[Misc] The Great Resignation and career changes

[Guinness Boy]

As an aside, I suspect this thread illustrates the aging nature of this forum.

When the internet was fairly new, this place was populated with people largely in their late teens and 20s. Most older people on here were IT people (people like "loveable" old hothead, bhaexpress). Anyway, it seems a large number of regular posters from the 90s (like me) are still here today, so it's not a surprise that our life ambitions have evolved as we've got older.

As much as the "you only live once" and "if it's not easy I'm not doing it" mantras are understandable, refreshing and probably right for us in our 40s 50s and 60s, I wonder what those in their 20s and 30s might think about this thread. Surely it's good to be hungry and motivated at a younger age, right? It would be alarming to me if someone aged 22 read this thread only to conclude "they're right - f**k it, I can't be arsed to work all hours anymore" because unlike us middle aged people, they haven't done the hard yards to get on the property ladder, pay for weddings/houses and bring up a family.

Ah, yes, poor old FRANK (RIP). A man who regularly strode into a battle of wits completely unarmed. Some of your put downs were classic and one or two remain in NSC Gold where they entertain me to this day. Which probably means that even though I'm in the middle aged club I've not really grown up at all.

 

[essbee1]

Crisps has been 'working' from home for 18 months, doing next to **** all. Nobody has noticed. It irritates me that she's getting a free ride, but I'm not going to agitate to force her back in, because then I'd have to put up with her here. To cap all her other annoyances, she is apparently a rabid anti-vax, anti-mask thicko.

Noise has actually been coming in a few days a week and is really very good at managing her work. Such is my appreciation of her efforts and her commitment, that I don't really find her annoying all that often now. It helps that she only works each day to 2.30pm - its the best of both worlds - a bit of company and help each day, then blissful selfish lone working for the last few hours!

You have two very clever cats there Hans

 

[raymondo]

Thank you, and good on you for the trustee role. This is something I want to do when things have settled a bit. My 2yr old son has epilepsy and has global development delays. My wife raises money for the children’s hospital charity and I would also like to help more.

Self actualisation can be achieved without money and corporate crap!

Glad it’s going well for you.

Exactly this - enough money to get by, but put happiness first. Good luck with the charitable projects

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Sorry if this is off topic Bozza, but it kind of is relevant. I started BSL a few years back and having passed a load of exams over the summer (christ, I never
thought I'd be taking exams at my age) and feeling confident, does anyone have the contact details for the Albion deaf footie club?
I'd love to help out volunteering and also use some the stuff I've learnt in a productive way. So off topic a bit, but very important to me.

Going back 35 years, my best-man's missus was BA cabin-crew and she learnt sign language as a second language which then enabled her to do BA long-haul - paid-off for her with more dosh and perks.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Sorry if this is off topic Bozza, but it kind of is relevant. I started BSL a few years back and having passed a load of exams over the summer (christ, I never
thought I'd be taking exams at my age) and feeling confident, does anyone have the contact details for the Albion deaf footie club?
I'd love to help out volunteering and also use some the stuff I've learnt in a productive way. So off topic a bit, but very important to me.

disability@albioninthecommunity.org.uk

 

[Springal]

Good thread.

I've always worked in the Tech industry and mainly worked at home, with occasional stints of a London office whenever I wanted / needed, very occasional visit to Berkshire office or out with customers around the UK but never had an office based 9-5. COVID didn't change massively but I've desperately missed getting out and seeing customers. Over the last 18 months I've kind of ended up in a role that whilst on paper sounds good - I'm managing bigger global customers so even less opportunity to get out and about. Added with a re-org reporting into mainly a US based team and what I am doing is not really what the company is investing in as much as other areas it feels a bit lonely at the moment.

