Have you made a significant career change: and how has it worked out?

[maddythebeagle]

Please also discuss what you where doing before the change (i.e. in a dead end job, layed off, bored at home, etc.)

And was it worth the effort?

 

[Wags]

My significant career change was EARLY RETIREMENT and I have no regrets.

Before that I served my country for almost 27 glo·ri·ous years as a military member and DAC.

I spend my time doing whatever I want to do and listening to country greats such as Mr. Willie Nelson, Mr. Ray Charles, Mr Johnny Russell and Mr. David Allen Coe.
YouTube - Willie Nelson - Ray Charles - Seven Spanish Angels
YouTube - Red Necks, White Socks, & Blue Ribbon Beer by Johnny Russell
YouTube - You Never Even Called Me By My Name!

I only answer to my GOD and of course the old ball and chain my beautiful young wife.

GOD BLESS

 

[maddythebeagle]

opps....looks like you made a wrong turn....go back to trolling in the political topics....

 

[Gumby]

..

 

[Wags]

opps....looks like you made a wrong turn....go back to trolling in the political topics....

YouTube - Ray Charles - Oh Beautiful America

GOD BLESS

 

[CCdaCE]

After college, I spent five years as an engineering division officer aboard a US Navy nuclear submarine and then 3 years working as an engineer at a civilian nuclear power plant. At age 30, I quit and went to law school. I have been a lawyer for the last 15.5 years.

I have enjoyed working as a lawyer, but then I also enjoyed being an engineer. As I mentioned on this board previously, it probably took me 12 years to break even financially. Even if I had never practiced law, I am glad I went to law school. It was one of the more intellectually stimulating times of my life.

You never had the inclination/drive/desire/wild hair to combine the two? Law and engineering? I've heard thats where the big bucks are. Like 'Civil Action', the Travolta flick.

-CC

 

[maddythebeagle]

Thanks Gumby...that is what I was looking for...certainly the payback in schooling is part of it...I am an engineer in a specialized field but noticed that I am in kinda a rut and one of of my reasons for the thread is being close to FIRE in a few years vs. actually finding another career...

One of the guys that I knew from college works for a large paper products company and they sent him back for a law degree to go along with his engineering degree...seemed to work out pretty well...

 

[ziggy29]

I'm pretty interested in this, since I think I'll be faced with the same thing before too long. I'm willing to milk my current job for a while as the pay and benefits are very good. I just have a feeling that before too long they'll realize they can get what I do for a lot less and let me go. As I'm a techie working mostly at home in a small town far, far from the city, I think that means a career change -- and a rather drastic one -- would be necessary if that happens.

Fortunately, we live simply in a small home where there's a low cost of living and our house is paid off, so even if my wife and I both had $10 per hour jobs and at least one of us had decent benefits, we'd be okay. I'm tired of being a techie anyway. I mean, I love technology, but I'm growing weary of working in the computer business. And fortunately, we are way ahead of the norm in retirement savings since I've been saving and investing until it hurt for almost 20 years now, since I was 23. And seeing the writing potentially on the wall, we're saving about $2K a month in retirement and non-retirement savings while we can, as well as maxing out an HSA.

 

[Texas Proud]

Welllll..... we will see with me.... I just got my 60 day notice... so I have to start looking..

But, it was a dead end job and way to easy for me... one of my former supervisors said "GOOD".. about time...

Hopefully something a bit better will come along and I can do it for 5 or 6 years and reach my 'goal'... but man have I taken a hit the last few months... will add 1 or 2 years on my work life unless we have a good recovery...

 

[Walt34]

The biggest change was retirement. I worked in law enforcement for 29+ years, then retired. Going from a rather intense environment (didn't fully realize that until a couple of years after retirement) to doing nothing but goof off.

Just started the training/recertification for a new job last week so I can't answer the question yet, but I'll post occasionally as it goes. I still have my DPMO hat, but I don't anticipate any issues. Most of the staff is retired military/law enforcement and they all know those guys are not ones to put up with any BS.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

Please also discuss what you where doing before the change (i.e. in a dead end job, layed off, bored at home, etc.)

And was it worth the effort?

