So I’m sat in an airport lounge, waiting to go home, having walked away from a successful but soul destroying job. Too much travel and too much mundane, political BS have defeated my motivation.

The company have been generous to a fault though, so I’m not fretting about being homeless.

What I think I’m missing is some meaning in my work life. I’ve been dealing with the same old, same old for too long now and I’ve become hugely discontented with what this feels like.

So INSPIRE me. I’m sure some of you must have made career leaps to find a great purpose in life. I’m not looking for advice for myself – just interested to hear the changes others may have initiated, and how it all worked out.

And I appreciate that this sounds like a mid-life crisis – I’m too old to have one of those…..

Carpenter. Described in 1 word, you can feel good saying it, bringing happiness to all and some pretty respectable alumni. I was in enterprise software sales until my 50s.

Yup some carpenters have gone a long way.

I was an IT Director for a few years and slowly became fed up with doing the same thing day in day out. I jacked it all in and went back to uni to study Aeronautical Engineering. 7 years later, I’m in a (mostly) satisfying role designing aspects of aircraft, performing, directing and sponsoring research topics which I believe are of value and am generally happy. It’s more stressful, there’s more politicking, and not everyone sees eye to eye when it comes to research, but it’s fun.

I’ve also visited more places in the past 3 years than i did in the previous 30. Still not making as much money as I did before this whole roller coaster started, but it has been worth it.

I left my corporate nonsense job nearly 3 years ago, well paid, been there for 8 years but the backstabbing just got too much and the industry, (landfill) was in decline due to recycling.

My aim was to leave, set up as a freelance land surveyor / engineer and to work in landfill industry but make routes out to civils.

Well. Three years on, My income is about 15% landfill 85% civils now so I guess that’s working out ok.

I’ve built wind farms, housing estates, hydro jobs, a bypass, a small power plant, a landfill site

I was a land surveyor in the early 90’s so found the transition from corporate tool to land surveyor quite easy. I’m fitter, lighter, richer sometimes colder but mainly much much happier but have way less bike riding going on these days. That’s the only downside as far as I can see it.

I used to be in local authority. It was eating me alive. Walked from that about three years ago.

Now I’m an engineer on the regional electrical network. My job is outdoors, varied, interesting and useful to people. I feel like I do more for the community now than I ever did in local government.

I actually don’t mind going to work now, although I’d still rather be out on my bike. 😉

Good luck with it. It’s never too late to leave a craps job and everyone I know who has done so, has been happier for it.

Transport to charity sector.

Best work decision I ever made. Although I don’t think everyone in this sector has had such a positive experience over the past few years. Big Society.

Charity work is very rewarding and the wages aren’t that bad. Broadly similar to public sector.

Funding cuts etc can be quite restrictive to your job though (i.e. lots of things I want to fix but can’t as there are no resources), so I’d consider working for a bigger charity that is self funding as opposed to a smaller one that depends on government handouts.
The government are cutting back on that kind of malarkey!

Started off as a programmer. Went up the management chain and got to a point where I couldn’t stand talking corporate speak any more. Taught myself java and went back to programming. Then, a move to West Wales (aged 42) meant no work and another change. Qualified as a driving instructor and about 6 years ago an electrician. 53 now. No regrets.
Rich.

Far easier to stay in the same ‘profession’ but find a better way of working.

But whatever you do, if you’ve only worked in the private sector don’t go into the public sector…

Jumped ship from a distribution company for vehicle diagnostics as I was sooooooo bored and after 5 years without a payrise whilst having my nose rubbed in it by the bosses new motors and posh holidays etc.. Went back onto the tools, after a large gap of 20 ish years, now working as a heating engineer (plumber) and 90% enjoying it.. It is tough/physical and challenging but very varied and not perfect but nothing is. On the whole a good move.

Surely a move into the public sector from the private sector is like a busmans holiday. I have a few friends who have moved the other way and had a rude awakening on what a ‘days work’ really means

Successful insurance career in my 20s resulted in redundancy after a takeover.

Decided to move to the Midlands to settle down and start a family. Ended up in the civil service, great work life balance in an interesting role helping some interesting groups of society. Have had a great 10 years while the kids have been small.

Legislation changes and internal politicking now taking the shine off it. Looking to reduce my hours to enable MrsMC to restart her career and look to get some qualifications to move into a surveying role.

Not much of a leap but moving into contracting helped remove a lot of the stuff I hated about my job. Want a permie job sometime though, just trying to find the right one.

I’ve just exited from a exec level job with a plc, in part due to the BS and lack of teamwork. Life is too short.

If you can make a leap over to something totally different, that you then love doing, that is great.

Not really what you asked in your OP, but it may be that you can find best happiness by using the talents and knowledge you already have in your existing sector and just finding a better company to work for. It may be worth looking at other (possibly smaller) companies in your existing sector and trying to find one with a great culture that gives you the colleagues, role and flexibility that would make you happy. Maybe a self-employed consultancy in your sector would work? If that doesn’t exist then time to find something very different.

Good luck – kudos for taking control making your choice. The future usually brings better things for those who seek them.

Full time dad, part time black cab driver, way more fulfilling than town planning ever was.

Poor but happy.

PhD, postdocs, R+D in industry on management fast track, walked away and joined the police to a significant paycut (30%, now earning at best half what my contempories in industry are) and an antisocial 24hr shift pattern.

On a good day it’s the best job in the world, the stuff they make TV shows and movies about, on a bad its as full of bureacracy, politics and ladder-climbing-back-stabbing as anywhere else.

