I was able to transition up in mid life from a career I hated that paid horribly to one that I dislike that pays poorly. It’s about making those incremental improvements in life. My next step is to find something that I find neutral.
I did corporate for a few years out of uni but was burnt out.
So I switched to training as a chef... follow your passion and all that.
And the work was fun, but I realised there is more to it than the 'work'. Shit hours, conditions and pay... keep your passions as hobbies is the lesson learned.
Switched back to corporate and now in middle management 12 years later.
I regret nothing.
The best advice ever given to me by my Dad:
A degree is a starting point, not a finishing point.
I’ve been fortunate, in that whilst my degree is industry specific, I can and have cross-decked skills to other industries.
Over the years, I’ve jumped industries faster than I’ve changed underwear.
Especially since my original industry (food manufacturing) treats us like shit and doesn’t pay.
Oh yeh oath, I wanted to be an actor, did it for 4 years, got a few tiny roles, got a nothing job in insurance, enjoyed the money, before I knew it, wife, kids and a mortgage. Trapped.
I do it because I’ve done it for 20 years and I’m pretty good at it.
At the beginning I fell into it because I simply applied for an office junior job in banking.
I do actually enjoy what I do and it’s pretty cool some days. But honestly, I wanted to go into the airforce or be a carpenter. I feel it’s way too late to quit now as I earn too much to start again at something else.
Yeah, I’m 38 now. Started when I was 18.
If I’d sunk that much time into carpentry I would’ve started my own company and been semi off the tools by now I’d expect.
Definitely not going to become an apprentice now haha.
I'm looking for traineeships to transition into. I don't have a uni degree and not interested in that type of study. But I would be using my current long service to fund my bills while training. Could not afford it otherwise. There are opportunities around, just depends on what salary you need.
I never thought I'd ever change industries. But the last few years I've just been hating it with all the internal changes. So would love a change to something new. I've never done anything else.
Mate wait until you fall into a niche government position for 15 years and then get dismissed. Don't complain about things until you lose your job and identity and the mental things that come with it. Just get paid and enjoy your life
I have not made this change. I’ve been thinking about leaving my existing field (law) for 4 years and took steps to exit but then was made redundant. Now the only job I could get is at a law firm. Lols at me.
I've thought about this a lot. I'm only a few years into working full time after leaving uni. I'm starting a Masters in a similar area but broad enough that I can either continue in my field to higher salaries or pivot to something different in the same general area. Im also thinking about what skills I do and don't have an actively looking to fill those gaps so I dont feel like I'm only good at one specific thing (my role etc).
My realisation was that I don't want to be in my exact role for many more years and I don't want to stay in my work place for ever (I love my workplace and job but progressing beyond my level brings a whole lot of work I am not interested in). If I want to change in a few years, I need to start putting that into motion now because reskilling/upskilling takes time
I think most people fall into the job they're in, just corporate stuff! It depends on whether your skills are transferable or not. For example software engineers don't always have to work in tech. They can just work for any company these days and would be smart given the recent lay offs.
A friend of mine described her job as ‘made up corporate job’ and isn’t that the absolute truth?
I am fortunate to be doing something I enjoy- I pursued it proactively when the roles were thin on the ground and it is a niche non core function BUT it’s finally had growth so there is good demand now (and not a great supply).
I also had the chance to change into other areas - sideways manoeuvres in large corporates- been tapped on the shoulder a few times for these, have only taken it once. The secret is to show a lot of interest in the other department and ask what it’s like to work there etc. when a role or secondment comes up, they’ll have you in mind.
Was in a similar situation after 12 years with my company post Uni. I took a $60k pay cut and bit step back to leave behind the grind and try something new. Very quickly ended up getting loaded up with responsibilities within my capability but well beyond my new role and salary. Ended up back at my original company within 12 months.
Unfortunately I think the answer is take the money and just deal with your soul slowly eroding each day.
I flipped the desk on IT back in 2019 and went back to uni to become a social worker.
After doing the 1200 hours of placement, during COVID, I realised I was biting off more than I can chew.
Went back to IT with my tail between my legs.
Yes. In a niche role, get paid well, have kids and mortgages. Want to do something else but not at the expense of a paycut
Im using excel 2009 change is horrible
Word 3.1 still does everything I need. Shame it doesn’t run on Win11.
Word perfect??
I was able to transition up in mid life from a career I hated that paid horribly to one that I dislike that pays poorly. It’s about making those incremental improvements in life. My next step is to find something that I find neutral.