I got a bachelors degree in marketing and began my career at mega-corp. I wasn't happy at all with the field and ended up in a dead end job because of my lack of interest/drive. Went back to school for an M.S. in comp. sci. It was one of the best things I ever did.

 

[Rustic23]

I spent 20 years flying air craft for the Air Force. After retiring I became a real estate appraiser for 10 years. After that did some computer programing and then MIS director for a public official, then retirement.

I enjoyed each one, and each one taught me something. At the time of transition each was a challenge, however, based on my experience I would say if you have an interest in something and someone is willing to pay you to do it, I would say go for it.

 

[MooreBonds]

Got out of college in 2000 and went to work for my father's construction company (after doing a few summer/winter internships with him). Busted my butt for 6 years, capping it off by single-handedly running a massive project 3x as big as the 2nd biggest project his company ever did...and which was twice as profitable because of insanely extreme effort (like doing the job of 4 people) I put into the project. Because of the neglect on my father's part and my brother constantly interfering and increasing the stress level and not doing a damn thing to help me out (along with a bunch of other issues - not to mention getting a bonus for the project which I thought was woefully unfair, given my effort and the final outcome), I called it quits.

My father talked me into staying an extra year to run another project that he complained he didn't have anyone to assign to it for the office-end of things, but I finally walked out the Monday after Thanksgiving last year when that project reached a point where I didn't really need to be around anymore for it.

My new career is somewhat related (designing systems that my father's company bids on and installs), but I actually thoroughly enjoy my job for once! It's not a 'dream job' that I'd do for free as a hobby, but it's as close to my dream job (financial portfolio management, although I know Brewer would set me straight on that one ) as I could get.

There is a little office politics and having to be around people that aren't family members, but it's not too bad - and given how insane some bosses and coworkers can be, it's pretty good being in my new environment (satellite office of 25, in an engineering company of about 175 total). Salary is good, but total compensation/benefits package is about $25k less (and that's not taking into account somewhat decent-sized bonuses that I used to get of up to $30k-$40k...more if I had stayed). However, my NW has solidly grown to the point where I'm almost ready to FIRE, so I'm fine putzing around at the lower (but still decent) salary, waiting to meet the future Ms. Bond and adding to the bonFIRE stash.

 

[TromboneAl]

In '82 I changed from basic research scientist to educational computer games programmer. Went well.

 

[Pavo]

Yes, I have.

15-18 I was working for a psychiatric hospital as a peer counselor and later a tech. I was still in high school, but worked part time during school, and full time over summers and breaks. I was going to go into psychology, and eventually psychiatry, but crashed emotionally by the time I was 18 and didn't want to do it for work. I still volunteer at times. In hindsight, I was really young with a lot of responsibility - 16 years old with a pager and on call.

18-24 I was in college and law school. Couple business concentrations (econ., finance) and interned at various financial institutions, then I clerked for a large law firm downtown during law school. A number of things led me away from law; had a few regrets at first, but absolutely none at this point. Law school was interesting; my thoughts are really bi-polar with law school.

25 - present I work in finance. I really like it and enjoy it, albeit I know that this not my calling - I need some direct meaning behind my work. I also have some disdain with the culture of finance (imagine a modern version of Wall Street with Gekko clones), and this is not just specific to my firm. Taking pre-med coursework at night and will apply to medical school within a couple of years. Volunteering as time permits. I have a couple of ideas of where I want to go with it, but I still have time to decide on an exact plan.

LBYM all the way here; no school debts. I never really struggled with the work itself, but moreso adapting to new cultures and new ways of approaching work.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

Thanks Gumby...that is what I was looking for...certainly the payback in schooling is part of it...I am an engineer in a specialized field but noticed that I am in kinda a rut and one of of my reasons for the thread is being close to FIRE in a few years vs. actually finding another career...

One of the guys that I knew from college works for a large paper products company and they sent him back for a law degree to go along with his engineering degree...seemed to work out pretty well...

Ah, the specialized engineering rut. I know that rut. I was a chip designer for 10 years. It was a great place to be in the '90s, but as fewer and fewer companies can afford to design their own CPUs, the job market for logic/chip designers has definitely cooled off, and I don't want to work for Intel.

