Career Advice

pb21

For various reasons I have realised that I am in the wrong job and its making me unhappy. I don’t know exactly what the right job is but have a general idea. The main problem is that it isn’t really associated with any of my work experience or qualifications.

I am 28 so guess I’m not too old to make what would be relatively drastic steps? I feel a bit stuck though, anyone got any advice?

Thanks!

rick_chasey

Apply to what you want to do.

See what they say.

greasedscotsman

pb21 wrote:

I am 28 so guess I’m not too old to make what would be relatively drastic steps? I feel a bit stuck though, anyone got any advice?

28, are you sure that's too young to change? As RC says, try and apply for what you want to do, you'll probably have to take a pay reduction as you'll be starting again. But no point in being unhappy with your work, you do spend quite alot of time there!

daviesee

greasedscotsman wrote:

pb21 wrote:

I am 28 so guess I’m not too old to make what would be relatively drastic steps? I feel a bit stuck though, anyone got any advice?

28, are you sure that's too young to change? As RC says, try and apply for what you want to do, you'll probably have to take a pay reduction as you'll be starting again. But no point in being unhappy with your work, you do spend quite alot of time there!

+1

and nightschool etc if necessary to get qualifications.

You have @ 40 years of being miserable if you don't.

Frank the tank

IF you're in the wrong JOB I don't see any alternative but to change career. At 28 you're certainly not to old for a change in direction, have a look at what suits you and what's available as you still have upto 40years of working life so IMHO your job has to be at the worst tollerable.

Best of luck my owd.

CiB

28? Boys age. FWIW I did a complete about tun when I was 32; haven't looked back since. Like der man says, do it now and give yourself a chance, or spend the next 40+ years in the wrong job.

onlyonearrow

One thing to remember is that many of the skills and knowledge you've developed in your job/career to date will be transferable. For example, time management or project management skills. Communication or people management skills.
These would be key attributes any new employer would be looking for.

I would look at work or projects you have been involved in the past and identify the specific (soft) skills you've had to use while applying your technical (hard) skills derived from your qualifications.

BarryBonds

Join the council above average pay, mahooosive pension gifts, loads of holidays to ride your bike in, loads of sick allowance to ride your bike in, pc niceness so you dont gert too stressed and miss training sessions,

yes is the way ahead you dont even have to be particularly good or honest either

SmellTheGlove

WHAT!!???
You're fed up with being a pirate?

Less seriously, 28 is not too old to change but only aim for the very top of your new chosen career. Whatever you've done up to now (possible exception of forcing hostages to walk the plank) will have some transferable elements. Very best of luck, it's still a bold step.

Pross

I know the feeling, I really wish I could change but approaching 40 with a mortgage to pay and a wife and two kids to feed I couldn't take the pay cut that would be necessary to start again plus the only jobs that I can imagine actually enjoying are more lifestyle type jobs where you end up on relatively low pay forever. If you don't make the change now it will only get harder as your life goes, pay goes up and you get more responsibilities.

pb21

Thanks for the replies. It’s weird but if someone else had asked the same thing, I would have made similar suggestions!

Luckily I am in a position where its more possible as I don’t have any debts or children, however it still feels like it would be very difficult, which it may be, but probably not as hard as it seems.

rick_chasey

pb21 wrote:

Thanks for the replies. It’s weird but if someone else had asked the same thing, I would have made similar suggestions!

Luckily I am in a position where its more possible as I don’t have any debts or children, however it still feels like it would be very difficult, which it may be, but probably not as hard as it seems.

It's all about having the balls to actually go and do it.

If employers see that you have the balls and are comitted, you're 90% there.

When they see what you're risking, < comfy, stable job, easier life, they'll like it.

daviesee

Another thought came to mind, reminded by Pross.

It will get harder as you get older and eventually the time will come when it is too late.

One piece of sage advice I heard was that more people regret the things they didn't do, than the things they did. No regrets...........

finchy

pb21 wrote:

For various reasons I have realised that I am in the wrong job and its making me unhappy. I don’t know exactly what the right job is but have a general idea. The main problem is that it isn’t really associated with any of my work experience or qualifications.

