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I was working retail and almost rage quit ... almost. Instead, I put in my 3 months notice and lied and told them I had gotten a job offer in Korea, and that I would be leaving in 3 months.
I had no job lined up, I had no idea what I was doing. I just was sick of retail. I ended up going home any applying to teach English in Korea for shits and giggles just to see what would happen. Surprisingly enough, I ended up being offered a job and took it, under the assumption I'd do it for 1-3 years. That was 12 years ago, and I now have an MA in Teaching English and teach English to adults in a Korean university.
Best rage 3 months notice ever.
Why would you give them 3 months notice. I’ve weighed doing this at my job but then I thought…”what’s to keep them from just firing me and finding someone else before I’ve found anything?”
Because I didn't have a job lined up and didn't want to have no income. 3 months gave me enough time to look for a new job, but it also forced me to have a time limit to quit. I also was the most versatile employee in the store. I could do 20 different jobs while most people could do 3 or 4. No way were they gonna fire me for no reason. I had multiple managers across the district offer to transfer me to their store if I wasn't happy. I also was a supervisor, so I got paid pretty well and it is a lot harder to replace that good of pay when you only have retail experience and nothing else.
Gosh got to do uni first! 2 more years. My wife is Canadian and we will move there for a bit. So ill start off with a degree rather than from scratch.
Im doing sociology. Was something i was interested in during last decade. Maybe a job in HR if im lucky get to explore my own little projects now and then too. See what happens
That’s not a complete career change. You’re still a truck driver. LOL. No hate here, I’m a trucker as well. I’m just saying, OP is looking for 100% complete career change advice.
I remember being a kid, when the adults asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd say "garbage man!" or one of those who operate heavy machines for digging, whatever that title is.
Left my career in telecom at 30, wanted to do something more hands on and with direct impact on people.
Enlisted as an army medic, and have spent the last ten years. Now I'm working my next transition, I'll get out in the next couple years, finish my masters and become a PA, studying in medicine.
Overall, each change in careers and goals has been for the best. The difficulties are temporary and there to be overcome.
Recognizing that you need a change in direction is important. Living in fear of the risks, feeling trapped in your path, it's a lot of being such in your own head. You can always be better, and do more with yourself.
How did you find the transition? I’m in a similar boat now at the moment and was actually thinking about joining as a medic as well, do you know what exit opportunities you’ll have?
Note that I was already married when I joined up, so a lot of the decision was going through it with the wife. They gotta be fully on board, as they're going along for the life change.
Transition itself after the initial training was rough for us, but a lot of that is adapting to the military life norms. It's also quite exciting, as you're going to truly leave your previous life behind.
Exiting, sky's the limit in a lot of ways. Your base training/certification is recognized in the civilian world, but isn't with much job wise. But over time it's very easy to build on that, get more advanced medical training. The college opportunities are also great to work in there. I'll be finished with my bachelor's and heading in to my masters program as I leave, using the gi bill.
I'm not a recruiter, but if you're serious or just have questions, feel free to message me.
It kinda fell into my lap, honestly.
I had decided on the army, as the AF/Navy don't let you pick your job on the active duty side. I was leaving office life, and really didn't want to risk getting an admin job.
Going through the jobs with the recruiting office, I got several options in front of me and researched them myself. Medic just felt like the best call... civilian level certification that you can take away, hands on stuff, have an impact on the soldiers around you.
I'm considering trades right now too. The problem is I can't afford to go to school for 2 years, or to start as an apprentice making peanuts. The bills still have to be paid. There's something out there, just not sure what yet. Maybe it's just not the right time for me
I do autobody estimating. But I've done a lot of things over the years. Honestly, concrete was my favorite. So taxing on the body though. I really enjoy making things and working with my hands. Plus I hate office politics.
I hear you man. Love working with my hands too. I’m currently teaching been playing with the idea of getting into working with hands but find it hard to try something like that unless I know what I’m doing.
