Early mid life crisis?
Discussion
Really hacked off with the job at the moment and need to do something about it soon, before I completely lose my sanity! 
The trouble is what to do? Not sure I want to continue in the 'industry' as I see it all going the way my firm is. So I guess I need to think hard aboout re-training and the implications on my life/income/etc.
The main problem with my current job is the overwhelming amount of paperwork, red tape and beaurocracy before any phisical work on the ground gets done. I used to be out of the office two, or three days a week indentifying and spervising engineering maintenance works, now I'm lucky if I get out once a month. I am a practical, hands-on person, not a desk jockey - which is what the job is turning me into!
Anyone else in a similar situation? Is a change of direction at the age of 33 just wreckless, or could I re-train and find a refereshing new career without jeopardising my current financial status?
The trouble is what to do? Not sure I want to continue in the 'industry' as I see it all going the way my firm is. So I guess I need to think hard aboout re-training and the implications on my life/income/etc.
The main problem with my current job is the overwhelming amount of paperwork, red tape and beaurocracy before any phisical work on the ground gets done. I used to be out of the office two, or three days a week indentifying and spervising engineering maintenance works, now I'm lucky if I get out once a month. I am a practical, hands-on person, not a desk jockey - which is what the job is turning me into!
Anyone else in a similar situation? Is a change of direction at the age of 33 just wreckless, or could I re-train and find a refereshing new career without jeopardising my current financial status?
A good mate of mine and I always said that if we ever got divorced, we'd go and work in a wildlife reserve or something to escape the "city". Funniliy enough, we got divorced within months of each other! Anyway, I met someone else quite quickly, and he booked up the trip. Had an email from him this morning (quite emotional actually)saying that this the best thing he has EVER, EVER done, and that now he realises that there is much more to life than the office and the pub (I know, strange boy!)
Praps everyone needs to have a bit of time away now and then. Not just 2 weeks here and there, but a couple of months......
jees, my spelling was crap.....
>> Edited by chilli on Thursday 1st December 12:46
Praps everyone needs to have a bit of time away now and then. Not just 2 weeks here and there, but a couple of months......
jees, my spelling was crap.....
>> Edited by chilli on Thursday 1st December 12:46
I had this dilemma about two years ago. If I'd have had it two and a half years ago I'd probably be finishing my probation period as a police officer right now. As it is I've still got another 124 days until I start But at least I am starting.
I was 26, bored to tears with my job (car rental management) and desperate for a worthwhile career, rather than flogging my guts out for the bottom line each month, same daily grind etc.
It was fairly easy for me to make the decision, once I'd overcome my fears, as I haven't got a mortgage, so the big drop in salary wasn't such a hinderance.
As the tired but true phrase goes, you only live once. Might as well do something you enjoy.
But at least I am starting. I was 26, bored to tears with my job (car rental management) and desperate for a worthwhile career, rather than flogging my guts out for the bottom line each month, same daily grind etc.
It was fairly easy for me to make the decision, once I'd overcome my fears, as I haven't got a mortgage, so the big drop in salary wasn't such a hinderance.
As the tired but true phrase goes, you only live once. Might as well do something you enjoy.
I'm in a similar position.. althought to be honest I'm not sure why.. I am a office girl - well an insurance broker to be more precise and at 30 I'm sick of it.. I want to do something that interests me but I have responsibilities and the like just as you would expect for a 30 year old professional person - morgage, kid, dog, fish...
To jack it all in and start a fresh seems like the best step forward but if it all goes wrong then what??
I'd like to start a business or take over an established business - ideally a country pub.. I have a fair bit of experience in this field but should I step off the bridge and hope the parashute opens or just keep going??
Decisions decisions....
>> Edited by Draft on Thursday 1st December 12:54
To jack it all in and start a fresh seems like the best step forward but if it all goes wrong then what??
