mid-life job change. what would you do?

[MikeA57]

ncn, I too am considering a change in careers and like you don't know quite how to go about it. I guess the problem is that I'm comfortable in the job I have. It's not real demanding, there's practically no stress, and they do treat us very good. But, after 16 years, I'm just ready for a new challenge. I just don't know where that will be.

Good luck in your endeavors and anyone else who has any suggestions please keep them coming!

Mike

 

[tech141]

I sometimes wonder what I would do if I was faced with a mid-life career change for whatever reason. I always hear that starting over is often hard and means starting again at the bottom. Anyone ever done this and what was or would be a good second career if you're in the forties or fifties?

I am there. My job is going away in 7 work days - I will be getting a pink slip, being laid off at the successful end of a project. I retired from the Air Force 5 years ago and have been working this project since. When hired, my company said they'd place me in another slot when this project finished but now, there are no other slots they can move me (or the 9 other folks) into.
So, here I am, 47 years old, looking for a job. I don't have a degree, although I have 180+ college hours, but no concentration. I am considered a Senior in Information Systems Management, but do NOT like that field. so I am looking for something else.
I am highly experienced in carpentry, electronics, plumbing, masonry, electrical, and mechanics, but am having difficulty finding my niche in life. I am at an impasse.
My current (and quickly ending job), paid VERY well, but there was NO satisfaction. I was miserable every day. BUT - The Large salary enabled me to purchase 60 acres in Missouri and start improving it. I was satisfied being a miserable SOB for the pay that let me work to my ultimate goal.
Now, I am at a crossroads. Do I lobby ffor the same kind of work, be miserable every working day, but have the money to pursue my families goals, or do I find work that pays far less, gives me satisfaction and makes me WANT to get up every morning, but does NOT allow me to finance the DReam unless I make serious financial sacrifices.
It's a messed up situation, and I'm trying to figure out a workable plan to deal with it.

Yep - I'm hosed.

 

[whistlepig]

I had to start over again at 48 years old 12 years ago. The company I worked at for 27 years went out of business. The previous 27 years of experience meant nothing on my new job. I had to prove myself over again. Experience or knowledge means little or nothing these days. You have to prove yourself these days. If I don't prove out there is about a thousand young pups with a college degree that would be more than happy to take my job. It is what it is.

 

[Dr Dave]

Five years ago, I took a journyman mechanic job, for a local utility company, I left a job of 25 years, as senior master ford mechanic. Less pay at first, but better benifits
This was tough to do, but worked out great. I now work 4 ten hr days, 1:00 to 11:30, have 3 day weekends and mornings free. Best thing is working on tractors, trenchers and other equiptment. Something new every day.:thumbsup:This gives me more time to play in the dirt

 

[ncnurseryman]

Okay, now I'm pissed. I wrote a sizable reply to the thread and just as I was about to submit it something happened:confused2:and it disappeared. I'm going to eat dinner.

 

[tpulley]

I started my working career (after the usualy grocery store, stock boy, gas station attendant jobs) as a Machinist. I was fortunate to do this and liked it but never loved it. It was good money but from day one I thought, I don't want to do this all my life... I didn't. I started going back to school for a business major. In doing so I discovered the world of computers. we got in a used computer controlled piece of equipment. I got the book and read it, asked some questions and was totally intrigued by that.

I searched the want ads to get some idea of what choices there were. I took a programming class and knew without a doubt that wasn't for me. It was too tedious and detailed for me. This was around 94. I found out about networking (as this pertains to computers) and thought how that looked so interesting to me. You can make two computers talk to one another. This was at the cusp of the Internet invasion. I began taking classes to learn this new art/career. I changed careers in mid 95. It was a little bit unnerving to take off in a new direction but I knew I had too. I set a goal that I wanted to be in business in 5 years. I worked for 4 companies during those 5 years, studied 10-20 hours a week and kept a busy family and church life as well. Almost to the week I changed careers I started my IT company. I told my wife at the onset that the worst thing that could/would happen is I would have to get a job. I still see it that way.

I absolutely love to go to work. I love to help people anyway it is an added benefit that I can pay the bills along the way. Is it anything "I" did, nope. I think God put a restless spirit in me that kinda forced me to go out and look at different avenues. Along the way I got blessed and in return try to bless others.

If you are considering a career change, think about these questions:

What would you just love to do every day? Can you afford to feed yourself and your family (if this is a factor) and pay your bills? If you can't afford to make the change then maybe the answer is to get outta debt and live simpler to afford you the ability to change your career to something you love.

While not for everyone, I also add, can I also start my own business, make a profit and be proud of what the business stands for? Starting a business has so many advantages but is not for everyone. I cannot imagine now working for anyone else. Although I have 30-40 "bosses" every day (my clients). Its different, I can take a day off and go fishing, take the wifey out for a ride on the goldwing or even just stop to take the grand babies to lunch.

life is too short not to enjoy the trip. I do believe God fully intentioned us to enjoy his creation to the fullest, within his boundaries.

