Anyone learnt a trade older in life?

Anyone learnt a trade older in life?

Author
Discussion

ayedubya

Original Poster:

225 posts

44 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
quotequote all
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

hyphen

26,262 posts

89 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
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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.

ayedubya

Original Poster:

225 posts

44 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
quotequote all
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 smile

dirky dirk

3,009 posts

169 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
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Throw yourself at what your doing

Start up on your own

hyphen

26,262 posts

89 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
quotequote all
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 smile
Don't listen to Dirk hehe 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

16,565 posts

76 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
quotequote all
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.


Edited by Gameface on Monday 3rd August 19:23

hyphen

26,262 posts

89 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
quotequote all
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"
"which one"
"that one"
"he is isn't he, really staring"
"freak"

Gameface

16,565 posts

76 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
quotequote all
Calling me a freak.

Strange response.


hyphen

26,262 posts

89 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
quotequote all
'Twas an attempt at humour.

never mind beer

mike74

3,687 posts

131 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
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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?

MC Bodge

21,551 posts

174 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
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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.

Simpo Two

85,147 posts

264 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
quotequote all
So 'older in life' is mid 30s? I was just getting going then!

The world changes, and so do you, and what seemed like a fab idea one year can be a donkey a few years later. Always keep the antennae waving.

littlebasher

3,767 posts

170 months

Monday 3rd August 2020
quotequote all
There's always


StevieBee

12,790 posts

254 months

Tuesday 4th August 2020
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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.


ayedubya

Original Poster:

225 posts

44 months

Tuesday 4th August 2020
quotequote all
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.

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.

Xaero

4,060 posts

214 months

Tuesday 4th August 2020
quotequote all
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.

StevieBee

12,790 posts

254 months

Tuesday 4th August 2020
quotequote all
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.

MC Bodge

21,551 posts

174 months

Tuesday 4th August 2020
quotequote all
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.

ayedubya

Original Poster:

225 posts

44 months

Tuesday 4th August 2020
quotequote all
MC Bodge said:
For many people, re-training would require a big reduction in income, income levels would possibly never recover.
yes and i would be willing / prepared to live on less than currently.

RammyMP

6,729 posts

152 months

Tuesday 4th August 2020
quotequote all
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.


Edited by Gameface on Monday 3rd August 19:23
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. hehe