I'd like to start a business or take over an established business - ideally a country pub.. I have a fair bit of experience in this field but should I step off the bridge and hope the parashute opens or just keep going??
Decisions decisions....
>> Edited by Draft on Thursday 1st December 12:54
pstruck said:
Really hacked off with the job at the moment and need to do something about it soon, before I completely lose my sanity!
The trouble is what to do? Not sure I want to continue in the 'industry' as I see it all going the way my firm is. So I guess I need to think hard aboout re-training and the implications on my life/income/etc.
Whatever you do, do it quick, while you still can. I was thinking the same at your age & 10 years later I still don't know what I want to do (I do, but nobody would pay me for it
) & changing jobs in your 40's isn't easy. What I regret not doing is changing companies. Loyalty to an employer is a mugs game, the loyalty is rarely returned. An alternative employer in the same sphere could completely change your job, get you involved in areas you've never done before & offer new possibilities. If somebody came to an interview giving your reasons for wanting to change jobs then I'd have no hesitation in hiring them (assuming they could do the job). It shows eagerness & a willingness to work. Thinking about it, I wouldn't hire them! I wouldn't hire anybody wanting to get into the data comms eqpt design industry as it's rapidly collapsing pstruck said:
Really hacked off with the job at the moment and need to do something about it soon, before I completely lose my sanity!
The trouble is what to do? Not sure I want to continue in the 'industry' as I see it all going the way my firm is. So I guess I need to think hard aboout re-training and the implications on my life/income/etc.
The main problem with my current job is the overwhelming amount of paperwork, red tape and beaurocracy before any phisical work on the ground gets done. I used to be out of the office two, or three days a week indentifying and spervising engineering maintenance works, now I'm lucky if I get out once a month. I am a practical, hands-on person, not a desk jockey - which is what the job is turning me into!
Anyone else in a similar situation? Is a change of direction at the age of 33 just wreckless, or could I re-train and find a refereshing new career without jeopardising my current financial status?
Ive felt like this before ,but the trouble is ive done most things, i feel we get to a stage where we stop and look at life and ask ourselves "Are we missing out","Is life passing us by"
Ime a qualified brickie but ive also started up a few little concerns along the way and sold them on,ive also held a cab license for god knows how long,ime not blowing my own trumpet here ime just trying to put across that no matter what ive done ive not been content,until now!
I think if you are content in your job then you are one happy person but its finding it!,i found mine quite by accident and it was in the way of throwing the towel in on everything and just doing some evening cab driving.
After a while i realised hey! ,ime enjoying this and although i work ,life is like one big holiday at the moment and i am very content to a point,its OK for me though as i have no responsibilities.
If you are with a partner maybe its worthwhile talking about how you feel with them and looking at some "joint venture" or would they mind helping support you, or mind if you took on a partime job while you re-educated your self in another line.
If you are faced with beaurocracy and red tape all the time maybe your just screaming out to break free.
Draft said:
I'd like to start a business or take over an established business - ideally a country pub.. I have a fair bit of experience in this field but should I step off the bridge and hope the parashute opens or just keep going??
Go on Go for it!,ime a chancer,never used to be and infact i was like my father very cautious but now i enjoy chancing
,whats the worst that can happen to a healthy able individual that knows what its like to work ,if it goes wrong.......not much,just more experience under the belt and the self satisfaction that you have tried it.changing in your 30s is no different to doing it your 20s, it just depends on your responsibilities.
i did it in my late 20s, left a s**t job with HMV (terrible company, truely awlful to work for) , went back to college, and after about 8 months got my first job in a design studio. still working for the same company (from home! bliss) 8 years later. best thing i ever did.
i did it in my late 20s, left a s**t job with HMV (terrible company, truely awlful to work for) , went back to college, and after about 8 months got my first job in a design studio. still working for the same company (from home! bliss) 8 years later. best thing i ever did.
tollytuff said:
changing in your 30s is no different to doing it your 20s, it just depends on your responsibilities.
i did it in my late 20s, left a s**t job with HMV (terrible company, truely awlful to work for) , went back to college, and after about 8 months got my first job in a design studio. still working for the same company (from home! bliss) 8 years later. best thing i ever did.
hmmm it is really..
in my 20's I didnt have child and morgage and now in my 30's I do.. If every thing had gone wrong when people weren't depending on me in my 20's for the latest clothes / games stations / gynastics classes / morgage payments and the like I would leave this job in a heart beat.. But they do so slightly more consideration is required..
