38 too old to become Electrician? Career change (NHS Nurse)

nitram100

nitram100

nitram100

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Hey guys,

As per title, wondering if it's too old to become and electrician?

I'm fairly well connected with sparkies, my best friend is one and also my nephew.

I've been a Nurse in the NHS for 10 years now and I'm burnt out, no passion for it anymore. It's been on my mind for a good 6 months and think I'm finally ready to make a change.

Always loved technical things, building pc's, fixing phones/laptops etc

Cheers for any advice!
 
No, and now is the best time to do it. I've hired three in the last week and still need one more. The industry is absolutely screaming for them since Brexit and Covid and salaries are beginning to reflect this. I know a lead shift electrician in a datacentre who's on £50k. He's a bit of an outlier but it'll give you an idea of what's possible.


Do it, it'll change your life - literally. Hit me up if you need any advice :)
 
Diddums said:
No, and now is the best time to do it. I've hired three in the last week and still need one more. The industry is absolutely screaming for them since Brexit and Covid and salaries are beginning to reflect this. I know a lead shift electrician in a datacentre who's on £50k. He's a bit of an outlier but it'll give you an idea of what's possible.


Do it, it'll change your life - literally. Hit me up if you need any advice :)
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Wow, didn't know they were that much in demand. Thanks very much for the offer buddy, going to have a good read today and hit ya up if I need any advice, much appreciated!

It's a good time to retrain for me as I am single, have no kids and no debt so focusing on it wouldn't be an issue.

The anxiety and dread I feel before each nursing shift, butterflies in my stomach and sometimes nausea is starting to wear me down, so it's definitely time to make a change.

Thanks guys
 
A friend of mine changed jobs from landscaping/gardening (council) to sparky in his late 30s. He studied nights/days off to get qualified. His brother was in the trades which helped. He works for a telecommunications company now on mobile mast installs/maintenance, all over the country, but enjoys that lifestyle
 
nitram100 said:
I've been a Nurse in the NHS for 10 years now and I'm burnt out, no passion for it anymore.
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Considered staying a nurse but just uprooting your life? Friend of mine was a nurse for 14 years, hated the NHS so found a job as a nurse and moved to Canada. Now has a mahoosive house next to a beautiful lake, kids are in better schools and quality of life is better. She wonders why she didn't do it sooner. Her husband isn't skilled he works for a school as a handyman/caretaker.

Just a thought. :)
 
What type of electrician? I know a sparky that's done it from 17 to his current age (35), and he can't hack it much longer due to his knees, hands and back giving him issues. He does domestic work so spends plenty of time crawling around in lofts etc doing rewires. He works bloody hard and has earnt good money, but it's really taken it out of him physically.
 
I’ll pay for an electrician as I want my sky to work but no way I’m paying for someone to keep me alive. Sad when we lose people from the medical profession. Totally get it but down side of market economy where our most important assets are undervalued as they don’t impact a share price or bonus.

I don’t have an answer, just a shame.
 
NotAGolf said:
What type of electrician? I know a sparky that's done it from 17 to his current age (35), and he can't hack it much longer due to his knees, hands and back giving him issues. He does domestic work so spends plenty of time crawling around in lofts etc doing rewires. He works bloody hard and has earnt good money, but it's really taken it out of him physically.
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This. Not impossible to switch now but you'll need to consider the physicality of being a spark especially when just starting out.

Just make sure you do your homework and best of luck
 
Good friend of mine went they other way, quit as an electrician (& plumber) to become a nurse. This was following the 2008 recession, he was struggling to get work but I think in part this was because he was living in a fairly rural county, everything was done on word of mouth and low rates etc. Might be easier in the current market although I'd be wary of a potential recession biting a bit again.

As mentioned above from what he told me, as someone starting out you will need to be tough, on the sites they will have you on hod and all sorts, it's a technical profession but you'll end up in quite physical environments. Wasn't an issue for him as he is super sporty and was late 20s at the time, but I don't know your fitness levels at +10 years.
 