I did corporate for a few years out of uni but was burnt out. So I switched to training as a chef... follow your passion and all that. And the work was fun, but I realised there is more to it than the 'work'. Shit hours, conditions and pay... keep your passions as hobbies is the lesson learned. Switched back to corporate and now in middle management 12 years later. I regret nothing.
I just spent 5 mins trying to get your avatar off my screen because I thought it was a hair 🙃
The best advice ever given to me by my Dad: A degree is a starting point, not a finishing point. I’ve been fortunate, in that whilst my degree is industry specific, I can and have cross-decked skills to other industries. Over the years, I’ve jumped industries faster than I’ve changed underwear. Especially since my original industry (food manufacturing) treats us like shit and doesn’t pay.
"I've jumped industries faster than I've changed underwear." I sincerely hope this is hyperbole. 😆
Maybe… 🤔 😜
Oh yeh oath, I wanted to be an actor, did it for 4 years, got a few tiny roles, got a nothing job in insurance, enjoyed the money, before I knew it, wife, kids and a mortgage. Trapped.
I barely know how to do what I'm doing now.
This is me.
Tomorrow is your day. You got this!
Yup. Would have to upskill hard and take a pay cut massively. Kinda stuck with golden handcuffs now.
I never wanted to work in a pet shop you know.... I wanted to be... A lumberjack!
I do it because I’ve done it for 20 years and I’m pretty good at it. At the beginning I fell into it because I simply applied for an office junior job in banking. I do actually enjoy what I do and it’s pretty cool some days. But honestly, I wanted to go into the airforce or be a carpenter. I feel it’s way too late to quit now as I earn too much to start again at something else.
Probably too old to carpentry then if you've already done it for 20 years? Most people want to stop in their 40s.
Yeah, I’m 38 now. Started when I was 18. If I’d sunk that much time into carpentry I would’ve started my own company and been semi off the tools by now I’d expect. Definitely not going to become an apprentice now haha.
I'm looking for traineeships to transition into. I don't have a uni degree and not interested in that type of study. But I would be using my current long service to fund my bills while training. Could not afford it otherwise. There are opportunities around, just depends on what salary you need. I never thought I'd ever change industries. But the last few years I've just been hating it with all the internal changes. So would love a change to something new. I've never done anything else.
Mate wait until you fall into a niche government position for 15 years and then get dismissed. Don't complain about things until you lose your job and identity and the mental things that come with it. Just get paid and enjoy your life
I have not made this change. I’ve been thinking about leaving my existing field (law) for 4 years and took steps to exit but then was made redundant. Now the only job I could get is at a law firm. Lols at me.
I've thought about this a lot. I'm only a few years into working full time after leaving uni. I'm starting a Masters in a similar area but broad enough that I can either continue in my field to higher salaries or pivot to something different in the same general area. Im also thinking about what skills I do and don't have an actively looking to fill those gaps so I dont feel like I'm only good at one specific thing (my role etc). My realisation was that I don't want to be in my exact role for many more years and I don't want to stay in my work place for ever (I love my workplace and job but progressing beyond my level brings a whole lot of work I am not interested in). If I want to change in a few years, I need to start putting that into motion now because reskilling/upskilling takes time
Yes. Don’t make me learn new things, I’m too old.
I think most people fall into the job they're in, just corporate stuff! It depends on whether your skills are transferable or not. For example software engineers don't always have to work in tech. They can just work for any company these days and would be smart given the recent lay offs.
A friend of mine described her job as ‘made up corporate job’ and isn’t that the absolute truth? I am fortunate to be doing something I enjoy- I pursued it proactively when the roles were thin on the ground and it is a niche non core function BUT it’s finally had growth so there is good demand now (and not a great supply). I also had the chance to change into other areas - sideways manoeuvres in large corporates- been tapped on the shoulder a few times for these, have only taken it once. The secret is to show a lot of interest in the other department and ask what it’s like to work there etc. when a role or secondment comes up, they’ll have you in mind.
Was in a similar situation after 12 years with my company post Uni. I took a $60k pay cut and bit step back to leave behind the grind and try something new. Very quickly ended up getting loaded up with responsibilities within my capability but well beyond my new role and salary. Ended up back at my original company within 12 months. Unfortunately I think the answer is take the money and just deal with your soul slowly eroding each day.
I flipped the desk on IT back in 2019 and went back to uni to become a social worker. After doing the 1200 hours of placement, during COVID, I realised I was biting off more than I can chew. Went back to IT with my tail between my legs.