Major Career /Job changes

[bernie]

It was once said that people change careers about 3 times in their lives. This isn't including small jobs during high school. Nor is it including working your way up the ladder of a company. Going from IT tech to the supervisor position doesn't qualify.

I'm wondering about some of the bigger changes and what it was like. Both good and bad. Like changing from a job to one that you never really thought you'd be doing until the opportunity came up. Primarily ones where you maybe had to learn a different skillset. Like construction to computer programming.

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[beta1607]

I am going from working as political staff on Capitol Hill to working as a manager at a family business in LA. From what I can tell so far a lot of the skills transfer. It's amazing how much of life just comes down a willingness to work hard and having the ability to interact well with people from all different walks of life.

[cha59]

I was in the courier industry for 15 years. I worked my way up from being a driver to an operations manager and did that for four years. It is a highly stressfull business to be in, especially the position I held. I needed to change industries.

I did some research on other careers and decided to become a real estate appraiser. Online career advice sites indicated bright futures for real estate appraisers.

I went to appraisal classes for six weeks, passed a state exam and got a license. It was then that I found out the job sites that suggested bright futures for appraisers, did not consider difficulty of finding appraisal work for inexperienced people. It was very difficult to find an appraisal company who would even talk to me, let alone hire me.

I made calls to about 100 appraisal companies and few would even allow me to send a resume. I wound up receiving one rejection letter because they were not hiring and one email asking if I was still interested in interviewing for a position - nine months after I delivered a resume. The rest of the resumes sent and calls I made were basically ignored.

Except one:

Only one person I talked to gave me an interview. This guy's response when I first got him on the phone was, "No we are not hiring." So I started asking him questions about what I should do if I really wanted to break into the industry. He spent about five or 10 minutes on the phone with me and said he would accept my resume, but again told me he wasn't hiring.

I put together an impressive looking resume with the best quality paper, envelope and folder I could find at the local office supply store. I got advice about the content and structure of the resume from a teacher at the appraisal school I went to and from my wife.

A little less than a week later I got a phone call from this guy and he told me my resume was the best he had ever seen. I went in for an interview and he hired me. He later told me that he gets about 10 phone calls every week from people like me who are looking for work. I was persistent and lucky to hit it off with him. Also my previous work experience impressed him.

I have been working with this company for about three years now. All we do is appraise commercial properties. I love the work. The stress level is non-existent compared to what I used to do and the money is good. I work out of my house about 80% of the time, spend about 10% of my time driving around looking at comparable properties and inspecting buildings and spend the remaining 10% of my time at the company's office. It is interesting, sometimes challenging and relaxing work.

A lot of my experience from my previous job actually helps me in this one too. Map skills, computer skills, knowledge of different types of businesses and people skills are probably the most important ones. Breaking into the industry was not easy, but it was worth it.

[Bucnutz19]

I think its hardest to stay in most positions because people have to make transitions through life. As you get the older the money, type of people, and job environment you want will constantly change. This of course influences our decisions to move onto new careers.

[John Cole]

At one time, I was a member of the Operators' Union. I managed a branch store for a heavy construction equipment company (bulldozers, payloaders, etc.). I am now a member of the National Education Association and teach writing, film, and literature at the Community College of Rhode Island where I am an Associate Professor.

I guess this might be the sort of major career change you were looking for. Somehow, it just happened, and, as has been the case with me over the years, I've been lucky and sort of fell into my current occupation. I think I'll stick with this one, though. Working thirty weeks a year is much better than working fifty.

[bernie]

Cool story.

Btw...I didn't know if I was clear in my post what I was looking for. This was it. These types of stories.

[ QUOTE ]
I was in the courier industry for 15 years. I worked my way up from being a driver to an operations manager

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I was a courier for awhile too. As a contractor(Looooved that truck insurance I had to carry [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]). Just wondering which part you liked better? Personally, I liked being on the road and travelling around. Meeting with people. The pay would've had to be alot better for me to stay in the office.