I've been fortunate enough to have always been hired by people I had known so never really interviewed for jobs I did not know a lot about. I did apply for some new ones recently and was taken back by how difficult / lengthy some recruitment processes are. As well as how many jobs I really thought I'd fit really well and not even a call back or follow up on my application. One job was a company I knew, went through the interview process and got to the final stage with 1 other - the other person got the job on the sole reason that they approached a few members of the company individually to get some information and help with their presentation. Was slightly taken back by the thought of doing that but apparently this is what is expected and fairly common place now.

So not really sure what is but felt I needed to get it all off my chest

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

As an aside, I suspect this thread illustrates the aging nature of this forum.

When the internet was fairly new, this place was populated with people largely in their late teens and 20s. Most older people on here were IT people (people like "loveable" old hothead, bhaexpress). Anyway, it seems a large number of regular posters from the 90s (like me) are still here today, so it's not a surprise that our life ambitions have evolved as we've got older.

As much as the "you only live once" and "if it's not easy I'm not doing it" mantras are understandable, refreshing and probably right for us in our 40s 50s and 60s, I wonder what those in their 20s and 30s might think about this thread. Surely it's good to be hungry and motivated at a younger age, right? It would be alarming to me if someone aged 22 read this thread only to conclude "they're right - f**k it, I can't be arsed to work all hours anymore" because unlike us middle aged people, they haven't done the hard yards to get on the property ladder, pay for weddings/houses and bring up a family.

I refuse to believe that the majority of people on this board were ever young .

 

[sparkie]

Good thread.

I have just under 14 years until the statutory retirement age - which is roughly when I want to retire - and hopefully only 1 more employer switch. I just despise the whole job seeking and interview process.

Quite happy where I am but want to move from a business park location and a drive to work, to a city centre office with pubs near the office door and a short train commute.

Central Brighton would be great but I only want 1 more job hunt. So I can't move too soon, but at the same time not leave it too late in case the next job is a cracker.

So, a holding pattern for now.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Good thread.

I have just under 14 years until the statutory retirement age - which is roughly when I want to retire - and hopefully only 1 more employer switch. I just despise the whole job seeking and interview process.

Quite happy where I am but want to move from a business park location and a drive to work, to a city centre office with pubs near the office door and a short train commute.

Central Brighton would be great but I only want 1 more job hunt. So I can't move too soon, but at the same time not leave it too late in case the next job is a cracker.

So, a holding pattern for now.

I used to love the excitement of a new job hunt, particularly if I was getting bored

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

I spent 25 years as a domestic appliance engineer before coming off the tools and moving into training and on job coaching of the new breed. When COVID hit and the academies closed temporarily, they set me up at home and I am now on the national technical support team supporting engineers on the phone. After that long in the field it was a shock to the system and I’m not entirely sure I enjoy it.
At 61 years old though, I would find it nigh on impossible to find a job that I DID enjoy that pays the same salary so I guess I am kinda stuck now.
I have both electrical and gas qualifications, leadership, assessing, coaching and management qualifications…but as I say, I’m 61.
No one really employs 61 year olds anymore.
My one big regret in life is not going into the fire service when I left the RM, still think what could have been.
Oh well

 

[Dr Bandler]

Very interesting thread.

Having worked from home continually during Covid, I couldn't stand the thought of commuting again - what a waste of time and energy. So when I changed jobs recently I turned down two higher offers to take one where I was permanently home based. I now have regular exercise, meditation and family time which I didn't have before. One of the other companies (in the defence field) said they wanted me in the office three days per week. When I asked why they couldn't give me a good answer.

Covid taught us that a lot of the things that were held as truths are simply nonsense. Despite my CEO's anxiety, and keenness to get everyone back in the office, I demonstrated that the teams I ran increased productivity while working remotely. Additionally, despite the notion that some people need the social contact that the office can give them, those team members have decided to go in only once a fortnight now that they can go back.

Humans are such that notions get anchored in the collective psyche, whether they are true or not. This thread and the one on dress code show that these beliefs have been shaken and a lot of people will not buy into them any more. That can only empowering. I have a friend who runs a small IT consultancy, and he told me that clients who are asking their staff to come back in are facing mass resignations. He is actually going to charge more for onsite consultancy and training, and has moved to rural Scotland.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Very interesting thread.