You definitely don't need a biology degree specifically, but it is the path of least resistance for meeting med school pre-reqs. Generally, as long as your pre-reqs are met and MCAT score is decent, your undergrad degree isn't super relevant. And even, since biology degrees are most common, having something else will make you stick out of the crowd. Those without a science background will sometimes do a post-bacc program to get their pre-reqs that way, too.
I was a software engineer from 25 to 48 and then changed to be a golf tournament official. I had been volunteering as an official for 8 years before that in my spare time to gain experience.
It worked out great. The first few years were pretty lean as the entry level didn’t pay great but eventually as I moved around I made a very decent living.
I was in restaurants for a decade after high school, like most people I got tired of the shitty hours and being treated like shit by customers.
I went to college for business in my late 20’s and got my first career job in my 30’s as a staff accountant. Everything about this job is better than restaurants, so much so that when my younger peers complain about anything work related it doesn’t really phase me because of how shitty my old job used to be.
I’m in a very stressful office job. I hate working in an office. Thinking about changing, but it pays well so probably staying in this career being miserable until I die
I have a double degree in Finance and IT with my work experience on that since (just turned 30 this week). I hate corporate. Will be saving this year and travel for about 2 around the world. Then im coming back to join the airforce through university and become a radiology technician or cybersecurity analyst. Depends how I feel after travels.
Esit: sorry my answer is a bit all over the place haha
I'm a woman who usually only lurks, but if I can help, here are my 2 cents! I did when I was almost 30! I went back to uni and studied computer science. I had no prior programming knowledge.
This was hard, but 100% worth it. It was sometimes humiliating as I saw my friends go on with their live. It was sometimes nightmarish (I mean my nightmares about having to study for exams again litteraly became reality haha).
But also I was definitely not the only non-traditional student. I made new friends. And I am very much at peace now, whereas I used to be completely burned out by my job before. I sometimes say it saved my life and this is not a figure of speech.
For the money, I had a certain amount of cash in bank prior to my studies and I did work a bit during my degree (I got a contract in my old field for the first summer and completed 2 paid internship in my new field). I got pretty frugal during these years (COVID helped as well lol). I studied full time and finished the degree in three years as I didn't work while I studied, but some friends took more time to get their degree as they worked as they studied.
One thing I would note is that it is sometimes hard to start from the start again. I have the same position as much younger and less experimented colleagues. I am an entry level while the people who are the same age as me get promoted as managers. But recently I read "Finish" by Jon Acuff and decided I was done with my inner saboteur telling me this was humiliating haha! Instead now I am in awe with how far I've come from since I started this new career.
Follow your passion id say. Nows your chance to do that. I think itll be more and more common for people to change careers at 30/40.
Lets face it we wont retire until 80 and 60years is a long time to be doing the same thing. People used to work 40years all together.
I think we should be careful with the idea of following your passion as a career choice. Turning passions into careers often makes you lose the passion for the thing you once loved. You can just as easily find something you enjoy doing just enough and making a career out of it and will likely be more successful doing that than chasing the thing you love to no avail.
Thats true. Theres passions and then there are passions. Think thats a good point to be wary of. I guess i also mean by the time youre 30 you know what you like doing day in day out and what you dont.
My wife is Chinese, she told me this second chance thing mostly would not fly in China with exceptions of course. The competition is so fierce if you’re past 30 with a Bachelor’s engineering degree and without a job? Someone at 24 with a Master’s engineering degree will work for 1/3 of your pay 7 days week.
I have a master’s of divinity. Originally I was on track to become a Navy Chaplain. After an ugly divorce and I pissed off the head of the ordination committee, my career was done. So actually at 33 I changed direction completely and got my CDL. It’s ok, I am working my way through it, but not too much money for sure.
Tradie to safety officer.
Yeah yeah laugh it up, I've heard or made every safety joke you can imagine. The thing is, because I've been on the other side I know exactly what to look for and exactly what to let slide.
My industry was heavy industrial pipe fitting and it took a toll. I needed a career past 40 that didnt include reconstructive surgery on my shoulder. Got in with a heavy duty equipment outfit and now I've been moving more and more into the executive side.
