Dumper truck/roller drivers and excavators pay pretty well. Even in Wales, agencies are paying like £18+ per hour for a forwards facing dumper and it's just a one week course to get a dumper ticket.
Who's successfully changed career later in life?
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Find out when your nearest jobs fare is, it surprised mesome of the jobs that are out there when I went to one. I didn't realise for instance that there are job roles within the BBC that are available to any age/any qualifications without prior experience in that industry.
A good few years ago people would leave the company I worked for to go "on the pipes" as it wwas described. I was never 100% certain what they meant but AIUI there was a job laying water mains or gas lines or other underground lines. The hours were long in all conditions andd around the country but the money was pretty good for someone without much training, skills or education. It was described as a "young man's job"..
Powerstation work is good. You work for subcontractors and work all round the country. It might be long hours and a fortnight in one go without days off but when you do have a break in the work you get good time off in lieu and paid. Also good money if you can find cheap accomodation (you pocket the daily expenses and spend as little of that as possible to top up the pay rate.
Another guy told me there was good money for anyone able to work out how to cut insulation to fit pipe bends in power stations. No Idea how true but I did know a few who went to power station work where they follow the shutdowns around the country. They all seemed to be doing well out of it anyway.
I think the thing is you need to get your site safety passports though.. It is similar with rigs work I believe. Good money, time off etc. But you need your qualifications to get on them.
Another guy told me there was good money for anyone able to work out how to cut insulation to fit pipe bends in power stations. No Idea how true but I did know a few who went to power station work where they follow the shutdowns around the country. They all seemed to be doing well out of it anyway.
I think the thing is you need to get your site safety passports though.. It is similar with rigs work I believe. Good money, time off etc. But you need your qualifications to get on them.
To be honest it isn’t money I am looking for particularly. If it was just money that mattered I’d stay doing what I am doing, as I won’t be able to earn more anywhere else. It’s more about fulfilment, and really any job where I have to travel away from my family for long periods isn’t what I am looking for.
Appreciate the thoughts though.
When you were working with Younger people - did that bring a connection or enjoyment/fulfilment ? If so there must be ( if not - create it ) a role in some sort of bushcraft/forest school teaching of younger men??
Very occasionally enjoyed it, could count the number of times it was fulfilling on one hand without exaggeration.
Mostly I absolutely hated it, due to myriad of problems with the education system, an increasing failure of parenting, certain cultural incompatibilities in the areas I was teaching, criminal justice system problems and on and on.
I was also an Adult Instructor for the ACF for a while and that was OK, as the kids wanted to be there. I think I got more fulfilment working with 16+ and young adults than I got with younger kids, so your idea isn’t out of the question.
I think someone on here studied or is studying for something to do with interventions in the outdoors IIRC. I vaguely remember it but not my thing so I kind of did not take it all in to remember moree. It wass in the last week or two I think. Anyway, whatever it was I seem to recall it sounded like some training to allow the guy to take people out into the countryside to heal them of whatever the issues. It sounds to me that you want to help people so perhaps there is something like this for you.
If you are less into helping people with issues and more into the outdoors then there are conservation charities for environmental work. I used to volunteer for what was then called BTCV but now called British Conservation Volunteers IIRC They have volunteer positions at their verious branches and paid jobs too. The paid ones tend to be about job site visits and planning the work. They used to do work for anyone who would pay for it and the work has an environmental benefit. We did fencing for United Utiltities to protect a section of peat moorland that was being overgrazed. We laid hedges, planted trees, hedges, planted out newly created ponds, cut down trees to thin them out and create a progression / clearings for better habitat, and so on. Path work, wall work. Did all sorts. I was unpaid volunteer but I knew people who did it full time and I nearly went that way once.
I am an old cynic, I do not believe you can make a decent living from what you love to do only what you can put up with. I do not like my job but I get enough to keep going because the output of the company is worthwhile IMHO. Satisfaction is the ultimate product outputted by all of our work, we each put a little of ourselves into it. If that makes sense. I guess I think you have to make the most of what is available and get your wins where you can even if they are little ones.
If you are less into helping people with issues and more into the outdoors then there are conservation charities for environmental work. I used to volunteer for what was then called BTCV but now called British Conservation Volunteers IIRC They have volunteer positions at their verious branches and paid jobs too. The paid ones tend to be about job site visits and planning the work. They used to do work for anyone who would pay for it and the work has an environmental benefit. We did fencing for United Utiltities to protect a section of peat moorland that was being overgrazed. We laid hedges, planted trees, hedges, planted out newly created ponds, cut down trees to thin them out and create a progression / clearings for better habitat, and so on. Path work, wall work. Did all sorts. I was unpaid volunteer but I knew people who did it full time and I nearly went that way once.