Having worked from home continually during Covid, I couldn't stand the thought of commuting again - what a waste of time and energy. So when I changed jobs recently I turned down two higher offers to take one where I was permanently home based. I now have regular exercise, meditation and family time which I didn't have before. One of the other companies (in the defence field) said they wanted me in the office three days per week. When I asked why they couldn't give me a good answer.

Covid taught us that a lot of the things that were held as truths are simply nonsense. Despite my CEO's anxiety, and keenness to get everyone back in the office, I demonstrated that the teams I ran increased productivity while working remotely. Additionally, despite the notion that some people need the social contact that the office can give them, those team members have decided to go in only once a fortnight now that they can go back.

Humans are such that notions get anchored in the collective psyche, whether they are true or not. This thread and the one on dress code show that these beliefs have been shaken and a lot of people will not buy into them any more. That can only empowering. I have a friend who runs a small IT consultancy, and he told me that clients who are asking their staff to come back in are facing mass resignations. He is actually going to charge more for onsite consultancy and training, and has moved to rural Scotland.

If people need social contact then hiring a coworking space is a good option. I decided years back that I didn’t want to ever commute again, it’s literally a total waste of time, and took measures to address this. I initially worked at home but now work in coworking space. The main driver wasn’t social interaction but the need to get out of the house and have a work routine but on my terms. Obviously I do get social interaction but ithis is a bonus. I deliberately choose a space in another neighborhood so I could have different daily surroundings and a short cycle ride. It works brilliantly. I would highly recommend remote working with a coworking space.

 

[WATFORD zero]

I spent 25 years as a domestic appliance engineer before coming off the tools and moving into training and on job coaching of the new breed. When COVID hit and the academies closed temporarily, they set me up at home and I am now on the national technical support team supporting engineers on the phone. After that long in the field it was a shock to the system and I’m not entirely sure I enjoy it.
At 61 years old though, I would find it nigh on impossible to find a job that I DID enjoy that pays the same salary so I guess I am kinda stuck now.
I have both electrical and gas qualifications, leadership, assessing, coaching and management qualifications…but as I say, I’m 61.
No one really employs 61 year olds anymore.
My one big regret in life is not going into the fire service when I left the RM, still think what could have been.
Oh well

You and me were never going to be Bill Gates. You have some seriously good skills built up over a lot of years, If you can teach that to young kids coming through, that should be your role and target. I do the same but try to avoid teaching wankers and luckily, 95% of the kids are brilliant

 

[Sorrel]

I wonder how we've been doing with getting our children to get that work/life balance? It's the work side that I find they aren't clued up about. My situation is fairly sorted out, but it's definitely not the case for my now (nominally) adult children.

I tried to persuade them to not go to university, but apprentice instead, but I did not succeed. Even the one who did an apprenticeship and work for a few years is now off to university. I'm really not convinced that they have the drive to work to get into the reasonably comfortable position that many of us have. But then I think of myself at that time and I was no better than they are now. Years of casual work and mucking about to go to lots of parties was my main aim then, thinking that a decent job was way out of my league.

I think it's that confidence thing that seems to me to be one of the hardest things to try and teach or instil in others. Exactly the same thing that is needed to make a career change - or go for a career if you've never had one.

 

[Dorset Seagull]

Gosh I feel so blessed. Have enjoyed every job I have had over the years and never did it feel like work. I really feel for people that hate their job as that is where they spend most of their time when they aren't sleeping.

Good luck to anyone looking to change their job so they can have a more enjoyable life.

 

[Rambo]

Great thread and some really inspiring stories.

Well done to those who have made positive life changes, and good luck to those contemplating the same.

I've had to scan back through emails to see when I made the big change, and I'm amazed to see it was in March 2016 when I left a decent-paying-with-good-benefits corporate role with absolutely nothing else to do, although I concede that I was very fortunate that I had some financial backing to enable me to do that.

