Career change at my age?

Don't be daft. I changed careers four times during my working life (with lots of different jobs between each one). Each time involved involved re-training, more exams, more qualifications and a lot more excitement and energy while I learned new things. :)

I get bored easily and my constant quest for knowledge and a better education has 'driven' me all my life. I still do it now even though I'm old, retired and virtually housebound in a wheelchair.

Only you can put limits on yourself - so don't.
 
so far it appears you don't have a lot of choice

www.talkphotography.co.uk

Job failure, worried about future, can't find work, change of career

What would you do if you have 11 years experience in production and manufacturing but don't want to go back into the field and want to change careers. You haven't worked for 4* years because there's hardly any jobs around other than production and manufacturing because you live in an industrial...
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk


what's changed from last time you asked and ignored everyone?
 
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boyfalldown said:
so far it appears you don't have a lot of choice

www.talkphotography.co.uk

Job failure, worried about future, can't find work, change of career

What would you do if you have 11 years experience in production and manufacturing but don't want to go back into the field and want to change careers. You haven't worked for 4* years because there's hardly any jobs around other than production and manufacturing because you live in an industrial...
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk


what's changed from last time you asked and ignored everyone?
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I didn't ignore anyone thank you very much
 
My first job was as an apprentice mechanic, I retired from a local authority as an IT data manager.

Go for it (y)
 
Sky said:
Don't be daft. I changed careers four times during my working life (with lots of different jobs between each one). Each time involved involved re-training, more exams, more qualifications and a lot more excitement and energy while I learned new things. :)

I get bored easily and my constant quest for knowledge and a better education has 'driven' me all my life. I still do it now even though I'm old, retired and virtually housebound in a wheelchair.

Only you can put limits on yourself - so don't.
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Well said Trevor ;)
 
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Sky said:
Don't be daft. I changed careers four times during my working life (with lots of different jobs between each one). Each time involved involved re-training, more exams, more qualifications and a lot more excitement and energy while I learned new things. :)

I get bored easily and my constant quest for knowledge and a better education has 'driven' me all my life. I still do it now even though I'm old, retired and virtually housebound in a wheelchair.

Only you can put limits on yourself - so don't.
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What if you already have some experience in what you're looking at, but you just have to prove yourself you have what it takes to carry out the job.

"Only you can put limits on yourself" Considering you said that it appears that I should.
 
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By the time he gets to ‘retirement’ age, it’ll 70 years of age!
 
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Apparently, it's worth getting a HGV licence. Many organisations seem to be desperate for lorry drivers at the moment...

Lorry driver waiting to join main road P1010987.JPG
 
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I really don't see what any of us can offer you. Several of us answered your questions about finding employment earlier this year. In your first post in that thread among other things, you said "college courses suck" Now you want a career change.

With your work history what you need is a job, a career is something different. You never know one of those jobs may turn into a career.

On the subject of it being too late to change career, it is never too late. An anesthetist friend of ours who was approaching retirement age, went back to college to get an engineering qualification.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
Apparently, it's worth getting a HGV licence. Many organisations seem to be desperate for lorry drivers at the moment...
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He has already given several reasons (excuses) why he won't get a HGV/LGV license. But that was earlier in the year,
 
I'm no believer in American-style motivational BS, but I've just watched this (for you) and think you should take the time to watch it. Several times over if necessary.

View: https://youtu.be/e4in-hK8-BU
 
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AndrewFlannigan said:
Apparently, it's worth getting a HGV licence. Many organisations seem to be desperate for lorry drivers at the moment...

View attachment 321658
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I've already looked into HGV driving, but it's not for me considering I cannot afford it (not going to a broker etc) and other reasons I have against it.
 
gjhill said:
I changed career for the eleventh time in my working life 2 years ago at the age of 62
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I did my career changes relatively early in life...
  • Newspaper advertising sales
  • Photography (assistant, darkroom manager, wedding operator)
  • Insurance agent
  • Technical assistant in a mill
  • Photographic equipment sales
  • Part time wedding operator, press photographer and commercial photography
  • Back to Newspaper advertising
  • Technical Sales and support in hospital catering then industrial laundry
  • Back to newspapers, this time on the editorial side
  • Started in IT on the sales side, then tech support and programming
  • Spent 35 years as an IT contractor.
These are just the highlights. I always found that there were openings, if I was prepared to start at the bottom. Mind you, I lack the cheek to dress up and hand out leaflets in the street. That's a real test of determination, I think!