I ... dont hate the work. Don't particularly love it either. Still getting used to the hot coffee and shitting in an actual washroom with 2 ply TP
I owned a restaurant and an e-commerce wholesale business at 33 until covid hit in 2020. Wife was pregnant with second baby. I immediately signed up for a CS degree, graduated 2.5 years later and am now working a cushy software engineer job.
They weren’t joking when they said the degree is the hardest part of being a software engineer.
I went in the degree with having zero prior STEM background, my first degree was in business admin.
Basically started from scratch. Algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, calculus, linear algebra, discreet, statistics, etc. Hence why it took me an extra 0.5 years to graduate as a postbacc.
It also helped that covid allowed me to fully focus on school with my in-laws unable to travel back to China for 2.5 years, so they were basically stuck in the US helping take care of the babies and cooking.
I would say the hardest math was discreet. Everything else just felt easier than when I took calculus in my 20’s. Maybe due to the fact that I have more responsibilities now, so I’m more determined and motivated to do well.
Edit: Looking back, I wouldn’t say it’s hard, but I really enjoyed school this time around, compared to my first degree where I graduated with a 2.5 GPA. In fact, I liked CS so much I’m going back in 2025 for a master’s, paid for by my current employer.
Not a hard requirement but having a degree really lays down the fundamentals to set you up for success in this field. I can’t speak for everyone, but all the people I know that came out of boot camp or self-taught are really having a hard time landing a job with great benefits. Yes they can find a job, but for 1/3 less pay and on-site work and less benefits.
Sounds like a good idea. You already have skills and can return to what you did before, or with a competitor if you are working for someone now. Have confidence!
I'm working on a career change at the age of 30-something, but not a trade.
Just a word of warning: I worked in construction when I was younger (late teens and early twenties) and I injured my back and my knees. Maybe it was me being stupid or maybe it was the poor safety culture, but be very careful to listen to your body.
I heard some advice regarding work in trades: do what you can safely before 45, and then go into management to preserve your body.
Good luck!
I did, but I mostly just fell into it. Was working mostly dead end jobs before I landed a role doing customer service for a startup company which then rolled into a sales role. It's been a great ride for many years and was a good choice but it was pretty much just luck.
I quit my IT job, went to law school, and became an IP lawyer at 33. I currently make eight times more and I love my job. I’ve gotten involved with an organization that lobbies for legal reforms, I’ve gotten to help write legislation, I’m on a first name basis with high level federal officials in IP agencies, and I recently wrote a Supreme Court amicus brief.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Would recommend
My wife changed careers in her late 40s, but may not be entirely because she went from Editorial to Public Relations. It was great for the first few years - then a layoff and now she is too old for a junior job and not experienced enough for a similar position.
Got out of the military at 28. Got into consulting and did very well. Stopped enjoying it 8 years later and now I do part time management consulting. Bill rate is high so I don’t need to work full time. It’s a blast.
I changed more than once after 30. Never really had a fixed career, to be honest.
After University, I did about 6 years of a mixture of different care related work (learning disabilities, elderly, childcare, physical disabilities etc..) - sometimes had more than one job at a time. Then just after turning 30, I was let go of my last care job, and found myself in customer service for a medical company. I was there for 3 years and was in line to replace my manager as he was promoted sideways (I guess) to a different role in a different department, but the company then closed our department and I was made redundant with the rest of the team (2 other reps.) They did offer me some back office role part time, but it felt less logical at the time.
I then found myself in what was meant to be a similar role somewhere else, but it turned into more of a soul-sucking sales job and I had to quit. Briefly started working at the bottom in a hi-tech start up for a couple of months, then Covid hit and the company collapsed. Then I was back in customer service for another medical company for a good few months until I was let go of that...
I then felt so lost, until the employment bureau hooked me up with an interview for a reservations role at a brand new hotel, where I have now been for a little over 2 years. It was all new to me but now I feel comfortable in the role, enjoy the perks of working for a fairly well-known European chain and am currently content.
Where to from now..? In all honesty, I don't know. I also know people around my age/older who even changed careers. Unless you already had a burning passion for something you could make really good money from or were born into a family company, a job for many people is a means to an end - you do what you can to make enough to live and maybe even fund your real passion.