Pete - if it's there at the back of your mind all I can say is that unless you do it it will always be there!
I jumped ship just over a month ago to set up on my own trading cars, I didn't have a fantastic amount of money in the bank and I have a mortgage too but i thought what the hell, I was fed up working 60 odd hours a week in a job that didn't really check out as decribed.
I might go back to being employed one day as I do quite enjoy the structure of a permenant position but for now the break is doing me good!
I jumped ship just over a month ago to set up on my own trading cars, I didn't have a fantastic amount of money in the bank and I have a mortgage too but i thought what the hell, I was fed up working 60 odd hours a week in a job that didn't really check out as decribed.
I might go back to being employed one day as I do quite enjoy the structure of a permenant position but for now the break is doing me good!
I was almost forced into a change of direction, after redundancy, divorce etc.. decided I had nothing else to lose. Started my own business consultancy, covered the mortgage and living costs for my ex and two kids. Had a very understanding new partner who let me set up my office in her back room and use her company car for site visits. 3 years on business is now a ltd company, started new business venture alongside core consultancy, 4 employees, 1986 911 targa and alfa 156 on drive, money in the bank and my own boss. To start with i wasn't sure I'd done the right thing and at one stage was borrowing £20-00 for food from my partners mum, but the challenge is half the fun, I have found out that there is such a thing as job satisfaction and with that has come the rewards, I'm not rich, but my business funds my lifestyle and provides a secure future fo my kids. I guess that makes me very lucky
Whatever you want, do it now!
Whatever you want, do it now!
FUGatso said:
I was almost forced into a change of direction, after redundancy, divorce etc.. decided I had nothing else to lose. Started my own business consultancy, covered the mortgage and living costs for my ex and two kids. Had a very understanding new partner who let me set up my office in her back room and use her company car for site visits. 3 years on business is now a ltd company, started new business venture alongside core consultancy, 4 employees, 1986 911 targa and alfa 156 on drive, money in the bank and my own boss. To start with i wasn't sure I'd done the right thing and at one stage was borrowing £20-00 for food from my partners mum, but the challenge is half the fun, I have found out that there is such a thing as job satisfaction and with that has come the rewards, I'm not rich, but my business funds my lifestyle and provides a secure future fo my kids. I guess that makes me very lucky
Whatever you want, do it now!
Love the sound of success,
Not sure that you are experiencing an 'early' mid life crisis. Many of my friends of a similar age feel like this and I quite often wake up in the small hours thinking what the hell am I doing with my life.
However I realise that most of my life revolves around work. We are often advised to consider work life balance but without a concerted effort it's difficult to achieve.
It's generally accepted that our generation works harder than previous ones (there are exceptions of course), enjoys less job security, has little guarantee of a decent pension and faces a lot more competition because globalisation. We are constantly under pressure to deliver more, faster, cheaper and tied into a consumer society where money = success. Not all of this is bad but it does demand a lot of energy and can difficult to leave at home.
I'm lucky I actually enjoy my job most of the time. Recently I decided to get a life back outside work and doing some of the things I used to enjoy before I neglected them in my rush to further my career.
It's a slow process and I'm not sure I'll ever achieve the 60/40 life/work metric that some advocate but before you chuck it all in check that you are giving youself enough freetime and using it to do the things you really enjoy.
However I realise that most of my life revolves around work. We are often advised to consider work life balance but without a concerted effort it's difficult to achieve.
