To ask if you have changed careers in your mid 30s or later in your life?

[judybloomno5]

I am currently on maternity leave and I am considering changing careers.

I am currently in HR where I have worked in a call centre helpdesk environment and its recently been restructured so i feel my job has been downgraded and my skills will disintegrate. I have a good general business degree and I work for my DP part time (its not a business i could go into without us buying a premises which we aim to do but don't currently have the finances for, I just collect his receipts and manage accounts for him).

Have you changed careers at this stage in your life? What did you move to?

I left my job as a legal PA at the age of 35 so that I could take my son to school in the morning and pick him up at the end of the day. 12 years later I'm still working at the school (and enjoying it).

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I'm 40, I've been a qualified staff nurse for 2 years. It was a hard three years training but I love my job. I work three 12.5 hour shifts a week which I think are more family friendly than five days a week.

I worked in administration from leaving university. I started as an admin assistant and I progressed through various stages over the years to include research associate, office manager and operations manager. It was always something that I was good at and I found it to be easy work but it was not very exciting after 16ish years. So two and a half years ago I jumped at the chance to take a sideways step in my career and I moved into health and safety. I took my NEBOSH certificate as the first step and found a new passion in a subject I originally knew very little about. I now cover health, safety, environment and quality for a national multi site organisation. It was the best decision I ever made because I get to travel around the country, I keep my own hours and I find the work both interesting and exciting. Well worth the initial risk and the sleepless nights worrying if I would be able to cut it.

I was an accounting manager until I had children. At 30 I retrained as a nursery nurse and at 43 I went to university and retrained as a teacher. Never too late!

Early 40s and just got onto PGCE course for retraining as a primary teacher after 4 years as a sahm. I'm nervous as hell about it, so it's nice to hear from others who've done similar.

I did AAT when I was 36 and now do freelance bookkeeping and some accountancy. Work from home, choose my hours, it's great!

Not me but my DH. At the age of 32 left an industry where he was reasonably senior & earned good money (£60K plus) but worked very long and antisocial hours, to go to college to study an HND in a certain type of engineering. After that he was accepting on to a very good apprenticeship, where he is the oldest in the year, but he is loving every minute of it. He worked part time as a supermarket delivery driver while at college and still does this on a Sunday extra £'s!

While, financially, it has meant I have had to work more hours than I used to and we are no where near as flush as we used to be (completely skint!) we do hope that once he finishes his apprenticeship (aged 38!) we will back to where we were financially but he will still be around more. He has worked very, very hard & I am super proud of him! And I feel it proves you are never too old to change career if you aren't happy, although it takes hard work & sacrifices.

Good Luck!

I've just left nursing to pursue my own buisness. I'm a bit scared but I feel so happy when I'm working at my buisness so I'm just going to for it

I'm thinking of retraining in the new year too. Currently work in a junior management role in the customer service department for a large private sector company in company. There are very few opportunities for progression or development unless you're friends with the right people. Was not the career path I would have chosen but fell in to through necessity. 11 years on, with 2 young dc's I'm thinking there's got to be more to life. Am seriously considering a degree in law, just need to do an access to HE course to be able to apply for Uni. And conquer my self doubt.

Bold fail

Wrong thread, sorry!

Yes! Corporate law in my 20's - retrained as a teacher at 30. Got my first Headship at 36. I love it! Education is a lot more varied than I'd ever imagined. I never have a day when I don't want to go into work.

I left 20+ years in IT support to become a science lab tech at 38. Far more varied, far more fulfilling, far more fun.

At 31 I retrained as a paramedic. I'm now, at nearly 37, about to finish my training as a nurse.
It is possible!

I'm also interested in stories and am considering a change too

Following with interest! I'm nearly 33 and am in an industry/role that I know isn't for me, but no idea how to move or retrain without losing salary (I'm the main earner so can't afford a drop). DH is nearly 40 and has no 'career' as such but would like one so is probably in a better position to retrain / start from scratch as we could afford for him to stay on a lower salary for longer.

Will be taking notes from your examples...

How do you all afford it?

I'm currently training to be a health visitor, I was previously a midwife. It's a years course and I'm a quarter of the way through. Its been academically difficult but really enjoyable. I couldn't have done it without finding though. Its a decision I won't regret.

*funding

if you change careers you usually have to start at the bottom, so a pay cut, which I couldn't afford. I like my job but the company not so much.

I'm currently retraining as a counsellor at 34, having worked in financial services most of my working life. It's taken me this long to really figure out what I want! I'm loving it - quite a way to go yet but it's the best descision I've made!

I retrained in my 30s, new degree etc. Found it brilliant being around bright 20 somethings & don't regret it for a minute.

At age 40 I went from 24 years of nursing in the NHS to teaching in Further Education. Absolutely love it. No regrets. It has opened so many doors for me too.