Have you transitioned careers?

[funk]

This year hasn't been easy for anyone, I've been fortunate to be in work and not on furlough, but recent events have just highlighted I've spent 20 years of my life doing something that used to be fun, then slowly transitioned into what recently feels to be a living nightmare.

I'm interested to hear if any of you have gone through career changes during your lifetime transitioning from one thing to another and presumable the financial implications of doing so, even in the short term.

 

[_Matt_]

I've been doing the same job since I was 16 and I must admit I have been thinking for a while now that I could really do with a change. I have heard rumours that some people actually do jobs that they enjoy!? I couldn't imagine actually looking forward to going to work!
Never know I may get sacked soon then I'll be forced to make a change as I keep falling out with the boss over the way he's handling coronavirus.

 

[neo-geo-mvs]

Watch the BBC program 'Call that hard work?'

May give some ideas of different jobs out there

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000m27hneo-geo-mvs2020-09-14 05:31:03

 

[robotech]

Ive been doing the same job pretty much for the last 20 years just transitioned
Through the various ways of processing the same automotive parts
Just made it through another round of redundancys too less people more workload for the remaining staff again
I used to enjoy it but now i just count the days intil the weekend
Which seems to just fly by when you eventually get to it
Its hard to get a job doing something else when you have been in the same industry so long no one will give you another chance at a different job role you just get type cast i only get offered the same job roles but at different factorys
I earn a good living but all of the interesting fun jobs ive ever looked at swapping to dont pay anything Close to a living wage

I looked at training to be an electrician but they earn less than what i earn now
Its hard to find a career that will support a family

robotech2020-09-14 08:21:30

 

[tronads]

I did 23 years at the same employer, and loved my job as a programmer, but compulsory redundancy forced me out when the company decided to regionally consolidate, and my region went. This forced me (after a 6 month break) to take a new job in a considerably different industry and hugely different skill set was required.
I went from looking at a screen all day to visiting customer sites, optimising processes and designing IT solutions, delivering IT projects and even training operators on their new system.

I didn't initially have the confidence that in my late 40's I could take on these challenges, but I found I took them in my stride, and despite someone on this forum (who will remain nameless) putting in a fake complaint about me to my employer to try and get me sacked - which fortunately they saw straight through, I did well, had frequent pay increases and bonuses.

After 5 years though, my previous employer offered me a 13k payrise to come back, which was too much to refuse. Hopefully there till retirement now.

tronads2020-09-14 09:31:49

 

[chubsta]

35 years today in the same job and i hate it, not the job i joined to do at all and conditions have slowly worsened.

however, only 3 years until i can take early retirement so can hold out that long...

my only advice would be to think very carefully about any change of career as boredom but stable is a lot better than a rollercoaster of stress if your new job doesn’t pan out, i have seen plants of people leave only to try desperately to come back after a few years.

i think doing Smy job for a long time takes the shine off it and no matter how much you may enjoy it at the beginning it soon just becomes work

 

[SUPERSPRINT]

I re-trained as an electrician at 27, worked for the firm that took me on as an adult apprentice for 8 years, 2 on minimum wage, and I’ve been self employed now for 6 years. It’s been a long time to get to the stage now where I am happy at work and have the flexibility to earn money in many different ways. It really depends on what your responsibilities are and who depends on you as to what your options are. Don’t make a decision lightly and think it all through for the long term, but don’t be miserable in your job, life is too short. It may be that you’ll have to hang on for a while until all this sh*t blows over but have a plan to do what you want to do now and make small steps to get there.

There’s no quick fix but you have to have a goal if you want to change it.

 

[r-type]

I left school at 16 as all I wanted to do was earn money. Back then it was easy to walk into a recruitment agency and you'd be packing boxes in a warehouse that same day. I ended up doing a lot of this and lots of different jobs until I was 21. Most of my skills were in customer service and talking to people but all I wanted to do was work with computers as I'd grown up with them.

