Changing careers mid 30s

gazc24 said:
Small amount of Pc work but basically machine ops at a print place. I just fancy a change from "you need to produce 160 parts per hour" and working for soulless companies.
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Have you thought about joining the Police?

Most of their work now is spent posting warning tweets to deter people from posting possible offensive material (alternative points of views that may hurt others feelings).
 


Merchant Navy 16 to 40, Apprentice to Master. Left reluctantly for health reasons and joined the marketing arm of an oil co. Spells in various departments ending up as Asst Property Manager. They got taken over/merged with another co, I got the brown envelope and retired.
 
Was a mechanic from leaving school at 16 till I was 49. Retrained as a machinist best thing I ever done been. Been in this job 10 years Now
 
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tunstallhill said:
heard a few people recommending this as a career path to my lasses teenage daughter. unfortunately none of us actually know what it means, what the work involves, how to get into it or if there is any decent career paths in it. but it always seems to be clever people advising it.

so what is it, in layman's terms?
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Don’t bother. Software will be writing itself by the time they’re into their careers.

Az* said:
Coding was just to dynamic for me, far to many changes and always felt the need to constantly learn new code/upskill. Spent most of my life looking at a screen. Hardware was better for me, doesn't move as fast as the coding world or didn't seem to.

Go to bed and when you wake there's another new version or a complete new language. I like it but rather as a hobbie/pastime.

I find SQL devs down here have it best, most I know work short weeks for ridiculous money. Seem to be way more content than anyone else I know.
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Contractor I know absolutely coins it in doing SQL dev that’s routine and just not a challenge to him.

He’s very happy with this.
 
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gazc24 said:
Anyone ever done this before? I've worked in the same industry pretty much since I left school but got made redundant last year, since then I've worked a few agency jobs, Nissan suppliers the usual but I've been bored shitless by most and just fancy trying a few new things but don't know we're to turn.
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Both my parents did.

My mam was a hairdresser growing up but she got bored of it and decided to go to cooking school at 36 I think. She was shite at cooking when she started but she wanted to eat healthier and try something new. Since then shes had her own business, been a chef at various hotels and bars. Changed her life like.

My dad was a sewing machine mechanic for dewhirst, got laid off a few years before it shut down and retrained at college as an electrician. He now runs his own business aswell.

It's not as uncommon as you might think.
 
Lexingtongue said:
Here's a question slightly related to the original topic: what if you fancy a career change but don't really have a clue what it is you'd like to move on to? I'm a teacher but I'm currently taking some time off (not through stress or anything, just through choice) and I don't foresee myself doing it for much longer, if ever again. It's not a job I particularly enjoy any more but it's pretty much all I know. I'm completely rudderless at the moment and it's getting kind of stressful.
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Corporate training or learning & development?

Or go overseas to teach. I know people on £50k+ with limited experience.
 
I've started an electronic and electrical engineering degree full-time at the age of 38 with no background in the subject, just finishing the first year now and doing really well. It's by a country mile the best thing I've ever done. When I graduate I'll still have 25-30 years in the workforce.

After years of moderate success in sales/telesales jobs I found I couldn't do it anymore, and there's absolutely no way I could stand being threatened with my job by ticky box wankers every week until retirement.

Have a think about what you want to do, think about your strengths and go for it. Mid 30's isn't too old for anything other than indecisiveness.
 
gazc24 said:
Anyone ever done this before? I've worked in the same industry pretty much since I left school but got made redundant last year, since then I've worked a few agency jobs, Nissan suppliers the usual but I've been bored shitless by most and just fancy trying a few new things but don't know we're to turn.
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I switched careers in my 40's and it's going great guns. Out of the 60 hour a week grind, setting my own hours... loving it...
 
gazc24 said:
Anyone ever done this before? I've worked in the same industry pretty much since I left school but got made redundant last year, since then I've worked a few agency jobs, Nissan suppliers the usual but I've been bored shitless by most and just fancy trying a few new things but don't know we're to turn.
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How did it turn out?

Finished my level 3 2365 sparky course but can’t seem to get any further and with a mortgage and young family don’t want to do the agency route.
 
gazc24 said:
Anyone ever done this before? I've worked in the same industry pretty much since I left school but got made redundant last year, since then I've worked a few agency jobs, Nissan suppliers the usual but I've been bored shitless by most and just fancy trying a few new things but don't know we're to turn.
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did it 14 year ago got made redundant from an engineering factory ....... re trained and went to work in the NHS never looked back..... I was in my 30s at the time

Hard work but good job security and no two days are the same
 
I was driving a truck round America. Then moved back to the uk to be a transport manager. Was bored of the whole trucking world in no time so i decided it was time for a change. Now I fix trains in Canada :cool:

I don’t care what people say, it was so hard to step away from the comfort zone of my regular trade. It’s took me months and I still feel out of my depth.
On a good note, it’s challenging and tough as fuck. Exactly what I wanted to get rid of the boredom
 
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The Rat said:
I am 30, so few years behind, and as said in other threads took voluntary redundancy as just needed a change.

It is risky, and I am scared, as I have always worked,and this will be the first time I am not. But I have a lot of savings so I have options. Just hope it works out.

Got a few things in mind, but its difficult when you don't have an absolute clear direction.

My main feeling was I had the chance to leave a job I didn't particularly like and get paid to do so. Leave in 4 weeks.

Bring it on
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How did this turn out mate?
 
The Bridge Lad said:
How did this turn out mate?
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Not great :lol:

Its a long story, I have a job now working from home, which is OK for the minute while I sort things out.

After I took my redundancy I just ended up frittering it away, due to indecision and bottling big decisions,....there were loads of things I wanted to travel etc, but it clashed with a few personal problems, before I knew it I just needed bit of money to come in, so took a job, and I am still in London, not where I want to be.

I still have savings and my job is fairly flexible, I am just trying to motivate myself to do stuff I should have took 6 months ago. My mind works like this, "I should have done it last summer, why didn't I do it last summer......its too late to do it now". Basically wasted my redundancy but I still have my initial savings, so its just my own mental bloody problems stopping me doing stuff.

Does any of that make sense, bit if a ramble, been avoiding the subject so that came flooding out a bit.
 
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TopCat said:
Try and get into the Railways - fantastic money to be made as a Train Driver if that's your bag.
Odd hours, but great pay and benefits
Plus, about once every 12 weeks you get paid for reading the paper in the Canteen all week
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You earn good money and a good pension. Then when you do retire you’ll finally get a chance to spend some of that cash
 

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