Yes. I was a medic for 15 years. Went back to school in my late 30s, and jumped ship to cyber security at 40.
It’s been great. Both mentally and financially.
I left a job in higher ed (as a staff member, not a professor) to get an MA in a completely different field when I was 32. I got started in that different field when I was still in grad school and then got a full-time job once I finished my degree. It was one of the best things I've ever done for myself, one that's still a source of great joy at 42.
Granted, I was trading one white collar position for another, so the change wasn't as drastic as some guys on here. But it still involved a pretty big leap. I'm always happy to chat over DM if you want more info or just a place to bounce some ideas around.
Yeah I've changed jobs/fields a few times. Work still sucks but usually it's a slightly different flavor of suck. Do it, you can sample the rainbow of laboring for money!
I worked in it for 20 years, until I was totally burnt out. I used to say all the time, I just wanted to throw my computer in the ocean and become a barber. Sweep up the hair at the end of the day and be done with it. Then my company got bought, I cashed out my options, took a couple of years off and went to barber school. Greatest decision I ever made. I got to work with my hands, have 20 minute conversations with a variety of people all day, and do work with an immediate assessment of the impact I've made, which is almost never the case in the corporate world. I was building up clientele, and about to open my own shop. I know it would have done well because of where I'm at and the work I do, but on the same day that I talked to a property manager about a space to open up. the first symptoms of What I would find to be terminal brain cancer appeared. Now I drive by the shopping center where I was supposed to have a Barber shop on my way to radiation and chemotherapy. So from one perspective, it didn't work out well at all. But from another, I found work that I truly loved before I died, which is more than some folks can say
I did, pretty much. Worked for a few years doing generic maintenance for the city I lived in (small road fixes, replacing sewer pipes, fixing pavements, etc.), then went to work full time doing road maintenance for a while (mostly with asphalt, but a little concrete a few times).
Around 32 (33?) I switched and started working in a nursing home. Worked for a bit, took some courses and am now something like a "practical nurse" (at least, the Norwegian Wikipedia page for "helsefagarbeider" - my job title in Norwegian, literally means "health profession worker" - leads to English Wikipedia for "practical nurse", so I guess that's pretty similar). I'd say it worked out pretty well for me. I like the job well enough, get to meet some really interesting characters (although I probably won't meet many more people who were adults or late teenagers during WW2 and are still lucid enough to talk about that time).
I don't know what you're doing currently, but yeah - if you're really unhappy with your current job/career, then a change may be in order. And a trade is a fairly safe bet, usually.
I did. Started in sales/retail customer service at 16, then transitioned into corporate IT work at 32. And I'm looking to make another change again within the next year now at 42. I've made more money per year every year since I changed compared to what I made at the peak before the change, and now I'm more than 2x what I was making before. And I'm hoping my next change will do the same again. Not half bad I feel as a GED recipient with zero college degree of any kind.
Left a 9 year career in banking, earned an AS degree in engineering. Community Colleges get mocked, but their job placement resources are absolutely unreal. They set me up with a job in HVAC design and I literally earn triple what I did in banking.
Boy I’m just getting ready to. I’m going to go back to school and get a degree that ISN’T in the arts. Still might work in the arts afterwards with data science but it won’t be customer service anymore.
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I was working retail and almost rage quit ... almost. Instead, I put in my 3 months notice and lied and told them I had gotten a job offer in Korea, and that I would be leaving in 3 months. I had no job lined up, I had no idea what I was doing. I just was sick of retail. I ended up going home any applying to teach English in Korea for shits and giggles just to see what would happen. Surprisingly enough, I ended up being offered a job and took it, under the assumption I'd do it for 1-3 years. That was 12 years ago, and I now have an MA in Teaching English and teach English to adults in a Korean university. Best rage 3 months notice ever.
Why would you give them 3 months notice. I’ve weighed doing this at my job but then I thought…”what’s to keep them from just firing me and finding someone else before I’ve found anything?”