Town crier Bath handing out leaflets A83500CNV00012.jpg
 
FWIW

It is always a matter of "transferable skills" and a willingness to learn some anew.

My progression......
1) NHS Path lab technician.
2) Laboratory equipment sales Inc technology support.
3) Technical sales ~ scientific & light industrial balances.
4) Selling industrial plastics & rubbers.
5) Selling specialist plastic cards inc. exposure to the infancy of SIM cards.
6) Printing materials selling ~ diverse including technical sales support and printer installations.

And last but not least
7) Field Fundraiser for a national charity.
 
I changed careers at 30, 45 and 60, if you think you need to then do it. There's nothing worse in life than thinking "what if I had"..
 
I trained as a primary teacher, couldn't get a teaching job so got a factory job as a progress chaser (enjoyed it but mastered it very quickly and got bored), got offered a job in civil service as a trainee programmer and got into IT where I've been for 43 years, 33 freelance. But alongside the career, I've enjoyed part time or voluntary jobs as a business mentor, counsellor, administrator, book-keeper, barman. My point is, get a job that pays your way (as many have advised you many times on here), develop skills or get training on the side in something that you are enthusiastic about - or if you get to like the job, get further training and put your enthusiasm into that to make it a career, or do volunteer or freelance work on the side to get experience in something else you are interested in.
The main thing is old chum, you seem to be rather unfocused and directionless. Decide on what you want from life and make a plan for getting it.
 
Dael_Pix said:
Is it too late to change completely change careers at the age of 37 ?
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I am a lot older than you, and I have been having thoughts and ideas myself. So no, providing you are capable of doing the job you are after. ;)
 
Lots have suggested ideas to you in two threads . But let’s ask the hopefully right question

What do you want to do in way of a career change ?

You must have something at the back of your mind to even start this post ,so what is it , tell us and you might ? Get some proper help
 
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Same advice I gave you last time...

www.talkphotography.co.uk

Job failure, worried about future, can't find work, change of career

What would you do if you have 11 years experience in production and manufacturing but don't want to go back into the field and want to change careers. You haven't worked for 4* years because there's hardly any jobs around other than production and manufacturing because you live in an industrial...
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk

I think I changed careers at about 35/36 but it was more sort of a sideways step I suppose mostly using my existing skills, just in a different area.

So, a late 30's change may be possible especially if it's a related career if you can blag an interview and give some evidence that you are competent and know what you're doing. Changing to something completely different may be challenging if only because of your age and inexperience.
 
Mechanic 16-28, factory worker28-29 , photographer29-30, admin30-32 security not long, communications30-32, MI32-35, IT support35-52, trainer52-54, data analyst - hopefully retirement next at 60.

The above doesn't reflect times I've had more than one job at the same time (3 jobs sometimes, including being a part time photographer for a lot of years). My honest opinion is I'm a bit lazy - but people who know me describe me differently. ;)

It's never too late to retrain - but I think the OP needs a bit more of an open mind. Stop thinking about what you cant / don't want to do and think about what you can do, what you'd like to learn to do, what you need to live on etc.

BTW I'm looking at a fairly comfortable retirement (eventually) but there was a time I went to work for £5 a week more than unemployment benefit. The short answer is -get a job - get a better job - build a career.
 
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Decided to apply for the job, but at the moment, I'm writing an email to the employer and writing something for my website (password locked for the time being)

The job is 475 miles away on an island in Scotland.
 
lindsay56 said:
Decide on what you want from life and make a plan for getting it.
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Interesting, I've never had any expectations from life, never wanted anything and never had a plan but I am doing quite nicely, thank you. That said I have always taken every interesting opportunity that came along and created a few opportunities for my self and I feel that not having a plan has allowed me to be flexible.

To the OP, can you change career? I've had 3 distinct professions, including membership of relevant professional bodies. For my first 25 years of working I averaged a new job every 2 years or so. I know it sounds like management speak but ... Positive Mental Attitude. Find some empathy, think about how others see you, are you a pain or do you make a positive contribution? You want someone to pay you money, what value do you deliver in return?
 
