troutsqueezer
Veteran Member
You only live once. Do something that makes you happy. If you love what you are doing, the money will come.
Thinking of a career change...
- Thread starter El Wood
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Tractor Seabee
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First piece of advice; DO NOT quit your current job until you really know what you are doing next and have something lined up to make a living wage, even if it is interim. In this job market blank spots in your resume are worse than having non-associated experience. Even if your wife works, at least do something to gain some type of further experience. I have changed careers a lot, started out as a sheet metal worker, went to HVAC service/construction, industrial pipefitter, instrument tech, 26 years civil service as an engineering tech, back to pipefitting, retired from that then became a contractor project manager, did QC management, became a proposal manager and design manager. At 71 I quit all that and now have a consulting business and a forest products grower and retailer business. I have 5 retirement annuities netting right at $100K, money in the bank, good credit, and a fat IRA from all that and live well. Never went to any college except the School of Hard Knocks. Through all this I also did 33 years in the Naval Reserve.
I have a friend who was a city policeman, never aspired to rise above patrolman, served 25 yrs.', took the pension, vegetated, got fat, had 3 open heart surgeries, and is now dying at age 67 as an alcoholic. He hated the last 20 years but stuck in their as he had no ambition for greater things. He would park his patrol car by a cemetery and write tickets to dead people to meet his minimum quota so he would not have to make traffic stops. Lesson learned; be aggressive and paddle your own canoe and strive upward.
You "CAN DO", just plan it well. The sedentary die young, keep your mind working full tilt to avoid losing it. However my pattern is probably not for everyone.
Ron
I have a friend who was a city policeman, never aspired to rise above patrolman, served 25 yrs.', took the pension, vegetated, got fat, had 3 open heart surgeries, and is now dying at age 67 as an alcoholic. He hated the last 20 years but stuck in their as he had no ambition for greater things. He would park his patrol car by a cemetery and write tickets to dead people to meet his minimum quota so he would not have to make traffic stops. Lesson learned; be aggressive and paddle your own canoe and strive upward.
You "CAN DO", just plan it well. The sedentary die young, keep your mind working full tilt to avoid losing it. However my pattern is probably not for everyone.
Ron
wolftree
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If at all possible, paydown and payoff everything you can before doing anything. Life becomes much more enjoyable just removing the burden of debt. This also allows you many more options in life.
forgeblast
Elite Member
If your looking to change also think about what amount of education will be required to change. Can you take classes while doing your current job. If you are unsure, there are free online universities like udacity.com that allow you to take classes. I am currently taking a few computer science classes. It may let you get your feet wet, and see if that's what you really want to do.
A buddy of mine work's in a prison, but makes different sausages for the holidays. He has slowly built up his business to the point where he is hoping to be able to leave in a few years and do this full time. He has been building smokehouse's working on recipes so he is ready.
Trust me at 15 years in my current job, and looking at 20 more I am doing everything I can to pay off the house, and control debt so that If I want to leave to do something else I will have the flexibility. Its not easy, but there is something to be said for having that "hope" of a different job. It can carry you on the days that you want to say "take this job and shove it". Best of luck.
A buddy of mine work's in a prison, but makes different sausages for the holidays. He has slowly built up his business to the point where he is hoping to be able to leave in a few years and do this full time. He has been building smokehouse's working on recipes so he is ready.
Trust me at 15 years in my current job, and looking at 20 more I am doing everything I can to pay off the house, and control debt so that If I want to leave to do something else I will have the flexibility. Its not easy, but there is something to be said for having that "hope" of a different job. It can carry you on the days that you want to say "take this job and shove it". Best of luck.
Ridgewalker
Platinum Member
My only comment...the 10 years to go to get your pension will fly by so fast so you
will be stunned. As I get older it always amazes me how fast time goes by and
how short of a time we are on this planet.
Remember, this is not our home!
Where I Belong - Building 429 - YouTube
There is a great message at the end of the video for those
so inclined.
will be stunned. As I get older it always amazes me how fast time goes by and
how short of a time we are on this planet.
Remember, this is not our home!
Where I Belong - Building 429 - YouTube
There is a great message at the end of the video for those
so inclined.
