Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with lifechange

Made redundant in IT at 45yo. Career change advice?

lndl — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:28:44 -0800

TERROR! After 25 years in the IT industry in Ireland I feel like the 21st century equivalent of an expendable 19th century coal miner. I'm about to be made redundant (again) this afternoon and am gripped by terror. I don't even know now what I want. Any career counseling advice? OK, I'll be 45 in a few weeks. I've been working in the IT sector for 25 years, (though I wasted the first 10) but a series of changes outside my control meant there's been no clear carer progression though I've gone from an electronics tech to recently a business development manager. I've been in my most recent company for 8 years. I don't feel I have any actual detailed expertise any more.

I live almost literally in the middle of nowhere in Ireland and have worked from home for the last 8 years (pure luck originally). I don't really want to move, I've spent my life doing that. I just completed a MSc in Environmental Negotiation as a potential aid to escape the IT sector but no idea how to apply it. I'm not particularly entrepreneurial so Consultancy seems inappropriate for my personality.
The fear of change is overwhelming me as I'm highly introverted (but always rated highly by those I work with due to intelligence & drive) so the whole job-finding process is more suited to extroverts.
PS I doubt my redundancy payment will be much (after all the CEO had to be paid a $1m bonus for the same project that actually failed) but I have mortgage payment insurance that'll protect me for a while and any payment I get will have to provide a car and living moey for a few months.

Career change in IT, where to go from here....?

Anonymous — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 17:41:58 -0800

I'm getting burnt out doing system administration work in high profile operations. It's not the stress or complexity, but more that I'm at a point where i want off-hours to be MY time and not on-call basically 24/7. In the past i've done work as a web developer and DBA (php, perl, mysql, oracle), and these days it's system administration (unix, vmware, SAN, etc). I have a bachelors degree, and about 5 years experience. So where to go from here.

Anyone with experience switching over to a lab or test engineering type positions? Is it enough of a challenge? What about pre/post sales engineering? I've been trying to find other fields i could apply IT or general 'problem solver' experience to without much luck. I'm fascinated by search and rescue groups in my area, i'm sure it sounds trite but doing work that has an impact would be a dream.

coping calmly with change thru catharsis

lucyleaf — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:06:34 -0800

About to go through a big life change, and I want to get through it the best I can. Next month, I'm going to start a new job. The job I'm leaving I've held for 10 years, had a home office for eight and work with a great team. The job change is a positive thing, but it's all going to be a big life change for me. I tend towards anxiety and obsessive thinking (which I work on, take meds for, see a great shrink for), so I know this is going to be (and already is) a big trigger for me.

In the past, I've used television and other numbing things to avoid my stress or anxiety in tough times. Not to extreme levels, but it doesn't make me feel that great or feel like I'm moving on in a good way. So, I think I've got an opportunity this time to create some new, cathartic, maybe even fun coping strategies for my stress and anxiety.

So, hive mind, what do you do to deal with the stressful times? While I welcome healthy suggestions, I'm not against suggestions of reveling briefly in something hedonistic. I acknowledge that that can be important and cathartic too.

Let's just say that I wanted to change careers...

Anonymous — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 16:19:58 -0800

Career change, midstream, to the technology field - can I have your suggestions? I have a job that I love - I also teach this job in college, on a tenure-tracked position. It's a great job, and I have had a pretty good career so far. I'm rounding into my thirties, and my chosen career in the capacity I have it now isn't going to make me much money. I hate that the reality has to come down, but it's a reality for me. I need to have a career that I can do anywhere, and that will make me a bit more than I'm making now (I'm sitting at around 40K, probably not going to make more than 50K in my career). I'm not a materialistic weasel - but I am interested in using the brain that I have worked hard to hone to secure some kind of future for my wonderful wife and family.

My other passion is for networking and computers. Weird? Probably. Something I find completely awesome? Absolutely. I enjoy the network administration side of computing very much, and I'm feeling out any possibilities of getting educated in the field. I'm not an idiot when it comes to computers and networking (self taught, started using computers in the mid-80's) but I'm not familiar with Linux, or much command line stuff at all. I know some, but not much. I'd like to get re-educated, per se, and make more money to support my family.

