"mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin) 01/05/2015 at 07:43 • Filed to: None

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Have any opponauts switched careers?

I'm aabout a decade into my industry, and have reached executive management level. But I am bored in my role, disillusioned with my company, and have zero enthusiasm for my field.

The problem is that I have a good salary that provides stability for my family. Has any Oppo successfully transitioned careers or industries while maintaining the same standard of living? Without having to start off at the bottom?

AthomSfere > mkbruin, Atlas VP 01/05/2015 at 07:46

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In the middle of a second.

The first one I took a ~30% pay cut but made it back within 2 years. The one I am attempting now will be mostly lateral (assuming it happens soon!).

McMike > mkbruin, Atlas VP 01/05/2015 at 08:01

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Worked in, manged, and eventually owned in food service until I sold our store at 35 year old.

I took some computer classes, got some certifications and went back to work in IT. It was entry level, but I'm kind of back on track 10 years later.

I hate IT, but I'll always have a job.

Meatcoma > mkbruin, Atlas VP 01/05/2015 at 08:10

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I was in construction for 12 years and now am a programmer. It took me probably 5-6 years just to get back to the same $ I was making in construction. There are trade offs, some good, some bad. Overall I came from a unstable career(somewhat seasonal) to a very stable one. I technically make less than I did or would be in construction but I could make more, I just like the job I currently have.

jariten1781 > mkbruin, Atlas VP 01/05/2015 at 08:17

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I'm on my fourth. I also have hire authority here so I see lots of resumes from people switching careers.

My transitions have either been lateral or improvements pay/benefits/authority/accountability wise. The biggest thing I've seen effect that is your willingness to relocate. Had I stayed in the Pacific NW with my last move I'd have been looking at about a third cut in pay. Jobs were on the east coast so off to VA I went where I found similar work with much better compensation.

v8corvairpickup > mkbruin, Atlas VP 01/05/2015 at 09:08

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I started a new job in December. It pays less but my commute is 65 miles less each way. I'm hoping that I'll be able to offset the lost income by the reduced fuel and car maintenance expenses. I was at the last job for 7 years and before that I was at the previous job for 18 years. I hate the job search process.

New job is for the state of Nevada.

Previous job at an RV parts and repair shop.

Before that was 18 years in manufacturing.

Jagvar > mkbruin, Atlas VP 01/05/2015 at 09:13

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I switched gears from the automotive to the mortgage industry, but that was more out of necessity, since my job was phased out. I had been in the auto industry for 7 years, so it's an adjustment. I'm making about $14K less than I did previously, but there's room for rapid growth. In the end, it might be a really good move for me. And in the meantime, I am able to remain close to my original standard of living. I've just had to cut out exotic vacation destinations and eat out less.

TotallyThatStupid > mkbruin, Atlas VP 01/05/2015 at 09:42

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Several times over 20 years.

1. Degree in Advertising, went straight into desktop publishing. (decent money for 23 years old)

2. DP to web design and programming. (ultimately, +80% money)

3. Web to turning wrenches at an independent BMW repair shop. (initially, -50% money)

4. Wrench to VW service advisor. (+30% money)

5. SA to Advertising. (-33% money, but Could. Not. Do. SA work any more)

6. Advertising to Better Advertising. (+15% money)

JGrabowMSt > mkbruin, Atlas VP 01/05/2015 at 11:13

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Being a bit younger (I have not been working for a full 10 years yet), I'm making a move within the same industry, but to a completely different career path. First I was asked about my interest, then I got two interviews and finally an offer. Seems pretty standard, but I currently work for a mom and pop computer repair shop, and have for 6 months shy of how long the store has been open. Working this long for such a small business certainly changes your attitude. I got very used to a small group of people, and now I'm going to be tossed into a slightly larger, much faster paced job. The hourly pay increase was certainly no motivation to switch ($1 more per hour is hardly an upgrade, the same with an hour longer commute in the middle of rush hour).