So now I'm a "business" guy. The work is about 3x more stimulating because I'm not in my little silo designing stuff. I get to see a lot more. It keeps me on my toes.

Granted, I encounter a lot more gray situations than when I was an engineer. Now I see why there were all those ethics stuff in biz school.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

Yes, I have.

15-18 I was working for a psychiatric hospital as a peer counselor and later a tech. I was still in high school, but worked part time during school, and full time over summers and breaks. I was going to go into psychology, and eventually psychiatry, but crashed emotionally by the time I was 18 and didn't want to do it for work. I still volunteer at times. In hindsight, I was really young with a lot of responsibility - 16 years old with a pager and on call.

18-24 I was in college and law school. Couple business concentrations (econ., finance) and interned at various financial institutions, then I clerked for a large law firm downtown during law school. A number of things led me away from law; had a few regrets at first, but absolutely none at this point. Law school was interesting; my thoughts are really bi-polar with law school.

25 - present I work in finance. I really like it and enjoy it, albeit I know that this not my calling - I need some direct meaning behind my work. I also have some disdain with the culture of finance (imagine a modern version of Wall Street with Gekko clones), and this is not just specific to my firm. Taking pre-med coursework at night and will apply to medical school within a couple of years. Volunteering as time permits. I have a couple of ideas of where I want to go with it, but I still have time to decide on an exact plan.

LBYM all the way here; no school debts. I never really struggled with the work itself, but moreso adapting to new cultures and new ways of approaching work.

LOL, I know what you mean by Gekko clones. The finance wannabes in my school think that the only way to communicate with people is by demeaning them. They have no idea how much time they waste on shitting on each other instead of actually getting the work done so that they can go home. What makes it more pathetic is that you can see the insecurity and lack of self assurance that's driving the display of ego and bad manners.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Started out working in marketing/public relations/product development with lots of different responsibilities for my Dad's farm. Lots learned, terrible pay, best years I could have spent with my Dad, no regrets.

Then to a non-profit for three years, slightly better pay, lots of responsibility, learned that the GP (general public) is not much fun to be around. Also learned that some folks that say they are religious, aren't. Good lessons to learn!

Later did operations for an online sailboat supplier, followed by a stint as a web developer (basically marketing) for the same company. Interesting to work with so many young people, high energy, the kind of place where you really drink the coolaid.

Now in financial planning office, just passed the CFP, really like talking to the clients, don't give advice, don't sell anything. Nice small office and good pay and benefits.

I've never done the same job twice, but always used the same skill-set, no matter where I was. I think you can repackage your experience to fit wherever you want to go. I've never wanted a "career", but always got some itchy feet after about 3 years anywhere. Work is what you do to pay for the fun stuff!

 

[Lusitan]

My undergrad studies were in computer engineering, and I worked in that field for about 4 years until my company went under when the tech bubble burst. I was out of work for about 4 months, and as the main breadwinner I swore I would do anything to avoid that situation again.

I was fortunate enough to get another nice IT job after searching for four months, but I didn't want to get complacent and so worked my way through law school at night for the next four years. A couple of years ago I graduated and switched careers from IT into IP (intellectual property law). So far, so good.

I earn more. I work also more. In that sense, it's pretty much a wash. But I think I have improved my job security. No job is secure in this globalized economy, I think I have increased my chances of being able to ride my current career long enough to FIRE before the work is outsourced to India and China.

 

[Meadbh]

Yes, I have.

15-18 I was working for a psychiatric hospital as a peer counselor and later a tech. I was still in high school, but worked part time during school, and full time over summers and breaks. I was going to go into psychology, and eventually psychiatry, but crashed emotionally by the time I was 18 and didn't want to do it for work. I still volunteer at times. In hindsight, I was really young with a lot of responsibility - 16 years old with a pager and on call.

18-24 I was in college and law school. Couple business concentrations (econ., finance) and interned at various financial institutions, then I clerked for a large law firm downtown during law school. A number of things led me away from law; had a few regrets at first, but absolutely none at this point. Law school was interesting; my thoughts are really bi-polar with law school.

