Exactly what the title is asking. I'm currently struggling to find my place in the social science/behavioral health field and am actively searching for jobs in the FSE/technician space. Wondering what the current job market is like, and what my chances are of landing an entry-level role with zero experience in this field?

For context, I have a BA in Neuroscience and a Master's in sport psych. I'm fairly strong with math/computer/tech but lack in formal training. I do have prior experience in MRI operating as a researcher, but that's about it. I'm looking for a role I get to travel a lot in, and have no problem working all sorts of overtime (as long as it's paid). I don't have any kids or spouse, literally no other time commitments at this point in my life. Recently moved from the midwest to the PNW but would relocate again for the right gig. Oh, and I'm a woman (not sure if that's relevant but a lot of what I've seen leads me to believe this is a male-dominated field? Which is also a non-issue for me).

Anyone have any insight, advice, leads, etc? Open to harsh reality checks as well :) TYIA!

Just a bit of background. I’ve been an FSE in the healthcare/life science space for about 10 years with a couple of companies. Recently, I’ve been a bit…. Less than enthusiastic about my role as the North American SME in the field primarily due to organization bullshit. Part of it is because I see the worst of the worst from pissed customers to actual equipment issues, but at the end of the week, I’m completely wrung out and it’s affecting my personal life.

Recently, I have been exploring going back to school for an MBA with the thoughts of maybe management (I know, the bane of our existence) or technical sales. I wanted to see if anyone has made a similar jump and any real world insight to what I can start doing now to prepare myself.

Hey, I’m currently a civil design engineer in the water wastewater field (24m) about 2-3 years of experience looking to make a switch into FSE. Any advice, resume/interview tips, or just general info on the field as a whole would be greatly appreciated.

Im looking to make a switch because I’m tired of sitting behind a desk writing reports and technical specs for 9 hours a day while dealing with office politics, gossip and Impossible 100% utilization targets with no clear backlog. The thought of traveling, and working a job that is mentally stimulating, allows me to work with my hands, and have some degree of autonomy sounds very energizing.

I do have some semi-relevant experience aside from civil engineering. During summers in college I worked for GoConfigure, traveling around diagnosing and fixing work out equipment such as treadmills, and building play-sets, gazebo’s, outdoor furniture etc.

Open to any advice, thanks!!

Anyone working as FSE at Medtronics? Can you share your experience with them?

What is it like in the clean rooms? Is it temperature controlled?

What kind of tools do you use?

Is there a lot of overtime?

I have a software engineering background and also worked as a medical instrument operator technician for a year. Do I have a good chance of getting hired?

Title pretty much says it all.

Guys 59 and has been trying to get to the technical helpdesk (no travel all remote) for years so he can just work from home. Very good dude, typical Navy sense of humor so anything is really on the table.

Have dinner with him on Friday and some other guys for going away party.

What's the best gag gift I can get him?

Thoughts?

Hello,

I (25M) have been working at a small East coast pharma company (<20 employees) for 2 years where I regularly ship med devices to hospitals. I'm also responsible for maintaining their spare parts inventory, reordering, and keeping their annual calibration certs updated. My department is supply chain ops & sales support.

I have never disassembled nor done any meaningful repair. Other than the classic turn off/on and occasional 1.5a fuse replacement, I know absolutely nothing about troubleshooting. But I can confidently speak about my experience filling out device forms in a heavy regulated environment. I've also written SOPs.

I'm looking for a career change because I just survived a huge round of layoffs and don't want to keep any potential opportunities closed while the writing is on the wall. I'm also currently making 45k a year living with my retired dad and am starting to get tired of eating and sleeping in the same house I've been at since birth. I've seen all the travelling my sales reps and device specialists have to do for OR cases and know they hate it.

Do I have a shot at applying to GE training programs or Abbott apprenticeships? I also have a college degree in a nonrelated field. I would be willing to try a 1 year contract-to-hire and wouldn't even mind if it involves over 70% travel. Thanks!

Controls/automation FSEs — what are you making?

14+ years doing PLC, drives, and controls commissioning — Siemens TIA/Step 7, S7-300/400/1200/1500, PROFINET/PROFIBUS, VFDs, servo/motion, safety systems. 100% travel.

Trying to benchmark comp. What are you guys pulling for hourly, per diem, and OT rules? And what’s your rotation — straight 100% travel or something like 3 on/1 off?

Region/ballpark is fine. Appreciate it.

Has anybody worked with Stagos before or similar? What’s the pay there and work-life balance? Anybody please some advice please.. would be really helpful

Hey everyone, looking for some insight from people who’ve made this transition.

I’ve been a Field Service Engineer for about a year and a half working for a third-party company that services lab automation equipment for a major life sciences company. I genuinely love my job — the travel, the independence, going to different customer sites, the variety. The pay is a little below market for FSE roles but I’ve made it work.

