[Misc] Career change at 36

[Gritt23]

My brother in law is a brickie so I have helped him out a couple of times and I'm going to go on a part time course and work a bit with him at weekends whilst still working full time to hopefully train up to start working in the building industry. It will also mean that some of the experience I've built up in property will still go to a little use.

I work in the Construction Industry - desk job, so I know little about actually being on the tools - and from any labour meetings I attend, there has been a chronic shortage of brickies for a while now. You're brother-in-law will have seen it from the other side, but I bet he's never short of work, as they've been like rocking horse shit lately.

But, as you've found out, it's not just about money, it's about finding something you like to do, and can see doing for some years. Getting a trade doesn't mean you are on the tools all your life either, as you get a team around you, set a company up, and your job is winning the work, and managing the job, while others are stood up on the scaffolding actually laying the bricks.

 

[Wilko]

Are you a teacher? I was a full time Primary Teacher for 24 years, but had had enough two years ago, and gave it up. but am still a teacher, now working supply. The stress has lifted from my shoulders. I sleep well, and am substantially happier.

I work pretty much full time, and am employed by three schools so don't have to bother much with agency work (which is poorly paid, and which I resent). I love it - it reminds me what I always loved about teaching.

Similar, I was a full time international teacher as head of 6th form which I enjoyed but was very stressful and took up a lot of my time. When I moved back to England last year I took a job just teaching, 70% contract and no responsibilities. I use my spare time to write blogs and textbooks. My quality of life has jumped up, I have less money but I do not really care, I am much happier and really value my extra free time.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I didn't make a change as radical as yours (although I do work outdoors in the cold quite often now) but I did change careers in my late thirties and have never regretted it for a nanosecond. By that age you know what you want and, more importantly, what you don't. Family and financial obligations are factors that could weigh against a change but you seem to be okay there so make the move and don't look back.

 

[Live by the sea]

My advise is to go back to school. Either college or open university and get the qualifications you need to do the job you really wouldike to do. Obviously within reason , if you are not especially academic you are not going to be a brain surgeon. However there are plenty of other jobs you can do that require only a basic degree that will separate you from people who don't have any qualifications and give you much more choice of jobs. You are also more likely to find a job that interests you and is forfilling as opposed to with respect putting up scaffolding or lugging bricks around on building sites.

Ps. No slight intended to anyone that puts up scaffolding for a living or is a brickie - the point I was trying to make is that most kids dont grow up aspiring to do a non skilled job they just fall into it because they didn't do well at school. In life you sometimes have a second chance to go out and get the qualifications you want because when you are older you take it perhaps more seriously than as a kid. I know some scaffolding and brickies and they all earn ok money.but as far as I'm aware none of them aspired to be one at school. They aspired to be architects and doctors etc

 

[Bakero]

My advise is to go back to school. Either college or open university and get the qualifications you need to do the job you really wouldike to do. Obviously within reason , if you are not especially academic you are not going to be a brain surgeon. However there are plenty of other jobs you can do that require only a basic degree that will separate you from people who don't have any qualifications and give you much more choice of jobs. You are also more likely to find a job that interests you and is forfilling as opposed to with respect putting up scaffolding or lugging bricks around on building sites.

Ps. No slight intended to anyone that puts up scaffolding for a living or is a brickie - the point I was trying to make is that most kids dont grow up aspiring to do a non skilled job they just fall into it because they didn't do well at school. In life you sometimes have a second chance to go out and get the qualifications you want because when you are older you take it perhaps more seriously than as a kid. I know some scaffolding and brickies and they all earn ok money.but as far as I'm aware none of them aspired to be one at school. They aspired to be architects and doctors etc

How is being a brickie unskilled?

 

[middletoenail]

How is being a brickie unskilled?

By academic qualifications, it's unskilled. I'm not saying that as a slight, I'm just as 'unskilled', yet I'm doing ok.

 

[Geestar]

Are you a teacher? I was a full time Primary Teacher for 24 years, but had had enough two years ago, and gave it up. but am still a teacher, now working supply. The stress has lifted from my shoulders. I sleep well, and am substantially happier.

I work pretty much full time, and am employed by three schools so don't have to bother much with agency work (which is poorly paid, and which I resent). I love it - it reminds me what I always loved about teaching.

Yeah I was a teacher, mainly supply teaching. Then moved to an agency as an education recruitment consultant.

Now just want to stay clear of the whole education system

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[Live by the sea]

How is being a brickie unskilled?

You can be taught the job from another brickie. You don't need any academic qualifications to get the job. This is the same for some other manual labour intensive jobs. You can be taught how to do it on site so to speak. An electrician for example doesn't need a degree but does need to pass the exams to demonstrate his comptency. I'm aware sometimes I write in a matter of fact way and some people might think I'm a bit abrupt but I do not intend to cause offence or belittle anyone that does bricklaying etc, it looks like bloody hard work. However you don't need to do well at school to do the job. You do need to do well at school academically if you want to enter a professional field. Like dentistry, doctor, surveyor etc which personally I want my kids to aspire to .

 

[Badger]

It’s not easy training as a plumber sparks etc I’m a sparks and 30 years on still learning. These wankers that do crash courses are a ****ing embarrassment to the trade please don’t become one of those your get caught out in the end.

Programming can be easy, programming well not so easy. That said what jobs you got on offer?

What [MENTION=24827]Justice[/MENTION] says definitely applies to programming. I've spent 5 years studying for a BSc and MSc in Computer Science; had over 10 years experience as a software developer; and I'm still learning new things every day. People who just go on a programming course and try and do it for a living will soon get found out. I've spent way too much time clearing up messes of code written by poor, inexperienced programmers.

