Ever Changed Careers?

J

Jayro

Hi all,

Just wondering if many people actually TOTALLY change careers. And I dont mean they one day worked as a receptionist then a sales rep. I mean someone who has actually studied/trained and practiced in a certain field then at some stage down the track thought bugger it im going to give X job a try???

I ask because ever since straight out of school I started and completed an apprenticeship and have been in this trade for the last 12 yrs. All my working life. Its a great trade, pay is ok, I get a car etc etc I work for an ok company and alls good.

However more and more lately I just think Ok I became this worker but Id love to do something different. BUT I feel a little trapped as I need to earn X amount of dollars as I have a wife to support, mortgage payments and now a baby on the way. I just dont see how I can ever change careers and still go to a good paying job that im new at. Just wondering if and how others have gone about it.

Dont get me wrong, no doom and gloom. I dont hate my job or my line of work I just would like something different. Id not be happy if the day comes where I pass away and all iv done in life is this job. Id like to get off the tools, I like to be presented better when I go to work. I get VERY boored working by myself all day every day and would like to be in an office maybe.

One line of thought I have is to TRY and hold tight for say 5 yrs. Then sell a property or 2 to pay down my PPOR and then I can go to a lower paid job and work my way up or maybe study etc.

Anyhow just wondering on others thoughts.

CHeers Jayro!
 
Yep. I think you'll find it's pretty common nowdays. I was an engineer (product design/mechanical) and a couple years ago switched to starting up a nursery growing plants! Didn't have a mortgage at the time, but do now. If you could first build up a little buffer incase things don't go to plan then go for it.
 
Hi Jayro,

Well yes,

I am a qualified Graphic Artist. When I had my children I gave up meetings in the Boardroom with PM's and Friday nights in a bar with work collegues for

Group Fitness Instructing and Boxing!

I can see your dilemma though. I did have my husband to support me. I did go back to work after 12 months but found it was too hard to meet the deadlines and my marriage started suffering.

However when my first was 6 months old, because of the obvious drop in income, I started working weekends in a Theatre Restaurant! Waiting on tables, dancing and acting. Was loads of fun!

I do lots of things and have never set any boundaries on myself and guess what?

I am extremely happy for it! I ended up making more money than I did in Advertising and was alot happier for it!

What do you WANT to do? What are your interests and hobbies. . . . .

Regards Jo
 
i had a 4 month old when i left working for the man and went out on my own. i had a decent support base (client base) before i left FT work though, so it wasn't like i took this huge step into the abyss and came out peachy keen.

start rant >
since working for myself, i look back and think the false sense of security with a full time job is a dangerous trap. to think that all will be well until you decide to leave is bordering on ignorant.
you constantly rely on someone else to have the need to employ you. should they not need you anymore due to a slowdown in your field of expertise, then no-one else inside your field of expertise can employ you either.
think, the engineering glut in the early noughties - too many graduating engineers meant no jobs. now they are in short supply but most have changed profession.
< end rant

when you work for yourself, or become a system that OTHERS rely on the be employed from, you start to see new and fantastic ways of making money without having to rely on a paycheque.

there's futures / options / CFD trading, property development, renovating for profit which are probably the most obvious.

i use contractors to make passive income. i charge "x" amount to the client to have things drawn, and my contractors charge "y" amount to me for ther same work. the difference between X and Y is my profit for doing...well, nothing.

if you can use a CAD package, you can set up cutout patterns for plastics / metals for large advertising signs for businesses. that alone is a business venture in itself. i have a solid contact who can get a hold of these laser/water cutter machines at wholesale rates.

you can also use CAD to make cutouts for plywood with water cutters. it's not hard to get a contact for a woodworker who works with forming ply and start making chairs, furniture etc for sale to local (and large scale) furniture stores.

you can also set up jigs for couch frames, if you're in cohorts with a furniture upholsterer. that's the easiest way for a CAD operator to earn money yet i reckon.

i'm also branching out from residential design and drafting into mxed use, commercial, industrial and high rise. i now have contacts pretty much all over the world (London, Shanghai, Sydney, Brisbane, Wellington) and have designed houses for overseas clients i have never met (2 holiday homes in Zagreb Croatia, Kuala Lumpur and Bali).

