Production operator in Abbott nearly 2 years. What roles should I be targeting next?
Hi all,
I’m looking for some career advice from people already working in medical device / pharma in Ireland.
I’m working in Abbott Kilkenny as an operator nearly 2 years. I’m on the 12 hour shift pattern of days/nights at the moment. The experience has been good overall and I find it a good entry point into this industry. The money is decent (€15.35 base + 33% shift rate which brings it to around €20.41 an hour), but I’m starting to realise the operator role itself can become very monotonous/repetitive long term.
I’m trying to think about what direction to go next in the industry, but honestly I don’t think I’d enjoy very paper work heavy or office based roles. I see some of the engineering/ quality side and a lot of it seems to involve meetings, trackers, documentation etc which doesn’t appeal to me.
The main internal progression routes where I am seem to be a Quality Technician or Manufacturing Technician.
There’s also a 2 year manufacturing technician Apprenticeship programme internally through Abbott. Internal roles are competitive though and most of them are shift based. I haven’t seen many people go from operator to a Quality technician, so I’m curious what pathways people here have taken after operator roles.
A few questions I have are
- What roles would you recommend targeting after operator experience?
- Are manufacturing technician roles worth pursuing long term?
- Are there other practical/ technical roles in the industry with less paperwork?
- Is it true that if you leave the pharma/medical device for a year or 2 that it can be difficult to get back in?
Sorry for the long post, would appreciate any help or insight from people working in the industry.
Background info - 29 years old, living at home currently. no qualifications related to medical device / pharma.