I've largely drifted since, doing bits and pieces, but it was undoubtedly the right thing to do. I was always available to take my son to and from school, I take the dog out as and when I choose for as long as I like, and also head out running every day whenever I fancy it. I've not worn a suit in five-and-a-half years and largely live in shorts and a t-shirt. When Covid hit, it meant I was able to do the home-schooling thing without having competing pressures.

I always hated, after the family holiday in the summer, getting on a plane to come back to England and thinking "uuurrrgggghhhh, back to work on Monday". I decided I never wanted to have that feeling again, and I've been very lucky to have holidays (pre-covid) where I got on that return flight and didn't have that horrible sinking feeling.

With the world vaguely normal-ish, for now, with my son settling into secondary school and Mrs B back at work full-time, I now need to buckle down a bit and find my "what next?" One thing's for sure though - if I can't do it in the same manner as I'm typing this: sitting on the sofa, watching a replay of a baseball game, having complete freedom to work when I choose and do other stuff when I choose, then I'm not interested.

We're a long time dead and all that...

I think you and I should have a natter over a beer one day Bozza we have a lot in common. I am just about to embark on my new journey.

I even think we live near each other in Worthing by some of your posts.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

This is an interesting piece about time millionaires in today's Guardian and confirms what a lot of posters have said.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/12/time-millionaires-meet-the-people-pursuing-the-pleasure-of-leisure

I liked the bit about the guy who was a civil servant and enjoyed hour long breakfast breaks and two hour lunchtimes. When I first started in my career I was working at a nationalized company and two hour lunchbreaks were pretty much the norm, very nice introduction to the world of work, of course it all changed when it became a plc unfortunately. There was some interesting stories and everybody who took a pay cut in return for less hours seemed to be having a blast. The overwhelming message is that life is too short to waste it chasing money in a job you dislike with a bunch of people you dislike even more. And yet the Brits still work the longest hours in Europe (basically 2 1/2 weeks unpaid overtime per year) and are stressed and underpaid. Not really a surprise then that all the people who have had more time at home with their families due to no longer wasting hours on frustrating commutes are saying enough, we ain't going back to working in the office.

 

[giveusfalmerplease]

At 57 and having been in IT for the last 21 years, the demands of the job in the last 3 were horrendous. From working an average 40 hours ( but paid for 35) it crept up towards 50 and when covid broke it was like a godsend to our bosses. Now they could squeeze me to work even more. Was relieved when was offered redundancy as I would likely have walked anyway. After 41 years in full-time employment currently taking a well earned rest.

 

[bluenitsuj]

I am 48 and although worked non stop since 19, I have only had 2 employers. The first moved away making everyone redundant. I had been there 19 years and loved the job but used the situation as a chance to do something different.
10 years in now with my current job and the stress and anxiety is through the roof. Hate the job and it makes me so unhappy. It should be the perfect job - good salary, work from home and a boss that leaves me to get on with it but I am just so unhappy. My wife has told me to give my notice and that we will be ok and I have actually written it but not submitted. Have to give 3 months notice as well.

 

[WATFORD zero]

I am 48 and although worked non stop since 19, I have only had 2 employers. The first moved away making everyone redundant. I had been there 19 years and loved the job but used the situation as a chance to do something different.
10 years in now with my current job and the stress and anxiety is through the roof. Hate the job and it makes me so unhappy. It should be the perfect job - good salary, work from home and a boss that leaves me to get on with it but I am just so unhappy. My wife has told me to give my notice and that we will be ok and I have actually written it but not submitted. Have to give 3 months notice as well.

In my experience, once you have actually submitted your resignation, any stress will fall away and those three months will be quite enjoyable. I once had to work 6 months notice and the only hassle was wanting to get on with the new job. I found that once you know you are going, the job actually improves immensely

The last 'contracted' position I ever had was a 2 year rolling contract, but luckily when I decided to go, they were like minded and just paid up the contract