anyone completely change careers?

If so, care to share your story? What was your first career? What made you decide to leave? How did you break into your second career?

Are you happier with your new career than you were with your first?

Any other thoughts?

Feel free to FM if you prefer. Thanks.

Re: anyone completely change careers?

I did

I went to FIT for product development and marketing- I got into the macy's training program and had a 6 year career at various housewares companies

the day after labor day- I lost my job

I did alot of soul searching....spoke with a life coach....and decided that I truly HATED what I was doing......

a friend of mine had a loan modification and mortgage company- I started going there just to keep busy

(I will say I was always interested in Real Estate- I don't think that is a shock to anyone on these boards...I used to go my Dad's office when I was little and pretend to be a real estate agent, built housing developments in back yard etc)

well it turned out I was very good at it and now I have my own loan modifiction company with a few employees

and my next step is getting my real estate lic- I hope by the end of the summer

I will never go back to my old career- sometimes getting fired can be a good thing....in my case it was...

Re: anyone completely change careers?

Thanks, Beth!

Re: anyone completely change careers?

I feel like me and beth always answer this one, lol.

but i did also!

i went to school for fashion design, worked at 3 diff companies (big ones too!) and decided it just wanst for me. the hours were long, the girls were catty and it was just SHIRTS ppl! lol

i then went and got a job on the whim, working for a stock brokerage firm-was promoted, left that job, went to another brokerage firm and was laid off

i liked the second career better..i was much happier and the hours were WAY better. do i miss the creativity part? sure, but i do that on my own, at home,etc.

i am looking for work now-as an admin/exect assistant in anything!

Re: anyone completely change careers?

Thanks for the replies. Sorry, I didn't realize you had already responded to similar threads.

I'm not in a position to do so now, but I am planning a major career change in another year or two.

I guess I just wanted to hear a few people say how it was a great thing for them. I mean, I'm doing it anyway but a little encouragement from the "been there, done that" crowd always helps.

photoshopbabe - I hope you find a new job ASAP.

Re: anyone completely change careers?

Go for it Kara!!!!!

Re: anyone completely change careers?

I started out working at a major Wall Street firm. I was making good money, but the hours were insane and I couldn't imagine having children with that life. We had a floor of cots in the building for people working late who couldn't go home. It wasn't the type of lifestyle I wanted when I had a family. I had just met DH, and every time we went out I was so exhausted I fell asleep in the movies or at his apt!

I started working in higher ed., finished my master's, and now my doctorate. I love it, and it is a wonderful lifestyle. I am now PG, and can imagine keeping this job while having children. I never would have been able to have that work/life balance on Wall Street.

Re: anyone completely change careers?

In high school, right before college, I wanted to be an master instructor in horsemanship. But a serious horseback riding accident changed everything. I wanted my own stabble and go for an accounting degree in college for the "financial" side of the business.

I switched my degree to a business degree with a major in international sales.

I hated it. Worked as an admin person in a sales office.

Moved to the US and used my best skill... aka "french" to get a job. I became a bilingual admin. Which led me to another company working as an exec admin for a French subsidiary. Led me to another job as just an exec admin for a VP of a major company. Then within the same company I turned into operations. Then transfered to LI (I was leaving in a different state) and found myself back into the financial World. Again hated it. Lost of lay off. I was newly divorced, had just moved to LI and no family or friends. I needed a plan B.

I went back to school to become a massage therapist. My current job. I love it! Finally something I love to do. It was hard at first to let go of my good steady/dependable income (with the fear of losing my job anyday though to layoffs). I can work as little or as much as I want. It has allowed me to be a SAHM with DS and work for $$ in the weekend when DH watches DS.

But I am entertaining going back to school again for a nursing career. Just not sure yet if I want to do it.

Re: anyone completely change careers?

Message edited 3/9/2009 12:19:28 AM.

Re: anyone completely change careers?

Re: anyone completely change careers?

Please do not quote...

I also would love to hear about the life coach.

I've already changed careers once -- I was a professional horse trainer / rider. I managed a 100-stall facility and a string of 20 lesson horses. Then, for all the wrong reasons, I went to law school. Did well, have a phenomenal job, and - well - hate it. I work for a fantastic firm, for fantastic people, but I just really don't want to be a lawyer anymore.

