Hi all! I am unexpectedly looking for another medical writing role and I'd love some advice from experienced MWs.
Brief background: I started in preclinical medical writing as part of a CRO after my B.S. degree. I wrote study reports, SOPs, protocols, and helped draft INDs etc. across numerous TAs for about three years. Liked it, didn't love it, went back to school for my PhD (neuro). Last year I landed a MW position at a medical device company in cardiology, and I have absolutely loved being an in-house writer. I've been kind of a do-it-all writer, in that while I'm technically in Med Affairs I'm also doing all of our regulatory reports. Great team, great work/life, love it.
Now: my company has just announced they're moving the BU over to California. They offered me relocation, but honestly the pay increase was laughable and the transition would essentially be a 15-20% pay cut given the cost of living near HQ. Plus, everyone else on my team is remote, so there's really no benefit to me being on site just to take zoom calls there instead of in my office. Right now I'm hybrid, but I love the area and it's more affordable. I've declined the relocation offer.
I have about ~7 months of runway before I'm officially no longer being paid, so I want to be intentional about my next move. I already know I don't want back into the CRO game, and while I know it's more difficult to land the in-house positions, that's where I want to be.
My real question is: should I be trying to stay in cardiology/medical device, or is it time to go back to neuro? Do people find it better to get experience in a wide spread of TAs, or better to specialize early and hard? The job market is rough, no doubt, but with only so much time in a day to apply I'd like to make a smart move for the rest of my career. I'd appreciate any and all insight from those with some experience, especially in Medical Affairs.