the point of me posting all this crap is that while they may sound a little offbeat or tooting my own horn, i'm posting examples of how i've always got my fingers from my left hand in a few pies while my right hand does my work.

you MUST branch out slightly and always try to form more contacts. always have a back up plan or four.

to fall back into the beanbag of FT employment and say "gee this is comfy" is a sure fire way to be left standing on the trapdoor when the noose is put around your neck. it means you're not out there looking for the rocker recliner, the massage chair or the queen size bed. eventually someone is going to want their bean bag back, or sell it from under you, or find two people cheap enough to replace one of you.

my suggestion? if you are on the tools maybe change locations or your field of scope. FIFO work, i imagine, is off the cards with a bubba on the way - you sound like someone who will want to be there, like i do.

so for example, if you're a resi roofing carpenter, maybe move across to fixing carpentry with stairs etc. that could lead to seeing an opportunity with metal staircases, going for a welding ticket, and working in high rise commercial buildings. you may end up JVing with someone in a commercial situation to start a new staircase / balustrade company. one small example of how paths wind all over the place.

maybe give us all an idea of what you would like to do, and some people on here can tell you what you need.

but most of all, don't EVER be afraid of change or being wrong. there's nothing wrong with trying something new and failing. money might get short, but the bills can wait. failure and risk are a part of life, so don't avoid it. manage it.
 
Well im a refrigeration and air con technician. I worked in sydney doing chiller plants and other high rise a/c work. Now live on NSW central coast and do industrial and commercial work. Mainly pub refrigeration and a/c. Or process plants as well as office blocks, major hunter valley wineries etc.

Dont do install work. I service and repair and am the leading tech for this company. I do like that its a Job with massive skills shortage and work at any company in any town is only a call away. I guess an option is to look for a job in my field but possibly in sales or management.

My interests are 100% fishing basically. But I think thats best left as a hobby.

Obviously I have a liking to investments and property in general. Even before getting into IP's I considered becoming a REA. I love chatting to people and a sales role would certainly suit me. People often say dont go into R/E sales just because you like IP's but its not that at all. I was interested in becoming a REA before I had an interest in property.

The thing holding me back here is the $$$ at this stage. I have no interest at all in becoming a PM but R/E sales I certainly lean towards.

Im 29 yrs old so I know its now all rush rush rush but I would like to see some direction. Maybe should have mad the move a yr or 2 back in hindsight but it may just mean I need to now wait a few yrs before the move and so be it if thats the case.

Thanks for the replies. Great to see others have done it and done well.

Cheers Jas!
 
Jas,

You can purchase your R/E Cert course online and do it by correspondence.

I have thought about this myself,

Why don't you just do it and see how you feel about it at then end. . .

Regards Jo:)
 
Hi Jo,

That was my thought also. To get it now and then once the market picked up I could make the move and go for it. Doing it via correspondence is what I was looking at.

Any idea as to how I go about doing the course via correspondence? Is it through the REI or is it a TAFE thing?

Cheers Jas!
 
I quit work (secure public service job) a bit over 2 years ago now to pursue something else rather different, sadly that hasn't worked out as well as it could have (we badly underestimated the development time) so now that project is on a quiet backburner as it won't earn money until after it is finished, and we're chasing up retail sales and tech support instead.

The best thing about not working in my old job is I don't have to deal with childcare, so while its nice having The Child out of the house at school, I still see her before 9am and after 3pm, wheras before it was more like before 7:30am and after 6pm. My old job was very boring and it was driving me nuts - now I have interesting stuff to do all day, my health is much better, I've put on lots of weight (I was unhappy and very very underweight before), and besides the fact we don't have much to show for those last two years (unless a few thousand lines of code and a few hundred megs of graphics counts) I feel so much better overall than I did when I was working it is all well worth it. And I have the world's cutest baby now too :cool:

The funniest thing to come out of it was when I was getting headaches and went to get new glasses, it turned out my eyes had *improved* considerably, which was probably due to the weight gain and improvement in my health.
 
