Sorry everyone for the belated reply. There was a lot to read and take in.
In general, I have been applying for jobs here and there, particularly based on dowie's comment below that I could pivot relatively easily. I'd have no problem learning a whole load of new techonlogy-related stuff as my brain is already wired that way from loving computers.
We'll see if anything comes to fruition. What I'd love is to be offered a pay rise that my current company just couldn't match so the logic would be more like, we can't even compete so we won't bother. Then I could leave with a clear conscience.
Oh jeez, that's solid enough... "middle management" might have just been managing a team of admin people or managing a help desk etc.. you're not just responsible for leading a team but you're the "owner" of a product... or a mini CEO as some product manager's with silly egos like to claim
But seriously there should be plenty of salaried product manager roles out there, you don't necessarily need to go contracting simply jumping ship to another perm/PAYE role might get you the boost in pay you're after.
And in that case, I'm not sure you need to focus too much on the technical skills in terms of "doing" those things but more just highlight that you've got a track record of delivering stuff on time and a general awareness/understanding of tech and the ability to manage/lead a team of technical people & own a particular product.
(Alternatively, if you were looking for a career change then an engineering degree is going to be generally well regarded, you could look at tech-related roles like software engineering, data analysis/data science or IT security... I mention those sorts of things because, unlike some areas where there are formal requirements/gatekeeping from professional bodies etc.. those sorts of tech roles can be relatively straightforward for smart people to self-learn and pivot into.)
Hah, thanks. I don't actually want to contract, I was just trying to think of ways to earn more money whilst retaining my job. Thank you for the advice about pivoting.
Dowie has nailed it in his post above. Every Product Manager role will have its nuance but at the core it sounds like you can easily demonstrate your care/love for the thing you are currently product owner for... already miles ahead of most product owners
SMA = Subject Matter Advisor. Glorified teacher. SMA's tend to be part time hence 1 day a week wouldn't sound so bonkers.
No dig at you regarding "make ends meet", it just makes it clear to your current employer that you are genuinely just after the cash - no other nebulous requirement. That makes it an easy problem for them to solve for you
Ah thanks. I'll have a look into SMEs.
That is an easy problem to solve, but one they just don't seem to want to enter into. I negotiated away my bonus for a permenant pay rise this year, which has worked in my favour, but the fact that I had to do it was irritating.
You could think about whether you could produce a viable "information product" that you could sell over the internet, e.g. a guide to becoming a MVHR installer or something. Or run an online course. It's a question of whether you have any expertise that you could package.
See:
https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/learn/online-courses/
The guy behind this had some sort of technical training product that he sold in his early days of being an entrepreneur.
I have no product to sell sadly. I've had not sudden lighting strike idea in the shower. I'll take a look at that link though, thank you.
I guess if there is an area that isn't well covered then a course of some sort isn't a bad shout for a side hustle - perhaps stuff relating to the domain itself, as you've suggested (MVHR etc..) or indeed maybe a guide to (engineering) product management - I presume (but don't know/haven't checked) that lots of product management content out there relates more to IT/software.
It is virtually all IT sadly.
Yes it is. I haven't really followed him for the last few years, but he was a smart guy and I expect he's done well.
To the OP:
- Can you make anything that would sell? E.g. can you make nice lighting pieces from driftwood and sell them to local shops?
- Do you have a skill that people would pay to attend a class on? Then try and run class at local community or sports centre. E.g. circuit training course, introduction to woodworking class.
No and I doubt it, unless they want excel training I suppose!
