Career changes

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10/11/2005 at 15:24
Has anyone totally changed their career?

How did you go about getting into your new profession? courses/networking via friends, neighbours, family, colleagues?

Was it worth it?

Any regrets?

Hope you don't mind sharing your successes/failures with me. I'd really appreciate it. I'd especially love to hear about those who changed careers who are older than 35.
10/11/2005 at 15:27
Well I started out in the Hotel and Catering market, moved across to work in offices in Administration and more recently have been moved to a more Engineering role (with view to more training in this area).

No regrets in getting out of Hotel and Catering...hours faaaaarrrr too long for very little reward (although if I won money I'd by a hotel or restaurant ). Admin was just a stop-gap until I got into the Police, but flunked my final interview This new role kinda landed in my lap...it's more work and nice to be doing something completely new, rather than something I could do with my eyes shut

All very different, but not really like changing from a Teacher to a Deep Sea Diver


http://www.abysium.com/dev/uploads/kilt.gif
10/11/2005 at 15:28
I'm 38 and would love to change my career from accountant (finance director for small companies for last 5 years) to being self-employed. I need the motivation of running my own business to get me out of bed in the mornings, and have been feeling unmotivated for a while.

Problem is I don't know what business to start . Don't fancy being an accountant in my own practice, or doing training/teaching, so would probably need to acquire new skills & experience. Would love to be a scuba instructer but there's no money in it....

_____________________

VDDC#6FM
DSMB deployment expert



Ho Ho Ho! Have I Got A Surprise For You! :smoke:
10/11/2005 at 15:28
Tomcat wrote
Did a self funded 1-year MBA specialising in Marketing, found a job basically repping but in engineering services and that led into general management (more by luck than judgement TBH).

If you don't mind me asking, how much was the MBA and where did you do it?

www.karateglasgow.com

10/11/2005 at 15:29
Irn Bru Freak wrote
If you don't mind me asking, how much was the MBA and where did you do it?


University of Southen Illionois, $99.

_____________________

VDDC#6FM
DSMB deployment expert



Ho Ho Ho! Have I Got A Surprise For You! :smoke:
10/11/2005 at 15:32
pajr777 wrote
I'm 38 and would love to change my career from accountant (finance director for small companies for last 5 years) to being self-employed. I need the motivation of running my own business to get me out of bed in the mornings, and have been feeling unmotivated for a while.

Problem is I don't know what business to start . Don't fancy being an accountant in my own practice, or doing training/teaching, so would probably need to acquire new skills & experience. Would love to be a scuba instructer but there's no money in it....



One of the books I've recently read was incredibly enlightening and may, from what you've said help you out with your dilemma. It's called "I don't know what I want, but it's not this" by Julie Jansen
10/11/2005 at 15:35
Zaney wrote
One of the books I've recently read was incredibly enlightening and may, from what you've said help you out with your dilemma. It's called "I don't know what I want, but it's not this" by Julie Jansen


Cool thanks, will have a look - judging from the title that may be helpful. What I need is a partner with entreprenuerial/inventive genius and buggar all idea of how to run a start-up business .

_____________________

VDDC#6FM
DSMB deployment expert



Ho Ho Ho! Have I Got A Surprise For You! :smoke:
10/11/2005 at 15:36
pajr777 wrote
University of Southen Illionois, $99.


Was it from one of those e-mails I keep finding in my junk mail box?
10/11/2005 at 15:39
McNab wrote
Was it from one of those e-mails I keep finding in my junk mail box?


Don't ask me, I can't even spell Illinois

_____________________

VDDC#6FM
DSMB deployment expert



Ho Ho Ho! Have I Got A Surprise For You! :smoke:
10/11/2005 at 15:41
Spent about 40 years in Telecomms, as an engineer, then as a manager. Initially with BT, then took redundancy and worked as a consultant/contractor until the bubble burst.

Tried retirement but got bored, so looked at all my skills, re-wrote the CV completely (about 20 times, with a wide variety of slants, all of them nothing to do with telecomms). Eventually got a job as a Commercial Analyst with a Aerospace MRO. Still with that same company, now as Management Accountant.

I also did a self-funded MBA just after I left BT (mainly to prove to myself that I could) but it has been very useful in opening doors.

If you do want to change careers, do it early. Whn you get to 50 a lot of people assume your head is totally addled and that you are incapable of learning anything new. Not true, but you don't get a chance to show what you could do.

Cousin Jack

(a member of an oppressed minority whose legitimate aspirations to nationhood have been brutally suppressed by the Anglo Saxon invaders. Remember An Gof !)
10/11/2005 at 15:44
Tomcat wrote
City University Business School, now renamed Cass Business School, City of London. They do various specialisms within their MBA course not just a general one, and this was what appealed to me. Plus, I figured with their position in the City I should be able to use their network to find a job afterwards, but it turned out only the Finance courses had any contacts so everyone else was on their own.