I am an old cynic, I do not believe you can make a decent living from what you love to do only what you can put up with. I do not like my job but I get enough to keep going because the output of the company is worthwhile IMHO. Satisfaction is the ultimate product outputted by all of our work, we each put a little of ourselves into it. If that makes sense. I guess I think you have to make the most of what is available and get your wins where you can even if they are little ones.
Don't blame you for wanting to change, I was in Senior IT Leadership and it broke me. I changed at 45 and became a joiner, love every second of what I do now, don't earn nearly as much but I'm way happier
I've changed from senior Programme Management into "Gig economy" work. I am, simultaneously
A smallholder
A magazine columnist
A YouTuber
A public speaker
An influencer (really)
Many other things too
If you aren't happy, change. Life is too damned short to do things that aren't fulfilling
A smallholder
A magazine columnist
A YouTuber
A public speaker
An influencer (really)
Many other things too
If you aren't happy, change. Life is too damned short to do things that aren't fulfilling
I tried a few things.
Farm labourer; Deepsea diver; Military contractor; Big Pharma office jockey*; Outdoor education; Scuba diving instructor.
*Spot the odd one out that was shite.
Gig economy. Yeah I think there is less opportunity for “doing what you are passionate about” and have a career now. The need to supplement this with additional completely different work seems to be at a high.
Farm labourer; Deepsea diver; Military contractor; Big Pharma office jockey*; Outdoor education; Scuba diving instructor.
*Spot the odd one out that was shite.
Gig economy. Yeah I think there is less opportunity for “doing what you are passionate about” and have a career now. The need to supplement this with additional completely different work seems to be at a high.
That sounds like a nice switch. How did you get into joinery and get to the level where you could make money from doing it, if I may ask?
How is this going?
I'm currently looking in to a career change at 35. A bit of background, me and my dad opened a small, outdoor garden centre 5 years ago, we started with a few tables on a piece of rented land, going to the market early hours of the mornings to pick up trays of plants. We built it up to the point where we now have weekly deliveries of plants directly from Holland, we sell about 2,000 bags of compost annually, plus pots etc. and we have bought a little under 2 acres of land with the hope to move on to, have just had drawings made and are about to put in a planning application.
The reason why I'm interested in a change of career is simply because our business is seasonal, we just about make enough money to survive the winter months and I'm a bit fed up of just surviving the winter months and the stress and worry of getting through the winter.
Anyway, I've been on the phone with Careers Wales this morning, who were very helpful, and I've just completed their 'Buzz Quizz' which attempts to work out what sort of personality you are, I'm a Tawny Owl, apparently only 2% of the UK are Tawny Owls, not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, and then I completed their 'Career Match Quiz', which attempts to match suitable jobs. And I have a face to face meeting setup for next week.
I really want to gain the skills and qualifications to go into something to do with business, project managing etc. I even had an 80% match for investment manager and analyst, which is something I would enjoy as I manage my personal investments, and profitably trade on the stock market and thoroughly enjoy it. I'm not sure if I'm setting my sights too high, but I am willing to go back to part time or maybe even full time education.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my own current path with you. You're definitely not alone.
I'm currently looking in to a career change at 35. A bit of background, me and my dad opened a small, outdoor garden centre 5 years ago, we started with a few tables on a piece of rented land, going to the market early hours of the mornings to pick up trays of plants. We built it up to the point where we now have weekly deliveries of plants directly from Holland, we sell about 2,000 bags of compost annually, plus pots etc. and we have bought a little under 2 acres of land with the hope to move on to, have just had drawings made and are about to put in a planning application.
The reason why I'm interested in a change of career is simply because our business is seasonal, we just about make enough money to survive the winter months and I'm a bit fed up of just surviving the winter months and the stress and worry of getting through the winter.
Anyway, I've been on the phone with Careers Wales this morning, who were very helpful, and I've just completed their 'Buzz Quizz' which attempts to work out what sort of personality you are, I'm a Tawny Owl, apparently only 2% of the UK are Tawny Owls, not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, and then I completed their 'Career Match Quiz', which attempts to match suitable jobs. And I have a face to face meeting setup for next week.
I really want to gain the skills and qualifications to go into something to do with business, project managing etc. I even had an 80% match for investment manager and analyst, which is something I would enjoy as I manage my personal investments, and profitably trade on the stock market and thoroughly enjoy it. I'm not sure if I'm setting my sights too high, but I am willing to go back to part time or maybe even full time education.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my own current path with you. You're definitely not alone.
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