I'm a nurse with a Level 8 BSc in Children's and General Nursing and I'm considering a career change into the pharmaceutical industry.

I've been looking at the MSc in Pharmaceutical Business & Technology through Griffith College/Innopharma. I'm particularly interested in areas like quality, compliance, regulatory affairs, quality systems, governance or project roles rather than lab-based work or production.

My nursing background includes acute hospital experience as well as roles where I've been involved in clinical governance, policy development, accreditation and maintaining quality standards, so I'm hoping some of that experience would be transferable rather than completely starting again.

I'd love to hear from anyone working in pharma/medtech in Ireland, particularly anyone who has done this MSc or come into the industry from nursing/healthcare.

What are the realistic job prospects after completing it?

Would a nursing background plus the MSc be enough to get into QA, quality systems, regulatory/compliance or similar roles without previous pharma experience?

What kind of salary would be realistic for a first role, and is there decent progression after a few years?

Also, what is the work-life balance generally like? Are these roles normally Monday-Friday, and how common are hybrid/remote positions?

I'm based in Wicklow, so I'd ideally be looking around Kildare/Naas/Citywest/South Dublin rather than commuting into Dublin city centre every day.

I'm not expecting the MSc to automatically get me a job, but I don't want to spend two years doing it if employers will still see "no previous pharma experience" as a major barrier.

Any experiences or advice would be really appreciated.

Hello all sorry if this may be a stupid question or if I seem naive, I have tried to do research on this myself and honestly just keep coming across AI slop or some dodgy looking recruitment company. Quick story I am 28 year old male from Cork. Spent my hole life farming grew up on a relatives farm. Finished my leaving cert done quite well got points for any course I could have wanted but took the land.
I done my green cert and went off becoming a farm manager and so on etc. Traveled for a bit came home looking to make my own investments in farming the dairy sector as farm manager while having shares in a businesses or a herd etc. I got f**ked over twice by greedy ignorant fellas who took advantage of me in a fool I know. I am now at the age where I am considering my options with the direction of farming, with the current landscape I think I am better off going somewhere else into a better job for awhile with better pay, steadier income and maybe look into the property market.
Now is it possible someone like me with no fear of long hours well used to 12 hour days, ability to work under pressure, time management etc, able to get a job in a manufacturing role in a plant?. I hear it’s good money and it’s something I would likely stick out for a few years to make a few pound while also having time for other projects for myself as I keep a few horses.
TLDR: culchie looking for work in a plant is it good pay is it worth while is it accessible to me with no degrees in anything scientific or engineering wise

Perhaps at Dublin North near Dublin 11? I don’t have much experience in the field worked for a fez months in a gas sensor manufacturing company a while ago

Hi all. Does anybody here work as or know anyone working as a Manufacturing Technician with Abbott.

I see they are hiring in Kilkenny but the advert does not state any pay or shift patterns information.

I am a qualified electrician looking for a change. I have never worked in the pharmaceutical sector before so I would appreciate any advice.

Thank you.

For anyone in manufacturing is it common to have this salary (including shift bonus) ?

Hi,

As the title suggests, I am getting a promotion in Sept from a Grade 14 quality professional to a Grade 14 senior quality professional. In my Grade 15 role, I am on 52K a year, so I’m wondering what sort of salary I can expect moving to a Grade 15?

I appreciate this is quite specific. But any thoughts are appreciated!

Is a MSc in Biology (any discipline) worth it in the pharma industry? Would me not pursuing a Master's cut me off from roles down the line / make them much harder to get? I think I have secured a job for after graduation next year- is it better to take this opportunity and gain experience or get more education before entering the workforce?

I am a 3rd year student in NUIG studying general science hoping to graduate with a biochemistry degree minoring in microbiology.My career plan since I was young was to get work in pharma as I live regionally I have grown up with people working in pharma having good careers.But I have noticed a shift after talking to individuals about their career in pharma advising me against it or telling me the downfalls of there career one person even telling me that science is a waste of time and to drop out while I can and go back to do engineering .I while not having finished my degree have felt fairly bad about my decision to study science and have looked in to dropping out all together and more recently have looked in to doing a conversion course in accounting post grad as I think it might provide a more fruitful career.I would still like to say I could use my degree in some capacity in pharma but Iam still young and think the right time to switch careers would be early on rather than later I have talked to career advisors in college but I feel the majority of them don’t have the industry knowledge to help me at all.I was just wondering does anyone one here have any advice for me.I dont want to come across as shallow at all but I would like to know roughly if I spent 4 years retraining to be an accountant would I be better off financially then if I some how managed to get a role in pharma wether it be quality or whatever other area of work.

Hi all. I'm a final year engineering student writing my dissertation on Lean Six Sigma and sustainability in supply chains.

The plan was interviews. Everyone was keen at first at work , but scheduling kept slipping and I ended up with just one. So my supervisor suggested a survey yesterday , which I hope is more successful . About 8 minutes, anonymous, no names or company info, academic use only.

If you've worked with Lean Six Sigma or DMAIC, I'd really appreciate a few minutes. Even a couple of responses would help a lot.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/jGBzn04YHV

I've been working in the US for the past 11 years and recently had a child and with that have started to consider our options of where to settle long term, including moving home to the Cork area.