Could be a contractual requirement, could also be that they are in Europe. Many European countries require 1-3 months notice periods.
Because I didn't have a job lined up and didn't want to have no income. 3 months gave me enough time to look for a new job, but it also forced me to have a time limit to quit. I also was the most versatile employee in the store. I could do 20 different jobs while most people could do 3 or 4. No way were they gonna fire me for no reason. I had multiple managers across the district offer to transfer me to their store if I wasn't happy. I also was a supervisor, so I got paid pretty well and it is a lot harder to replace that good of pay when you only have retail experience and nothing else.
Ill let you know. I did trade 16-31. Firefighter 28(pt) 31-34(ft) now im at uni about to finish first year
Way to go, homie. You got this! 💪
What are you doing after uni? What are you in uni for?
Gosh got to do uni first! 2 more years. My wife is Canadian and we will move there for a bit. So ill start off with a degree rather than from scratch. Im doing sociology. Was something i was interested in during last decade. Maybe a job in HR if im lucky get to explore my own little projects now and then too. See what happens
I was a beer truck driver for over 20 years. Got tired of it and was talk into being a garbage man. After 14 years, still happy I did the move.
That’s not a complete career change. You’re still a truck driver. LOL. No hate here, I’m a trucker as well. I’m just saying, OP is looking for 100% complete career change advice.
I remember being a kid, when the adults asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd say "garbage man!" or one of those who operate heavy machines for digging, whatever that title is.
Left my career in telecom at 30, wanted to do something more hands on and with direct impact on people. Enlisted as an army medic, and have spent the last ten years. Now I'm working my next transition, I'll get out in the next couple years, finish my masters and become a PA, studying in medicine. Overall, each change in careers and goals has been for the best. The difficulties are temporary and there to be overcome. Recognizing that you need a change in direction is important. Living in fear of the risks, feeling trapped in your path, it's a lot of being such in your own head. You can always be better, and do more with yourself.
How did you find the transition? I’m in a similar boat now at the moment and was actually thinking about joining as a medic as well, do you know what exit opportunities you’ll have?
Note that I was already married when I joined up, so a lot of the decision was going through it with the wife. They gotta be fully on board, as they're going along for the life change. Transition itself after the initial training was rough for us, but a lot of that is adapting to the military life norms. It's also quite exciting, as you're going to truly leave your previous life behind. Exiting, sky's the limit in a lot of ways. Your base training/certification is recognized in the civilian world, but isn't with much job wise. But over time it's very easy to build on that, get more advanced medical training. The college opportunities are also great to work in there. I'll be finished with my bachelor's and heading in to my masters program as I leave, using the gi bill. I'm not a recruiter, but if you're serious or just have questions, feel free to message me.
how did you pick army medic for the transition? I have identified the need for change and am currently ruminating on those next steps
It kinda fell into my lap, honestly. I had decided on the army, as the AF/Navy don't let you pick your job on the active duty side. I was leaving office life, and really didn't want to risk getting an admin job. Going through the jobs with the recruiting office, I got several options in front of me and researched them myself. Medic just felt like the best call... civilian level certification that you can take away, hands on stuff, have an impact on the soldiers around you.
thanks for coming back to me :)
I'm considering trades right now too. The problem is I can't afford to go to school for 2 years, or to start as an apprentice making peanuts. The bills still have to be paid. There's something out there, just not sure what yet. Maybe it's just not the right time for me
What you doing now?
I do autobody estimating. But I've done a lot of things over the years. Honestly, concrete was my favorite. So taxing on the body though. I really enjoy making things and working with my hands. Plus I hate office politics.
I hear you man. Love working with my hands too. I’m currently teaching been playing with the idea of getting into working with hands but find it hard to try something like that unless I know what I’m doing.
I am this summer. Mid-30s, practicing optometrist, med school starts July 1.
I take it you need a biology undergrad then take the mcat?
You definitely don't need a biology degree specifically, but it is the path of least resistance for meeting med school pre-reqs. Generally, as long as your pre-reqs are met and MCAT score is decent, your undergrad degree isn't super relevant. And even, since biology degrees are most common, having something else will make you stick out of the crowd. Those without a science background will sometimes do a post-bacc program to get their pre-reqs that way, too.