Panik
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El Wood - I am basically the same position the you are (mid-30's and going thru a career and lifestyle change). A lot of the advice I have read in your thread mirrors much of the own advice I have heard. The best thing I can say is if you find something you love that you can make a good living at do it. If not then try and split the difference between financial stability and job satisfaction. One thing I would caution you about is jobs in the construction field tend to be highly physical occupations.
I'm 36 and have worked in the animal care/biological field for the last 14 years. Most of those jobs were physically demanding jobs (zoo keeper, property manager, state biologist) it does take a toll on the body. I'm sure working in law enforcement you have seen or experienced some of the same things. The point is if you are changing careers I would try to look for fields that will allow you to continue working as long as you would prefer without concern for wearing out your body.
As an example my wife, who was also a zoo keeper, is going backing to school for a master's in occupational therapy and I am looking at other opportunities in the medical field such as dental hygienist, sonography, or medical instrument repair. While I still in the looking stages these are all things that only require a two year degree, pay well, and given we live near a city with a large medical presence in high demand. I guess the point I am trying to make is do something you are interested in, but try to think out all of the angles before taking the plunge.
One final thing , a great resource for exploring other fields is the Occupational Outlook Handbook. It lets you compare careers by income, and growth. Good luck!
I'm 36 and have worked in the animal care/biological field for the last 14 years. Most of those jobs were physically demanding jobs (zoo keeper, property manager, state biologist) it does take a toll on the body. I'm sure working in law enforcement you have seen or experienced some of the same things. The point is if you are changing careers I would try to look for fields that will allow you to continue working as long as you would prefer without concern for wearing out your body.
As an example my wife, who was also a zoo keeper, is going backing to school for a master's in occupational therapy and I am looking at other opportunities in the medical field such as dental hygienist, sonography, or medical instrument repair. While I still in the looking stages these are all things that only require a two year degree, pay well, and given we live near a city with a large medical presence in high demand. I guess the point I am trying to make is do something you are interested in, but try to think out all of the angles before taking the plunge.
One final thing , a great resource for exploring other fields is the Occupational Outlook Handbook. It lets you compare careers by income, and growth. Good luck!
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
About a dozen years ago I came to the realization that I wasn't happy where I was in life and wanted to make a change. I had a decent union job with great benefits that didn't require any effort or thought. Kind of mindless, just show up, do what I did the day before and then go home. My goal in life was to save up enough to go on vacation twice a year and escape where I lived and what I did. I didn't know that was what I was doing for years, but when I did, it forced me to take a look at my life. I didn't want to continue living like that and decided to make a change. You only live once and I wanted to enjoy all of it, not just get by until I retired and then hope it all got better.
For me, a big part of what I hated was where I lived. The SF Bay area was too crowded, too expensive and too dangerous. When you have to drive past three shopping centers to get to the safe one, something's wrong. Lots of places you just never go to, day or night. Every day is about being safe, and being aware of your surroundings. Profiling those around you.
It took a couple of years to put it all together and find the best place to start over again, which worked out just right. My first plan was to go to school to learn HVAC. I bought some books, talked to some people and searched online for places that where hiring. In the end, I decided not to do it because I didn't want to work for somebody else and have to deal with the same things every day.
I started out flipping houses, then building a few spec homes to sell for profit. That went well for a few years, but the market changed and while waiting for a house to sell, I started doing handy man jobs. As my clientele grew, I got more into remodeling. Now I'm booked up for months in advance and haven't advertised in about ten years. It's all word of mouth and people searching me out online and finding me on Angies List or FB. I don't have those benefits that I had at my previous union job, but I make twice as much money doing what I enjoy and I have more time off to enjoy life. I also live at a place I love to be at and no longer have the need to escape and get away from where I live. Every day is like being on vacation!!! In fact, it's more relaxing being home then going on vacation.
Now that you are wanting to make the change, it's only going to become more important to you every day. Figure out what you want and work towards making it happen, but be sure to always consider another change or two. Rarely does your first plan work out like you expect it to, so you have to be willing to recognize that and adjust. When I left CA, I had a dozen friends doing the same thing at just about the same time. We all went someplace different, we all had a plan on what we where going to do, but only one other guy besides me has made it work. The others all went back to CA and got similar jobs doing what they where trying to get away from.