So what is the general idea? Got a particular sector or line of work in mind?

If you told people what it is, maybe there's somebody already doing the job who could advise you on your first steps.

15peter20

If you run your own business, you're never too old and are master of your own destiny.

RedJohn

Never too old, or too young (well ok, up to a point ... but it's a much wider range of points than you might automatically assume) I just recently made a big direction change. At 41, family to support as well. But after 17 years of thinking things were going to get better - it was time to bite the bullet. Somewhat forced on me (redundancy :-(), admittedly, but I'm feeling all positive about things now :-)

peter101cycle

pb21 wrote:

For various reasons I have realised that I am in the wrong job and its making me unhappy. I don’t know exactly what the right job is but have a general idea. The main problem is that it isn’t really associated with any of my work experience or qualifications.

I am 28 so guess I’m not too old to make what would be relatively drastic steps? I feel a bit stuck though, anyone got any advice?

Thanks!

Do the career change if you can, life is too short to be miserable in work and you spend 40% of your life there.

I had to rethink what job / career I wanted to do at 35 and did a complete turnaround from transport / logistics into IT project management. I had to take a salary reduction of about £15k at the time but 4 years later, I am back to what I was earning with a lot more up potential in the next couple of years, plus, I finally enjoy my work.

Some of these personality / work preferences profiles things are complete rubbish but a few years ago, I did one (Colours something?) that completely changed my opinion and actually helped me understand the way that I am and how I work and what I enjoy......if you are interested, I can dig out the name of this profiling system and PM it to you.

jamm13dodger

Pross wrote:

I know the feeling, I really wish I could change but approaching 40 with a mortgage to pay and a wife and two kids to feed I couldn't take the pay cut that would be necessary to start again plus the only jobs that I can imagine actually enjoying are more lifestyle type jobs where you end up on relatively low pay forever. If you don't make the change now it will only get harder as your life goes, pay goes up and you get more responsibilities.

This sounds just like me. 37, wife and 2 kids, mortgage to pay and job I don't really like ay more. Oh well just another 28 years

guinea

I'm in my mid 30s and I'm packing in my job to go back and study.

The earlier you do it the better, so it should be even easier for you. The hardest thing for me was convincing the wife.

CaffeineShot

Now approaching 40 I too am facing a career change that is being forced on me (22 years in the military) and am looking at a total change of direction. Looking at going from Air Traffic Control to becoming a Paramedic (If the NHS still exists in a year when it's time to leave). This is going to involve quite a hefty pay cut, and some quite severe belt tightening but I'd rather be happy in work and cut down on some of my luxuries (the bike NOT being one of them). Money can't buy you happiness, just a better quality of misery.

I say go for it, Some of the skills you have picked up will carry over in to whatever employment you choose, and you'll be a higher caliber applicant than a 17 year old school leaver who sits on facebook/twitter/ebay all day (Bikeradar forums don't count!). Best of luck to you whatever you decide to do

pb21

At the moment I work in an engineering field and have a physics degree. Basically ended up here because I was good at that kind of stuff when I was younger and didn’t really know what I wanted to do.

Now though I want to work in an area where I would be working with people. I am really interested in psychology and philosophy and spend a lot of my time reading around these areas. I guess being a psychologist/psychiatrist would be what I would most like to do, but I am really not sure how feasible that would be now since I would have to go back to university!

It’s annoying I didn’t feel like this ten years ago!

finchy

pb21 wrote:

At the moment I work in an engineering field and have a physics degree. Basically ended up here because I was good at that kind of stuff when I was younger and didn’t really know what I wanted to do.

Now though I want to work in an area where I would be working with people. I am really interested in psychology and philosophy and spend a lot of my time reading around these areas. I guess being a psychologist/psychiatrist would be what I would most like to do, but I am really not sure how feasible that would be now since I would have to go back to university!

It’s annoying I didn’t feel like this ten years ago!

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