Career change at (nearly) 40?

[slim_boy_fat]

The worst decision you can make, is to make no decision.

Imagine if your last words on Earth were "I wish I had....."

 

[bigegg]

To quote Jim Steinman:

So many things in your life that you're bound to regret
Why didn't I do that?
Why didn't I do this?
So many chances you've lost that you never forget
Why didn't I make it?
Why didn't I take it right there?
The loneliest words you'll ever know
If only, if only it was so
The emptiest words that there'll ever be
It could have been me, it could have been me

 

[Bryan Williams]

The worst decision you can make, is to make no decision.

Imagine if your last words on Earth were "I wish I had....."

.. packed my own parachute..

 

[Kayos]

I posted this thread while sat in hospital, awaiting hernia surgery that turned out to be far more involved and complex than anyone expected.

Im currently sat in pain, waiting until I need to hobble to the toilet in more pain or it being time for more tablets

Some great responses, thank you all

Yes, the current job is great, good money, good company, left to my own devices mostly, however as a few have alluded to its just a job, my skills would transfer to any construction or trade based company

Giving up the business because of Covid was a natural choice at the time, financially it wasn't great but im not exactly on the bread line

I do have a couple of options, one ties me to this job for another 2 years but gives me another qualification, or I continue to self study and pay for it myself

 

[addjunkie]

.. packed my own parachute..

I did a fair bit of that, only had it messed up for me once by so called packers! But as Kayos is recuperating after being under the knife, doubt hell be taking up this in the near future.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

@Kayos Sorry to read about the op, hope your recovery is swift. Don't make any major decision(s) until you're fully fit again.

 

[dobbslc]

Hope you're feeling better soon!

 

[Pete.]

I posted this thread while sat in hospital, awaiting hernia surgery that turned out to be far more involved and complex than anyone expected.

Im currently sat in pain, waiting until I need to hobble to the toilet in more pain or it being time for more tablets

Some great responses, thank you all

Yes, the current job is great, good money, good company, left to my own devices mostly, however as a few have alluded to its just a job, my skills would transfer to any construction or trade based company

Giving up the business because of Covid was a natural choice at the time, financially it wasn't great but im not exactly on the bread line

I do have a couple of options, one ties me to this job for another 2 years but gives me another qualification, or I continue to self study and pay for it myself

Sorry to hear about that Kayos, I hope you recover fully and soon. My brother is currently awaiting an op for TWO hernias, stomach and intestine. It's no fun at all for him.

 

[Bornfree]

My financial advisor has been telling me for the last 2 year's that I have enough to retire, but I love my work so I don't want to. But it's nice knowing that I can whenever I want.

 

[8ob]

Forty has to be the age most folk wonder what its all about, workwise the honeymoon is over and its becoming a chore. Still not a bad age to change direction.

Bob

 

[roofman]

This Hernia malarkey knocked on my door when i had my bladder removed 6 years ago and 50 stichers in my stomach wall was the reason...Luckily the bullet missed me but there is always a threat for the future i have been told. Sorry to read the above posts and i hope all goes well.

 

[armalites]

My dad worked for a chap who said something I've always remembered "There's only one person stopping you achieving what you want and that's you!"

It's amazing how many people can think of 10 good reasons for not doing something.

I've got a mate who will get home from work early on a Friday, needs a few bits for some stuff he's doing at the weekend but won't go and get them late on Friday because he doen't want to sit in traffic across town. He will then get up on Saturday morning and then have to rush around bitch and moan and waste half the day. To me it's totally alien, when he says traffic he means it's going take 15-20mins longer. He could just pick the stuff up on the way home but that's too easy and he would be late getting home early He's stopped telling the stories now because he knows what my reaction will be.

It's amazing how good you feel when you do something you could have put off because it's late,it's cold, it's raining etc.

