Well I can understand your situation. I have a PhD in Evolutionary Ethology, and after that worked in the US with Delphi (Pascal) trying to model the evolution/behaviour of small moths that eat stored grain for UCR.

For personal reasons I returned to the UK, but decided not to continue in academia. First I worked for a content management software vendor, and now for a medical devices manufacturer.

In both cases I was able to get the job without too much of a problem - once I got to interview. The labour market was tight for the first job, and for the second the first job helped a lot.

Like you I had no formal IT/Comp Sci qualifications, I was self taught, in the wrong topics, and for the second job I didn't have the advantage of a tight labour market.

You have to look at your skill set, and ask yourself what will a potential employer want from me? Build up a list of skills you have that you think are in demand, and start with that.

• Know foo and bar (that's the easy bit)
• Team player (everyone likes that)
• Can work to tight Deadlines (another PHB favourite)

Then look at your academic (and in my case now useless) skills, and try and use them to your advantage, I learnt X quickly, therefore I can learn Y equally quick. Don't think it's dead, turn everything to your advantage.

The hardest thing I found was getting past the recruitment agents, they often don't understand the job, or you, and seem on the whole to be an impediment to the whole process. See Davorg's use.perl column for some more comments - go back to January 2002 to find the ones that relate to jobs...

One of the hardest things I had to do was put down buzz words on the CV so that I got past the filter to interview, without looking a fool at the interview.

I can only wish you the best of luck - and having been there, I know how demoralising it can be at times.....