Has anyone done it? Specifically later in life. If so, how did you bridge the financial gap whilst retraining?

I want to slow down (as in ‘stop doing a job I’m tired of and now resent’) and do something bike/outdoors related. I don’t imagine that my existing skills will be transferable.

You only live once, apparently. In the current climate, am I hugely ungrateful for not wanting my job? Or should I quit and struggle through in order to ‘live the dream’?

My sister in law does a job and is passionate about (she’s an ecologist) and as far as I’m aware doesn’t earn anything like what she could using her skills in the corporate world.
She still has nightmare clients, managers and colleagues to deal with.

My take is, consider if it’s the people you work with our the actual job that you hate. Then just change the thing you need change. Don’t ruin your enjoyment of riding / the outdoors by involving a load of people you might not really want to deal with.

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Couple of recent similar discussions there which might help, with various opinions / advice. None will likely directly compare to your own situation and ambitions, but might be generally of use in the thought process.

FWIW I think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with trying to find a more rewarding (in your own terms) job. But from those threads above, much realism on the trade offs is needed.

12 years in the mega corporate world. Jacked it in to go back to Uni for 4 years, accrue £16k debt and then start work again on approx half what I was earning (well, I will in another 2 years).

Starting Uni again at 38 was ahem.. interesting 🤔 but I’m into the swing of it now.

For me it was the thought of looking back at retirement – would I have been happy saying “that was what I did?”

Doing a rewarding job you enjoy, yes, do it.

Making your hobby into a career, you either have to be very career focussed or find a new hobby.

Finances – the first thing to do would be to reduce your outgoings to a level that is sustainable while you train or do the new job. If you cannot do that then forget it.

A mate did it on the back of a redundancy – accountancy to bike skills training and guided rides/tours. He’d built up the skills, qualifications and contacts in his own time while working, and I guess that is the way to go. A lot of his qualifications were funded by groups he volunteers with. Though he still has to work as an accountant a couple of days a week, especially in the winter and pandemics.

I spent two years leading beginner friendly bike rides for various groups up till last summer. I loved seeing people grow and develop as riders, learn road craft and get confidence, but it took most of my “own” riding time and I ended up resenting it, decided not to look into additional qualifications to turn it into a job. Not until I can semi retire, anyway

I did it earlier this year. Dropped around £50k in salary (not a humble brag) and whilst still doing the same type of thing (data), I’m working in an industry I’m really passionate about (agriculture). I love it, absolutely the right thing to do for me and I’ve not regretted it for one minute.

Sat on the bonnet of my company Landrover (sounds much grander than it is, the thing is a nail) in an Orchard at 6:00am on Friday morning eating an apple for breakfast whilst watching the commuter train to London go by was a defining moment.

I’ve also found I don’t miss the money at all. I actually find I want less stuff – my job is more fulfilling so I spend less time on the internet looking at things I don’t need. I’ve had to change my living arrangements significantly and I cut back on a lot of stuff I thought I needed at the time, but actually I’m better off and far happier now than I have been in 20 years working in London.

If you can cover your base costs, do it.

EDIT: to give some perspective, I turned 40 last November.

Pretty much any job has downsides, especially ones where you are dealing with people daily. If you try to turn your hobby into your job, there’s a very good chance it will cease to be fun. So then you will need to find another hobby so that you have something to do to relax and forget about work.

I am 36 and I have one MSc however I was living abroad and working in industrial rope access. However a few hideous people, stand up arguments, thinking I was going to get punched, threats of violence, bullying etc I have also decided that I need a change. So I want to get a PhD. First I must complete a second MSc. So I am moving back to the town I was born (Sheffield), where I no longer have family, to move into halls of residence to complete this MSc(Res). Then I will hopefully go off else where to complete my PhD or EngD. I am quite scared/apprehensive and I don’t know what life will bring in the next 5 years but I suspect that in the end I will be much happier.

@alex222
which halls buddy? ive us a shout when you get here – Teacher to bike mechanic!

I’m not sure how much my experience will help, but here goes:

I used to be a school teacher. I liked the teaching, but everything else – admin, testing, OFSTED, meetings, record keeping, marking, etc – was grinding me down.
I found myself at a point where I had few ties: No mortgage, girlfriend, debt, etc, so I decided to do something else.
I moved to Thailand, trained as a SCUBA instructor and just about made a living for about 8 years. I was 43 at the time. When Thailand had one of many coups they changed the visa laws again, so it seemed like a good time to move. I’d met a few Aussies while there, and I managed to live in Australia for a couple of years guiding people on bike rides, rambles, canoe trips, etc.

To make both of these work I had to do other bits and bobs. In Thailand I was pretty much the go-to computer guy at the beach where I lived, and I’d help out with just about anything else, from feeding the pigs to watching the shop for an hour or two. This meant I got my food for free (mostly delicious; sometimes containing various insects or snakes). In Australia I again pitched in at the retreat where I was based – anything from painting to room cleaning. Doing these odd-jobs made it financially viable.

I had to return to the UK when my parents started to get old and ill, about a decade after I left.
Those 10 years were excellent. I’d do it again like a shot, and I regret almost nothing. However, it has absolutely messed up my finances and career. I’m now doing a job I enjoy but the pay is barely above minimum wage, and I cannot see a path to increasing it.

I guess my point is that doing something like this affects not just your present but also your future. I don’t think you’ll regret it, but be aware the consequences are long lasting.

I’ve done it. I was lucky enough to have a bit of a buffer cash wise to see me through the initial stages, but when it took longer than expected like others I had to turn to a little part time work here and there to pay the bills. I was doing what I used to do though so not low pay at least.

As TJ says the first thing to do is stop spending money, that way you can live on alot less than you think you can, and as flange says, you just stop spending money on stuff you don’t need, I don’t think you miss it really.

One thing I would say is that its not ruined my hobby (Bikes) far from it. I do however graft and thats one key factor is you need your work to be something you can sustain passion for. I work hard (he says taking a break from answering customer email at 22:55 in the evening to type this) but its not hard work.

Rather than give up your job, reduce your hours first to see how things go and how life is on less money.