Although, given restructuring in pharma marketing right now, this might not seem to be the ideal time to launch a sales career, some industry scientists might want to try a career in sales. And this needn't mean pharma "detailing." Working for instrumentation and other equipment vendors would be an option where your expertise in pharma would be extremely useful (and you'd be dealing with people like you).
If you've been downsized, it might be a way to improve your people skills and gain perspective on other aspects of the business until the ideal position comes along. You might even discover that you like it.
Or not.
But this article from New Scientist offers some tips on what to expect.
AMS