 

[ncnurseryman]

Okay, trying again. I guess I wasnt too clear. I actually had the mid-life thing about 7 years ago when I lost my job as a project mgr with a mid-sized bank. At first PM work was good but gradually we had fewer and less interesting projects to do. The money was good but sitting in a cube all day, every day became a nightmare. I learned that I just can't sit in the same place and do the same thing everyday. So, after I lost that job, which was a great blessing in hindsite, I opened a nursery and landscaping business. That is what I truly love doing and the variety is much more interesting, but right now the money is not as good. The year I started NC had the worst drought in decades and the economy dropped. So work is tough, sales are hard and money hard to come by, but again I wouldn't want to do anthing else. I just hope the money will follow. I guess what I was thinking when I wrote the original post was what could I do if the nursery/landscaping business doesn't provide enough or if it becomes to physically demanding later. I have a degree in Political science but that is a very generic degree with no practical skill associated with it. So, I was thinking whether I should get some training in something from a tech school as a back up. You know, an honest to God skill in something. I really like working with my hands and using tools and equipment. I get to do all those things with what I do now, but I was wondering if i need to learn an additional skill in detail as a back up. I don't know what skills taught at tech schools nowdays are the most in demand.

 

[Wnc3]

Okay, trying again. I guess I wasnt too clear. I actually had the mid-life thing about 7 years ago when I lost my job as a project mgr with a mid-sized bank. At first PM work was good but gradually we had fewer and less interesting projects to do. The money was good but sitting in a cube all day, every day became a nightmare. I learned that I just can't sit in the same place and do the same thing everyday. So, after I lost that job, which was a great blessing in hindsite, I opened a nursery and landscaping business. That is what I truly love doing and the variety is much more interesting, but right now the money is not as good. The year I started NC had the worst drought in decades and the economy dropped. So work is tough, sales are hard and money hard to come by, but again I wouldn't want to do anthing else. I just hope the money will follow. I guess what I was thinking when I wrote the original post was what could I do if the nursery/landscaping business doesn't provide enough or if it becomes to physically demanding later. I have a degree in Political science but that is a very generic degree with no practical skill associated with it. So, I was thinking whether I should get some training in something from a tech school as a back up. You know, an honest to God skill in something. I really like working with my hands and using tools and equipment. I get to do all those things with what I do now, but I was wondering if i need to learn an additional skill in detail as a back up. I don't know what skills taught at tech schools nowdays are the most in demand.

When things pick up, find the right guy and groom him to your position. Then you go find more work and buy the stuff and supervise your own crew....you like landscaping so why quit it? Get others to do the heavy lifting.

 

[Redneck in training]

I changed career several times. I graduated as telephone switch technician. Did that about nine years. It was great job but then my marriage developed some difficulties so I quit and joined Instrumentation and process control company as installer. They gave a bucket with a paint and I was painting cable trays for few months. Then I asked my boss to let me connect few cables and my career in that field took off. About a year later I was a technician in a service department. Did that for about nine years. It was work away from my town so I would come home only for the weekend. Got tired traveling so I quit and got job managing and maintaining control system for heating of about 25000 apartments in my hometown. Did that almost two years but my marriage got bad again so I left the country and ended up in the USA at 39 years old. I had 42 dollars, clothes I had on and I didn't' speak single word English. It was in 1986. I instinctively felt that computers will change everything so I went to school to study computer technology. I took the so called hard classes first because you can get by with limited English skills to study math, chemistry and physics. I took psych, soc, literature etc last. While in school I worked as a maintenance guy in one of the private business clubs on top of the one of the skyscrapers in the downtown. Shortly after I got the job my boss told me: "You know that this is dead end job for you. School comes first." He threw my punch card in the garbage and told the secretary that I will be salaried. Then he told me: "I don't care when you come to work and when you leave as long as you keep this place running." They gave a beeper to get me in an emergency. He also told me that he was a bachelor and I could be his roommate for free for some time until I save some money. So I kept his car clean, carpets vacuumed and dishes washed etc. It changed my life. After I graduated two years later I applied for a contract job to wire a cabinet for my current employer. After I talked the guy responsible for the job he told me to forget the cabinet and told me that they have a better job for me. 21 years later I am still with the company and finally thinking about retiring by the end of this year or sometime next year. I am thinking to get some job locally. Money is not an issue so I can do just about anything. I hired a bulldozer to remove trees from my land and while talking to the owner of the business I asked if he would hire me to run a bulldozer for him after I retire. He said for sure. So I guess I have job already lined up.
America is a great country.

 

[EddieWalker]

After the Marine Corps, I worked a few different jobs before joining the Union and working for Airborne Express. It was a fun job that paid pretty good with great benifits. After ten years, the company started making changes and we started losing money. They made more changes and we lost more money. The writing was on the wall and with the housing bubble coming, I quite in 2002 with 13 years towards a pension at age 37. I had realized that I wasn't enjoying my life any more and was working to survive and escape on vacation.

After a few years, I found Tyler TX and decided to start over working for myself. I had wanted to flip houses for years, but never had the ability financially where I'm from. I had been working on the side for others, but it was weekend and evening work. Not to live off of, and I never went out and tried to get work. Just people I knew that needed something done.

It was a scary move, but I felt like it was something that I had to do. Kind of like being in a tight space and feeling claustrophobic and needing to escape!!!! My marraige failed a year after the move, I worked for ten dollars an hour for a few years and was down to a couple hundred dollars in the bank with out any jobs lined up just hoping the phone would ring. The stress was pretty bad, but somehow the phone rang and I kept going.

Almost ten years later, I'm making good money, I have more work then I can handle, and I'm having fun doing remodels. I specialize in bathrooms, but do pretty much whatever a clients wants done. I've picked up dog pooh, painted, mowed, dug ditches and everything else they will pay my rates to do. I even took out a 12 foot Christmas Tree a few months ago.

From what I've seen and heard, there is a HUGE DEMAND for somebody who shows up every day, gives a full days work and treats his clients well. My compition keeps me busy. Look around and listen to what people are complaining about. Facebook has been great to me and my business.

Good luck,
Eddie