Anyone learnt a trade older in life?
Discussion
Hello was wondering if anyone ever decided to completely change career later in life, and how did it pan out? i am looking for some unbiased opinions please...
i graduated as an structural engineer and have found that i don't get much job satisfaction from it. i am not someone who needs a lot of money to get by, so money isn't my driver... now i would say i would like more freedom with my job- so something i could do anywhere, and doing a job i would feel some kind of reward for doing it well.
i have looked at some courses to be a tiler for example... being a spark/plumber etc might be too involved to learn in a concentrated course without quitting my job- plus i think tiling is a job that could be quite rewarding. Of course i don't expect to master it in a 3 week course but would give me a start.
obviously with the current pandemic situation a career change to a trade where people potentially will soon have a lot less income to spend on home improvements... maybe the signs point to not making this change.
i don't have any debts other than a mortgage which is manageable.
Would appreciate anyone's experiences who might have done something similar. thanks
i graduated as an structural engineer and have found that i don't get much job satisfaction from it. i am not someone who needs a lot of money to get by, so money isn't my driver... now i would say i would like more freedom with my job- so something i could do anywhere, and doing a job i would feel some kind of reward for doing it well.
i have looked at some courses to be a tiler for example... being a spark/plumber etc might be too involved to learn in a concentrated course without quitting my job- plus i think tiling is a job that could be quite rewarding. Of course i don't expect to master it in a 3 week course but would give me a start.
obviously with the current pandemic situation a career change to a trade where people potentially will soon have a lot less income to spend on home improvements... maybe the signs point to not making this change.
i don't have any debts other than a mortgage which is manageable.
Would appreciate anyone's experiences who might have done something similar. thanks
hyphen said:
Are you fit and healthy? As a lot of tradesmen get worn out with age, all the carrying/kneeling.
You can get weekend/evening tiling jobs, so just keep your day job, learn to tile, and then see how it goes before chucking in the main job. Little risk.
i'm in my mid 30s... this is what i was thinking. get smaller jobs, test the waters... if nothing else i will learn to be better at DIY tiling You can get weekend/evening tiling jobs, so just keep your day job, learn to tile, and then see how it goes before chucking in the main job. Little risk.
ayedubya said:
i'm in my mid 30s... this is what i was thinking. get smaller jobs, test the waters... if nothing else i will learn to be better at DIY tiling
Don't listen to Dirk Customers won't appreciate you coming along and doing a 'diy' effort if paying a decent price.Top tip - wear knee pads and so on. A lot of tradesman be macho and ignore the safety wear, then end up with knackered knees etc.
Also bear in mind, not all customers will be nice, and some will be very fussy.
Gameface said:
Not a trade, but I took it upon my to learn lip reading.
It's very advantageous for me to know what others (who aren't aware that I can lip read) are saying in certain aspects of my business life.
"Why is that freak staring at us"It's very advantageous for me to know what others (who aren't aware that I can lip read) are saying in certain aspects of my business life.
"which one"
"that one"
"he is isn't he, really staring"
"freak"
mike74 said:
In terms of job satisfaction, job variety and expressing a certain amount of creativity in your work I would have thought being a structural engineer would be much more rewarding than being a tradesman?
Structural engineers I've worked with have spent a lot of time repeating the same thing over and over. It may depend on the industry, of course.I can see why somebody would want to do something else, but tiling, all day every day, sounds like a punishment to me.
I believe it's possible for anyone of any age to learn something new.
The issue is then making a living from that new skill. A 50 year old sparky will have 30 years of building up networks and reputations and thus capable of earning a living off the back of an ad in the Parish Magazine and a few Vista Print cards.
I think that career transition is more effective in later life when it naturally transitions from what you have been doing. A friend of mine is 55 and spent most of his life as a top-end recruitment consultant. He put himself through some hefty training and is now a qualified work-place mental wellbeing professional. The two disciplines are closely correlated but different at the same time. But crucially, he's able to use his existing networks from recruitment to drum up new business for his new offer.
The issue is then making a living from that new skill. A 50 year old sparky will have 30 years of building up networks and reputations and thus capable of earning a living off the back of an ad in the Parish Magazine and a few Vista Print cards.