25 - present I work in finance. I really like it and enjoy it, albeit I know that this not my calling - I need some direct meaning behind my work. I also have some disdain with the culture of finance (imagine a modern version of Wall Street with Gekko clones), and this is not just specific to my firm. Taking pre-med coursework at night and will apply to medical school within a couple of years. Volunteering as time permits. I have a couple of ideas of where I want to go with it, but I still have time to decide on an exact plan.

LBYM all the way here; no school debts. I never really struggled with the work itself, but moreso adapting to new cultures and new ways of approaching work.

Pavo, very interesting trajectory. You keep getting pulled back to the people stuff. Are you a quant, or not?

I"m a frustrated architect turned MD who veered into the dark side (MBA, etc) and have a secret urge to take up finance as a second/third career. PM me if you'ld like to kibbutz.

 

[Milton]

You never had the inclination/drive/desire/wild hair to combine the two? Law and engineering?

How do you know what sort of law he practices?

Law graduates with engineering backgrounds typically find employment in intellectual property firms, or in construction law.

I've heard thats where the big bucks are. Like 'Civil Action', the Travolta flick.

The sort of law practice depicted in the movie is personal injury litigation / toxic torts. A nuclear engineering background would not be particularly helpful in that line of work.

 

[HpRyder]

Got an MSc. Became an unemployed physicist. I was most unhappy with this situation. Switched to acoustics engineering and was instantly employed due to math and computer skills, not physics knowledge. The physics background helped me spin up to speed fast on the acoustics areas. Jobs were OK, until I noticed what consultants in the field were doing. Acoustics died shortly after the Berlin Wall fell. Switched to software contract engineering and have been working ever since. Love it most of the time. It’s very easy for me, like putting a money bucket part way under a full flowing money faucet.

So, two significant career changes, from physicist to acoustic engineer to software contracting.

 

[CCdaCE]

How do you know what sort of law he practices?

<snip>

I don't. A wild assumption.

The sort of law practice depicted in the movie is personal injury litigation / toxic torts. A nuclear engineering background would not be particularly helpful in that line of work.

Who would I rather be questioned by? A lawyer with a engineering degree or 'just' a lawyer.

I'd definitely be more afraid of the double major.

You're saying Travolta's character wouldn't have been better if he had a Chem. Engr. degree?

... just lettin' my mind wander.

I heard an anecdote, regarding oil & gas issues. The lawyer asked the witness whether he had permission to be on the land. An engineer would've asked 10 other technical questions that would've nailed the witness as being negligent, or whatever. The lawyer wasn't familiar with the technical aspects, which was the whole reason the witness was in court to begin with.

-CC

 

[Milton]

I heard an anecdote, regarding oil & gas issues. The lawyer asked the witness whether he had permission to be on the land. An engineer would've asked 10 other technical questions that would've nailed the witness as being negligent, or whatever. The lawyer wasn't familiar with the technical aspects, which was the whole reason the witness was in court to begin with.

There are competent trial lawyers, and incompetent ones.

90% of competence comes from proper preparation. In the example provided, a competent lawyer would have prepared for the cross-examination by consulting with an appropriate expert (it would have been imprudent for him or her to have relied purely upon his or her own background knowledge of the "technical aspects").

That said, virtually any background experience or knowledge (medical, scientific, industry-specific, etc.) is potentially useful to a trial lawyer. But no specific background is necessary, and a generalist trial lawyer can usually triumph over someone who takes refuge in a narrow specialty (just ask Joe Jamail, 'The King of Torts').

 

[Gumby]

I have done a variety of things in my legal career. Primarily, I have represented creditors and distressed investors in business bankruptcy cases.

However, at an earlier stage in my career, I also did construction litigation -- representing owners, architects, engineers and contractors. For that work, I found the engineering background to be quite useful.

Perhaps the most direct application of my nuclear engineering background came when I represented our local utility before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in connection with cost recovery for decommissioning a nuclear plant that the Company owned. When I first got the case, I needed to go to the plant to speak with the engineers who had prepared the cost estimates at issue. I said "Hi, I'm the company's lawyer". Silence. "No, really, I'm on your side" Silence. It was not until they learned that I was one of them that they were willing to speak with me. After that, everything was great.