To ask for inspiring stories from people who’ve changed their lives?

@DeeplyUnlikely that's really interesting because I think that people are kind of born with a vocation or a passion

I don't think it's something you can look around and search for later in life. I mean you might find some things that are a great interest to you, but there's a difference between that and being really passionate

Well, I'm a novelist and I do genuinely feel like this about my work -- but it's all I've ever wanted to do, so there was no 'road to Damascus moment' where I changed my life to do it. But yes, it is profoundly addictive and very sustaining, and makes me live more attentively, as everything is material from a cloud formation to overhearing a conversation on a bus. I'm just about to hand off on a novel to my agent, and, while she will have notes, so it's not gone by any means, and then there will be an editor with his/her own take on it, but it's really tough when a whole world you've invented goes away and you're no longer thinking 'Oh, that's exactly how character X would say that!'

Then obviously, you start all over again with a new one.

I'm checking back on this thread because I was hoping for more inspiring stories about finding a passion! I don't want to change work but I would really like something that I found interesting enough to kind of keep me going

You know, like the way some artist are always working on a painting. I talk to a lady who has a planned series for five years. I think it must be so lovely to have something that you feel so strongly about. That you get up in the morning and think "I can't wait to do this".

Yes, they’re testing medical student behaviour, greetings, skills in taking medical history, listening skills, responsiveness under pressure etc etc. Some of them are really impressive. My friend who recruited them regularly said that her mind was blown by a very experienced actor playing a patient whose severe pain wasn’t being relieved and who was getting frustrated and angry — that she was so convincing my friend was getting stressed. Very useful, obviously for the student to be able to see his/her own handling of the patient, learn from errors, replay it etc.

My sister was an actress, did get a run in a West End play but couldn’t stand the job insecurity overall.
She went back to studying law, and now is starting a pupilage to become a barrister at 40!

She moved back in with my mum and did temp admin to support herself through this period. It’s been exceptionally hard and she had many, many times of self doubt. But I’m incredibly proud of her and inspired by her.

I trained as a nurse in my 30s. I was previously an accountant, and just found it soul destroying and pointless.
3 months before starting my nurse training I split up from exH and became a single mum to 3 children under 7. It was a crazy time, but nursing got me through it, I absolutely loved it all, uni, placement, all the patients and staff. It changed my life.

My husband was a project manager till covid, now a blacksmith. He did this in his 40s and now loves his job.

Life is too short to be bored or miserable, at home or at work.

Simulated patients don't do actual examinations like that! They are there for the human interaction side.

Other inspiring books about changing your life (not necessarily careerwise) Devorgilla Days by Katherine Hart and Bella Figura by Kamin Mohammadi.

I always recommend a book that was recommended on MN years ago. I read it in 2013 and I still reread it every couple of years. How to do everything and be happy by Peter Jones. You don't necessarily need to take the plunge but rather plan what you need to do and when you need to do it. Since reading it I have become more financially responsible, realised what makes me happy rather than what I think should make me happy, got the house in order, experienced a LOT that I wanted to, got much better at prioritizing - as the title says I am happy 😊

I moved from a professional career into my passion gardening in my late 40s. I retrained, started my own business and now have exactly the life I dreamed of.

The rewards hugely outweigh the negatives for me but certainly financially I'm much worse off as I suspect you will be OP.

I had to downsize to do it and where I live now there are many people who did similar to follow a passion and turn it into a way to fund their life, so it is absolutely possible.

What I would say is that doing something like acting or starting your own small business isn't a lifestyle - it is a life. If you are happy to put in the hours (lots), knock on the doors (many) study (three years in my case), do work that isn't 100% your choice for people you might not like (sometimes) and to be living hand to mouth certainly at the outset, then give it a go.

You will need to be very committed and have a lot of luck in acting I think. Is there something else you can do alongside it to give you security whilst you build your new life? I cut grass for two years whilst studying but that was fine, I was outside, in my element and it got me where I was determined to be. Happy days.

