Mid 30's career change

[Amunti]

Hi all,

I'd love some advice on a career change in my mid-30's.
I previously asked for advice years ago when looking for work and the responses were amazing and genuine.

I found a job! So that's great.
But I'm very bored, over-worked, under-paid and looking for something else.
I have doubts/fears and I'm wondering how many out there have gone through the same thing.

I'm looking for work that excites me. That fills me with passion.
I'm willing to go back to school, to start my own business, anything.

I'm at the beginning of this path. Just looking for answers and trying to gauge people's thoughts on this.

For the record, I'm 37, single, no children, love to write, communicate, speak, etc. No 'special' skills, but I'm interested in many different things, like sports and travel, etc.

I hope to hear your thoughts and feelings on this. Hoping to get myself in gear and start living a better life!

Thanks!!

[Aminka Ozmun]

Hi, Amunti,

I'm a lot younger than you but I can somewhat relate: I mean, I was on a pre-med track at school but then realized one day that while I'd love to help out animals (wanted to be a vet), somehow the nuts and bolts of biology and physiology didn't quite get me out of bed in the morning!

If I'm not being presumptuous here in offering you my thoughts, I think that you might want to try writing. I know it can sound ridiculous at first, but I think that many of us who have a wide variety of interests are probably natural-born storytellers and just don't know it! But it's a long road, and though I'm confident one can make a decent enough living at it, I don't know that one's likely to be financially independent per se (though there may be the richer reward of being emotionally independent -- of money!).

So I guess it really depends on what you're looking to do, exactly. Are you willing to be overworked and underpaid all the same, but at least loving it, the way the gods took pity on Sissyphus and made him actually enjoy rolling a rock up and down a mountain all day for all eternity? Or do you "just" want to be paid handsomely?

If the latter, then definitely go back to school. Find out what the Department of Labor statistics are and go for a hot field that's projected to grow grow grow: green energy, whatever!

[Amunti]

Thanks Aminka!
I see you're a writer too?
What sort of writing? How do you find the job market?
I'd love to write. I'd also like to make a living!
I'm torn, of course.
Do what you love, the money will follow they say.
But I'm scared ... fear. Anxiety. Etc.

Thanks for your kind words!

[Aminka Ozmun]

Hi again, Amunti,

I'm a romance writer! It's fun and kind of easy, in a way. I can't wait to get my site up!

The job market? Well, I'll be working in a pretty new sub-genre of the romance genre, so there's probably not much of a market! In fact, it'll probably remain a niche market, at least in the United States, though I have big hopes for it overseas! (Once I get enough of a following to convince a professional translator to do a bang-up translation in return for profit-sharing!)

I'm going to follow the by-now fairly well-trod path of eBook authors, innovating where I can, of course.

Amunti, there's nothing to be torn over, believe me! It's all an illusion, a false dichotomy, a false choice. You won't find the freedom to write until you realize that you have no choice in the matter! Writing will be the only thing that will make you happy...and isn't happiness the ultimate goal of having a lot of money?

And now I'm reminded of Aristotle's conversation with Alexander the Great. Apparently, the old philosopher had asked his young pupil what he wanted to do with his life. So the kid goes, become king of Macedonia! The teacher asks, then what? So Alex replies, then conquer Greece! And Ari asks, and then what?

On to Asia!

Then?

Judea!

Then?

Egypt! And then? Arabia! Mesopotamia! India!

And then what?

Exasperated, Alexander spits And then I'm going to sit under the sun and enjoy the weather!

Aristotle asks him, so why not just do it now?


You see, I hope, Amunti, that there's really nothing to be torn over!

[Amunti]

Wow! You'll have to send a link to your work when the site's up!
What sub-genre is it you're pursuing?
Ha ... I'd never heard of this conversation between Alexander and Aristotle ...

You're right, there's nothing to be torn over.
There's a lingering feeling there somewhere telling me to 'grow up,' I suppose.
I'm torn ...

I'd like to be secure. I'd like to break free and do whatever my little heart desires. So much to think about ...

Thanks!!

[gene2009]

Write articles for travel companies. People will travel always. And this business will never die.

[Clint Cora]

You have the added advantage of being single with no dependents so I would say that you would be in a good position to gradually shift into something you really like. Go for it.

[Aminka Ozmun]

I'll be sure to let you know, Amunti! I'm hoping to have things ready by Valentine's Day next year, selling my niche romances!

I heard of the conversation between Aristotle and Alexander on public radio years ago; it may be apocryphal, or just something made up for the show (I forget what it was)....

I know what you mean about security, Amunti, which is why I still work over fifty hours a week at my day job! But Gene and Clint are right; you can start out writing simple articles, not for the money but just to get into the habit of writing for someone else besides yourself. I used to write simple anonymous articles for article marketing people -- the job title in the industry is "keyboard monkey" and I lasted like nine months 'cause it really doesn't pay that much unless you start marketing and branding yourself as a professional copywriter or research journalist, whatever.

But then I thought, hmm, why not just do what I want to do? Who says that the way from A to Z has to go through all the other letters in-between?? So that's when, this very summer, I decided to simply start writing romances already! Again, not really for money or glory so much as to just get myself really writing...kinda like going to the gym to work out, not expecting to turn into Jillian Michaels or something but just to chip away at it, little by little, in the manner of compounding interest....

Hope that makes sense! And really, Gene and Clint have got it nailed on the head. Just focus on what advantages you do have, and the apparent disadvantages melt away, as if on their own -- if not turn into secret or hidden advantages, even! Like how a fat kid can use his obesity to his advantage or something....

[nzmegs]

hey. I totally sympathise with you. I was also in my mid 30s when a change was calling me. I spent one year in my job preparing myself for my evenutal career as a freelance writer. I didn't leave right away - I made sure I enjoyed the writing and then made sure i had enough work to sustain me.

The day i handed in my notice was the best day of my life. the freedom felt amazing. Two years on, things are still going well, but the feeling of pure enjoyment has diminshed. Right now, I feel like i am struggling with boredom.

But the joy of being freelnace is that i can pick and choose jobs and even do something else for a while if I feel like it.

I have been doing a little buying and selling on the side and have a few other projects on the go. it all makes life interesting.

Take a look at my blog. the frist few posts explain how i left my job and moved on to becoming a freelance writer. it might give you the inspriation you need.

[Amunti]

Thanks all for your replies!

It's nice to hear of people doing the work, doing what needs to be done to make their work fulfilling.
I'm 'lost' in some ways. In others, I think I just need to take a step and DO something ... I'm getting there.

Thanks again, everyone!