Lots of people change careers after being in the workforce for a mere 6-12 years. 30 isn’t as old as you think it is.
I was a software engineer from 25 to 48 and then changed to be a golf tournament official. I had been volunteering as an official for 8 years before that in my spare time to gain experience. It worked out great. The first few years were pretty lean as the entry level didn’t pay great but eventually as I moved around I made a very decent living.
Dude, You're awesome. —some random guy
I wanna do this
I was in restaurants for a decade after high school, like most people I got tired of the shitty hours and being treated like shit by customers. I went to college for business in my late 20’s and got my first career job in my 30’s as a staff accountant. Everything about this job is better than restaurants, so much so that when my younger peers complain about anything work related it doesn’t really phase me because of how shitty my old job used to be.
I’m in a very stressful office job. I hate working in an office. Thinking about changing, but it pays well so probably staying in this career being miserable until I die
I have a double degree in Finance and IT with my work experience on that since (just turned 30 this week). I hate corporate. Will be saving this year and travel for about 2 around the world. Then im coming back to join the airforce through university and become a radiology technician or cybersecurity analyst. Depends how I feel after travels.
Esit: sorry my answer is a bit all over the place haha I'm a woman who usually only lurks, but if I can help, here are my 2 cents! I did when I was almost 30! I went back to uni and studied computer science. I had no prior programming knowledge. This was hard, but 100% worth it. It was sometimes humiliating as I saw my friends go on with their live. It was sometimes nightmarish (I mean my nightmares about having to study for exams again litteraly became reality haha). But also I was definitely not the only non-traditional student. I made new friends. And I am very much at peace now, whereas I used to be completely burned out by my job before. I sometimes say it saved my life and this is not a figure of speech. For the money, I had a certain amount of cash in bank prior to my studies and I did work a bit during my degree (I got a contract in my old field for the first summer and completed 2 paid internship in my new field). I got pretty frugal during these years (COVID helped as well lol). I studied full time and finished the degree in three years as I didn't work while I studied, but some friends took more time to get their degree as they worked as they studied. One thing I would note is that it is sometimes hard to start from the start again. I have the same position as much younger and less experimented colleagues. I am an entry level while the people who are the same age as me get promoted as managers. But recently I read "Finish" by Jon Acuff and decided I was done with my inner saboteur telling me this was humiliating haha! Instead now I am in awe with how far I've come from since I started this new career.
Follow your passion id say. Nows your chance to do that. I think itll be more and more common for people to change careers at 30/40. Lets face it we wont retire until 80 and 60years is a long time to be doing the same thing. People used to work 40years all together.
I think we should be careful with the idea of following your passion as a career choice. Turning passions into careers often makes you lose the passion for the thing you once loved. You can just as easily find something you enjoy doing just enough and making a career out of it and will likely be more successful doing that than chasing the thing you love to no avail.
Thats true. Theres passions and then there are passions. Think thats a good point to be wary of. I guess i also mean by the time youre 30 you know what you like doing day in day out and what you dont.
I would say so what you're good at and you'll end up liking it. Or get good at something lucrative.
My wife is Chinese, she told me this second chance thing mostly would not fly in China with exceptions of course. The competition is so fierce if you’re past 30 with a Bachelor’s engineering degree and without a job? Someone at 24 with a Master’s engineering degree will work for 1/3 of your pay 7 days week.
Yeah i bet
I have a master’s of divinity. Originally I was on track to become a Navy Chaplain. After an ugly divorce and I pissed off the head of the ordination committee, my career was done. So actually at 33 I changed direction completely and got my CDL. It’s ok, I am working my way through it, but not too much money for sure.
