How do I move industries?

[MrsSpendyPants]

I work in the land department in the oil and gas sector, which is absolutely falling apart.  My largest client just told me they will be downsizing which means a giant pay cut for me plus my boss said there's a 30% chance one of us will lose their job.  My husband also works in the industry and is also possibly going to be laid off.  I have a lot of great skills but I don't know how to segue into a different industry.

I have a BS in Energy Policy and have been in the oil and gas sector for a decade.  I make ~125k-200k depending on bonuses and have 40-60 people report to me at any point.  I am not a big picture sort of person (would never want to be at the executive level) but I can get absolutely anything done on time and under budget.  I have done accounting work during my time in the sector, contract negotiation, asset acquisition, permitting, and am super detail oriented.  I would make a great auditor of some sort as I can review spreadsheets with the best of them.  I am intelligent and dedicated (graduated with a 4.0).  I got into my position less than three years ago and bring in the second most amount of revenue in the company and was the top performer in every spot before that.  I live near a medium sized city that is heavy in the health and energy sectors.

However, I do not have any "hard" skills - I'm not an engineer or in IT.  How do I get another industry to give me a chance?  Will I have to start at the bottom again?  I am willing to take an individual performer spot and prove myself but I don't want to resort to minimum wage.  How do I apply for jobs where I don't meet all of the qualifications but I'm sure I can learn them?  Any advice?

[Bearblastbeats]

As cliche as it sounds, where there's a will there's a way.

I have an associate degree in architecture. I've worked in construction, MEP, telecommunications, industrial engineering, and manufacturing.

Sounds like you have PM skills which require those soft skills that are highly transferable.

Polish up the resume and apply to any job that sounds interesting. Even some jobs I didn't think I qualified for from lack of education still hired me for my skillset and sheer grit.

The answer is always "no" unless you ask..

[mozar]

I don't know if this industry exists in your area but your expertise seems like a good fit for commercial construction management.  You could take a construction mgmt course at a nearby college and make connections, or go to the websites of large commercial construction firms and apply directly.
Engineering is hard to get into but I hope you consider it.
If you really want to get into accounting you can take online courses until you have enough credits for the cpa, once you pass you will be employable anywhere. I think you might be bored though because looking at spreadsheets is all it is, and it's under the same automation pressures as a lot of industries. Once the underlying processes are automated there will be nothing to audit.

[reeshau]

To build on the prior answers, do you have the 'stache and the will to go after some kind of credential?  While not necessary, they will be an accelerant.  You also should narrow down your target industry, based on some combination of attractiveness to you and availability.  What kind of salary range are you shooting for?  It will probably be hard to match your current money at the same level of responsibility somewhere else; it is the bust periods (As well as working locations) which drive oil & gas to pay so well.

I also agree you sound like a project manager.  And you can get a PMP relatively quickly, particularly if you could take some of your current work to qualify for your work portfolio.  Of course, an MBA would be a significant item, and probably up your alley with your academic ability, but it's also a significant time commitment.  (And could be a significant cost--if you pick the wrong choices)

Final thought:  if your husband's job is also at risk, is relocation an option.?  The US population overall has slowed their migration rate considerably over the last two decades, so flexibility in location with a localized imbalance for your new work identity could also be a big plus.

[MrsSpendyPants]

Thanks for the thoughts!  I am looking at the PMP certification as a possibility.  I spoke with a PMP who says that it likely mostly helps engineers which I am not.  Anyone have a PMP that is not in engineering that help their career? 

Also considering paying for Coursera for the year in order to take a few classes in a few different industries to see what I may want to do. 

Relocating may be a possibility but we have a hard to sell home/piece of property and several large dogs so it would be hard to uproot quickly.

We have six months of expenses saved and a large HELOC available to us to get us through job changes but I'm afraid it would take that long to land something.  As far as salary wise, I obviously would want to get as much as possible, hoping for at least 75k but not sure about that possibility in a new industry in a MCOL area.

[mozar]

I have learned a lot just by reading about people talking about their job on this forum. Like there is a journal by a civil engineer (name is sanitary engineer) and he goes into a lot of detail about his day to day job.

[mrmoonymartian]

Find a sustainable energy company who needs similar project management stuff done. Giant windmills and solar arrays don't put themselves up.