Career changes...

Uncle Sick

One of Freddy's beloved
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How radical can it be?

So far (like the last nine years) I've always been doing Business CRM for large companies (o2 for example) and since moving to the US, I had intended to follow that path again - with slight change towards financial advisor for a large creditcard company.

Pays well, good benefits.

But then I spot an add in the local paper - "K-9 officer wanted" - and having spend my entire life working and living with large dog breeds I applied.
... and will go there for an interview some time soon. Job/academy training starts in March.

Pays alot less than financial advisor, great benefits because it's a state job.

I am still a little baffled (that I actually got an appointment for an interview, them showing actual interest in me etc.), the wife is very cool with it... and I really want to do the job.

So... has anyone of you ever been in the same situation job-wise?
A 180 degree career change?
 

yaruar

Can't get enough of FH
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Uncle Sick said:
How radical can it be?

So far (like the last nine years) I've always been doing Business CRM for large companies (o2 for example) and since moving to the US, I had intended to follow that path again - with slight change towards financial advisor for a large creditcard company.

Pays well, good benefits.

But then I spot an add in the local paper - "K-9 officer wanted" - and having spend my entire life working and living with large dog breeds I applied.
... and will go there for an interview some time soon. Job/academy training starts in March.

Pays alot less than financial advisor, great benefits because it's a state job.

I am still a little baffled (that I actually got an appointment for an interview, them showing actual interest in me etc.), the wife is very cool with it... and I really want to do the job.

So... has anyone of you ever been in the same situation job-wise?
A 180 degree career change?


It's somehthing I'm thinking of at the moment. I've been working in it support up to management level and 3rd line for 6 years now. It's not something I ever planned to do, but I failed to get any of the jobs I applied for post university and fell into it as a way of making money. I'm good at it, but I really don't enjoy it. On the plus side, it's a reasonable wage and hopefully in a few years I'll have paid off my 17k's worth of debts.

But when it comes down to it, I'm bored, it's not challenging and I really feel it's a waste of my life.
I've been trying to consider other options. The police is looking tempting, especially as I can get on the graduate fast track scheme. However I'd have to see how easy it would be to get into an area which would interest me.
There are many things I'd love to do. This current job isn't one of them.
Good luck with the switch, one day I hope I can be in a position to join you.
 

Lazarus

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if its something you want to do (and financially viable for you to make the switch) then go for it.

At least you will have added another string to your bow.
 

throdgrain

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Why not ? Just do it :)
A good mate of mine is the chief bike mechanic here where I work. After 7 years here hes just been accepted by the Metropolitan Police. A bigger role reversal its difficult to imagine. Hes having to put up with a lot of Old Bill jokes, and people whistling the theme tune to the Bill all the time, but on consideration he's a very nice bloke and the Met could do with more people like him and less of the some of the people employed there at the moment !
 

old.user4556

Has a sexy sister. I am also a Bodhi wannabee.
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Not speaking from experience here i must stress:

My dad was a quality manager for DEC for 17 years, before they went down the tubes and were eventually bought out by Compaq. He was made reduntant from a great highly paid job and was out of work for nearly two years where he landed a position as a programmes manager for a company that made U-PSUs for PCs. They, too, went down the tubes after 5 years and he was made redundant again. He's a big electronics buff and really into hifi's, building speakers, building circuits etc and when getting a job was looking bleak at his age, he finally got a job in a school as a science technician fixing all their broken electronic stuff.

He absolutely loves doing it and it's failry stress free and more of a stress free "paid hobby". It may pay a 10th of what he once earned, but he loves it and I think that's what matters.

If you can afford to change your career totally for something you love doing, I would recommend it (providing you've no money worries and you still can afford to pay bills etc). The only thing is that the grass may not be greener and better the devil you know in your current job.

I've seen it work first hand, so go for it!

G
 

Xtro

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Went from high suit job working for the MoD (remember I couldnt tell anyone where I worked? :)) where I did "stuff" (still signed the Official Secrets Act so best not elaborate lol).

Now work for EA Games in localisation/linguistics etc. Fun job, no suit, can dye my hair and can wear my piercings (which to me, is very important). We play CoD at lunch and its totally relaxed full stop.

A good change :)
 

DaGen

Fledgling Freddie
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I've gone from being in the Army, doing tours of Bosnia/Kosovo to working for Nortel Networks, a large Telecomms company.

So from patrolling the strets of the Former Yugoslavia to being sat behind a desk.
 

SilverHood

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Go for it sicko :D
My dad used to be a welder on a shipyard (Burmeister & Wains in Copenhagen)... now he's an IT boffin working for a major .com company.

A friend of mine's dad went from being an IT manager from a big telecomunicatiosn company, to being a chauffeur of classic cars... a major petrol head, it's his dream job.

:)
 

GDW

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When I hit 30 I went back to Uni and did an MBA after having worked in restaurants for 8 years. Six years later I only have one more set of exams to do before Im a qualified Chartered Accountant. Some may laugh but my job for the past four years is infinately better than what I had before.

So go for it, your'e never to late for a career change.
 