Over 30 years ago I changed my profession to become an electronics engineer at the age of 32. Went to college and got myself qualifications. Never regretted it. Best thing I ever did. I love my work. I do regret however not keeping up with the changes in technology. (oh, it is superfast changes in electronics). Component level skills are not much needed in the workplace these days. I.T. is the place to be if you want a future in techie stuff. Just gotta keep up with them changes though.

There is a huge difference between being a sparkie and fiddling with computers and phones.

Component and circuit board level electronics is less physically demanding.

An electrician will be pulling cables, climbing through lofts and, like NotAGolf and others state it is very physically demanding. I'm sure at 38 you'll be fit enough for it now but 20 years on....?
 
its not the age that counts, its getting someone to give you the chance and if you can learn it.

it may sound easy but many people dont cut it to do the trades and when you are tired you can start making bad mistakes.
 
Hi guys just an update, thanks for all the messages. I did spend a lot of time speaking with best friend and nephew about electricain and what it entailed, it was definitely something I could have done and if I could go back 10 years I would have absolutely done it and no doubt been happier in my life now but realised after a lot of thinking and speaking with other nursing friends that it's not Nursing that I am burnt out from it's the NHS.

So I handed my notice in and I'll be heading over to Australia in 6 weeks to try Nursing over there, just the benefits alone like company car, in house physio that I can self refer to and far less stressful patient visits. I've got a place to stay at my cousins in Brisbane and my nurse registration and permanent residence visa has been sorted for a while now.

In my current job in the NHS that I am about to leave I do everything in patients homes from catheters, IV's, syringe drivers, blood tests, the most ****** up wounds you've ever seen with about 20-22 patients per day in a short shift and now they're talking about blood transfusions at home, **** that. I see patients in London and I don't even have a parking permit, they are so cheap they gave me a photocopied one so I have the added stress when I'm seeing patients if I will get a ticket.

My colleague was so busy the other day she had to put up an IV to run for 30 mins, she then had to leave the patient alone in her house, go fix some guys catheter that was blocked and in pain then return to the IV etc . A few weeks back I made my first drug error in 10 years because they would not stop calling me to see more patients while I was drawing up the controlled drug. I will lose my PIN number if I stay with the NHS, honestly they just don't care.

Sorry for the moan and thanks for all the info guys!
 
Good luck to you my nephew has just left the nhs to retrain as a hgv driver. (ICU nurse)

His thoughts pretty much echo your own. Little support and ridiculous pushes from upper management to do more and more
 
nitram100 said:
. I did spend a lot of time speaking with best friend and nephew about electricain and what it entailed, it was definitely something I could have done and if I could go back 10 years I would have absolutely done it and no doubt been happier in my life now but realised after a lot of thinking and speaking with other nursing friends that it's not Nursing that I am burnt out from it's the NHS.

So I handed my notice in and I'll be heading over to Australia in 6 weeks to try Nursing over there, just the benefits alone like company car, in house physio that I can self refer to and far less stressful patient visits. I've got a place to stay at my cousins in Brisbane and my nurse registration and permanent residence visa has been sorted for a while now.
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Congrats, I guess sadly the NHS perhaps has a bit too much of a monopoly on healthcare employment here, it's good to have but I do think something along the lines of the public/private systems in Australia and Europe (which have more emphasis on private than the UK) are perhaps better both for the staff and ultimately plenty of the patients.

Healthcare careers ought to be much better paid and seem to have comp artificially suppressed in the UK while conditions are getting worse.
 
dowie said:
Congrats, I guess sadly the NHS perhaps has a bit too much of a monopoly on healthcare employment here, it's good to have but I do think something along the lines of the public/private systems in Australia and Europe (which have more emphasis on private than the UK) are perhaps better both for the staff and ultimately plenty of the patients.

Healthcare careers ought to be much better paid and seem to have comp artificially suppressed in the UK while conditions are getting worse.
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Given the governments refusal to negotiate on pay, its blatently their intention to run the NHS into the ground by forcing masses to leave such as the OP.

Don't blame you @nitram100 good luck with the move!
 
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