Bit long winded, but bear with me please…

I’m 38

Need some ideas for a career change for someone who has a brain, and isn’t afraid to use it, but no useful qualifications (a poor degree in geology!). Good with my hands, good mechanically, not afraid of long hours or hard physical/mental work, but is old enough not to want to do hard physical labour every day.

I’ve been working for the last 15 years as a Lighting Designer/Technical Manager (a job I’m very good at) for an Event Production company, but for a variety of long winded reasons, I need out of that. I fell into that job by accident when I graduated and have since built a career out of it. (worked in technical theatre whilst a student)

I don’t do corporate bullshit, and I’ve been effectively self managed for my entire adult life (am now being actively managed and that’s part of the issue), and it needs to be something that’s going to pique my interest or I’ll end up getting bored very quickly. I’m also an anti-social shite who works best on his own.

I need to earn £30k minimum (+ pension etc) to maintain lifestyle (that is taking a paycut), and it needs to be within sensible commuting distance of W. Sheffield.

…so what am I good for…? I really have no idea. I feel I should be capable of doing almost anything, but I seem to be barely qualified to stack shelves in tescos.

Ideas please!

Thanks,

Jon

I’m in the same boat, just cruising along teaching English at the moment, not really a career though. Starting to modernise my IT skills and hope for the best.

I don’t know what to suggest as a specific career, but if you’ve got 15 years of experience in a job that you’re good at I suspect that will count for a lot, so don’t put yourself down.

Perhaps look on some websites where vacancies are advertised, put in something vague and just browse through, you might not find the perfect job that way but you might see things you hadn’t considered and be “inspired” to take a certain career path!

Good luck! 🙂

Is it really the career, or is just the job you now have?

If someone was entering into this line of work, what would you say the next step would be for them from where you are?

I’d either considering working on your social skills or inventing something world-changing.

A few thoughts

Don’t stress the lack of a degree, its not so relevant, your experience is much more important

You are self aware enough to know you prefer to work alone, what you have to show is that you can deliver in that environment (asking managers/employers to leave you alone is asking for a lot of trust, remember your performance is important to their success). What you might like to do is look at the aspects of being managed which really grate on you and ask yourself why (perhaps you cannot take the edge of this but you should certainly manage your way/carer around the issue)

You don’t want to be closely managed but you want the safety of a salary and a pension, that may be a tough job spec.

Make a list of reasons you are good at the lighting designer / technical consultant job, those are your strengths. Focus on building a new CV which is focused on skills / talents / strengths and not past jobs. Note you can turn the “I don’t want to be closely managed” statement into a line such as “self starter, self motivated, responsible”

Perhaps you should think about running your own business ? Are you practical – could you retrain as a plumber (always a stock suggestion of mine, those guys seem to do very well and there is always a flow of work, could you work as a sub-contractor using the skills you already have ?

With the current environment lots of people are in a similar situation so don’t see your self as being abnormal in any sense.

Good Luck.

I’d either considering working on your social skills or inventing something world-changing.

🙂

How about combining the two, plus your academic background, and inventing some sort of social media site which will allow people to communicate with rocks?

the pension bit is easy as you can go self employed & buy the govt one for 450 gbp (I think) a year. You will probably need to top it up with another vehicle – property, shares for eg.

I worked with geologists & one is now running a wood flooring company in Canada & one is a mum in NZ.

Why not set something up alongside yr job to see if you like it, I manage a property portfolio & it pays roughly what you are looking for. Also, you can live anywhere so I live abroad & do it – cheaper living costs, winter sunshine, cheap coffee.

Downside is its a bit boring, I like being busy & just watching the rents roll in isn’t very challenging. Also, I’m terrible with disrespectful people & just tell them, you are bound to meet 1 once in a while.

PM me if you want any more tips.

Wait until your Manager moves on?

Or go speak with them, maybe they’re new to management and don’t understand the difference between ‘leadership’ and ‘management’.

What are your electrician skills like? Must be a part of your job already, so maybe some scope to get started in that direction as a spark?