It's generally accepted that our generation works harder than previous ones (there are exceptions of course), enjoys less job security, has little guarantee of a decent pension and faces a lot more competition because globalisation. We are constantly under pressure to deliver more, faster, cheaper and tied into a consumer society where money = success. Not all of this is bad but it does demand a lot of energy and can difficult to leave at home.
I'm lucky I actually enjoy my job most of the time. Recently I decided to get a life back outside work and doing some of the things I used to enjoy before I neglected them in my rush to further my career.
It's a slow process and I'm not sure I'll ever achieve the 60/40 life/work metric that some advocate but before you chuck it all in check that you are giving youself enough freetime and using it to do the things you really enjoy.
Whilst I agree that it may be more difficult in your 40s the truth is that if you are unhappy doing what you do then any age is the right age to change.
I was in IT Marketing till 1999 (when I was 36) with a great salary, car allowance, pension etc etc but had reached the end of my tether....bored, unhappy etc. So I quit with no job to go to, started doing property rental with my wife (now ex-wife). Got bored with that about a year ago so recently sold up moved to the SOuth Coast to write a novel and am just embarking on some property development/renovation.
Money a bit tight at the moment but I LOVE every minute!!!! And...when the company really gets going over the next 2 years I will probably make some good money too.
Just do it!
I was in IT Marketing till 1999 (when I was 36) with a great salary, car allowance, pension etc etc but had reached the end of my tether....bored, unhappy etc. So I quit with no job to go to, started doing property rental with my wife (now ex-wife). Got bored with that about a year ago so recently sold up moved to the SOuth Coast to write a novel and am just embarking on some property development/renovation.
Money a bit tight at the moment but I LOVE every minute!!!! And...when the company really gets going over the next 2 years I will probably make some good money too.
Just do it!
Draft 13:23 Reply with quote
fair enough draft, perhaps i didnt write that down very well, what i meant was, its nothing to do with your age as such, but more to do with your responsibilities. a man of 20 with 2 kids would find it harder than a man of 33, as pstruck is, with no offspring...
i remember reading about the chap who played 'uncle albert' in only fools and horses, a bank manager all his life, always wanted to be an actor. and he did it! in his 70s, it aint over till its over..
pstruck, youre still a young man. dont let your age be a concern about your situation..
tollytuff said:
changing in your 30s is no different to doing it your 20s, it just depends on your responsibilities.
Draft said:
hmmm it is really.. in my 20's I didnt have child and morgage and now in my 30's I do.. If every thing had gone wrong when people weren't depending on me in my 20's for the latest clothes / games stations / gynastics classes / morgage payments and the like I would leave this job in a heart beat..
But they do so slightly more consideration is required..
fair enough draft, perhaps i didnt write that down very well, what i meant was, its nothing to do with your age as such, but more to do with your responsibilities. a man of 20 with 2 kids would find it harder than a man of 33, as pstruck is, with no offspring...
i remember reading about the chap who played 'uncle albert' in only fools and horses, a bank manager all his life, always wanted to be an actor. and he did it! in his 70s, it aint over till its over..
pstruck, youre still a young man. dont let your age be a concern about your situation..
It's always good to hear that others have been faced with a similar dilemma. It's even better to hear the success stories that have come from it!
As I said earlier, my mortgage and other financial commitments are a concern, but I also have a partner to consider and we are getting married next year. She is fully aware of my current state of mind and I know she would support me in changing my career, as she hates seeing me unhappy with my job. It is very much as others have said here though... it's much easier to do when you're single with no responsibilities.
As I said earlier, my mortgage and other financial commitments are a concern, but I also have a partner to consider and we are getting married next year. She is fully aware of my current state of mind and I know she would support me in changing my career, as she hates seeing me unhappy with my job. It is very much as others have said here though... it's much easier to do when you're single with no responsibilities.
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