Change of Career
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I will try not to be to wordy. I started out as a medic in the US Navy. I am a rare breed that has rarely changed companies in my life. From this background I became a Dialysis technician taking care of patients with kidney failure. I had that feeling of I can't do this the rest of my life , and started repairing the Dialysis equipment used to treat the patients, paid for by the company that I was working for. I then moved on to be in charge of the Philadelphia, PA. area bio meds doing what I was then doing.
Again by my company, I was trained to install the water purification systems that are the heart of the dialysis clinic. Plus side I travel the country doing this. Time off is adequate. But time at home is sketchy. Out o 365 days a year, I spend 240 nights in a hotel. I fly over 100,000 miles with a particular airline, and get usually automatic upgrades. And free hotel rooms for Holiday.Pay is great. I don't have a supervisor breathing down my neck.
I think my point to this is to really search what your background is and to see if you can broaden your horizons from what you are already doing.
The negative side is that when I am home for a bit, my other half questions when do you go back to work.
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Most important is that for most of my career I have been able to wear jeans.
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I scored my first job as an Economíc Developer when I was still in University. Got my Bachelor's in City Planning, kept the job for like a year before I eventually wanted a better job at the same place. Went back to school, finished my Master's in Landscape Architecture. When I was done, my old department had shut down so I couldn't find a job.
Now I work with beer. Beer > City Planning.
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Just thought i would give a little update.
So today is my last day in the office. On Monday i start a new career as a landscape gardener. I will be working with one of best friends who has been doing it for years. I am looking forward to learning something new and being outside in the fresh air without any of the office bullshit.
I am going to keep doing design/retouching on a freelance basis in the evenings and weekends as i have a few clients that are keen to use me. I dunno how long that will keep going for but it is a good way to boost my money.To say it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders is a understatement!!
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Cheers G
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Just thought i would give a little update . . . . .
. . . . . . To say it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders is a understatement!!Good for you chief. Action brings about change and you've taken positive action to bring about positive change. RESULT
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I needed a change from office life about fifteen years ago and took up an offer from a mate of working for him doing landscape construction and tree work. Enjoyed it so much I stayed with him for five years until I got a dream job totally out of left field.
I remember how unbelievably therapeutic the first few months were. Loads of exercise and time to think about anything and everything really sorted my head out.
Good luck.
The jeans are great by the way. Extra thanks for the free dog biscuit in the back pocket.
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Cheers guys
@Streetwise Hercules glad they worked out for you. Haha bloody dog biscuits i can't remember a time when i didn't find one in a pocket!
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Congrats on having the guts to take the unknown path. Even if it doesn't turn out like you envisioned you'll have the peace of knowing you gave it a shot. As @Streetwise Hercules said, following your intuition will open unexpected doors.
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@spitfiredealer - congrats on taking the leap of faith and following a new route. If you find happiness doing something new, you will be a better man, and a better father and partner. The fact that you are keeping a few clients in your back pocket will provide not only additional revenue, but also keep your skills sharp in case you ever decide to get back into design work full time. It's a win win and the exact route I have taken, and still feel was the best decision I made.
One of the most successful and overall happy people I know is a landscape architect and I am jealous everyday that he is able to make a living off providing beauty and art to his clients. I can;t even get my damn grass to grow, so it's a career field a fully respect.
best of luck, and congrats.
-Adam
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Great stuff @spitfiredealer. I found myself wondering the other day how things had turned out with regards to your future. Thanks for the update, and the best of luck [emoji1434]
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Brilliant news @spitfiredealer , really pleased for you mate
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@spitfiredealer - hope it works out brilliantly - looking forward to seeing you tanned and (even more) fit soon!
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Thank you everyone. I will report back in a few weeks and let you know how a office worker adjusts to hard work!!
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I'm finishing up my degree in supply chain management. I'm looking for employment opportunities everywhere, networking with professors, studying for the APICS CPIM, as well as volunteering with the organization. I really love the subject but I also am very creative. I enjoy creating something I can call my own, that I built, and that reflects my character. I also work retail which sucks! As a side note, I remember in Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers" that in order for a job to be satisfying it has to have the following three characteristics:
1. Autonomy. You get a role in deciding what you do every day. Even if you might not always get decide exactly what you do, you can choose how to get it done.
2. Complexity. It must be an intellectually stimulating challenge. As the book states, it should “engage both your mind and imagination.”
3. Connection Between Effort & Reward. The harder you work, the greater your income or recognition (at least eventually).Also, if you're looking for lifelong learning I would check out edX. Its a great website and the courses are taught by some of the top universities in the world.
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I can relate to what most of you have been saying. I am now 50 and am going back to what I loved in college. I spent my post school years and most of my twenties not knowing what to do. Was nearly thirty before settling down to a mental health nursing career and having a family. Didn't nurse for long before getting into policy for a decade, then into research based jobs. I chucked in office work in January to retrain as a psychotherapist. It's the best decision I think I've ever made. Partner thinks I look ten years younger since I stopped work. If there's something you love doing, just do it if you can take the risk. My kids are grown up and I no longer have to be tied to a monthly pay check. Every day now I feel so lucky to be in this position.
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