Anyone out there successfully changed their career path??
I'm currently working doing a job that brings me down, I've lost all interest in it so find it real boring. I work as a service engineer in the leisure industry, working on slot machines, quiz machines, pool tables, jukeboxes etc.... The hours aren't great, most nights I don't finish till 10pm, the pay is pretty lousy (I was made redundant from a simillar role in 2011 that paid £5000 per year more for the same job) and the environment can be pretty rough at times, 99% of the time I'm working in bars and clubs (and mainly bad ones at that!) so I've had all the threats to be stabbed and glassed etc..... and just general abuse which wears you down.
Obvious choice would be to try and transfer to a simillar industry where my skills would be relevant but working hours/environments more to my liking but after a couple of years of trying nothing has come off. I know that my problems are that 1) I've only ever really done this job, 2) I don't have any real qualifications in what I do know (I just kinda fell into it 10 years ago!). Unfortunatly most simillar industries are looking for the qualifications and direct experience, and because of the state of the country at the moment there are plenty people out there with those requirements out of work, it makes sense really, take a chance on the guy that'd probably work out eventually or take on the guy who's done it before and doesn't require any training.
So has anyone completely made the transition to a totally differnt industry?? Last night I was on what they call a "Speed Awareness Course" over here, essentially if you get caught by the Police speeding by not too much you get to sit a course to educate you on road safety and avoid getting penalty points on your driving license. It was 4 hours so I had plenty time to think, the guy delivering the course was a highly trained driver and seemed to really enjoy his work so it got me thinking, "why don't i try and do something i actually enjoy?". When I was younger I shyed away from doing anything i was into as a career, I am a total car freak so didn't want to work on cars for a living as that was what i did in my spare time to unwind from work, now I'm feeling I made a mistake!!
Anyone got a story to tell??