How did you manage that? Graduate degree in the field? I dont have a bachelors degree so thats probably the biggest hurdle for me (and I've run the number several times I cant afford to go back). Even in support roles I imagine the culture of the companies in the field place a lot of weight on academic credentials.
The easiest path for you would be to get a job as a tech in a neuroscience lab. Virtually every lab needs motivated help, and while those jobs may not pay super well, you can learn a LOT and get powerful rec. letters from well known scientists. Those should matter in the application process, especially as we've seen a trend of deemphasizing grades and GRE's (many schools don't even take GREs anymore).
I was very lucky, but also had already received a BE and an MS, then worked for two years in industry before applying to PhD programs.
How do you feel your daily neuroscience work is more interesting to you than your previous EE work?
The brain fascinates me and sometimes I think of a similar change.
I'm working to develop novel brain recording technologies to create brain machine interfaces. I get to use all of my EE background, but apply it to problems at the interface of basic neuroscience and medicine.
My goal is to develop better neural interface technologies to both learn about how the brain works, and also to deliver therapies for patients with conditions like paralysis or psychiatric disorders.
happy to chat - feel free to email me: etrautmann at gmail dot com
to answer more specifically, the pivot from EE to neuroscience was motivated by the applications. I felt as a EE that I had a lot of tools in search of an application I really cared about. In industry, I was frequently applying those skills to disparate problems, but without a long term aim I was highly motivated to pursue.
I applied to PhD programs, all of which should have a stipend and cover tuition. I was very lucky in where I ended up, and while my pay dropped a lot from an industry engineering job, I was still able to live comfortably by my standards for the duration of my degree. I'm now a postdoc, which still pays poorly relative to alternate options, but that's not why I do what I do. It's a privileged position to be in, and likely does constrain my thinking about starting a family, etc. but works well enough for me. Postdocs should be paid more across the board, however.
