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Switching from Another Industry to Engineering/CS?

Posted by Cliff on from the jumping-tracks dept.

WomensHealth asks: "I am a physician, but contemplating a career change perhaps 5 to 10 years down the road. In addition to medicine, what I've always loved is computers and technology, and I think I have a pretty good appreciation for both. What tips could computer industry insiders offer to one who is willing to pursue an independent educational path towards a career in a Computer Science field? MIT's OpenCourseWare seems well put-together, though one can't get a degree using it. How can an old newcomer break into the industry?"

2 of 886 comments (clear)

  1. No sweat for you. by CowbertPrime · · Score: 5, Informative

    One popular way for MDs to break into the industry is to go to related fields where medical knowledge is being used in the context of IT, such as Medical Informatics. For example, at the Yale Center for Medical Informatics the majority of faculty and scientists hold MDs or are MD/Ph.Ds. You don't need to obtain a degree per se; as long as you can show that you know what-you-are-doing(tm). Do a post-doc at an informatics department. Talking to the IT people at your hospital can help. Start playing more with computer hardware and programming languages. Implement and deploy IT solutions that assist in your medical care. Your colleagues having trouble with their nifty new handhelds? Take a look at them over the weekend. Not happy with your new-fangled patient tracking system? Talk to the developer and analyze the database.

    There are tons and tons of existing resources available both in print and online that you can use to learn the stuff you need. An MD is already a terminal degree; unless you are looking for academic/faculty computer science positions, it is not entirely necessary to have to go to school for IT at this time.

    As far as the market is concerned, there is always interest in people who possess both a human-oriented and computer-oriented skillset; especially for places that are full of one-kind-but-not-the-other. (Like in a setting where everyone is a physician but they don't know IT, or a group of IT people who want someone who understands the biomed field).

  2. Re:Sure shot... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
    He's got a point... right now the industry is being outsourced left and right, and the job market is ridiculous. Most people (such as myself) are trying to get _OUT_ of the industry.

    Work for the federal government. The pay may not be as sexy as private industry was during the dot com boom, but I've had a steady job for 6 years now since I got out of college, good raises every year, flexible hours, relaxed work environment, etc. I can guarentee you the government isn't going to outsource it's IT to India. ;-)