I watch eldest who is 18, he's clever but wasn't really too interested in school. He gets up goes to work in all weathers sometime gone before 0700 sometimes not back till 2100 and then does other work at weekends. Sometimes he will come back have tea and then he's outside building something.He just loves working, has more money and assets than any 18 year old I know other than the kids who never worked for any of theirs. He does something he enjoys and that counts for a lot.

If you get a chance to change and do something you enjoy then go for it, if you are the sort of person who is prepared to take the risk then most likely you are the sort of person who will find something else if it doesn't work out

 

[Farside]

I lost count of how many career changes I had. Always ended up doing something I enjoyed though, and when the money was good it was even better.

 

[armalites]

Chap who did some fencing for us a couple of years back is 74 and still doing it, 1000s of metres a week and works on his own. He's got a really nice tracked machine but he is still humping posts on and off trailers so I don't think it's ever too late and clearly working outside does you no harm.

 

[Nick DV]

however as a few have alluded to its just a job, my skills would transfer to any construction or trade based company

Why go for another construction/trade based company? You're obviously a clever lad, so why not have a complete change of trade/occupation away from construction. Circumstance forced me to make that sort of change, and I've never been happier.

Take it easy and I wish you a speedy recovery

 

[Pete.]

I watch eldest who is 18, he's clever but wasn't really too interested in school. He gets up goes to work in all weathers sometime gone before 0700

He gets a lie-in every day? Lucky bugger

 

[8ob]

Why go for another construction/trade based company? You're obviously a clever lad, so why not have a complete change of trade/occupation away from construction. Circumstance forced me to make that sort of change, and I've never been happier.

Take it easy and I wish you a speedy recovery

Reminds me of the guy that ran a roadside chuck wagon on tha A3. He talked with a plum in his throat and I had to ask the question of what he was doing working in there, turns out he worked in the city and the stress had caused a heart attack and was basically forced out of a job, he bought the pitch , wagon and set himself up in mobile catering. He reckoned that pitch was worth £1200 a day to him before he went home at 2pm, he has never looked back.

Bob

 

[stuvy]

Reminds me of the guy that ran a roadside chuck wagon on tha A3. He talked with a plum in his throat and I had to ask the question of what he was doing working in there, turns out he worked in the city and the stress had caused a heart attack and was basically forced out of a job, he bought the pitch , wagon and set himself up in mobile catering. He reckoned that pitch was worth £1200 a day to him before he went home at 2pm, he has never looked back.

Bob

My mates twin brother was a head chef in a very prestigious kitchen but ended up having a heart attack at 42, poor sod nearly died and has been told he needs a career change due to the stress

He’s been driving for a little green grocers that used to deliver to his kitchen. Regular routes, same faces, no stress as it’s on the south coast so no London roads ever

Iv said before I’m more office based and did my first but if real metal work yesterday afternoon whilst it was great fun making something I’m really enjoying my change and so glad I took the risk on my job

Try the new role, if you don’t like it plenty of jobs like your currently doing

Ask your current boss he might even give you 6months break to give it a go

 

[sako243]

Ask your current boss he might even give you 6months break to give it a go

This - my old company had a policy where for every year (or maybe it was two) you worked you'd gain a month towards a sabbatical. Could only take it after I think you'd been there 5 years and was capped at something like a year or 18 months because things progressed so fast in our industry. Having said that it was all on a person by person basis so it was a guideline rather than rules.

They tended to keep people longer because of it.

 

[willie.macleod]

@Kayos, sorry to hear you are under the weather. Another option might be to take a look at what teaching opportunities are available at your local college - it'll be a bit easier on the body, decent holidays and less of the issues that you tend to encounter teaching secondary pupils that @Tangledfeet referred to as colleges tend to be quicker to drop those unwilling to work.

I will say its all a bit of swings and roundabouts, the countryside management type of employment tends to pay less but may come with tied housing and other benefits. If you have kids about to come to a particularly expensive stage in life like uni then that may influence your decision as well.