Anyone swapped careers/professions in the past?

warning this is a bit of an essay...apologies


am curious to know if anyone has swapped careers and what the experience was like.

my reasons/story..

im 27
i earn less now than i did when i was 18-22

i work in sales (B2B selling on the phone, ive had enough of sales)

best future if i stay put is I get promised directorship in 2 years - at that point id get 18k basic (less than i earn now with bonuses) plus 33% of my papers total profit at the end of each year. pah! so if after a few yrs the paper that i set up was successful and say i made 200k profit...id only get 60k of it...feck that, i could realistically set up a company tomorrow to compete with who i work for now and keep all the profit. but im tired of sales and dont have the enthusiasm to do it, nor do i believe in what im selling

we own a flat at the moment - we want a house with garden for lil un. and i want a garage!

my mrs earns more than double what i do, although she does have 5 years on me but has now gone part time since arrival of our son ( and STILL earns more than me)..and i hate it...not in a sexist way but in a i want to provide for my family way.

so...

current economic climate suggests stay put for the time being...with all the job loses etc and my job is reletively secure...

but ive had enough and gonna do something about it, im looking at trainee jobs starting around the 18k - 22k mark, not sales, maybe technical drawing, CAD, Engineer etc something like that, but something that could lead to other things in the future. (ive got lots of business ideas, and have owned a successful company at 21, but shut up shop to work abroad, so i know i can implement them well, i just dont have the funds or financial security)

so....has anyone a story to tell about changing careers? good points/bad points? would be interested in any advice.

Thanks in advance

Dappa D

[timwilky]

the problem you will have is getting yourself qualified for those jobs you want.

Yes you can go on a course and learn how to use a CAD package etc. But sorry you are useless unless you know the subject you apply the CAD to.

for instance HCV, Structural steel, cabling etc. In other words, you need the professional qualification/experience etc first.

Drawing/CAD doesn't pay well, unless you are in a niche such as aerospace, Petrochem etc.

I gave up being a research/development engineer 25 years ago to write software instead. However, I have always worked in engineering companies as I speak the same language. For instance my first major projects were stress calculations and fluid dynamics etc. You had to be an engineer to understand the customers requirement

[_Stretchie_]

Mate, I don't think you'll ever know if it's a good move/risk until you've done it unfortunatley.

I'm down in Bristol by accident. At the end of 2005 I quit my job on a weeks notice to attend a 3 week course in Ascot, stayed at my sisters near Weston Super Mud in the weekends between. Because it was easier then travelling between Ascot and Manchester. At the end of the three weeks I went back to my sisters and been down here ever since.

It was a gamble, I wasn't happy up there, didn't like the job and felt I REALLY NEEDED to do something else. The gamble paid off, I'm currently on alot more than I was on back then and happy in my life.

Although I just took nearly a £5k paycut into the job I'm in now compared to what I was on just months ago.

Again, a gamble, I could have taken a job that was a slight pay increase BUT I believe (and hope) that the experience I get from this job may mean a considerable paycut now, but will increase my earning and development prospects no end.

Good luck to you mate in what ever you decide to do. If you've had the idea, you are now knackered, maybe you will go for the change and wish you hadn't, but if you don't you will always think 'What if?'

Hope to meet you soon fella

not as bad - but an industrial accident forced my to leave the career that i had trained and qualified in (now making my degreein Hospitality/licensing worthless)
dropped about 5K to get another job and off jobseekers then dropped again to become a civil servant (and get shed loads of training)
since then took the gamble to get out Central and into Local government as now project development Officer with young people.
but getting shafted again - i'm biding my time till ic an get nough funds to set up my own business

you'll never know till you do unfortunately - if you gut instinct is telling you to go for then do! It ain't normally wrong (though the dropp in wages and the clim back up is always harder than first thought)

thanks guys....

im definately jumping ship soon......if i live to regret it so be it ill just move on...as said rather than "what if"

im prepared to start at the bottom....one im looking atm is trainee engineer in local exhaust ventilation (LEV),

on site training in scaffolding, MEWP, Abbrasive wheels, electrical installations, and HSE P601 and P602 qualifications...

the way i see it this could lead to being a designer of LEV systems and bespoke packages to suit manufacturers (if theres any left in this country in 10yrs!), schools, hospitals etc as they all NEED them. or could lead into airconditioning etc in a different country..who knows....im gonna call them...

I've changed career 4 times so far.

From criminal to Military.

From Military to Cable Installer.

From Cable Installer to Fibre Optics Engineer

From Fibre Optics Engineer to Projects Coordinator and now at the age of 40+ looking to change career again.

A bit of hard work, studying, a nice piece of luck and some good interview techniques. All these worked for me.

[Balky001]

I changed career when I was 30. I worked for a foreign exhange bureau, run a couple of shops in Holborn and Islington. The money was poor. The job was OK but the people I worked with were pretty young and had no motivation, mainly due to the management/company being dreadful. I tried for an FX trader job in-house, came 2nd out of 150 applicants but there were no more opportunities to try there. I thought 30 was too old to get a decent City job but I got in to one of the largest asset management houses, just doing customer services and then dealing with complaints. Got in to compliance, changes jobs a couple of times to get more cash (I started on more or less the same money as my original job although overall package was good) Did lots of courses and a couple of exams. I didn't have a degree so held me back initially but now I earn OK and am a Operational Risk Manager. It's a bit stressful at times but I wouldn't change it and I work with a lot of bright and enthusastic people as well as the obligatory moaners, but it is a good mix. It was a big change for me at that age but something I'd never regret doing. Pays OK too. I do miss the client contact but then they could be a nightmare some of the time.

never really had what you could call a career. left school and started working in a solicitors office, worked up to PA to partner, left and joined navy, left and got married and dropped a sprog. had various jobs including care worker in old bags home, creche assistant, nanny, bhs sales assistant, various clerical jobs, before getting divorced and starting work as a classroom assistant.

my OH was a driver and did his hgv. he decided to retrain as a plumber - on last week of training now. It has cost a fortune to do the training though (about £6k i think) end is in sight and hopefully a job too.

I think its healthy to keep moving and not let the grass grow under your feet but a bit scary too.

good luck with all new career moves

thanks all for advice...

called the LEV job just to enquire, didnt mention I had no experience etc..didnt get that far..the job had gone

but ill keep looking!

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by kitkat

never really had what you could call a career. left school and started working in a solicitors office, worked up to PA to partner, left and joined navy, left and got married and dropped a sprog. had various jobs including care worker in old bags home, creche assistant, nanny, bhs sales assistant, various clerical jobs, before getting divorced and starting work as a classroom assistant.

my OH was a driver and did his hgv. he decided to retrain as a plumber - on last week of training now. It has cost a fortune to do the training though (about £6k i think) end is in sight and hopefully a job too.

I think its healthy to keep moving and not let the grass grow under your feet but a bit scary too.

good luck with all new career moves

That looks like a career to me

Originally Posted by Websters English Dictionary

2. career vi : to go at top speed esp. in a headlong manner