I suppose my question is twofold - what kind of jobs are out there for people interested in Network Administration or a related field (I am thoroughly versed in Windows, would like to learn server administration and using/installing/maintaining the gear), and what kind of salary would one expect to earn out there? Is there something I don't know about that you think sounds like it might suit this kind of interest? Is there a way to go about the education? Is there a certain place I could study that would prepare me better than others? I'd like to get the certifications (CCNA, MCSA) and work either from a home based office or as a network administrator somewhere beautiful. How should I try to accomplish this? What, if anything, are the chances for an early-thirty-something to succeed at this? Am I dreaming? I'm great with people (one would say my people skills are excellent, and I have never had a problem with them), I've never had a hard time making friends, and I can totally see myself as the friendly network administrator that I've never heard of or seen exist - most of the time I've met miserable, unfriendly IT folk who have shit for attitude. I know people are stupid, and I know most user problems are due to this stupidity. I try hard not to talk down to people, and I'm an educator - I have patience.

Don't get me wrong - I love my chosen career, and I have busted my ass and sacrificed life to get here. I have a masters' degree in the profession, and have done a lot of high-falootin' gigs in that career (I'm an entertainment lighting designer/programmer). I could probably get tenure somewhere at a University, and do *alright* for my family. I have higher expectations for myself at this point, and my salary point isn't cutting MY mustard. I'm not ungrateful for having a job, nor am I greedy. But living costs a lot of money, even for two relatively frugal people. I want to contribute more to my wife and my family. I want to be a good husband. I can still perform my chosen career in a freelance capacity and do shows when the time warrants. I'm a geek at heart, and I could dedicate my life to educating myself on this.

Any suggestions would be fantastic. I thank you in advance.
Wanna email? Try midlifecareerchange{AT}gmail{DOT}com.

How do I get one of those "career" thingys?

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 18:41:23 -0800

AdviceFilter: Help a 34 year old high school dropout start his education/career over. I apologize in advance if this is long and lacking a true narrative line.

I’m in a long-term relationship with a woman who wants to eventually be a stay-at-home mom, at least until the kids are in school. We’d like to have at least two kids, one or both of which we’d like to adopt. As she won’t be working for a number of years, it will be up to me to be the sole earner for our family. She and I have been discussing ways for me to improve my earning power.

The bad news: I am in therapy for a variety of psychological disorders, including Bi-Polar II & anxiety (I’m on Zoloft & Wellbutrin XL for those), very mild OCD (mainly expressing as fingernail/cuticle chewing), and sex, food & video game addictions. My conditions are well under control, and my partner knows everything about them.

The good news: Not to brag, but I’m a pretty smart person; both book smart and street/common sense smart. I can hold my own in a variety of subjects; in fact, a friend of mine (who holds a number of degrees) called me a “polymath”, which I suppose is sort of a renaissance (not the “faire”) geek.

I dropped out of high school at seventeen, holding a 3.8 GPA; not because I couldn't handle the work, but because I couldn't handle the social aspects. Went to college for a short time, but finally quit and started working full time. Worked a variety of retail jobs, at 24 I started working as a temp/contractor in offices. I am currently on a long-term assignment at a large company, making around $16 an hour, with no health insurance. There’s a good chance that I’ll be hired on permanently in the next few months; at around $42,000 a year plus benefits.

I have great MS Word skills, especially in proofing/editing. I’m okay in Excel & PowerPoint. I would like to work in a more creative field. I handle stress well, and enjoy beating deadlines and problem solving. I consider myself to be a great combination of the creative and workhorse types.

I would like to go back to school and get a degree. I have considered a number of career paths. One thing I thought I might be good at is working as a pharmacist; I am meticulous in my work habits, and skilled at remembering detailed information and doing research. Plus, I’ve read that there is a currently a shortage of pharmacists, and many start at $80K per year.

I also think I might enjoy working as a video/film editor. The meticulous nature, combined with the occasional chance to be artistic seems like a good fit for me.

I’ve also considered a job that would allow me to work at home, like a home-based administrative assistant/office help sort of employment, or some such situation.

From the skills I’ve described above (creative/artistic, great at/enjoys research, analytical mind, great problem solver, good with office software, meticulous), what educational/career path would you suggest for me? Thanks for listening.