Any career changers? -Let me hear your story

[squeally dan]

Im 40 and contemplating a career change. I work as a dietitian in a weight loss program but I'm sick of it & I can't find a job making more dough. After some career counseling/testing, I am considering getting a degree in accounting.

Anyway, I'm scared about to returning to school and having to rely more on my gig money but my wife thinks we can make it work. I just wanted to hear for others. What job did you leave, and did you like the new career better? Was it what you expected?

[Totally Bored]

Yikes

Your next Gig is Sept 24th 2009. Your gonna be hurtin for money living off a Gigs.


Good luck.

[jumpnblues]

I started dental school at 37. Opened my first (and only) private practice at 43. Only problem is I just turned 60 today and I'm still deeply in debt. It was the right decision though. Not long after I graduated I heard there was a guy in his early 50's in the same dental school I graduated from. Never too late...well, maybe not never. But almost.


Tom

[squeally dan]

I have gigs lined up almost every week for the next 6 months. We are a party/wedding band and are booked failrly far ahead of time. I make $25,000-35,000/year playing gigs. I guess you are implyng that I need to update my schedule. Thanks for your insight.

Originally Posted by Totally Bored

Yikes

Your next Gig is Sept 24th 2009. Your gonna be hurtin for money living off a Gigs.


Good luck.

[brlfq]

In 1989, I was working as the "manager" of a small family owned business. We had 8-10 employees depending on the work load and everybody was content. The owners son came back into the business (again) and decided they needed a management change. (me) I was told that I was demoted and a nephew would be the "manager". I said adios.

3 years later, I graduated Nursing School and haven't looked back. Getting demoted was one of the best things that ever happened to me. If that hadn't happened, I would likely have bought that company from the owner and continued to make $8 an hour! (At least that was my plan at the time.)

I'm 53.

[slipperyfingers]

I was a steelworker for 15 years. By 7:00 a.m. every morning I had sweated through all my clothes and was covered with steel dust, inside and out. It was a bitch of a job.
They closed our plant down, and I then went to work as a shipping/receiving clerk at a mill (forklift driver). After about two years of that, I decided I had to make a change.
I went to Computer Learning Center (Springfield, VA), and have now been in the computer field for longer than I was a steelworker. At the time I lost my job it seemed like the end, but it was just the beginning. Find something you like to do, get some training, and don't look back.

-SF

[Zelmo]

Originally Posted by jumpnblues

I started dental school at 37. Opened my first (and only) private practice at 43. Only problem is I just turned 60 today and I'm still deeply in debt. It was the right decision though. Not long after I graduated I heard there was a guy in his early 50's in the same dental school I graduated from. Never too late...well, maybe not never. But almost.

Yes, but you have some equity in your business, no? Can sell it when you retire?

[mge80]

I was/am educated in the field of animal behavior, but went the route of flying airplanes. After a long career in commercial aviation, I now have a small dog care, training, behavior consulting business.

Best move I ever made. Should have done it at least 10 years ago.

[jrigg]

After an up and down career as a session/touring guitarist in NYC, I decided to become a physician. At 44 I went into a premed program, started med school in NYC at 47, completed my post grad training at 52. It was without a doubt one of the best moves I ever made in my life. I am turning 60 on Jan 4 and have a lot of student loan debt as one of our other members mentioned above, but I love what I do and still play music 1-3 x week.

[squeally dan]

Thats awesome.

Originally Posted by jrigg

After an up and down career as a session/touring guitarist in NYC, I decided to become a physician. At 44 I went into a premed program, started med school in NYC at 47, completed my post grad training at 52. It was without a doubt one of the best moves I ever made in my life. I am turning 60 on Jan 4 and have a lot of student loan debt as one of our other members mentioned above, but I love what I do and still play music 1-3 x week.

[small axe]

nursing school for me....then school of rock

[stonedtone]

I have a long and very successful marketing career in cable TV and telecom. I was laid off by the evil AT&T by someone in TX that knew nothing about me, after 10 1/2 years of being the local marketing star.

All I've been able to find are sales jobs. I tried insurance, which totally sucked. Tomorrow, I'm supposed to fly out to Chicago for training in an other sales position. I was hired after only a phone interview, so I'm under the impression they just throw lots of shit up against the wall to see what sticks. I'm not sure, at this time, if I'm going to go

This big career change is not one that I was looking for.

[Totally Bored]

Originally Posted by squeally dan

I have gigs lined up almost every week for the next 6 months. We are a party/wedding band and are booked failrly far ahead of time. I make $25,000-35,000/year playing gigs. I guess you are implyng that I need to update my schedule. Thanks for your insight.

I wasn't implying or insighting anything.


Good Luck.

[dave-o]

I worked as an archaeologist for the last 18 years. The pay was crap and I was on the road 98% of the time. I really liked the job but got fed up with crap pay, no job security, lack of health insurance and being on the road all the time.

Rewind to April 2009, the drummer in my band got me a job at the bio diesel plant where he works. I took a pay cut to work there but I get to come home every night after work and I've been gigging more as a result. Its a great job that I love but the pay still sucks.... I may have to change jobs again to find the income I want unless people buy more bio diesel and things take off. In short, its never too late to change careers.

[ACfixer]

I can't even explain how it happened really. I was in the HVAC field when I was young but became a carpenter and eventually a general contractor. Through a job I was doing a guy offered me another HVAC job that paid better than I did as a general... That didn't work out but for about 8 months... but it gave me a taste and I decided on HVAC full time. at age 34. 14 years later, no regrets except I miss being a carpenter in some ways. HVAC was the wiser choice in my life. Life is strange.