That said, if you go about it the right way, it can work out well. Sometimes it's useful to have a developer who's worked in another industry and can give a different perspective. Just stick to the simpler tasks until you can learn enough from other people.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I resigned from the Home Office because I hated it and ended up with my own accountancy practice. I fully concur with the the majority of posters on this thread who espouse the "Go For It! message, but with one word of caution.

Success or failure can depend much upon timing. I started out in accountancy in year one of Self-Assessment, so a massive change to the industry and a massive upsurge in demand for accountants. As an accountant I see the uncertainty caused by Brexit and I wouldn't be making any life-changing decisions now until the dust has settled on that score.

 

[Weststander]

It’s been very, very difficult to get the two older children the help they need and deserve. There is a current mantra that not all disabilities are visible, which definitely applies in their case. Because of this it has been very difficult to get people to understand their problems and needs. We are finally getting somewhere, but I do really worry about their futures and what safety nets will be there to catch them when we are no longer around to help them!

I remember the near impossible task of getting a 'Statement' - for some needs it can take years while your children's childhood dwindles away, plus the specialist solicitors charge £20k in fighting a council. In the end many parents who are middle or higher earners give up and go private with a SEN child, making huge sacrifices, taking on extra jobs.

Parents with autistic kids have told me the same thing as you, worries for their kids post-18, their life prospects and what will happen when the parents are not around.

 

[Weststander]

You’ve got one life, don’t spend 5 days a week 47 weeks a year being miserable where you work.

I worked in the private sector until I was 40, well paid, but it was often 6 days a week and evenings, office politics, brown nosing to get anywhere, keeping the head down when clients were lost and redundancy fears were circulating, and I hated it.

Managed to get a job at uni, took a 30% pay cut, had to sell the car, cycle to work 11 miles each way initially, wife not happy, but I loved it and haven’t looked back. Wear jeans and T shirt instead of a suit and more through luck than judgement now talk about football...ish for a living after realising that students took far more interest in the subject when football was being mentioned. The rewards are seeing light bulbs going on in heads and hearing about their success stories following graduation, far more rewarding than anything monetary.

Go for it, work hard and believe in yourself.

Good luck.

I escaped from the working life you mention, in my 40's. All the same things - unpleasant superiors, brown-nosing, stayism (working very late) by the most useless creeps, staff blamed when clients left as they couldn't stand the boss, gossiping. Wearing an uncomfortable and hot suit.

Through experience, I always anyone and everyone to leave a job or career they hate as soon as possible. On the NSC mental health threads, work is often a contributory factor or the factor!

 

[Bakero]

You can be taught the job from another brickie. You don't need any academic qualifications to get the job. This is the same for some other manual labour intensive jobs. You can be taught how to do it on site so to speak. An electrician for example doesn't need a degree but does need to pass the exams to demonstrate his comptency. I'm aware sometimes I write in a matter of fact way and some people might think I'm a bit abrupt but I do not intend to cause offence or belittle anyone that does bricklaying etc, it looks like bloody hard work. However you don't need to do well at school to do the job. You do need to do well at school academically if you want to enter a professional field. Like dentistry, doctor, surveyor etc which personally I want my kids to aspire to .

I don't think you were being abrupt it just seems strange to equate academic qualifications. I've got a degree and post-grad qualifications. My brother's work in the building trade. I'd wouldn't think for a second that I was more skilled. I'm certainly not better paid.

 

[Justice]

I feel I need to add to this myth about the building trade, when you have been around it all your life you get to appreciate different trades and their skills. So many people, one think it’s easy it’s not. And two it takes years to master a particular trade not 6 months working with your brother in law. Every job throws up it own set of problems and it’s knowing how to get round them is where the years of graft come in. Do your time nothing wrong with that but honestly your not going to be any good for about 4-5 years and after that period your still a newbie to the old heads.

 

[Weststander]

I feel I need to add to this myth about the building trade, when you have been around it all your life you get to appreciate different trades and their skills. So many people, one think it’s easy it’s not. And two it takes years to master a particular trade not 6 months working with your brother in law. Every job throws up it own set of problems and it’s knowing how to get round them is where the years of graft come in. Do your time nothing wrong with that but honestly your not going to be any good for about 4-5 years and after that period your still a newbie to the old heads.

Bricklaying was always considered, officially, to be a semi skilled trade. In reality an experienced bricklayer who cares about his work is a skilled tradesman. Especially if they have more to their bow than knocking up lookalike boxes for the large housebuilders.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

Please, please, please.
Just don't become an electrician....

Or a plumber

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[Justice]

Or a plumber

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Or a multi trade ie. a wanker who’s shit at everything lots of them in Screwfix

 

[maffew]

Bruno became a PL player at 36!!

Murray will captain England at the next world cup. Probably at football

 

[Triggaaar]

Had a career in IT for 10 years, then did some property developing until the crash, and then became a photographer. So no career over 10 years yet

I've enjoyed them all to be honest, although I do get more satisfaction from photography (which is just as well, as I earn less than before). I also get to be a part time house husband.

 

[Brovion]

I was working for a software services company where one of the Sales guys decided he wanted a change. He was 45, didn't enjoy it any more and frankly was finding it hard to keep up with all the new developments. He'd always like plumbing, so he decided to become a plumber. He did some jobs for colleagues, and used those people as references. The company were really good, they let him take time off to do a part-time course in return for a salary sacrifice. He registered on one of those tradespeople job sites and used the (genuine) references he'd received from his colleagues to get more jobs. Eventually the company made him redundant, (which he wanted) and he used the pay-off to give him a bit more 'runway' whilst the plumbing took off.

This was a few years ago and I'm not in contact with them any more, so sadly I can't give you an update as to what happened and how successful he was.