Jayro said:
Hi Jo,

That was my thought also. To get it now and then once the market picked up I could make the move and go for it. Doing it via correspondence is what I was looking at.

Any idea as to how I go about doing the course via correspondence? Is it through the REI or is it a TAFE thing?

Cheers Jas!
Click to expand...

Just go to Google and type it in do a search. It is available through alot of places. Do your research and you'll find the cheapest one. I decided to do the PS146 for Financial Advising (Just for fun) and found a $250 dif between some.

Rumpled Elf:

Sounds like you've had a tough time. But it was a lesson well learnt I bet. I'm learning my own lessons at the moment!

Glad to hear things are better and you have a beautiful baby too!

JO
 
Thanks Jo.

Funny you mention Headaches RumpledElf. Im off to the Doctors right now actually (hence why im home today) as Iv had a headache for nearly 4 weeks now and im not sure if im just being a little stressed or if it is something so best to see the doctor I guess.

Thanks for the replies.

Cheers Jayro
 
Hi Jayro,

After being a Diesel Fuel Injection Fitter for 13 years, I had been doing small developments on the side for a few of those years. I was making more money doing my "side projects" than I was making in my real job. I did not want to spend the rest of my life working that same job!!

I started uni doing a commerce degree, double major in finance and property, and pulled the pin with my job and called all of the major developers that I could think of...most just ignored me, however one up and coming developer with a solid backgroud in other business decided they would give me a go.

I quess what I'm trying to say is that if you are persistant enough, you will get ahead. I have now been working for the company for 6 months, and would never go back to what I was doing...and with all this going on I had a 2 year old and another on the way at that time...and a mortgage...!

So it's possible to change your path, you just have to want to do it enough to take the necessary risks...

Hope this helps...


Boods
 
Last edited:
Left school worked in the photographic industry.
Did a course in office admin.
Changed over to work doing admin in various settings.
While working in admin, studied natural therapies part time. Had a practice p/t
Still work f/t in admin and am doing a degree.
When I have my post grad qualifications I will work f/t in another field.

I studied p/t then shifted gears once qualified. And am shaping up to do just that again...

At the moment I am working f/t, studying p/t and doing volunteer work.

The volunteer work gives me some contacts and experience. When I quit admin and change over (again!) I will not have the predicament of not getting a go because you have no experience. Insurance policy if you will.

{I was inspired by a fellow student when I was in yr 11. He wanted to be a chef and worked gratis to get experience. When he got an apprenticeship he left yr 11.....I know these days it is illegal to let someone work without payment. But I never forgot his get up and go.}
 
Yep, me too! Qualified in another field and worked for a huge multinational but found that there lacked a certain something in that line of work and I never felt personally satisfied. I'd meanwhile found something else that really interested me and had a lot to offer both personally and professionally, so I took the leap, resigned and returned to full time study for another five years. It was a long, hard road on many fronts - I do admit - but the rewards are worth it. I am now a self-employed health professional, working 3.5 days a week with flexible hours should the need arise, and a job that is more personally fulfilling than I could have ever imagined. I know I could never have felt this way about my previous work. So has the sacrifice been worth it? Absolutely!

I'm also in my late twenties Jayro and thought that by the time I qualified in my new profession that I would be OLD... turns out I am not, I think! So just jump in, get your feet wet and do whatever it is that really makes you tick. Now is a great time. Just cover your bases first, build up a buffer and work out a plan for how you will get through it, and I bet you will never look back. And if you do? Well, it sounds as though there will still be work waiting for you anyway.

Have fun... all the best!

Ali
 
They say most people have 3 changes of career in a lifetime. friend of mine's son started out selling pots and pans door to door, studied accountancy at night, took him about 7 years on and off but he now very high up in a big govt. dept. Other son started out as a hairdresser, owned his own salon, got sick of it and sold, worked on the railways laboring for a while, hurt his leg, went into the office to recuperate on workers com, they liked him so much they have asked him to stay on.
I started life as a clerk, went to night school, eventually became a Confidential Secretary, then Technical Consultant (a new product and no-one new much about it, so I was promoted), then office designer/sales rep, then started my own compnay, then did a townhouse development, now have been semi-retired and turned painter (canvas) for about 4 years, now thinking of becoming a renovator and feel so refreshed may take on some other little business (i dont know what, just waiting) as well
 
Jayro, don't know if it's realistic in your profession or not - but what about establishing your own business ie. win a few contracts and have people do the work for you. You work on the business instead of in it.

