Career change?

anything I don't mind · 27 Jan 2015 at 12:17

This one guy at work is quitting IT and studying aeronautical engineering. He is 100% serious about it as well. He lives in farnborough and looking for something local that could earn him decent money and still be interesting. Said its going to take 3 years studying but thinks it will be worth the effort.

radderfire · 27 Jan 2015 at 14:16

anksta said:
Thanks for the links but that first one looks like a bit of a joke, 50 billion dollar man, come on.

He is quite good for certain types, only one I could think of at short notice. This one is better:

https://twitter.com/james_clear

Try and provide us with a list of hobbies/interests of your friend then I'll suggest things.

You can make a very good living reviewing restaurants or hotels, i.e. running a successful travel/lifestyle blog if you're prepared to brand yourself, but it's not the kind of thing you can earn money from tomorrow, it takes a bit of time to get the followers.

radderfire · 27 Jan 2015 at 14:20

BadMojo said:
I need to get myself a job by the 13th February so I don't have to suffer the slings and arrows of signing on.

Any other boat operator roles available? Start your own river trips operation??

Rgds

£15 · 27 Jan 2015 at 14:44

radderfire said:
He is quite good for certain types, only one I could think of at short notice. This one is better:

https://twitter.com/james_clear

Try and provide us with a list of hobbies/interests of your friend then I'll suggest things.

You can make a very good living reviewing restaurants or hotels, i.e. running a successful travel/lifestyle blog if you're prepared to brand yourself, but it's not the kind of thing you can earn money from tomorrow, it takes a bit of time to get the followers.

My kids, especially our 3 year old daughter, love to watch videos on YouTube that are nothing more than people opening toys like PlayDoh, Kinder Surprise. There are a few that have 10s of millions of hits and are incredibly annoying yanks. I frequently joke with my wife that we should do a British version with our daughter.

It's nothing original, but sometimes an idea doesn't have to be. One just has to do it differently, better...

radderfire · 27 Jan 2015 at 14:56

BadMojo said:
My kids, especially our 3 year old daughter, love to watch videos on YouTube that are nothing more than people opening toys like PlayDoh, Kinder Surprise. There are a few that have 10s of millions of hits and are incredibly annoying yanks. I frequently joke with my wife that we should do a British version with our daughter.

It's nothing original, but sometimes an idea doesn't have to be. One just has to do it differently, better...

Yes, one of the leading ones is a lady that focuses on Disney Toys.

There's no reason why you can't try this, the important thing is to try and see how it goes. The leading ones will have the winning attributes but if you can work out what these are, there's no reason why it can't be done. Having a go is easy, but "cracking the formula" is a bit harder, but can be done.

You need a lot of views to make a living, but it can be done. It's quite difficult to get started though if you are under immediate financial pressure, you can't rely on being able to "break big".

Rgds

£15 · 27 Jan 2015 at 16:41

[annoying female yank voice]disnay collectaaaaaarrrrrr[/annoying female yank voice]

I once posted a video of a screen protector on my mobile phone. It got over 20,000 views.

Can't think why. I got an email from YT asking me to allow adverts with the promise of £££ - I declined.

CircleFaust · 27 Jan 2015 at 16:47

i'm looking for a career change too, but at 38 it isn't easy
i'm sort of in IT (a specialized product only we sell), but I want to move to a different sector but without a lot of qualifications and experience not sure who will want to take me on. I think I could do most things with some training but most employers don't want to take the time
i'm doing a few night classes to get some certs for my CV and will see where it takes me.

all the folk here wanting away from IT that i'm looking into doesn't fill me with joy either

McPhee · 27 Jan 2015 at 17:07

Cruiser said:
all the folk here wanting away from IT that i'm looking into doesn't fill me with joy either

I've noticed that too. Makes me wonder if I'm making a mistake investing time in IT training.

On the other hand, this forum largely appeals to computer geeks. Chances are, IT is the most common employment sector for an OCUK forum member. It thrn stands to reason that it's the most common area of employment that OCUK members want to escape from. In the same manner, I'd bet a significant percentage of employed NetMums members are sick of nursing.

At least, I hope that's the truth of the matter.

zoomee · 27 Jan 2015 at 17:47

Mike19 said:
Personally probably 25. However, and this is very important... the path I choose must be available in Cornwall. I am not willing to move away. I have family that need looking after down here, and my three year old also lives here. (Must update my location!)

Any input you have or thoughts would be interested! Don't just be a watcher I'd love to hear your opinion?

Hey bud,

At least you've got your priorities right mate. I'm a great believer in family and my personal life comes BEFORE my career. After all we should be working to live, not the other way around.

I'm in the same boat tbh - Been in IT for over 20 years and covered most aspects to the point I'm getting bored!. We all go through this phase but we realistically have to understand what we have and that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Two or three of my long-term ex-colleagues left looking down the specialised route - Yes they excelled in their field, yes they earned a bit more (about £5-10k per annum) - But when asked they wish they'd stayed put - far more work (in terms of working hours - not output) and far more headache, coupled with travelling time it all mount up.

It's all about work life balance - I'm in the same position as you (nearly 40 soon!) and the first thing I look at when looking at a new job is - IS IT WORTH IT? - For example, I could easily make an extra £10k elsewhere but when I factor in the fact I'm only 2 miles away from my work, the flexibility of being able to attend to emergencies at home etc - Its not worth it at all. The more you earn, the more you get taxed so the actual end result is your not better off and end up sacrificing that little bit more of your own life for work.

Our lives are short enough, we have to strike that balance.

hth.

radderfire · 27 Jan 2015 at 19:16

The fundamental issue I have with IT roles is that they can be complex and require a lot of technical learning and effort, yet you are usually providing a service to people who run the business that earn more than you. So, I'm saying you always have a demanding role yet you are almost always going to get paid less than the business owners/people in the company.

That's just the problem I have with it. If you're content with that, then fine.

Rgds

£15 · 27 Jan 2015 at 20:37

The same can be said for most jobs.

Back in the day I spent over a year learning just the entry-level basics of my job, with multiple exams, massive workbooks to complete, reports and presentations, local knowledge trips/exams for swathes of coastline, all with very high pass-rates required, to prove I could do the job. And then continuous assessment/evaluation, operational audits and refresher courses thereafter. All of it repeated, at a much higher level, when going for every promotion.

The girls in the front office doing routine office admin type work were graded higher than many of us. The most stressful emergencies they had was when the printer ran out of toner.