I worked in IT for 13 years, started as Tech Support and ended up SysAdmin, with some additional stuff added in (PAT testing). Made redundant in 2015 and couldn't get another IT job.

So I ended up applying to supermarkets just to bring money in. Got a job in one close to home, on the meat counter, did a butchery course with work (trip round the abattoir anyone?), 12 months later they scrapped the meat and fish counters, so I retrained again as Stock Control.

It's not that fantastically paid, but I have enough time off to do what I enjoy (photography) and just enough money to live and support my GAS :)

I have also worked as an admin assistant and very very briefly (couple of months) as a conference photographer.
 
If you haven't worked for four years its not really a career change.
Get off your butt and get a job, any job because the longer it goes the harder it will become.
 
To pick up on the slightly different approaches of sirch and I (although we seem to have done things quite similarly in many ways) I guess I was thinking about goals" what you would like to achieve, or do, or be. These goals change over time and as you get older, but for me it has always been important to know why I'm doing what I am - be it to buy a bigger house, move to a different area/country, get a new qualification, or as simple as to learn morse and get my receiving/sending speeds up so I can get a nice certificate on the wall. The point is to have a target to aim for. But as sirch says, not everyone works that way, so that's just my take on the OP's question.
 
Been in IT all my life from 18 to now at 52 and been very lucky to have been fortunate to have never needed to look left or right.
Always wanted to work in a HIFI shop though.

for me self employed is the way to go whatever the career, left permie land over 22 years ago to be an IT Contractor and best thing i ever did
 
Dael_Pix said:
Decided to apply for the job, but at the moment, I'm writing an email to the employer and writing something for my website (password locked for the time being)

The job is 475 miles away on an island in Scotland.
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Just applying for one job , as far as I’m aware these days you have to apply for hundreds to even stand a chance of a interview .
 
Mr Bump said:
for me self employed is the way to go whatever the career, left permie land over 22 years ago to be an IT Contractor and best thing i ever did
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Ah, if only the government agreed what a great idea this was. My wife and I ran an IT consultancy business which always turned a profit and payed staggering amounts of tax. We closed it down last year just shy of its 25th anniversary because the current tax regime is extremely hostile to genuine "self employed" businesses (as opposed to driving people into zero hours).

Dael_Pix said:
Is it too late to change completely change careers at the age of 37 ?
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No, but as others have said here and elsewhere you have to want to change. And you're going to have to put some effort in.
  1. What are your current skills / experience?
  2. What new career do you want?
  3. What have you done about it so far?
Asking for help is great, but nobody is going to do it for you.
 
lindsay56 said:
To pick up on the slightly different approaches of sirch and I (although we seem to have done things quite similarly in many ways) I guess I was thinking about goals" what you would like to achieve, or do, or be. These goals change over time and as you get older, but for me it has always been important to know why I'm doing what I am - be it to buy a bigger house, move to a different area/country, get a new qualification, or as simple as to learn morse and get my receiving/sending speeds up so I can get a nice certificate on the wall. The point is to have a target to aim for. But as sirch says, not everyone works that way, so that's just my take on the OP's question.
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I agree if you do not have a target you are unlikely to hit it.
However you do not always end up where you expect.
The. Wider your experience becomes, the more options you have.

It is far easier to get a job if you already have one.
What ever it is.
Get something and work from there.
 
JonathanRyan said:
My wife and I ran an IT consultancy business which always turned a profit and payed staggering amounts of tax.
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We were in the same line but we never begrudged the tax we paid over a 30 year period.
 
the black fox said:
Just applying for one job , as far as I’m aware these days you have to apply for hundreds to even stand a chance of a interview .
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That’s never been a good strategy.

If you send out hundreds of applications they can’t possibly be tailored to a post and will be sifted out instantly. You might as well have done nothing.

There’s a middle ground where you can apply for a lot of jobs but actually apply properly to give yourself a chance.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
We were in the same line but we never begrudged the tax we paid over a 30 year period.
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Having been employed and self employed I can’t understand anyone who suggests that taxation is disadvantageous to the self employed.
 
Phil V said:
Having been employed and self employed I can’t understand anyone who suggests that taxation is disadvantageous to the self employed.
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IR35 has complicated matters recently. I'm employed, but my place used to hire loads of external consultants and that's more or less stopped now. A few colleagues have told me it's not as good as it once was..
 
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