Good luck,
Eddie
For me, a big part of what I hated was where I lived. The SF Bay area was too crowded, too expensive and too dangerous. When you have to drive past three shopping centers to get to the safe one, something's wrong. Lots of places you just never go to, day or night. Every day is about being safe, and being aware of your surroundings. Profiling those around you.
It took a couple of years to put it all together and find the best place to start over again, which worked out just right. My first plan was to go to school to learn HVAC. I bought some books, talked to some people and searched online for places that where hiring. In the end, I decided not to do it because I didn't want to work for somebody else and have to deal with the same things every day.
I started out flipping houses, then building a few spec homes to sell for profit. That went well for a few years, but the market changed and while waiting for a house to sell, I started doing handy man jobs. As my clientele grew, I got more into remodeling. Now I'm booked up for months in advance and haven't advertised in about ten years. It's all word of mouth and people searching me out online and finding me on Angies List or FB. I don't have those benefits that I had at my previous union job, but I make twice as much money doing what I enjoy and I have more time off to enjoy life. I also live at a place I love to be at and no longer have the need to escape and get away from where I live. Every day is like being on vacation!!! In fact, it's more relaxing being home then going on vacation.
Now that you are wanting to make the change, it's only going to become more important to you every day. Figure out what you want and work towards making it happen, but be sure to always consider another change or two. Rarely does your first plan work out like you expect it to, so you have to be willing to recognize that and adjust. When I left CA, I had a dozen friends doing the same thing at just about the same time. We all went someplace different, we all had a plan on what we where going to do, but only one other guy besides me has made it work. The others all went back to CA and got similar jobs doing what they where trying to get away from.
Good luck,
Eddie
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
About a dozen years ago I came to the realization that I wasn't happy where I was in life and wanted to make a change. I had a decent union job with great benefits that didn't require any effort or thought. Kind of mindless, just show up, do what I did the day before and then go home. My goal in life was to save up enough to go on vacation twice a year and escape where I lived and what I did. I didn't know that was what I was doing for years, but when I did, it forced me to take a look at my life. I didn't want to continue living like that and decided to make a change. You only live once and I wanted to enjoy all of it, not just get by until I retired and then hope it all got better.
For me, a big part of what I hated was where I lived. The SF Bay area was too crowded, too expensive and too dangerous. When you have to drive past three shopping centers to get to the safe one, something's wrong. Lots of places you just never go to, day or night. Every day is about being safe, and being aware of your surroundings. Profiling those around you.
It took a couple of years to put it all together and find the best place to start over again, which worked out just right. My first plan was to go to school to learn HVAC. I bought some books, talked to some people and searched online for places that where hiring. In the end, I decided not to do it because I didn't want to work for somebody else and have to deal with the same things every day.
I started out flipping houses, then building a few spec homes to sell for profit. That went well for a few years, but the market changed and while waiting for a house to sell, I started doing handy man jobs. As my clientele grew, I got more into remodeling. Now I'm booked up for months in advance and haven't advertised in about ten years. It's all word of mouth and people searching me out online and finding me on Angies List or FB. I don't have those benefits that I had at my previous union job, but I make twice as much money doing what I enjoy and I have more time off to enjoy life. I also live at a place I love to be at and no longer have the need to escape and get away from where I live. Every day is like being on vacation!!! In fact, it's more relaxing being home then going on vacation.
Now that you are wanting to make the change, it's only going to become more important to you every day. Figure out what you want and work towards making it happen, but be sure to always consider another change or two. Rarely does your first plan work out like you expect it to, so you have to be willing to recognize that and adjust. When I left CA, I had a dozen friends doing the same thing at just about the same time. We all went someplace different, we all had a plan on what we where going to do, but only one other guy besides me has made it work. The others all went back to CA and got similar jobs doing what they where trying to get away from.
Good luck,
Eddie
For me, a big part of what I hated was where I lived. The SF Bay area was too crowded, too expensive and too dangerous. When you have to drive past three shopping centers to get to the safe one, something's wrong. Lots of places you just never go to, day or night. Every day is about being safe, and being aware of your surroundings. Profiling those around you.