The ones I know who’ve done it (my dad, not an actor, has been a mock patient a few times, through a friend of mine who used to be manager of the local university’s medical school, so I’ve run into a few) take it seriously as a paying gig, as they do the workplace training videos, extras work or local radio jingle voiceovers. I mean, they make most of their income from temping, retail, bar work etc, so a paying acting gig isn’t to be sneezed at.

Just like many of the writers I know beaver away at writing novels that may not find a publisher or if they do, not sell many copies, because they love it.

@DIYdiv is it acting as a career or is it that you want to find something you can be passionate about? For me, it's definitely the latter. I really feel that I am missing that thing - I really envy people who have something that they are passionate about.

I've always taken the best career option and I've kind of enjoyed it, but I'm not passionate about it and looking at early retirement -and I've never found anything that I'm really passionate about so I certainly couldn't translate it into a job

I know someone who tried running a clothes advisory business because she said that was her passion and she lost a lot of money very quickly! I definitely don't want to do that!

So if you want to get into acting because you need a passion, I would think there are a lot of opportunities that way, but you'd probably have to put time and money and effort into training and not make career money.

From the outside any career can look good

There's no reason why not. I mean the secretary in the West Wing didn't she start her career at 40 or 50 or something? That's a long time ago though.

So as I said, it really only works as a career choice if you have family money.

Extra work is the compromise and far more realistic than the Op.

Well, in that case, if it’s only screen acting that interests you, I’d suggest contacting local art schools or FE colleges or universities with film departments to see if students want actors for visual arts projects. Or just look for different acting classes and be specific about what you’re looking for. (Stage acting doesn’t have to be musical theatre emoting, either. ) Or sign up for extras work.

But it’s obviously easier to get involved in theatre.

ETA there’s a longstanding amateur but serious Shakespeare society local to me, which does two productions a year and has had some excellent directors pass through. One of my neighbours had always dreamed of acting, but never had the opportunities, and joined after he retired from his job as a security guard. He’s played Duncan and Polonius.

Actor you say? I have so many examples of out of work actors before my eyes, that it makes me wonder how any parent can support a child in their wish to become an actor. Many, many actors work as simulated patients - the embarrassment of it, especially for men during rectal examinations - I often wonder if they imagined it will be like this at their drama studies course?

Being an extra isn't acting. There is literally no crossover between the two at all. Apart from appearing on a screen.

There really isn't 'plenty of work' for actors. Most successful working actors I know, ie they haven't had to give up and retrain, they have a decent agent, only work 2 or 3 times a year. If it's a nice telly job they can stretch the money out until the next one. If it's theatre then they absolutely can't.

Acting is a career for the children of rich people. You have to be able to afford to have no work on, to take low paid roles and have an unstable income. There is plenty of work but you can’t just “become” an actor in your 40s without connections.

What you could do is look at being an extra. This is a lot easier to get into.

Firstly from an outsider’s perspective it sounds like you’re winning at life. You’re in a steady job, good relationship and thriving children.
for the most part you have what most people are striving for.
I suppose I’m saying that as a woman also in her late 40s who blamed all my issues on my partner and we split up our family and it was definitely too much of a nuclear option.

for you, that’s great you’re into drama, I’m sure there must be several amateur dramatic groups around you who would welcome new members. That could be a really brilliant and fulfilling thing to get into.

for me I’ve taken up running which is not anything I was ever interested in, and it’s so great belonging to a club.

Can I ask why you’ve not done it before now, OP? Not as in trying to get into a drama school as a school leaver, but less all-or-nothing stuff like getting involved in am dram, improv, working as an extra, taking evening acting classes?

It’s just that people are always telling me they’d love to be a writer, but they’ve never had time (and it regularly shows up on threads about fantasy careers on here) — but in fact you don’t need much time or equipment or qualifications. Pretty much everyone writes their first book while working FT and with the usual commitments, and most writers maintain another job, anyway. There’s literally nothing stopping someone who wants to write from writing, if they have a notebook and ten minutes a few times a week.

What is it that has stopped you doing some acting in some form? Is this a pipe dream?

Did Brenda Blethyn not start acting at 40?