Has anyone changed careers at midlife?

[kurchatovium]

As you may know from a previous thread I am a scientist that works at a medical lab. For some time though the pressure has gotten to me and is starting to adversely affect my health. I think I might like to teach at a junior college where I think there would be less pressure. Has anyone here changed careers at midlife? Anyone have any advice? Its been kind of depressing since no new jobs have openned up. Thank you in advance for your time to those who reply to this thread.


"I'm not nervous. I'm just incredibly alert." Bob Newhart

 

[WallStreet]

It's never too late to change up. Just make sure that your next venture is a prosperous one. Don't leave one job until you have another lined up. Or at least make sure that you get unemployment checks or some type of severence pay.
If you think that you're depressed now, try being unemployed with no income at all. I'm unsure if you have a family to support, but that should also come into the factoring of your decision.
Don't just change for the sake of changing. Change for the sake of bettering yourself.

 

[kurchatovium]

I use to work in the defense industry and was out of work for almost two years so I know unemployment is no picnic. Fortunately I have no family to support. I mean none that I know of at least.🙂

 

[Deleted member 2452]

i've done it

at the age of 30 i became a nurse. prior to that i was a bartender, cook, waiter, policeofficer, geologist (well i have the degree, but never got a job, hence the change to nurse).
and i'm planning on changing again!
next stop, owner of an icecream shop.
i say do it. make the change, but as was said, have the new job lined up already.
steve

 

[qjakal]

Hell Yeah!

At 34 I chucked a nice salary + bonus job, and all the benefits and security that went with it to start my own corporation. I'd just gotten so sick of getting into the little corporate suit and playing "professional with no sense of humor" at endless meetings that made me want to jump out of the nearest window (taking my boss with me to land upon)... it was NOT easy, and it was very stressful for the first year or so, but once out and "swimmming", it was exhilirating and fun most of the time. I'm sure I'd have a different opinion if it all crashed and burned, but I always figured that the worst case scenario was that I'd put back on the little corporate suit and tuck my sense of humor away again and continue slugging until I could try again...jump on in..the water is fine! 🙂 Q

 

[shark]

One of the things you may consider is health benefits.Most anything else can be adjusted for.

 

[kurchatovium]

qjakal, I know what you mean about tucking your sense of humor away. I have had to do it for a long time now and I am getting sick of it. It's not me. I also know about meetings that seem to never end until your brain synapses start to explode. I might add there are no donuts at these meetings. What sort of evil people have meetings with no donuts?

areenactor, I say owner of ice cream shop is a wonderful job. It sounds like the definition of a happy stress free job. I wish you the best of luck.

Thanks again for all the encouragement and advice. Hopefully some jobs will open up this summer.