I have a couple of ideas of things I want / plan to do (mainly focusing on my own businesses), but I won't be able to start on them for at least another year. I also want to take my time so I wind up in the right situation.

It's good to hear from others who are happy after a career change. This one just is not what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Re: anyone completely change careers?

I did. I went to Parsons for fashion design, and worked at a few companies after graduating. Some big some small.

This was in 1999 when the .com era was in full swing. I wasn't really happy in fashion and was not looking forward to having to climb the ladder so I went to school at night for web design.

I then applied to a few companies and got hired at one where I met DH in 2000. After a year and a half there we saw everything that company was doing wrong and left and started our own. We are still here with our own business that (knock wood) is thriving even in this economy.

We started with absolutely nothing and were so poor in the beginning but now are doing well and I wouldn't change a thing.

If you need any more details let me know!

Re: anyone completely change careers?

Re: anyone completely change careers?

I was an elementary teacher for 5 years. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like my district - terrible administrators, a stressful student population, a long commmute, and it was all making me so miserable that I didn't even get enthused about the good parts of teaching anymore. I was planning on just applying to other districts, and randomly spoke to a friend of a friend who was hiring in the contracts department of DH's company. She said I should apply, I thought why not, and much to my surprise, they made me an offer.

So I've been in the corporate world for almost 2 years now. I don't love it, but hey, I'm not miserable anymore. I don't know that this is what I'll do forever - but my particular career change wasn't one that I put a lot of thought into. Well, I mean I definitely thought long and hard about leaving my former career, but I didn't do the soul searching involved in figuring out what I DID want to do, and then chasing it. KWIM? This opportunity just kind of found me instead of the other way around. Maybe one day I will do all that thinking, because it must be great to have a job you love.

Re: anyone completely change careers?

I haven't yet. I have been a social worker for 8 years. I like it but I definitely don't love it. I don't believe that it is something that i was truly meant to do and although I feel that I am very good at what I do it's just not something I feel that I can continue to do until I retire. I debate on going back to school for a second masters but then the thought of going back into a masters program isn't very appealing to me either. DH and I have been discussing different options that I can delve into so I may pursue that.

Re: anyone completely change careers?

Re: anyone completely change careers?

I did! Was in PR/Marketing for the past two years and liked it, but found a calling in yoga. I took a teacher training course and left my PR job in Jan. Have been making progress (sloooowly but surely) in the yoga world. Not always easy, but always worth it. i'm so much happier.

Re: anyone completely change careers?

another FIT alum. i went for fashion design then graphic design (computer/web) and now i am in the long process of eventually becomming an art teacher.
the industry just wasnt creative enough for me anymore.

Re: anyone completely change careers?

I didn't do a complete change but I added a second practice area as a lawyer. Sometimes that feels like it created a total change, or at least it feels like it would have if I had left the first area entirely. It took some trial and error (no pun intended) to find the second practice area that suited me. It's not an area I expected to go into but I love it.

I have some lawyer friends who've changed practice areas completely. One of them would still prefer to leave the law, though.

Have you ever done any work involving animal rights? It seems interesting and I think there are new opportunities, especially where service animals are concerned.

I'm not specifically trying to say to stay in law. It's just that's the field I know most about. You're smart and personable and I think you'd do well at anything, so it is a matter of finding what you like and from there you will be fine.

Re: anyone completely change careers?

Nope, I'm not going to be practicing law anymore after another couple years. I'm not unsure about what I want to do. I know what I plan to do - I just can't do it for another year or two (unless I win the lottery).

Re: anyone completely change careers?

Posted by Kara

Nope, I'm not going to be practicing law anymore after another couple years. I'm not unsure about what I want to do. I know what I plan to do - I just can't do it for another year or two (unless I win the lottery).

Message edited 3/25/2009 3:30:22 PM.

Re: anyone completely change careers?

Posted by Kerie-is-so-very

Posted by Kara

Nope, I'm not going to be practicing law anymore after another couple years. I'm not unsure about what I want to do. I know what I plan to do - I just can't do it for another year or two (unless I win the lottery).

Opps, sorry, I thought you didn't know yet what you want to do. Will you stay licensed and keep up with CLE? I always assumed that most people do but I have heard of some who resigned (on their own, not for disciplinary reasons).