Kube

Have any of you changed your careers once you were already established in one profession?

How hard was it?

To find a new job with little experience?

To take a pay cut?

Etc.

THanks

Max Bottomtime

I've been at the same low pay, dead end job for 28 years. I would leave in a second for a better job. I don't care if it's removing peanuts from turds if the pay is better.

kvrdave

Hmmm, I don't even know if I qualify as being later in life.

But I would suspect it is scary. Go find a niche and be self employed. You will never get ahead working to make someone else money.

Big Quasimodo

I'm still looking for something to call a "career". Right now, I work for a paycheck (and to set a good example for the kids....).

I have been a stockbroker, a counselor, and my current incarnation, a WAN telecom engineer.

LorenzoL

I'm in the process of a career change.

I was an account coordinator in a Graphic design firm and just working there for a paycheck. Money was good enough but I hate it going to work everyday. That's hate with a capital H.

I decided to look around for other careers or jobs and find something that I would like and be useful at. It took me two years to figure it out but this September, I started Teacher's college and hope to get a job as a High School Teacher in September of 2006.

4KRG

If anyone figures it out, let me know. I still haven't figured out what I want to be when (if?) I grow up.

Giantrobo

Same here.

I can't understand why I can't figure what I want to do. I just started a second job that I'm already hating and at 35 it's pretty depressing to realize one hasn't even started living life yet. Thank God I don't have a wife and kids.

Just shoot me now....

cliffzig

I have worked as a telecom engineer for the last 7 years. Now I am seriously considering joining my citys police force. I am 30.

DodgingCars

Not really true. Being self-employed doesn't guarantee you anything better than you'd get working for someone else. Many people fail at their attempts of self-employment.

I've known several people who were self-employed who were struggling. I've known several people who've worked for someone else who did really well.

criptik28

Hopefully not, since I enjoy what I do...but you never know. I'm still only in my mid-20s.

Brian Shannon

I have changed careers three times. You do what you need to and take a pay cut if you need to. In the end it has worked out well for me.

Staying in a job you hate is too stressful especially when there are lots of opportunities out there.

4KRG

It guarentees that *YOU* are the reason for your success or failure. Not everyone has what it takes to make it. These people are better off working for someone else. I am sure in print that comes accross negative, but it is not meant to be. I work for someone else I see my friends that are in business for themselves (doing similar to what I do) working 7 days a week, not being able to take vacation or sick days as needed, etc, etc. I DON'T WANT TO WORK THAT HARD

I think I have worked 7 days a week twice in the last 12 years. I have 400 hours of accumulated time off and I took 4 weeks vacation since Feb 05

But these people will never be extremely wealthy working for someone else their entire life UNLESS they also invest in the stock market/real estate or eventually own part of the company they work for (the later of the two is my case, I work for someone else, but I own private stock that has done better over 10 years than any other stock/mutual fund I have owned)

You have to define "doing well". I know people all over the board in both cases. Point being, more depends on the person and less depends on the employment situation they are in.

DodgingCars

Not everyone wants to be extremely wealthy... (or more specifically, do what it takes to get there) and even then, there is no guarantee that self employment will lead to anything more than enough to live on. I think people who become wealthy off self-employment are the exception, not the rule. I know someone who makes about $100k a year self-employed and he probably couldn't do that working for someone else (based on his education, etc.). But I also worked with a woman who owned a business with her husband. They owned it for years and were barely middle class.

Is one a good businessman and the other not? Is it that simple? I don't know. But, I think not everyone has what it takes (which you already said). I haven't figured out if I have what it takes or not. I like the security of working for someone else. If I lose my job, I simply go somewhere else.

NotThatGuy

I've changed careers once so far (polar opposite jobs), and it was scary for me....and I'm still in my 20's. I went from a very successful job that I hated, to the life as a student again...which has its moments. If I had a family, I never would have made the jump....though I probably would have made a lateral move to a less stressful situation.

You only have 1 life, so make the best of it.

Ultimately I made my choice based on freedom (working for myself), and discounting the role money will play in my life. (It will take me at least 5-6 years to get back to the kind of money I would have made in my previous job.)

kvrdave

Good point. I don't get much time off. I have more responsibility. I don't have a set paycheck every two weeks. And there are certainly times that I wish I could leave work and not think about it.

However, it also looks like it will afford me the ability to retire by age 50 with more disposable income than I currently have. Definately some trade offs. I have no desire to be wealthy, but I also want to be able to do things like remodel my kitchen, buy a car, etc. without having to get a loan or save for years to do it.