After 5 years in Customer Service doing death claims under personal pensions an internal vacancy came up and the company were looking for people to go on their 'IT academy'. Naturally, I jumped at the chance and have been in IT ever since. Started as a mainframe developer, then a bit of c# .net before finally ending up doing document composition (bank statements/phone bills type stuff).

After a threat of being made redundant, I moved sideways into Testing and have been doing that ever since. Luckily, I've always managed to walk straight into new roles after being made redundant but each time it happens I wonder whether I should do something completely different. Usually, the finances prevent this as the pay cut is too large to manage and as I'm now getting older I'm not sure I want to change anyway. It's quite nice being sat in an air conditioned office or working from home as I currently am.

I'm lucky that my current job is fairly interesting even if it is just testing a well known Estate Agency Group's websites. I have on a number of occasions discovered fraudulent practices from some of the sales negotiators (literally landed in my lap) whilst creating test data. Very rewarding and the company seem to appreciate it too.

TLDR - have transitioned careers in the past but probably too old and miserable to do it now as I like what I do

Andy

 

[Ropi Jo]

I looked at training to be an electrician but they earn less than what i earn now

Yep. 10 yrs as a site sparky and I was earning less at the end than I was at the beginning. Getting repeatedly laid off and watching our lovely cousins from eastern europe doing my job (badly) for half the money (and then losing my Dad) was enough incentive for a life re-think and to make me go back to PAYE after 20+yrs self employed in various forms.

Been back in employment for 16yrs now and already had 4 jobs in totally differing industries.

Did comms work on london busses for 6 months.... CRAP

Did manufacture and service work (international) on industrial ovens and furnaces for 4 yrs.... CRAPPIER

Did shift work maintenance in Tilbury Docks for 3 yrs.... UNBELIEVABLY CRAP

Now do tech support and other techy stuff at a nice local firm with a niche market. It's comfy, days only, Mon-Fri, friendly, I feel valued, pays 'OK'ish, and I think this will do me till I retire.

Have to remember though, that all the crap I've done during my life has given me the skills and experience I need for the job I do now. If I'd only worked in the same factory job for the last 40 yrs I may have ended up pushing trolleys in a supermarket car park, or even asking "Do you want fries with that?"

Ropi Jo2020-09-14 13:29:38

 

[Chopper79]

The months off on furlough, has made people realise that they can be happy, and its the job making you miserable. Very few people enjoy there job, and in 30 years of working, the wages have barely gone up. Some people have been born into money, or given a company by family, but the struggle continues for the rest of us. The UK is also one of the most ageist country's, and only seem to want young people in jobs now. Finding a new career in your 40's or 50's, is very difficult.Chopper792020-09-14 14:40:39

 

[robotech]

The months off on furlough, has made people realise that they can be happy, and its the job making you miserable. Very few people enjoy there job, and in 30 years of working, the wages have barely gone up. Some people have been born into money, or given a company by family, but the struggle continues for the rest of us. The UK is also one of the most ageist country's, and only seem to want young people in jobs now. Finding a new career in your 40's or 50's, is very difficult.

I never thought about it but your right i was really happy while off on furlough just pottering around doing my own little bits and not worrying about work
not having the two hour commute everyday
Only another 27 years untill i get to retierment eh

 

[GarageNation]

That reminds me, lottery ticket

 

[funk]

That reminds me, lottery ticket

at

That seems like one possibility

Awesome insight you lot thank you. I'd like to think I'm good at what I do, I'm told I am, at the very least I wonder whether it's time to move on after being where I am for the latter half of 10 years.

Part of me is thinking I'm just burnt out and need a decent rest/holiday.

I understand how devastating furlough has been for some, but both I and my wife were kept on. I work in a tiny team but in her case the rest of her team had been sent home on 80% pay, have had a good 4 months off and came back beyond refreshed whilst she's scraping herself off the floor and they're taking leave too, seems to have been no allowance minus that 20% for it from her employer.

Back to me, I always try to remind myself the grass is always greener. I've had to conduct interviews again in recent months and it reminds how accomplished I suppose I am, and how many chancers there are out there too.

Maybe it's just a confidence thing, and maybe it's just time for me to move out of my current role first.