Then once you're out of the full time working part of it, you can then branch out into other businesses/areas of interest as well.

As I said, not sure if this is realistic in your situation or not. It sounds like it may be a major company sort of thing?
 
Jayro have you thought about getting a qualification in Occ Health and Safety? It is a boom industry at the moment with huge dollars on offer. With your trade background you would find it easy to get a well paying job esp if you are prepared to live and work in regional centres. You could start with a basic WHSO certification which some employers find enough, but you could then study externally for a few years and gain professional quals which are in very high demand. With such a huge demand for OHS people at the moment (and short supply) you would get a job quite easily while you are studying - I did and I have no OHS experience at all besides a few months corporate work at Rio Tinto. Having your trade background is such a bonus too, so it won't have gone to waste (so to speak).

I have had plenty of "career" changes over my working life but finally decided to bite the bullet and get a uni qualification. Had to sell my first house but it allowed me to finish my degree full time and I finally graduate with a commerce degree in OHS management and Employment Relations. Already have two jobs lined up for next year both paying almost double what I was earning in my previous HR job (which wasn't peanuts either), and have managed to hold on to my other 3 properties and share portfolio while not working.

I would definately recommend it.
 
Hi Jayro,
I didn't want to rave about myself but since you asked I thought I would share my life experiences.
I've had dozens of jobs over 24 years from office to labouring and back. I believe if you don't like it or are bored then its time to move on. You never know where you'll end up and who you will meet.
One of my first jobs was a computer programmer, I left after 2 years to go surfing... it was way more fun:D I then did all sort of jobs and found I love working in pubs, but the money was to low. Went from there to the airport in the public service, trained and became an Air Traffic Controller. Even than I quit after 8 years to go backpacking in Europe and came home with nothing at age 32. I went on to do internet support for 3 years until it was sold off and ppl got chopped or transferred. (like Blue Card said, no security at all). We also had 3 kids in those 3 years and done up a few houses, which led me to this forum.
My wife and I started a business which we got killed in, we lost all the equity we had worked for and shut it done. So what do you do when you lose the lot, well you start another business but with more "experience".
Anyway, this biz is going great and I love it. I do demolition work and subbie out to a heap of companies so if one goes to the wall it will hardly affect me. I work when I want and the pays good. I take time off for all the school events and I'm usually about the only dad there.
I also thought I would like to build houses one day so last year I did Tafe and completed the "Cert IV in Building" and now have to get my hours up for a BSA licence. I'm also subdividing my land and will decide to either sell the back (would love to see some big $ back in the account) or build on it. Would be cool to walk out the backyard whenever I felt like it and do some building.
I'm 43 now and the kids are 7,8 and 9 so don't think age or children are a hinderance for you to be whatever you want to be. You just have to really want it, thats all. I would do what the others have said, build up a cash buffer, learn all you can about being a RE agent, ask them what they recommend/courses, maybe volunteer some time,etc.
Since you like fishing, why not look around that industry for something you can do part-time or as a hobby for alittle extra cash, you never know, it might build up into a great business.

Sorry for the big spiel :eek: but you did ask. My point is, if I had stayed in the first job I would have never done any of the above and would never have met 3/4 of my friends now.

Hope it all goes well,
Chris
 
Hiya

Id say its quite common these days

my technical training is as a scientist, a rock scientist ( thats 2 bottles short of a six pack to make a rocket scientist :) )

In the last 20 or so years have also done work in the following areas

1. Data Base administration
2. Exploration and Mining Geology
3. Financial Adviser
4. Business Management Consultant focussing on Logistics and Data Management systems when medium to large companies merge
5. Mortgage Broker

I am in no way special and I believe that almost everyone has a skill set to do almost everything. Some things you will have a gift for and some will be hard work .

I think a core thing though is, ya gotta like what you do...............its damn hard to make money long term out of something you hate.....................

ta
rolf
 
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