It took a couple of years to put it all together and find the best place to start over again, which worked out just right. My first plan was to go to school to learn HVAC. I bought some books, talked to some people and searched online for places that where hiring. In the end, I decided not to do it because I didn't want to work for somebody else and have to deal with the same things every day.
I started out flipping houses, then building a few spec homes to sell for profit. That went well for a few years, but the market changed and while waiting for a house to sell, I started doing handy man jobs. As my clientele grew, I got more into remodeling. Now I'm booked up for months in advance and haven't advertised in about ten years. It's all word of mouth and people searching me out online and finding me on Angies List or FB. I don't have those benefits that I had at my previous union job, but I make twice as much money doing what I enjoy and I have more time off to enjoy life. I also live at a place I love to be at and no longer have the need to escape and get away from where I live. Every day is like being on vacation!!! In fact, it's more relaxing being home then going on vacation.
Now that you are wanting to make the change, it's only going to become more important to you every day. Figure out what you want and work towards making it happen, but be sure to always consider another change or two. Rarely does your first plan work out like you expect it to, so you have to be willing to recognize that and adjust. When I left CA, I had a dozen friends doing the same thing at just about the same time. We all went someplace different, we all had a plan on what we where going to do, but only one other guy besides me has made it work. The others all went back to CA and got similar jobs doing what they where trying to get away from.
Good luck,
Eddie
Code54
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I was just talking to my family in PA (Western PA area) and they were telling me that Marcellis (not sure on the spelling) shale is hiring like crazy. They are looking for welders, Truck drivers,etc and they will TRAIN you. They are paying for the education they need people so badly. Friends up there work in the oil and gas field and said they are very good jobs and you can make as much as you want - they always have overtime if you want it. I was told welders are making close to 80K base.
Don't know much else about it but maybe worth looking into if you dont mind moving. (The jobs are not in PGH, mainly outside in the "country" area - I think Greene and Washington County)
Good luck
Seeing you are already a LEO and have training - don't forget Federal Jobs in law Enforcement - FAR better hours, MUCH higher pay, 20 year retirement and the type of work is very different from Patrol. (Look up "Office of Inspector General" for HHS, SSA, VA, Dept of Energy, Dept of Ag, Etc for example)
Don't know much else about it but maybe worth looking into if you dont mind moving. (The jobs are not in PGH, mainly outside in the "country" area - I think Greene and Washington County)
Good luck
Seeing you are already a LEO and have training - don't forget Federal Jobs in law Enforcement - FAR better hours, MUCH higher pay, 20 year retirement and the type of work is very different from Patrol. (Look up "Office of Inspector General" for HHS, SSA, VA, Dept of Energy, Dept of Ag, Etc for example)
caver
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Get out while you can. That's what an old man told me at my current employer. 20 years after he told me that and I fully understand where he was coming from. The longer you stay the harder it is to leave the security blanket. Many co-workers....they fixate on retirement at the age to pull maximum money (mid to late 60's). They want to travel when they retire. Several have keeled over from a heart attack. One guy retired last year (mid 60's) only to find out less than a year later his body has cancer in two major area.
Like Eddie I was living 11 months to enjoy that annual vacation/ 3 week road trip to areas I love. I didn't take that chance to leave like he did so to make up for it I'm gone at 55. Maybe take a year or two off and then go back to my old skill set of Journeyman electrician when I want to work. I also took a job in our warehouse earlier this year as the Electrician job was causing me stress. I still enjoy electrical work but not in our plant environment. I don't hate driving in to work now and can coast out my last 4.8 years.
20 years after he told me that and I fully understand where he was coming from. The longer you stay the harder it is to leave the security blanket. Many co-workers....they fixate on retirement at the age to pull maximum money (mid to late 60's). They want to travel when they retire. Several have keeled over from a heart attack. One guy retired last year (mid 60's) only to find out less than a year later his body has cancer in two major area. Like Eddie I was living 11 months to enjoy that annual vacation/ 3 week road trip to areas I love. I didn't take that chance to leave like he did so to make up for it I'm gone at 55. Maybe take a year or two off and then go back to my old skill set of Journeyman electrician when I want to work. I also took a job in our warehouse earlier this year as the Electrician job was causing me stress. I still enjoy electrical work but not in our plant environment. I don't hate driving in to work now and can coast out my last 4.8 years.