If I’d waited I could have used my qualifications to direct-enter at a higher rank than its taken me 12 years to work towards 🙄 But then I wouldnt have locked up rapists (and dodgy coppers), saved peoples lives, chased drug dealers…

Regrets? No. Recommend it? Probably not.

Surely a move into the public sector from the private sector is like a busmans holiday. I have a few friends who have moved the other way and had a rude awakening on what a ‘days work’ really means

🙄 lets not get into a my-jobs-harder-than-your-job p1ssing contest.

Yep, got fed up with working on building sites/being self employed in general so at 31 I went back to Uni and did a design technology/Engineering degree.
Jumped straight into YR2 as already had a HND in design, and 10 years semi-relevant work experience.
I graduated 8 years ago, and have worked my way up from project Engineer to senior project manager – we design/build/maintain refrigeration/HVAC equipment for Navy Ships and submarines.

This month I’m going to be visiting various ships in Portsmouth, have been to a conference on ship support (was more interesting than it sounds) and have trips booked to Glasgow and Monaco.

No regrets. At all.

its a copywrited cliche,, but just do it.

I got sick of trying to climb the corporate ladder, it was too greasy and political, so I did what my old man always said I should and followed the money, first a move out to a consultancy firm for a 12k pay rise (wahoo), then after a couple of years there I went contracting (double wahoo). I now am largely my own boss, I go into a place and do a job. Steer away from politics and leave on time every night to see my family. Life is too short to not mostly enjoy your time here dude, fly fly fly.

I’m going to try and be a programmer again, this time working for myself. I’ve always liked programming but I couldnt be arsed with office politics and the BS around them. So dropped out of IT to be an English teacher. Had enough of that, so I’m modernising my skills and i’ll give it a go. I dont need to earn much to be happy.

another +1 for setting out on your own doing what you’re already experienced and good at. You get paid for delivering good work, not whether your face fits and how well you play the corporate game.
I’ve had real problems fitting into places over the years (there’s some level of autism in our family I think) and ended up being ‘managed out’ of a large corporate 4 years ago without actually knowing quite what I’d done wrong…

Either way I decided that contracting couldn’t be any less secure than that, got back in touch with a previous client from when I was in ad agencies and I’m still here as a contractor having worked on multiple projects and paid far in excess (about double) of what I would get if I was perm.

There’s a growing army of people going independent and few seem to regret it. With wages likely to be stagnant for many years and increased job insecurity, it makes sense to strike out on your own and be master of your own destiny..

3 years ago I lept from law, still in mid-air, thinking of something to do I can connect with/find worthy, but without earning a pittance.

A note on contracting…

I dip in and out of it depending on what the market is like and whether I can face taking a 6 month job the other end of the country to where I live. The contract market (in what I do) is pretty poor at the moment so currently perm in banking – which is horrid. Just keep in mind that if they have to make cuts, contractors tend to go first. If its a large company, they normally have a 2 or 4 year rule which if you fall foul of means youre out the door regardless of your standard of work.

On paper I should love it, I’ve worked hard to get where I am, I’m paid fairly well and I’ve got a great boss. But I don’t, I have no enthusiasm for the role, hate coming in and dread each day.

I’m single and without ties so currently looking at going travelling on my bike for a while, I’ve done office politics for nearly 14 years and I’ve had enough. I think some sort of break is needed (I’ve never had more than a week off at any one time). When I return I’m thinking about retraining as a paramedic or something similar.

..thats what I used to do, IT contracting in banks. I’m going to try and pick up projects I can do sat at home. Probably come to nowt, but It’s worth a try.

This is relevant to my interests… 8 years in consultancy is wearing pretty thin and work is drying up so its getting more and more unpleasant. Having the balls to make the leap is my problem though… as well as deciding what to leap to…

From far east banking industry to far east FMCG industry then to UK as bureaucratic zombie maggot. Nothing inspirational but how I got back to UK puzzles me sometimes … I mean legally with my ability to communicate in corporate BS stop short of ring-fencing the Unicorn dog. Salary wise still shite but in a different environment with four seasons. 😕 It’s flat line …

Jumped from Junior Engineer on a 350kT suezmax tanker to operator in a nuclear power station. Money is comparable, company is paying for my degree and hoping to move into engineering again soon.

Had my reasons, miss the sea life like crazy but had to decide between two commitments. She won. I won daughter. Next move will be interesting, not gonna be clipboard-monkey forever…

I’m in the same boat: Considering what transferable skills a senior architectural technician has and looking for something else.

At the moment, I am veering towards building services engineering and ultimately something in renewables.

It’s either that or go into something completely different such as environmental science. However, the paths and prospects for this is are less clear.

Im just in the middle of one now. Currently an over worked Satelite communications engineer for the biggest avaiation company in the world. I am abroad 6 months a year and away from home monday to fri everyweek. About 1 year ago I thought enough is enough.

I am just about to finish training as a personal trainer, not just as simple as that though. I have chosen to specialise in training older adults and people with morbid obesity and diabetes. I have made some openings and contacts along the way, and will be fortunate enough to sort of start a profitable business as soon as my training is finished in March (I have a mate who is a doctor and will pass me referals etc, ….)I will be joining a business working with a pshycologist , a sort of boot camp retreat for woman which includes a fitness element etc

It will be a 40% paycut to what Im on now, but i will finally be getting up to do a job im passionate about, rather than detest with every bone in my body!