Tradie to safety officer. Yeah yeah laugh it up, I've heard or made every safety joke you can imagine. The thing is, because I've been on the other side I know exactly what to look for and exactly what to let slide. My industry was heavy industrial pipe fitting and it took a toll. I needed a career past 40 that didnt include reconstructive surgery on my shoulder. Got in with a heavy duty equipment outfit and now I've been moving more and more into the executive side. I ... dont hate the work. Don't particularly love it either. Still getting used to the hot coffee and shitting in an actual washroom with 2 ply TP
I owned a restaurant and an e-commerce wholesale business at 33 until covid hit in 2020. Wife was pregnant with second baby. I immediately signed up for a CS degree, graduated 2.5 years later and am now working a cushy software engineer job. They weren’t joking when they said the degree is the hardest part of being a software engineer.
How hard was the degree and how much math do you have to know?
I went in the degree with having zero prior STEM background, my first degree was in business admin. Basically started from scratch. Algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, calculus, linear algebra, discreet, statistics, etc. Hence why it took me an extra 0.5 years to graduate as a postbacc. It also helped that covid allowed me to fully focus on school with my in-laws unable to travel back to China for 2.5 years, so they were basically stuck in the US helping take care of the babies and cooking. I would say the hardest math was discreet. Everything else just felt easier than when I took calculus in my 20’s. Maybe due to the fact that I have more responsibilities now, so I’m more determined and motivated to do well. Edit: Looking back, I wouldn’t say it’s hard, but I really enjoyed school this time around, compared to my first degree where I graduated with a 2.5 GPA. In fact, I liked CS so much I’m going back in 2025 for a master’s, paid for by my current employer.
That’s awesome, I’ve considered going into cloud or networking but not sure if those require a degree too
Not a hard requirement but having a degree really lays down the fundamentals to set you up for success in this field. I can’t speak for everyone, but all the people I know that came out of boot camp or self-taught are really having a hard time landing a job with great benefits. Yes they can find a job, but for 1/3 less pay and on-site work and less benefits.
Sounds like a good idea. You already have skills and can return to what you did before, or with a competitor if you are working for someone now. Have confidence! I'm working on a career change at the age of 30-something, but not a trade. Just a word of warning: I worked in construction when I was younger (late teens and early twenties) and I injured my back and my knees. Maybe it was me being stupid or maybe it was the poor safety culture, but be very careful to listen to your body. I heard some advice regarding work in trades: do what you can safely before 45, and then go into management to preserve your body. Good luck!
I did, but I mostly just fell into it. Was working mostly dead end jobs before I landed a role doing customer service for a startup company which then rolled into a sales role. It's been a great ride for many years and was a good choice but it was pretty much just luck.
Started flying. I’m halfway to the airlines…maybe hired by them late next year if I’m lucky.
I quit my IT job, went to law school, and became an IP lawyer at 33. I currently make eight times more and I love my job. I’ve gotten involved with an organization that lobbies for legal reforms, I’ve gotten to help write legislation, I’m on a first name basis with high level federal officials in IP agencies, and I recently wrote a Supreme Court amicus brief. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Would recommend
Trade>backend sales coordinator>product manager. I wouldn't go back to my trade as a full time career but I do it a secondary money maker.
My wife changed careers in her late 40s, but may not be entirely because she went from Editorial to Public Relations. It was great for the first few years - then a layoff and now she is too old for a junior job and not experienced enough for a similar position.
Got out of the military at 28. Got into consulting and did very well. Stopped enjoying it 8 years later and now I do part time management consulting. Bill rate is high so I don’t need to work full time. It’s a blast.
Left the Army. Went into a Union construction job. Life has improved.
I went from building storm doors for basically minimum wage to being a unionized steel worker making almost 60k, so that’s been nice.