I think that career transition is more effective in later life when it naturally transitions from what you have been doing. A friend of mine is 55 and spent most of his life as a top-end recruitment consultant. He put himself through some hefty training and is now a qualified work-place mental wellbeing professional. The two disciplines are closely correlated but different at the same time. But crucially, he's able to use his existing networks from recruitment to drum up new business for his new offer.
StevieBee said:
I believe it's possible for anyone of any age to learn something new.
The issue is then making a living from that new skill. A 50 year old sparky will have 30 years of building up networks and reputations and thus capable of earning a living off the back of an ad in the Parish Magazine and a few Vista Print cards.
I think that career transition is more effective in later life when it naturally transitions from what you have been doing. A friend of mine is 55 and spent most of his life as a top-end recruitment consultant. He put himself through some hefty training and is now a qualified work-place mental wellbeing professional. The two disciplines are closely correlated but different at the same time. But crucially, he's able to use his existing networks from recruitment to drum up new business for his new offer.
Thanks that makes sense... ideally i would have worked in small domestic/commercial structures which would have well placed me to start up on my own. but i have been pm-ing and working on big industrial and not really being doing any calcs for over 10 years. so feel incapable of doing that move.The issue is then making a living from that new skill. A 50 year old sparky will have 30 years of building up networks and reputations and thus capable of earning a living off the back of an ad in the Parish Magazine and a few Vista Print cards.
I think that career transition is more effective in later life when it naturally transitions from what you have been doing. A friend of mine is 55 and spent most of his life as a top-end recruitment consultant. He put himself through some hefty training and is now a qualified work-place mental wellbeing professional. The two disciplines are closely correlated but different at the same time. But crucially, he's able to use his existing networks from recruitment to drum up new business for his new offer.
maybe one leg up i might have on the older generation with all the experience is understanding the social presence and advertising online/website for the trade business. i do have some experience there.
appreciate all the other comments too.
I'm not old enough to answer the question, but I do feel it will become quite common in 20 years time for a big chunk of the population to retrain in a new skill every 10 years or so, even when you hit 60, and still have 10 years until retirement, if your skillset is out of date, employers will want to see you train in something new.
Xaero said:
I'm not old enough to answer the question, but I do feel it will become quite common in 20 years time for a big chunk of the population to retrain in a new skill every 10 years or so, even when you hit 60, and still have 10 years until retirement, if your skillset is out of date, employers will want to see you train in something new.
From experience, I don't think this is a bad thing at all.I've transitioned through what is now, technically three careers (Graphic Design, Marketing, Behaviour Change Communications) and entering into a fourth (Filmmaking). Each sort of branches off from the previous one but each required some serious skills development training. The result is that at 53 I'm completely engaged how I earn a living and have never really not enjoyed working. On the basis that you have to work, you may as well do something you enjoy and retraining enables this.
StevieBee said:
From experience, I don't think this is a bad thing at all.
I've transitioned through what is now, technically three careers (Graphic Design, Marketing, Behaviour Change Communications) and entering into a fourth (Filmmaking). Each sort of branches off from the previous one but each required some serious skills development training. The result is that at 53 I'm completely engaged how I earn a living and have never really not enjoyed working. On the basis that you have to work, you may as well do something you enjoy and retraining enables this.
For many people, re-training would require a big reduction in income, income levels would possibly never recover. I've transitioned through what is now, technically three careers (Graphic Design, Marketing, Behaviour Change Communications) and entering into a fourth (Filmmaking). Each sort of branches off from the previous one but each required some serious skills development training. The result is that at 53 I'm completely engaged how I earn a living and have never really not enjoyed working. On the basis that you have to work, you may as well do something you enjoy and retraining enables this.
Gameface said:
Not a trade, but I took it upon myself to learn lip reading.
It's very advantageous for me to know what others (who aren't aware that I can lip read) are saying in certain aspects of my business life.
My daughter is deaf so taught herself to lip read from a very early age. It’s funny sat in a restaurant with her telling you about conversations on other tables. It's very advantageous for me to know what others (who aren't aware that I can lip read) are saying in certain aspects of my business life.
Edited by Gameface on Monday 3rd August 19:23
Gassing Station | Business | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff