To ask if you can make a new successful career in your 30s

[ciceroscribe]

O pr is it just too late especially if you have or want children as well?

Loads of people do it (me too!). Working life is too long to do something you no longer love...

There's dozens of online questionnaires you can do to both : discover what your talents potentially lead to and the different professions that match your personality

I'll just leave this here - read it on a Facebook post today;

At age 23, Tina Fey was working at a YMCA.

At age 23, Oprah was fired from her first reporting job.

At age 24, Stephen King was working as a janitor and living in a trailer.

At age 27, Vincent Van Gogh failed as a missionary and decided to go to art school.

At age 28, J.K. Rowling was a suicidal single parent living on welfare.

At age 28, Wayne Coyne (from The Flaming Lips) was a fry cook.

At age 30, Harrison Ford was a carpenter.

At age 30, Martha Stewart was a stockbroker.

At age 37, Ang Lee was a stay-at-home-dad working odd jobs.

Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 39, and got her own cooking show at age 51.

Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, and designed her first dress at age 40.

Stan Lee didn’t release his first big comic book until he was 40.

Alan Rickman gave up his graphic design career to pursue acting at age 42.

Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first movie role until he was 46.

Morgan Freeman landed his first MAJOR movie role at age 52.

Kathryn Bigelow only reached international success when she made The Hurt Locker at age 57.

Grandma Moses didn’t begin her painting career until age 76.

Louise Bourgeois didn’t become a famous artist until she was 78.

Whatever your dream is, it is not too late to achieve it. You aren’t a failure because you haven’t found fame and fortune by the age of 21. Hell, it’s okay if you don’t even know what your dream is yet. Even if you’re flipping burgers, waiting tables or answering phones today, you never know where you’ll end up tomorrow.

Never tell yourself you’re too old to make it.
Never tell yourself you missed your chance.
Never tell yourself that you aren’t good enough.
You can do it. Whatever it is.

I think a lot depends on your individual situation. If you can afford to retrain, or to take a pay cut while you start at the bottom and work your way up in a new field then it's entirely doable. If you don't have the means to do so then it's a bit trickier, but I daresay still possible.

I'm currently in a senior nursing role with the NHS and the stress is starting to have a significant impact on my physical and mental health. I would love to believe that there is a way out for me and that I could have a new career but having done a lot of research I've realised that this would most likely involve a significant pay cut that I cannot afford to take. I am still looking but it's difficult not to get disheartened. This thread has given me hope though.

Not a teacher but I work in FE / college based. I start my midwifery degree in September. I'm 41, so if it's doable in your 40's it's most certainly doable in your 30's.

It would be easier though if you knew what career you wanted to retrain in. Do you want to carry on working with children? Why don't you think you would make a good social worker if that is what you want? I think there is a fast track qualification in social work if you already have a degree, might be worth looking into, good luck

People in the late 80's are losing the idea of needing to have locked down a career by their 30's. People born in the mid 90's flat out don't give a shit. We'll all have a long time working.

Career change here at 30 from medical field to the arts. Successful career in theatre now!

*born in the late...

That's interesting actually Ali!

In law we get quite a few people who do something different first. It tends to mean they are more mature when they start and have life experience new graduates don't have although for that profession you really do need pretty high GCSE, A level and degree results so it is not for most people.

If you did teaching but are not very good at it what about something like selling products to schools? I work with lots of commercial agents. It is a career with much independence although you have to be very good at persuading people to buy.

I had a complete change of career in my mid 30's and went back to college on a whim. Best whim i've ever had. It's slow progress and it'll take me another 2 years of studying to qualify but it's the happiest i have ever been career wise, though still comes as a complete shock to me and everyone who knows me that i've chosen this route.

I changed careers at 50. It's rarely too late.

I think you need to change your underlying attitude. I'm hearing a lot if can't do, don't know, it's not fun.

1. You need to earn money.
2. You need to enjoy doing it, or at least not dislike it.
3. You need a plan; what are your shirt, medium and long term objectives?
4. What ate your badic talents: ate you numerate, literate, creative, a team player, a lone worker, introvert or extrovert?
5. What do you like doing; what do you want to do, is it realistic, do you need to compromise.
6. Make a decision and decide how to reach it.
7. You will need the means to reach it so that might involve a job in a supermarket, bar, call centre to keep you ticking over while you do some retraining.

Why aren't you a good teacher? Would you consider some professional career analysis?

I retrained at 43. It took compromise. I'd had 8 years off, started at the bottom p/t, they paid for my professional exams, 12 years in I have a middle management job that I like. I still earn half what I earned in my 20s/early 30s but that was not sustainable - for me at least.

Just a few ideas:
IT
Accountanc
Floristry/wedding industry
Interior design
Cordon bleu cookery
HE admin/management
Occupational therapy/counsellor
Marketing/PR
Procurement
Health and Safety Adviser (like gold dust)
Adult trainer
HR
Estate agency
Quantity surveyor
Hospitality
NHS management/practice Manager
Dental hygienist
Dog walking/cat sitting
Horticulture

God, the world's your oyster.

Apologies for typos

Great post Beau

I got a place on a graduate trainee placement 15 years after I graduated. I was paid while I retrained for 2 years, not as well as in my first job but now earn significantly more. The best bit is I love it and because I do I put in lods of effort which my employers love.

Beau- great post. What do you mean by health and safety advisor? In what capacity?

Working for a corporate or public sector organisation, often alongside facilities/HR. They advise on things like fire safety, safe working, building projects, ensuring the organisation is compliant with health and safety legislation and regulations. There is a severe shortage of specialists. Remuneration is good too.

I work in IT with a pretty wide range of customers, mostly in financial services. IT is very family-friendly because you're very likely to be working from home quite a bit.

They're constantly struggling to find smart people with niche skills, the ones I hear about all the time are business analysts, project managers, programme managers, and architects.

I visited an enormous health care company last week, they told me they can't find anyone who understand HL7, the health-care industry messaging protocol that updates integrated systems of a change in a patient's status.

Salesforce is booming. Everyone wants people who understand it.

Your 30s are pretty obviously not too late to start on a new career. Good luck.

I completed my degree in my late 20s and changed my career, I've also just had my first child aged 35. I don't see why it should be any more difficult in your 30s.

I did it!

I had to forget about the children though :(

(as in I had to forget about having any/give up trying rather than actually forgetting about my children :o )

I think it's down to how people perceive you as an individual. I've tried and failed to find work, retrain, reskill. I think it's because people look at me and think 'she looks knackered' basically. Young looking, attractive 30 somethings with partners probably find it much easier.

Yes, I find this fascinating.
I would love to hear more personal experiences of the type of career people had -> what they studied/ how they retrained -> what career they have now.

I'm doing shop work for now and while it fits in perfectly with my life now, I don't want to be doing it forever.

Could those who retrained please share the industry they went from and too, please?

*to!