Mixed response to the profession

[Sinead73]

Most regulatory professionals may have a story of the mixed response they received from their academic colleagues and friends when they decided to make the career transition into Regulatory Affairs. Some might have thought that it was a good opportunity and experience in regulatory affairs would make one more marketable in industry, while others perceived it to be merely handling large documents all day long. They believe that "looking at pages and pages" would quickly make one bored of the job.

Although the amount of paperwork involved in a Regulatory Affairs job can be overwhelming, the variety of documents is so diverse that there is never a dull moment. There are often discussions amongst professionals about the perceived downside of being dependent on others to complete any job, which can add to the frustration level. This, however, is the biggest challenge for a core researcher who is used to being very independent.

Of course, there is always the politics and bureaucracy that no one can escape, whether in academia or the private sector. But as for most jobs, in Regulatory Affairs too, all that is required is to develop some thick skin and do the job to the best of his/her ability.

While summarizing the experience and enjoyment of a career transition to Regulatory Affairs, most professionals always preach the golden rule that 'hard work and perseverance does pay off'.