Doh_boy

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I think the overwealming feeling is that a job that you truly enjoy is many times better than a well-payed one.
Also since your with is keen on it, that's one more reason to do it (or at least one less obsticle).
 

Sharma

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Well im sort of[/u] in the same situation as you are, my current predicament is the fact that im currently planning on leaving college in June because frankly its fucking awful and im going nowhere fast with it so im looking into a Modern Apprentenceship as a path to get a half arsed job. :p

I mean ive got support for it so im confident but its just a radical decision for me as im gonna have to drop a routine thing ive been doing since i was like 4 so. :p


P.S Good Luck with the job Sickeh! :D
 

dysfunction

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I would like a career change but I can't afford to take a cut in salary which is what I would have to do :(

So if you are able to do it and its something you really want to do then go for it Sicko.

Good Luck!
 

Uncle Sick

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Just finished filling out the application form (to get another form for a medical exam, a physical fitness test and a marksmanship test - once I got these forms I can go straight for the interview) and will mail it out tomorrow. :D
I have a really good feeling about the whole thing.
maine_doc_k9.jpg
 

GekuL

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In your position I would rather be working with the dogs too, and if your doing something you love doing you'll be a better person for those around you I'm sure.

Good luck! :)
 

Uncle Sick

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Thanks for all the warm words and good wishes, guys. I really appreciate it. :D

Big move for me. But heck, I might actually become a better person (that's for Jup:p) - naw, don't think so.
 

babs

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Waking up in the morning without that feeling of dread and 'oh god, I've got to go to work' is worth a lot in my books. Granted, I only went from pressurised retail to a nice office job, but the feeling is still the same. I actually took a cut in pay to get the new job, but I'm 20x happier and that's well worth the money.
 

Jupitus

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Uncle Sick said:
Thanks for all the warm words and good wishes, guys. I really appreciate it. :D

Big move for me. But heck, I might actually become a better person (that's for Jup:p) - naw, don't think so.

I hope some big nasty dog bites yer gonads off!!!!

*sits and grumbles about expensive mortgage payments*

Hey btw - how much does having the snip hurt?
 

Kaitlyn

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I studied law in college with every intention of becoming a solicitor, but while in college took on jobs in nightclub/pubs ended up as bar manager then being sent off to train as a chef which I ended up working as for years (as you can imagine my parents were so proud.. ;) ). A few years ago my son became ill which involved me having to give up work to become his full time carer, and I ended up working from home as a research assistant (fancy name for mystery customer), which I am still doing now while trying to gain my BA by open uni, so I can become a teacher for children with special needs.

I think career changes are great, as if I had stayed on the path I was going I would have been a solicitor by now , yes...maybe.. but i wouldn't be as happy as I am and have made the amazing amount of friends or have had the adventures I did. Lifes too short to spend it doing things to just get by, you must live everymoment. I can't remember who said the quote 'on my deathbed im not going to say "I wish I had worked harder."'
 

L_Plates

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Well my career has been trial and error.

Left school to work in the fishing industry. Ranging from going to see catching the buggers to filleting it up and packing it off. And also selling it out of trailers and shops.

I did the above for around 8 years.

Then made the move into savoury treat. I was supervisor of a small Pudding company who work along side Aunt bessies.

Then finally went to college and got qualified as a web designer. Love the job and glad i went to college.
 

Uncle Sick

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Jupitus said:
I hope some big nasty dog bites yer gonads off!!!!

*sits and grumbles about expensive mortgage payments*

Hey btw - how much does having the snip hurt?

Off topic shockar mod!11 Ban yu0rself!

How much does it hurt... hrm.... depends on how much of a pansy you are, I guess (generally speaking).

I was more afraid (terrified actually) before the whole procedure.
The actual thing was:
- get something to calm you down (the EEG went bonkers when they first put the sensors on me, hehe)
- get something to make you give a damn what's going on around you.. and heck did it work. I knew the doc was having at my beans but I didn't feel a thing and much less did I actually care. :D

So, ner... unscary all in all (afterwards).

And contrary to popular belief - you balls don't go canteloupe size after the procedure. I guess that happens if your doc isn't doing his job right or may be your general constitution. Very small incisions, too.
Can't even see a scar.

I am happy I went through the whole thing. Better than using a rubber or making teh wife use teh Pill o' Doom.
 

old.user4556

Has a sexy sister. I am also a Bodhi wannabee.
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babs said:
Waking up in the morning without that feeling of dread and 'oh god, I've got to go to work' is worth a lot in my books. Granted, I only went from pressurised retail to a nice office job, but the feeling is still the same. I actually took a cut in pay to get the new job, but I'm 20x happier and that's well worth the money.

Thing is tho babs (i've said this on another thread), I think you feel like that no matter what job you do. Even when i was a student bumming about, I woke up thinking "oh god i've got to get up and do nothing" and I eventually got very bored.

G
 

babs

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To a certain extent maybe, but now I wake up and think 'ho-hum, off to work'. There's nothing about it I would say I just cannot face again, unlike my previous job.

I think one trick is to make sure that you don't do something that's your very best and most favourite thing in the world. You'll probably get bored of it and lose an interest at the same time. Maybe that's just me though.
 

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