I'm moving because I need to shake things up for me. Sure, I don't get along super well with one of my co-workers, but that's hardly enough reason for me to pack it in and leave. The new job should give me room to advance. It's no walk in the park switching, I have a ton of loyal customers that will be looking for me to work on their computers, not anyone else.

Would I back out given the chance right now? No. Leaving a small business is never a good time when you have a super established reputation. The important thing to remember is that you're also in a different position. Is the new industry something you can grow quickly in? My new job has many opportunities for advancing and progressing within the company, where my current job I'm at the top. I can't be knocked back down because there's nowhere to go down for me. You have a family to support, which is a much bigger thing, but if your family has two incomes, it could be possible to balance it out so that you can be happy again. It will not be a fantasy ride where everything will go perfectly, but if you can be happy with what you'd be moving to, that can translate to your home life and be noticeable to your family right away.

In comparison, I'm just a youngin, but I think that it's just important to try and look at it from more than one perspective if possible, and do some number crunching. There are jobs that I've turned down in the industry I have a degree in because they just will never pay off. I can recognize that at my age, and I can let someone else slave away at those jobs. If you're not happy, the real question is what you can afford to do. Sometimes changing it could be as simple as picking up some small gig on the weekends if it's not financially possible to outright change right away. If you have the means to make a change, then it's time.

If Jagvar can, we all can.

nermal > mkbruin, Atlas VP 01/05/2015 at 11:15

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Sounds like you need to GTFO of your current job. It took me about 3 yrs of deliberation to make the leap from my last job, and in hindsight wish I had done it sooner. I was making well above average $$$, but hated everything else about the job, and it made me completely miserable both at work and away from it. The people I worked for and with were impotent a-holes, and it took so much energy to just avoid flipping out and getting fired as a result that I barely had anything left to do my actual work.

Fast forward a year after leaving that hell-hole, and I feel as though I have leapt forward a light year or two in regards to my overall quality of life. It took quite a bit of adjustment, because I had spent so long in my previous job that I didn't need to think about much to function there. Basically, I was realllly good at it, but didn't realize how good I was at it, and how much I relied on that, until I tried something new. I quickly hit a wall with the new job when I realized that I had no idea what I was doing. It's been smooth sailing since then, and I love what I do and everybody I work with now.

In short, do it, and do it now. Find something that excites you and you are passionate about, and make sure it's working with people that you will enjoy working with. Don't burn any bridges at your current employer, but don't look back either.

wabbalosthiskey > mkbruin, Atlas VP 01/05/2015 at 11:36

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If you're bored and disillusioned then can you use your executive management level to invoke change where you are?

Grass is always greener, then you realize the neighbors are just dying the grass.

Not saying changing career paths can't or shouldn't be done, I've switched between dramatically different roles, just an outside observation.

ranwhenparked > mkbruin, Atlas VP 01/05/2015 at 18:03

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I was in a very different situation than you, so not sure how relevant my experience will be. But, about 4 years out of college, I moved from a low level administrator position in an educational nonprofit to a sales management position at a consumer products company. The trick was finding a way to draw parallels between the job description for the new job and what I was already doing, since the private and nonprofit sectors use totally different vocabulary. The actual, functional differences between the two positions really aren't that dramatic day to day, but it was a challenge figuring out how to get noticed by the hiring managers, since my background was different that what they usually look for.

I did technically start at the bottom at the new company, whereas I had been promoted two levels at the old one, but moving from the nonprofit to for-profit sectors still meant a 40% pay raise. The real downside was having to relocate well away from all family and friends. I have mixed feelings, honestly. I like what I do now a lot better than what I did before, but it's still not what I see myself doing for the next 40 years and I would really like to be able to get back closer to home some day.

CalzoneGolem > mkbruin, Atlas VP 01/06/2015 at 08:37

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I went from doing AutoCad and inside sales for a precast concrete place to setting up access for users at a bank. I was downsized from the concrete and I took a pay cut to temp at the bank and a further pay cut to become a full time employee with benefits. It took 4-5 years to be better off than I was before.