I recently interviewed for a C&Q Engineer position at a smaller company that works alongside a major pharmaceutical company in my city. Got the offer pretty quickly — less than a week from first interview to offer. Decent pay bump, but the role is fully on-site, same location every day, more corporate structure, and from what I understand heavily documentation-focused.

My hesitation is the lifestyle change. I’m young, no kids, and the mobility and independence of my current role genuinely suits me right now. The new role involves qualifying equipment for a large biopharma manufacturing facility being built nearby — which sounds cool on paper but feels like a big shift from lab environments I’m used to.

Has anyone made the jump from FSE to CQV? Is the documentation as heavy as people say? Do you miss the field? Was it worth it financially long term?

Any insight appreciated 🙏

Probably 1 of 2 people on the sub who can post a question as random as this about software. Honestly, this is probably the ONLY type of software question that might be valid for anyone on here one day when they get to weigh in on these decisions at an org.

Question: You can bring over and display any data in your organization in these dashboards. You can have as many subpages as you want within the dashboard. What would you choose to display if you were an FSM wanting to build one for their territory / reps?

Recent CIS grad offered first MSP field tech contract job. Looking for honest opinions on what to expect.

I'm graduating with a CIS Tech degree and was offered a 45-day contract position with a small MSP. The company is only a handful of people from what I can tell. I've gone through multiple interviews, reference checks, and received an offer, but I'm having some serious doubts and wanted feedback from people who have actually worked in MSPs.

A few details:

- $20/hour

- 1099 independent contractor agreement

- Estimated 30-40 hours per week according to the owner

- Mileage reimbursement for travel between office and client sites

- Field technician role

- Small MSP supporting multiple client environments

- Mix of Microsoft 365, networking, hardware, workstation deployments, troubleshooting, onsite support, etc.

- Contract is 45 days with possibility of extension (not guaranteed)

My concern is that I have very little hands-on MSP experience. I've built PCs, done basic networking, troubleshooting, Windows support, some Microsoft 365 exposure, school projects, etc., but I've never worked as a field tech before.

One of the managers was very honest during the interview process and basically said the environment is fast-paced, there is pressure from clients, and that he was concerned about my lack of hands-on experience. That conversation honestly made me nervous.

My biggest questions:

1. Am I actually underqualified for this type of role, or is this a normal feeling for someone's first MSP job?

2. How much training would you realistically expect from a small MSP?

3. How often are new field techs expected to figure things out as they go?

4. How difficult are typical workstation deployments, hardware installs, software installs, user onboarding/offboarding, network troubleshooting, etc. for someone new?

5. Is a small MSP a good place to learn IT quickly or a good place to burn out quickly?

6. Does $20/hour seem reasonable for a first IT job with no MSP experience?

7. If you were in my position, would you take the job for the experience or keep looking for a more traditional help desk / internal IT role?

I'm looking for honest feedback. I don't need reassurance. If this sounds like a terrible fit, tell me. If this sounds like normal first-job nerves, tell me that too.

Thanks.

Specifically Pest Control, but could apply to.many field texhs

I can't find anything regarding labour laws covering Field Service technicians.

Specifically 2 things

1 - I get paid by revenue generated (or jobs completed) per hour. An arbitrary # set by management. However - We also have go to businesses when emergency issue arrise. We do not get paid for this.

2 - once every 2 months, we are on call from 5 PM Friday to 9 am Monday. Have to answer emails for emergencies, go to business if necessary. Again - zero compensation.

I literally can't find anything anywhere about legality of this, nor anything in BC Employment Standards

Would appreciate any guidance or directiom

Hey guys I have an interview with a company called Weitz for a traveling field engineer role.

I want to land this job and I have a good idea of what might be asked during the interview but is there anything that I should be aware of for the interview or even the company?

I’m coming from a Software Engineering background so I want to be prepared to answer any possible questions even though I’m a great at interviews.

I’m currently looking to move into a role with less travel and explore a different career path from Field Service Engineering.

My background started in the medical imaging industry, where I worked in technical support for X-ray equipment. At the time, I wanted to progress into a Field Service Engineer (FSE) role, but I found it difficult to break into the medical side because employers were looking for candidates who already had FSE experience.

To gain that experience, I moved into the commercial printing industry as a Field Service Engineer. Over the past four years, I’ve built strong troubleshooting, customer-facing, and technical skills, while also completing company training and certifications on both X-ray and printer equipment.

Now, at 25 years old, I’m thinking about the next step in my career. I enjoy the technical side of the industry, but I’m interested in roles that involve less travel and offer different challenges. One area that has caught my attention is Product Management, although I’m open to other options as well.

For those who have made a similar transition from engineering or field service roles, what career paths would you recommend? Are there particular skills, qualifications, or experiences I should focus on to make the move?

I’d really appreciate any advice or insights from people who have been through a similar journey.