Reinventing yourself

horse

Wondered if anybody had any inspiring stories?

I'm 47 and my work makes my brain hurt at the moment, so dreaming about alternatives.

When I was 30 or so I felt that it was too late to retrain or try a different direction, but in hindsight I was wrong and should have been braver. At 47 this seems even more so, so wondered if anybody had made big work changes around the age of 50 or even later?

monquixote

When my dad buggered off with another woman my mum (40 at the time) who had given up university to marry him and never had a proper job did a social work degree. By the time she retired she was the regional controller for social care.

I find that quite inspiring.

I changed industry at about 30, but I guess that's less relevant to you.

Are you happy to go into something less well paid?

Where I used to work the director of our consultancy practice (early 50s) quit to become a landscape gardener. He was much happier by all accounts.

Dominic

When I retire from working a suit and tie job I'm going to become a wild Rock Star

Danny1969

I started out in the building trade, then had a decorating company, then a computer sales company, then a laptop parts sales and repairs company, then built a recording studio and ran that for 5 years. After that I  had a technical services company repairing all kinds of stuff. Then I was a full time muso for a couple of years,  then I designed some stuff and now sell that, as well as doing a fair amount of repairs for various other people. 

Always try and do something you enjoy, fuck the money ... if you really enjoy your work you don't need a lot of money.  

midlifecrisis

Dominic said:

When I retire from working a suit and tie job I'm going to become a wild Rock Star

when i finish being a wild rock star im going to become a managemnt consultant, whatever that is

monquixote

midlifecrisis said:

Dominic said:

When I retire from working a suit and tie job I'm going to become a wild Rock Star

when i finish being a wild rock star im going to become a managemnt consultant, whatever that is

The 1980's

When every rock star wanted to look like an estate agent.

Looking at you Robert Palmer!

EricTheWeary

monquixote said:

When my dad buggered off with another woman my mum (40 at the time) who had given up university to marry him and never had a proper job did a social work degree. By the time she retired she was the regional controller for social care.

I find that quite inspiring.

I changed industry at about 30, but I guess that's less relevant to you.

Are you happy to go into something less well paid?

Where I used to work the director of our consultancy practice (early 50s) quit to become a landscape gardener. He was much happier by all accounts.

Social work used to be seen as a second career - everyone had done something first particularly the police service, fire service. Attracts more young people now particularly as the degree is usually a subsidised one.  I qualified at 26 and was considered very young for the role in those days. 
Plenty of unqualified jobs in social care. Some are shifts wiping arses but plenty are interesting fulfilling roles. Looking at jobs in day services for people with learning disabilities or mental health issues or things like unpaid work supervisors with Probation being a middle aged middle is positively an advantage. Just don't expect to earn a fortune. 
I was made redundant at 51 and did a return to social work process so ended up in almost exactly the same job I'd left 23 years previously. Quite a big work change for me although doing a job for which I was already qualified probably doesn't count! 
I think I've said before how my friend's brother was a senior coroner and gave it up in his fifties to be an Ocado driver and has never been happier. However, the job that made him unhappy all those years paid off the mortgage in the first place. 

Lodious

I don’t know if it helps, but there are definitely wide variations between similar roles within different companies, so it’s worth exploring a move within the same industry to a better employer or a slightly different role which uses the skills you already have. 

I know a few people who have quit teaching in their late 40’s and that seems to have worked out well for them. 

Have you tried looking round at other roles you can apply for? Sometimes just looking helps you objectively assess what you feel about your current job.

horse

monquixote said:

When my dad buggered off with another woman my mum (40 at the time) who had given up university to marry him and never had a proper job did a social work degree. By the time she retired she was the regional controller for social care.

I find that quite inspiring.

I changed industry at about 30, but I guess that's less relevant to you.

Are you happy to go into something less well paid?

Where I used to work the director of our consultancy practice (early 50s) quit to become a landscape gardener. He was much happier by all accounts.

 That is indeed inspiring.

Less well paid is an option, although I've been fortunate to be able to work part time for the last few years, which is obvs already lower paid to an extent. I might work full-time in a lower paid job to take home the same I do now though.

 The challenge I've got at the moment isn't workload in the part time hours so much as being involved in lots of bitty pieces of work, none of which are particularly simple, so re-focussing on the relevant detail in each area in the available time is what's getting me I think.

horse

EricTheWeary said:

monquixote said:

When my dad buggered off with another woman my mum (40 at the time) who had given up university to marry him and never had a proper job did a social work degree. By the time she retired she was the regional controller for social care.

I find that quite inspiring.

I changed industry at about 30, but I guess that's less relevant to you.

Are you happy to go into something less well paid?

