Way O/T Is 35 too old to start 2nd career?

[GoldToyBox]

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I thought PHD was Painting Houses and Decorating!

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Actually I thought PHD was Post Hole Digger.

Sure you can change jobs/careers, like previously mentioned at any age.

[MTPockets]

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With your video and editing background, do you do wedding work? I know of people making a ton of money working 2 weekends a month.

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Yeah, my wife and I do a few weddings a summer. I don't love the work, but it pays well for the work we put into it. And because we use the cameras and editing workstation at work, no overhead or rental fees. This would stop if I quit my current position, of course.

[John_Strenk]

Well, I'm 54 and just changed careers. Wish I changed when I was 35 but then there realy wasn't much of job market in my current field back then as there is now.

[BARNO]

MTPockets: You and I need to talk more!

-Barno

[LEVE]

Green things grow...

Ripe things rot...

[xjy173]

Have you considered going for an advanced degree in the video field? Would that bring you better opportunities and more $$$?? You could tough it out until your wife gets her Masters and then go back yourself, at least part time.

I'm almost 52; I remember feeling just the way you describe when I was 35-36. You could also test the waters in your field at another company. Perhaps there is better pay/benefits out there in your area. Be careful; the grass always looks greener on the other side.

God Bless and Best of Luck!! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Jeeper99xj]

I say do it if you want. In my college maybe 10-30% of students in my classes are "non traditional" students, lots of them getting out of jobs they hate. Going along with what taz said the electrican field is a hard one to get into at an older age with the long aprenticship. There might be ways around it but i'm not sure. Another part of the electrical field is the supply part of it. One of my buddies just got in with all phase (i'm guessing they have stores in IN) as a manager trainee and really likes it.

Have you ever thought about trying to get into education? Teachers are in demand, especially in the votech fields. We have the best tech ed program in the state and we graduate 1-5 shop teachers a year. Even the schools that pay well (44 grand a year starting isn't un common) have trouble finding vo tech teachers and are even offering signing bonuses. Maybe see if you can get into a community college teaching. I know my high school had a guy that did the video stuff and taught a couple TV classes.

[Saddle Tramp]

C Sanders was retired and 65 when he started Kentucky Fried.

[RickCJ7]

Consider how lucky you are that YOU are the one thinking about changing your career, then proceed carefully. I am a bit older and had that decision made for me a couple years ago, and it has been tough to make the adjustment.

See if your community has some kind of volunteer coordinator service. You might find an opportunity to put your knowledge and skills to work in a way that invigorates you, or maybe you find something completely different that is very interesting. You get that great feeling that comes from doing something for someone just because you can. It also may show you some doors that you didn't know existed. If you find something to provide that missing fulfillment then the current job may become less of an issue for you.

Good luck to you and your family.

[Jeepskate]

Change is good, and change under your control is even better. However, while you're still a young man, you're not *that* young and you have a family to provide for. So, you have to look a little more cautiously before you leap than a single 25 year old guy. Someone like Taz who is/was an electrician can give you valuable insight into what you're potentially getting into. You probably want to exercise some control in what path you walk down as an electrician. As has already been said, you're going to start off doing grunt work and you're going to have to work in all sorts of unpleasant conditions from time to time. A gig with a large company that has it's own facilities department and on-staff electricians is probably your best bet for comfort as you get older. I work for the local gas utility and we are setup that way with a handful of on-staff electricians...we even have our own small electric plant on site. You should probably hold off on making your move until after your wife is finished with her degree (this is obviously a family discussion/decision). Also, if you do still like what you do, investigate other avenues in that field. I have a neighbor who works from home doing videos, camerawork, editing, etc. This isn't the old days where you need to have an Avid...he does everything on a couple of PC's. He's done a few music videos and some instructional DVD's and is looking for that big break. He's struggled a bit and his wife has had to function as the breadwinner, but he has to split his time between working and taking care of their two kids, so I'm sure that costs him some opportunities. Save up and buy a used camera and some basic equipment and setup a Mac or PC for editing and spread your freelancing wings.

I think we all get restless around this age. Right now, my job pretty much sucks. I got dumped into a department that I have no interest in and have to work rotating shifts which disrupts my personal life. However, this will eventually pass. It's a high-profile gig (handle all of the batch processing that goes on behind the scenes to handle meter reads, bills, collections, payroll, etc) and is part of 'paying my dues' to move further up the ladder here. Much as I like network and system admin stuff, those positions are becoming a dime a dozen and they have guys making $20k+ less/year doing what I was doing now. There's no real future for an old man on that path. I still do it on the side for a handful of small companies which funds my Jeep habit and keeps my skills sharp, but I know it holds no real future for me as a career and that I have to move on into management in order to provide for my family.