to ask if you were going to retrain, what field / industry would it be in?

[scottishtreehugger]

I have just turned 40. My background is in law. I find high street private practice deadly dull and boring and would like to retrain. There are LOADS of things I am interested in, but would love to hear ideas about what others might do.

Would love to work in web development

I love these threads! Always hope someone is going to mention a job that makes me think 'yes!'

I'd like to be a pathologist. Far too old though.

I'm a ghostwriter in real life.

woo woo - a ghost writer sounds fascinating!

I'm 25 and after a few years of customer service I'm retraining in web development.

Other things I've fancied are being an engineer in the RAF or a sound/theatre technician.

I'm a teacher now (previously in manufacturing engineering) and I quite fancy the civilian seafarer now (thank you poshjock!)
But if I had my time again I'd do medicine I think.
Or be a roadie/ crew. But this can be a very unhealthy lifestyle so it's probably a good idea I'm not.

I did 20 years of admin and am now a 2nd year student nurse. It was scary to retrain. But if I'm honest...i wish I did it years ago!

I love it scottish but I regret never doing something vocational

I would retrain as a librarian. I worked in a school library for a while (filling in whilst they found a proper librarian to fill a vacancy) and I loved it.

I never had a career as such, just admin and customer service type jobs (regret never going to uni). I am currently just about to start my second year of training to be a counsellor, it's definitely the right choice for me.

OP I was in private practice for years and it was utter shite. I made partner but lost my soul and went on a career break, had a nipper and now I am in house. It is NOTHING like pp and I love, love, love my job. Also very flexible and full time is 34 hours a week. I had days that were longer than that in pp....

I have ex-lawyer friends who are running tea rooms, training to be a nurse, being SAHM and one is now a landscape gardener! There is life after law but my advice would be to try in house before you give up altogether.

Good luck!

Lawyer here too. I dream of becoming an organic vegetable grower, delivering produce to farmers markets and restaurants.

If time and money were not issues perhaps medicine, or something science-related.

Care worker here. Fallen completely out of love with it. Would love to train to do beauty therapy or reflexology. Not really sure to be honest

onwego - my dream job!

where are you, shall we go in to business, lol?

sorry not serious question, I don't expect you to tell me where you are!

young girl - yes I think you have to lose your soul a little for that! If I started listing all that is wrong with the profession (as it applies to private practice) I'd bore myself to tears. It's totally dysfunctional in every single way I can think of.

Yep. I am really hoping that DS gives law a swerve.

I wish I'd followed my plan to be an accountant when I was 19. Too late now, ho hum.
But I plan to top up my nursing degree in a few years before I burn out and either do occupational health or do research then a PhD so I can teach at university level.

scotish I'm small animal.
It's very stressful. Lots to know and keep up to date with.
people's expectations are getting higher and higher which is reasonable but adds to the stress.
the profession generally are seen as money grabbing despite the pay being terrible for the hours worked (seriously when we were 0-3 years qualified many of my friends earned below minimum wage if worked out as an hourly rate). I work in a less affluent area and have had to euthanise animals, including puppies, because owners can't afford to treat (save as many as we can using charity help/own money/fostering and rehoming etc but not always possible).
The hours can be ridiculous. In my ft job before having children I worked 4 days on the run, night and day, for my 'weekend on call'. People would phone at 2am with a dog that had been coughing for 3 weeks and demand to be seen immediately.
I'm part time now but the hours are still rubbish when you have small children as practices are open longer hours than nurseries or holiday clubs and all weekend. You also have to pass cases back and forth between vets when you are not there every day which has a real impact on job satisfaction and maintaining your own client base.
I could go on!!

What can one do till they are 70

That's what I suggest considering

Maybe stick with law

Speech and Language Therapist. The scope of their knowledge and skills and the affect they can have on an individual's quality of life from the food they can eat to their ability to communicate is amazing.

Council officer currently. Relatively interesting and pays just above average salary. No specific qualifications needed but I have a degree.

My dream job would be wardrobe/costume for tv and film. Not period or sci-fi but contemporary drama. Portraying personality/character through their clothes and shoes. I saw a job but it was such a low salary I couldn't make the leap.

I was a teacher.

I wish I'd trained as a psychologist. Looking to do something now I'm 40 and wondered about social work but maybe put of the trying pans into the fire. I'm also interested in OT but locally it costs 30grand over a 3 year fulltime degree and I need to be earning.

I do wish I'd chose differently younger!!

Trained in accounts but been a stay at home carer for 25 years now. Would love to retrain as a paramedic but menopause has killed off what brain cells I had left