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It was then that I found out the job sites that suggested bright futures for appraisers, did not consider difficulty of finding appraisal work for inexperienced people.

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I'm sure they considered/knew about it, but were probably getting some kickback from the schools teaching it. But this is one of the scary things about changing over like that. Putting in all the time, spending the money on it and then, well, nothing. Even if you top a class taught. I've run into that a couple times. Sucks.

[ QUOTE ]
Only one person I talked to gave me an interview. This guy's response when I first got him on the phone was, "No we are not hiring." So I started asking him questions about what I should do if I really wanted to break into the industry. He spent about five or 10 minutes on the phone with me and said he would accept my resume, but again told me he wasn't hiring.

[/ QUOTE ]

This guy sounds pretty cool. Anyone that'll take the time with you like this gets kudos. I've been down that 'rejection row' myself and it sucks. Too many just hang up the phone. (if actually busy, I can understand. But not everyone is that busy.) It's also a great sign to keep in touch with this guy.

Course, it's also better to go into some of these places in person.

Again, cool story. Nice change over.

Thanks.

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[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
I think its hardest to stay in most positions because people have to make transitions through life. As you get the older the money, type of people, and job environment you want will constantly change. This of course influences our decisions to move onto new careers.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know. It might depend. Many people(especially older) get very comfortable in their positions and don't like to change it. Even if the situation gets worse, the fear of trying for something new can be greater.

But some changes are from one industry to another with very little related. For instance, when I stopped doing floorcovering after 13 years, I wanted nothing to do with floorcovering. I could've went into sales a bit, but decided to change to something completely different, industry-wise.

It's almost like starting over, except not completely. Seems the skills you gained from previous usually don't really get the credit until you actually have the new job and implement them.

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[bernie]

[ QUOTE ]
At one time, I was a member of the Operators' Union. I managed a branch store for a heavy construction equipment company (bulldozers, payloaders, etc.). I am now a member of the National Education Association and teach writing, film, and literature at the Community College of Rhode Island where I am an Associate Professor.

I guess this might be the sort of major career change you were looking for. Somehow, it just happened, and, as has been the case with me over the years, I've been lucky and sort of fell into my current occupation. I think I'll stick with this one, though. Working thirty weeks a year is much better than working fifty.

[/ QUOTE ]

Pretty much what I'm looking for.

General questions: What made you want to change? Was it easy to change over? How did it compare with your expectations of crossing over?
Was there anything that was challenging for you in crossing over?

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[John Cole]

I wish I could say that I had boldy struck out and chartered a new course; however, that's not the case. The place I worked for went out of business in the late '80s, so I looked for another job in the same area. I found a couple, and although I was offered one for nearly 60k a year (a lot of money in those days), I turned it down because of the required hours, about 60 a week.

Instead, I decided to collect unemployment and return to school to get a Masters in teaching to work in the public schools. When unemployment insurance ran out, I took a part time job as an adjunct professor and finished the M.A.T. degree. (Fortunately, for me, I already had an M.A. in English and had been a teaching assistant.) Of course, I didn't expect to advance beyond the adjunct status; most adjuncts spend their lives teaching without job or financial security.

However, as I said in the previous post, I was lucky in a number of ways. I was hired full-time to direct the college's writing center, which I did for a few years, before becoming a full-time professor. Now, I have a fully tenured position.

Since I already had some teaching experience, the change didn't entail much stress, and whatever managerial skills I possessed came in handy in the writing center job.

[bernie]

But when you were doing your old job, did you ever think that a few years later you'd be teaching as a professor? Or was it in your mind that you'd be changing to something else eventually?

[ QUOTE ]
I wish I could say that I had boldy struck out and chartered a new course; however, that's not the case. The place I worked for went out of business in the late '80s, so I looked for another job in the same area.

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In a way you did. Turning down a nice job to pursue teaching, relying on unenjoyment is kinda bold. Especially if funds are running out. I mean, you probably scaled back a bit lifestyle-wise to do it.

b