
I used a recruitment agency to help me find my job.
They spoke to me on the phone to find out what I was interested in, what I thought I was good at,
and what I knew I didn't want to do, then lined me up to interview.
Did you apply to 100 places or 10?
I had unsuccessfully applied for four or five jobs before I found the recruitment agency.
The agency then set me up with interviews for two companies - I was offered both jobs.
Did you apply to a wide range of jobs or just consulting jobs?
I applied for a range of jobs - I wasn't looking to go into consultancy per se,
I knew I wanted to work in a slightly technical environment
where my problem solving skills would be valued,
and I didn't want to become a software writer.
It was the agency's idea that I should conisder consultancy.