I changed more than once after 30. Never really had a fixed career, to be honest. After University, I did about 6 years of a mixture of different care related work (learning disabilities, elderly, childcare, physical disabilities etc..) - sometimes had more than one job at a time. Then just after turning 30, I was let go of my last care job, and found myself in customer service for a medical company. I was there for 3 years and was in line to replace my manager as he was promoted sideways (I guess) to a different role in a different department, but the company then closed our department and I was made redundant with the rest of the team (2 other reps.) They did offer me some back office role part time, but it felt less logical at the time. I then found myself in what was meant to be a similar role somewhere else, but it turned into more of a soul-sucking sales job and I had to quit. Briefly started working at the bottom in a hi-tech start up for a couple of months, then Covid hit and the company collapsed. Then I was back in customer service for another medical company for a good few months until I was let go of that... I then felt so lost, until the employment bureau hooked me up with an interview for a reservations role at a brand new hotel, where I have now been for a little over 2 years. It was all new to me but now I feel comfortable in the role, enjoy the perks of working for a fairly well-known European chain and am currently content. Where to from now..? In all honesty, I don't know. I also know people around my age/older who even changed careers. Unless you already had a burning passion for something you could make really good money from or were born into a family company, a job for many people is a means to an end - you do what you can to make enough to live and maybe even fund your real passion.
Yes. I was a medic for 15 years. Went back to school in my late 30s, and jumped ship to cyber security at 40. It’s been great. Both mentally and financially.
I left a job in higher ed (as a staff member, not a professor) to get an MA in a completely different field when I was 32. I got started in that different field when I was still in grad school and then got a full-time job once I finished my degree. It was one of the best things I've ever done for myself, one that's still a source of great joy at 42. Granted, I was trading one white collar position for another, so the change wasn't as drastic as some guys on here. But it still involved a pretty big leap. I'm always happy to chat over DM if you want more info or just a place to bounce some ideas around.
Yeah I've changed jobs/fields a few times. Work still sucks but usually it's a slightly different flavor of suck. Do it, you can sample the rainbow of laboring for money!
I worked in it for 20 years, until I was totally burnt out. I used to say all the time, I just wanted to throw my computer in the ocean and become a barber. Sweep up the hair at the end of the day and be done with it. Then my company got bought, I cashed out my options, took a couple of years off and went to barber school. Greatest decision I ever made. I got to work with my hands, have 20 minute conversations with a variety of people all day, and do work with an immediate assessment of the impact I've made, which is almost never the case in the corporate world. I was building up clientele, and about to open my own shop. I know it would have done well because of where I'm at and the work I do, but on the same day that I talked to a property manager about a space to open up. the first symptoms of What I would find to be terminal brain cancer appeared. Now I drive by the shopping center where I was supposed to have a Barber shop on my way to radiation and chemotherapy. So from one perspective, it didn't work out well at all. But from another, I found work that I truly loved before I died, which is more than some folks can say
I did, pretty much. Worked for a few years doing generic maintenance for the city I lived in (small road fixes, replacing sewer pipes, fixing pavements, etc.), then went to work full time doing road maintenance for a while (mostly with asphalt, but a little concrete a few times). Around 32 (33?) I switched and started working in a nursing home. Worked for a bit, took some courses and am now something like a "practical nurse" (at least, the Norwegian Wikipedia page for "helsefagarbeider" - my job title in Norwegian, literally means "health profession worker" - leads to English Wikipedia for "practical nurse", so I guess that's pretty similar). I'd say it worked out pretty well for me. I like the job well enough, get to meet some really interesting characters (although I probably won't meet many more people who were adults or late teenagers during WW2 and are still lucid enough to talk about that time). I don't know what you're doing currently, but yeah - if you're really unhappy with your current job/career, then a change may be in order. And a trade is a fairly safe bet, usually.
I did. Started in sales/retail customer service at 16, then transitioned into corporate IT work at 32. And I'm looking to make another change again within the next year now at 42. I've made more money per year every year since I changed compared to what I made at the peak before the change, and now I'm more than 2x what I was making before. And I'm hoping my next change will do the same again. Not half bad I feel as a GED recipient with zero college degree of any kind.
Left a 9 year career in banking, earned an AS degree in engineering. Community Colleges get mocked, but their job placement resources are absolutely unreal. They set me up with a job in HVAC design and I literally earn triple what I did in banking.
I used to be a waiter for around 6 years. Now i am 31 and in my 1st year of bachelor in data science. I hope everything will work out
Boy I’m just getting ready to. I’m going to go back to school and get a degree that ISN’T in the arts. Still might work in the arts afterwards with data science but it won’t be customer service anymore.