Has any 1 made a career change ? Tell us about it

[JODEY]

Well.... I've been thinking about changing my career for a while as I don't feel very challenged in my current job, I'm no longer learning anything and seem to be stuck in a rut, basically I do administaration. I used to work with horses which I loved but unfortunatly had to move on as it don't pay well. I'm now looking into training to become an electrician. My brother has his own comany and my uncle is an electrician too. I would have to do 3 years training at college plus practical work but its in the evenings which means I can carry on working full time. Does any one know of any women electricians ? I'm a real hands on person and think I would get great satisfaction from this. Fingers crossed, I'm waiting to hear back from the college because the course starts September 15th !!

[yamille]

Hi Jodey,

I actually don't know any female electricians myself but it sounds like you are really excited about it- I say go for it! I have my fingers crossed for you about school.

 

I changed careers recently as I decided to take on full time grad school a year ago. It's been awesome and definately a challenge but I LOVE IT. It's the right time for me. I couldn't have done it before so as annoying as it sounds- timing is everything. Listen to your heart...

[SunBride]

wow, congrats for thinking about going into a very male dominated career! Hope it works out for you.

 

I am also contemplating a major career change. I did my masters in Economics a few years ago and now am working for the government as a policy analyst. I'm thinking of doing a drastic career change that totally won't make use of my studies. The ideas I have in mind right now are high school teacher (which would require me giong back to school for my teaching degree), wedding coordinator/event planner and I have a bunch of other random ideas too. It's scary to think about doing a total switch. Also would likely involve a major pay cut (for a teacher definitely, but at least I'd have my summers off, for other jobs it would depend, probably a big cut in teh short term but if I am successful eventually it might work out to be the same).

 

My husband's aunt was a teacher and quit to open her own florist shop. She's so good at what she does and loves it. so she's my inpiration. I figure people must have thought she was nuts when she said she was going to open her florist shop!

[jamisoncollette]

I started my education in bio/math and switched to history. I worked as an archivist since there is not much one can do with a degree in History but the pay was low. On a lark I took a civil service exam for the department of social services and was hired. This led to a degree in social work. At my new job, I am the only social worker that started as a biologist, is good at statistics, and can spout civil war dates and the presidents! I love what I do but never imagined I would be able to earn a masters while raising my daughter on my own. It was tight but totally worth it! My brother is in school for building technology and there is only one female but she's doing what she enjoys. I say go for it!

[bellalucefoto]

I think it sounds like a great idea! I have changed my career a couple of times, so I totally know how you feel! I have to be doing something different and learning all the time or I am BORED! Anyway, I do know a female electrician and she loves it! My grandfather was also one. It is a great field!

 

Good luck!

 

Katie

[TammyWright]

i left a pretty successful real estate career to open my travel agency/wedding business but when steve and i got married i knew i wanted to stay home with the baby...but i also could not imagine not working. so i wanted to be able to work from home.

 

the first year was very trying and of course i took a HUGE paycut...but i was able to stay home with my son and also do something new and fun.

 

now my i am very busy (i am actually very selective of who i work with now and only take about 25% brides/grooms as clients). it is great but now i have very little time for BDW

 

also, sarah (aka nurse sarah) started a 2nd business doing invitations and it has taken off as well...so if you have passion and talent for what you want to do i am sure you will be successful.

 

my cousin is training to be an electrician. it is a great field and very lucrative.

[beachbride08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JODEY Well.... I've been thinking about changing my career for a while as I don't feel very challenged in my current job, I'm no longer learning anything and seem to be stuck in a rut, basically I do administaration. I used to work with horses which I loved but unfortunatly had to move on as it don't pay well. I'm now looking into training to become an electrician. My brother has his own comany and my uncle is an electrician too. I would have to do 3 years training at college plus practical work but its in the evenings which means I can carry on working full time. Does any one know of any women electricians ? I'm a real hands on person and think I would get great satisfaction from this. Fingers crossed, I'm waiting to hear back from the college because the course starts September 15th !!

That is awesome! If it is something you want to do I say go for it. I have been thinking about changing careers for the past few months, but haven't figured out exactly what I want to do. Since you have relatives that are in the field, could you shadow them for a day to see if it is definitely something you would enjoy?

I took a pastry class last semester as that was a career I was interested in. I absolutely loved it, and would like to take more classes after the wedding. They offered a class on Saturday which is the only day I could take it since the classes are 5 hours! I would have to miss 2 classes right off the bat this semester with the wedding so I couldn't register. If I did decide to go the pastry route it would be something I would have to do on the side or as a part-time job. Right now I am the bread winner while FI is finishing up school and not making much money. Once he gets a better paying job I will have more flexibility to go after what I want to do without worrying about taking a huge pay cut that we can't afford right now. Ideally, if there is anything I can do without having to go back to school for an extended period of time that is ideal. I majored in journalism, but have been in recruiting for over 5 years. I'm kind of pigeon holed for a recruiter job now so unless someone is willing to take a look at transferable skills or I get another degree I might be stuck.

[loveangel0610]

My neighbor is a female electricician and she loves her job. She's even come over here a couple of times to put up some light fixtures and a few other things. But like I said she loves her job and enjoys what she does. I say go for it!!!

[Tropical Imaging]

I worked for 5 years when I got out of university as an investment manager/fund trader. Made great money, loved the fast paced environment and did really well with clients and money management. However, I put everything into work and never had time for anything else.

 

So at the age of 26, I quit my job, sold my house and car (and pretty much everything else) and moved to the Caribbean to be a master dive instructor. Big switch in lifestyle and pay. Loved every minute of it.

 

Met my husband and ended up buying an underwater photography/video business and filming and shooting dolphins/sharks/ whales etc and teaching underwater photography occasionally as well. After a few years we kept getting requests from businesses on island to do commercial work and then family and portrait work (sharks are a breeze compared to small children...LOL) and weddings. Now thirteen years later, we only do about 10% of underwater photography.

 

Love every minute of it. I highly recommend following your passion, I find that if you love what you do, everything falls into place!

 

Krys

[IslamoradaBride]

I worked in journalism for about 7 years (newspapers to be precise) but changed careers to PR last year. The newspaper business has been going down the tubes for years, and I went through so many cutbacks at work that I finally couldn't take anymore. Plus I wanted to be able to move to a bigger city with my then-boyfriend (now FI) and I couldn't do that without changing careers. I am so glad I did it-- the pay is so much better, it's just as challenging and I feel much more confident about my career path.

 

I think training as an electrician is a great idea-- learning a trade is very lucrative, and the fact that you already have family in the business is a plus. Good luck to you!