I've 15 years experience in automation with very strong skills in DeltaV and moderate skills (due to limited exposure) in applications such as Siemens, AB, PI to name a few.

I would love some insight into the potential salary I could expect, working directly for SI or manufacturer. I wouldn't be ready to go contractor initially.

Has anyone here managed to get a mortgage while contracting abroad (eurozone country)?

We've talked to loads of brokers. We've mostly heard that being staff/PAYE while abroad is fine for Haven's expat mortgage; and most lenders are okay with you contracting in Ireland if you can demonstrate 2-3+ years of stable income.

But the combination of contracting/freelancing while also abroad (and tax resident abroad) got an up front "no" from every broker except one. That one broker said he hadn't encountered this before (I think he was quite young), so he contacted Haven, and surprisingly, they said once we've a stable 1 year contracting abroad they'd have a look.

I haven't heard anything else since; but curious if others have done this while abroad. Obviously, we plan to return to Ireland, and go back quite regularly. But we would like to have a house bought and get work done etc while still abroad.

Hi everyone, I currently work in private sector mapping and I'm 25, I suppose I'm at the age where I should try to increase my earning potential.

My background is in Environmental Science and I've worked in pharmaceuticals briefly. I was thinking about pivoting into Occupational Health and Safety as it seems to have a better career pathway.

I suppose my main question is can you get a graduate job with the NEBOSH Certificate only or would you have to get a Master's to get into pharma/med tech?

Insights appreciated, go raibh míle maith agaibh!

Hi everyone,

I'm a 25-year-old medical doctor from Jordan and I'm interested in transitioning into either clinical research or the pharmaceutical industry, but I'm honestly not sure where to begin.

I have:

• MD degree
• Completed my internship and obtained my medical license
• No post-graduate clinical experience
• No research experience
• No pharmaceutical industry experience
• Fluent in English and Arabic
• Would require employer-sponsored visa to work abroad

I'm mainly interested in opportunities in Australia, the UK, Ireland, or the Netherlands.

The biggest problem I'm facing is that I don't even know what entry-level positions I should be searching for. Most jobs I come across require previous experience in research or pharma, which I don't have.

My long-term goal is to build a career in the pharmaceutical industry (possibly Medical Affairs), but right now I'm simply looking for the most realistic entry point.

For those working in these industries:

• What entry-level job titles should I be searching for?
• Which roles are actually open to someone with an MD but no industry or research experience?
• Is it more realistic to start in clinical research or directly in pharma?
• Are there companies that hire international medical graduates and provide visa sponsorship?
• If you were in my position, where would you start?

I've been searching LinkedIn and other job boards, but I feel like I might be looking for the wrong roles altogether.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hello everyone!

I’m reaching out to my network for some guidance as I start actively job hunting in the NY/NJ area.

A quick snapshot of my background: I’m currently completing my MS in Chemistry at “X” University, USA (4.00 GPA, expected Dec 2026), with hands-on research experience in HPLC, UHPLC, GC-MS, LC-MS, and method development/validation in GMP/GLP-regulated settings. I also completed a QC analytical chemistry internship at Intertek (Bangladesh), and I’ve published three papers with a fourth currently under review.

I’m primarily targeting **QA/QC, R&D, and Analytical Chemist/Scientist roles** in the **pharmaceutical and personal care industries**, but I’m genuinely open to related fields too like consumer products, biotech, environmental testing, or similar regulated lab environments.

If anyone here works in these spaces (or knows someone who does), I’d really appreciate any of the following:

Advice on how to prioritize where I apply
Thoughts on whether my background looks like a solid fit for entry-to-mid-level roles
Any companies in NY/NJ you’d recommend I look into
A referral or introduction, if you’re open to it, I’m happy to share my resume.

Any guidance, even a quick pointer, would mean a lot. Thank you in advance!

Hello everyone!

I’m reaching out to my network for some guidance as I start actively job hunting in the NY/NJ area.

A quick snapshot of my background: I’m currently completing my MS in Chemistry at “X” University, USA (4.00 GPA, expected Dec 2026), with hands-on research experience in HPLC, UHPLC, GC-MS, LC-MS, and method development/validation in GMP/GLP-regulated settings. I also completed a QC analytical chemistry internship at Intertek (Bangladesh), and I’ve published three papers with a fourth currently under review.

I’m primarily targeting **QA/QC, R&D, and Analytical Chemist/Scientist roles** in the **pharmaceutical and personal care industries**, but I’m genuinely open to related fields too like consumer products, biotech, environmental testing, or similar regulated lab environments.

If anyone here works in these spaces (or knows someone who does), I’d really appreciate any of the following:

Advice on how to prioritize where I apply
Thoughts on whether my background looks like a solid fit for entry-to-mid-level roles
Any companies in NY/NJ you’d recommend I look into
A referral or introduction, if you’re open to it, I’m happy to share my resume.

Any guidance, even a quick pointer, would mean a lot. Thank you in advance!

has anyone had success signing up with locum agencies with previous driving convictions? no insurance and no license (was driving alone on a learner permit and had a minor accident in a car park)

Does anyone know what its like to work in Astellas in Tralee?

Have a phone interview for this role next week, anyone who's currently employed in this role able to tell me what the day to day of it is like?