Where I used to work the director of our consultancy practice (early 50s) quit to become a landscape gardener. He was much happier by all accounts.

Social work used to be seen as a second career - everyone had done something first particularly the police service, fire service. Attracts more young people now particularly as the degree is usually a subsidised one.  I qualified at 26 and was considered very young for the role in those days. 
Plenty of unqualified jobs in social care. Some are shifts wiping arses but plenty are interesting fulfilling roles. Looking at jobs in day services for people with learning disabilities or mental health issues or things like unpaid work supervisors with Probation being a middle aged middle is positively an advantage. Just don't expect to earn a fortune. 
I was made redundant at 51 and did a return to social work process so ended up in almost exactly the same job I'd left 23 years previously. Quite a big work change for me although doing a job for which I was already qualified probably doesn't count! 
I think I've said before how my friend's brother was a senior coroner and gave it up in his fifties to be an Ocado driver and has never been happier. However, the job that made him unhappy all those years paid off the mortgage in the first place. 

 Funnily enough I started out teaching, and have always worked in the education / children's services sector more broadly. I have been half wondering if I could find a niche that would work for me back in a school, although won't be back teaching full time.

Significant change after being made redundant at 51 is helpful to hear thank you.

Dominic

monquixote said:

midlifecrisis said:

Dominic said:

When I retire from working a suit and tie job I'm going to become a wild Rock Star

when i finish being a wild rock star im going to become a managemnt consultant, whatever that is

The 1980's

When every rock star wanted to look like an estate agent.

Looking at you Robert Palmer!

Poor Bugger died young from a Heart Attack ; maybe the business life was too much stress

horse

Danny1969 said:

I started out in the building trade, then had a decorating company, then a computer sales company, then a laptop parts sales and repairs company, then built a recording studio and ran that for 5 years. After that I  had a technical services company repairing all kinds of stuff. Then I was a full time muso for a couple of years,  then I designed some stuff and now sell that, as well as doing a fair amount of repairs for various other people. 

Always try and do something you enjoy, fuck the money ... if you really enjoy your work you don't need a lot of money.  

You're more multi-talented than me though!

Am I right in thinking in "normal times" you make up a proportion of your income from gigging? I'm wondering if in future that's something I might do if I could - combining a less mentally taxing day job with playing keys for a wedding band maybe. No idea if that's feasible.

horse

Lodious said:

I don’t know if it helps, but there are definitely wide variations between similar roles within different companies, so it’s worth exploring a move within the same industry to a better employer or a slightly different role which uses the skills you already have. 

I know a few people who have quit teaching in their late 40’s and that seems to have worked out well for them. 

Have you tried looking round at other roles you can apply for? Sometimes just looking helps you objectively assess what you feel about your current job.

 Very true, and a helpful reminder thanks

Kittyfrisk

midlifecrisis said:

Dominic said:

When I retire from working a suit and tie job I'm going to become a wild Rock Star

when i finish being a wild rock star im going to become a managemnt consultant, whatever that is

You are definitely Duff McKagan.

viz

Danny1969 said:

I started out in the building trade, then had a decorating company, then a computer sales company, then a laptop parts sales and repairs company, then built a recording studio and ran that for 5 years. After that I  had a technical services company repairing all kinds of stuff. Then I was a full time muso for a couple of years,  then I designed some stuff and now sell that, as well as doing a fair amount of repairs for various other people. 

Always try and do something you enjoy, fuck the money ... if you really enjoy your work you don't need a lot of money.  

I'm always full of admiration when I hear your tale, it's awesome.

Philly_Q

I got my hair cut today.  That's about as close to reinventing myself as I'm ever going to get.  I'm 56.

Gassage

I'm reinventing myself as a can of WD40.

Then I can do virtually everything.

Iamnobody

monquixote said:

Where I used to work the director of our consultancy practice (early 50s) quit to become a landscape gardener. He was much happier by all accounts.

Brave man! Many landscaper gardeners are fucked by 50 from years of digging and slabbing. Hope he’s got some labourers working for him!

thecolourbox

Gassage said:

I'm reinventing myself as a can of WD40.

Then I can do virtually everything.

But only with a vise grip and a roll of duct tape, as one of the great philosophers once said.

viz

thecolourbox said:

Gassage said:

I'm reinventing myself as a can of WD40.

Then I can do virtually everything.

But only with a vise grip and a roll of duct tape, as one of the great philosophers once said.

Yes, although everybody's got their vise, according to Bruce Dickinson

TeleMaster

I want to change career I think. I'm tired and demoralised. 

I literally have no idea what else I would do that would pay me the same, give me the job security and range of opportunities that I have now as well as the perks that I get. 

It also saddens me that it's come to this, so because of that I'll probably stay and hope my industry and profression gets better.