Would you take a 23k salary drop aged 31?

[30something2]

So without going into too much detail here… I currently work in one occupation, but what I really want to do is something completely different.

I have an interview for an entry level role but it would be going right back to the beginning and starting again. And that means taking a big salary drop. I don’t know if it’s worth it.

I feel really depressed tonight as I feel like my career is currently going nowhere and I don’t particularly enjoy it… but I don’t know if the grass will necessarily be greener the other side…

Any advice would be much appreciated!

I would not even consider this

Look outside of London. Your peers there aren't on 80k+ plus having children.

And remembered that what you see on the surface doesn't automatically mean everyone is happy. They may well be, they may not be. As long as you're happy and secure, no-one elses situation matters.

If you can afford to do it to retrain then yes

No I would not.

If you think that part of the problem is the organisation I would make that the first change to explore.

Or even look at sideward moves that preserved my work experience/knowledge and technical skills. You might find there's a better working atmosphere.

Also within a different organisation there might opportunities to be secondment.

I would not, in the current economic climate, junk my working experience, and it might not be what's needed.

Before such a big change I would really need to have tried the role I am thinking to move into. Is there any scope for taking a week's leave from regular job and shadow someone doing the job you're interested in?

If you're feeling "behind" your peers because they earn 80k+ then I don't think dropping your salary from 50k to 27k is going to make you feel much better about things, really. Unless the new sector is one in which you could reasonably expect to progress pretty quickly.

If the organisation is the problem then why not look for a job in a different company/institution with a culture that suits you better instead?

I knew a bloke who did this in order to qualify as a solicitor. He never regretted it. Took him 10 years to get back to his old earning level tho'.