Nowadays though MBA courses are 2 a penny and only the ones from the 'better' schools are valued by employers. I believe the 2 year ones are particularly well thought of but not many people can afford 2 years out plus tuition fees. There are part time ones out these days as well but I feel that loses the point of an MBA course which is supposed to be intensive and show that somebody can take on a lot in a short time and work under pressure. As for costs, I don't remember but it will have changed by now anyway. Mrs TC agreed to fund me for a year on the condition that I funded her for the rest of her life, and told me that was a pretty good deal

www.cass.city.ac.uk/

Cheers dude.

Had a few looks at the MBAs from Liverpool after I saw some of their advertising and at Cranfield, but the 1-2 year full time element is not idea right now!

www.karateglasgow.com

10/11/2005 at 15:47
My Father has also changed his career a few times. 22 years in the ATC of the RAF, then worked for the Post Office, then became a publican, then retired, then trained up as a Sparky in his late 50's

It's possible to do if you put your mind to it...no matter how late/early in life


http://www.abysium.com/dev/uploads/kilt.gif
10/11/2005 at 16:10
Fallen Angel wrote
All very different, but not really like changing from a Teacher to a Deep Sea Diver


Interesting comparison . . .

What can a teacher move on to, what 'transferable skills' does a teacher have?

NB exc. ability to drink lots of red wine, and make 30 costumes for the class panto at short notice

Training info is (C) Malcolm Palmer. He asserts his right to be identified as author under the Copyright Design Patents Act 1988 & may be quoted only as part of a post in the Visordown bb by another board member. Author should be contacted for written permission before any other use, storage, transmission or recording, by any means.

Read my mutterings:

http://the-ride-info.blogspot.com/

10/11/2005 at 16:14
Horse wrote
Interesting comparison . . .

What can a teacher move on to, what 'transferable skills' does a teacher have?

NB exc. ability to drink lots of red wine, and make 30 costumes for the class panto at short notice


A Teacher could move on to many things...public speaking for one. Wasn't any particular reason behind choosing those two professions, was just trying to find two completely unrelated yet skilled jobs


http://www.abysium.com/dev/uploads/kilt.gif
10/11/2005 at 16:58
Irn Bru Freak wrote
Had a few looks at the MBAs from Liverpool after I saw some of their advertising and at Cranfield, but the 1-2 year full time element is not idea right now!


I did an MBA part time with this lot: www3.open.ac.uk/oubs/ If you've got a first degree it takes 3 years, although it can be done quicker if you've got alot of time to spare. When I did it, the 3 years cost a total of £6k, but then I finished it 12 years ago so the prices have almost certainly gone up. Besides, my employer at the time paid for the first two years before they realised I was going to piss off as soon as I finished

Was a worthwhile thing to do, it opened alot of doors for me.
10/11/2005 at 17:09
Fallen Angel wrote
A Teacher could move on to many things...public speaking for one. Wasn't any particular reason behind choosing those two professions, was just trying to find two completely unrelated yet skilled jobs


Actually, of particular interest to me

I know a teacher who's thinking it's time for a move, any reasonable 'less stress' ideas - pref. which allow hours to suit getting a child to and from school etc.?

Training info is (C) Malcolm Palmer. He asserts his right to be identified as author under the Copyright Design Patents Act 1988 & may be quoted only as part of a post in the Visordown bb by another board member. Author should be contacted for written permission before any other use, storage, transmission or recording, by any means.

Read my mutterings:

http://the-ride-info.blogspot.com/

10/11/2005 at 19:04
formerly a baker by trade (for almost 15 years), but got pissed off with having to get up at 3.30 am every day, now working in an office for HMRC, and loving every minute of it.

"Racing is life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting"
Quote - Steve McQueen
TWAT #43
SG#1963
10/11/2005 at 19:07
Fallen Angel wrote
Admin was just a stop-gap until I got into the Police




'es a boy innee?

Stop smirking Mr Tack!
10/11/2005 at 19:10
I used to work in a bank.
Dull clerical stuff.

Now I am in freelance IT.
Dull IT stuff that pays well.

Comme ci comme ca

10/11/2005 at 19:25
I did 9 years in the NHS as an ODA helping out with Operations, was good money an all that, but was pissed off with it. upset my kharma. Moved to Pompey to use it as a base to agency work and life did the rest.

I'd already started DJing before I left London, and had helped out some mates who were in a band. I saw a degree Called Entertainment Tecnology, so signed up for that, and my cousin who lived down her worked on the Ents Crew and various other things so he hooked me up with a few ppl, and hobbies basically turned into jobs.

On top of that I'm working on a website doing games reviews, PR, product finding abd basically trying to turn into something that will turn it intro a money spinner, hopefully then I'll be bale to take the emphasis of DJing and start being able to do it just for fun, rather than needing to do it ot live (even though it is fun all the time, but sometimes the business side spoils it rotten)

Lots of regrets, but nothing big enough to worry about, mainly all those lovley ladies I didn't bed. The only thing I will emphasise, is that if you are gonna do a course like a degree etc, it's not just what you're studying that counts, if you're at a uni doing marketing get involved with the magazines/radio etc.

There's also voluntary stuff. 1 years voluntary on films can open up some doors, same with music, journalism etc. Depends what you wanna get into really, but if you want it to satisfy your soul rather than your wallet, you can be infor a bit of tough ride as their are times when ppl will take advantage,and you won't have any contract per se (is that right way to spell that?)
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