Episode IV: A New Hope - The Career Change Topic

[peaky]

Hi all,

We had a topic for career change and I think it was in this thread so I've popped this in.

I'm one of the many people on here in IT who are keen to get out though having done it for 23 years I don't know how best to find work in the future. I feel that I have no other skills to offer although I may have them but have never thought of using them in work i.e. intelligent, numerate, good speaker, computer literate etc. etc.

I am planning to put my house on the market in the near future and I've considered using the money from the sale to get on a course or maybe two about learning new skills for jobs for which I may need formal qualifications even if I have many of the skills.

Anyway, I'll post more thoughts when there's more time.

[isenhand]

I suspect that there are loads of IT people here

My plans are to move out of industry and back into academia. Not that I feel that it will be any more secure but if I get the Uni I want then I will be able to buy a reasonable plot of land

[greenbean]

I'm at the other end of the career ladder..just beginning. And I have no idea where to go

[RevdTess]

I'm another IT veteran. 6 months ago I decided it was time to gain different skills, so I am leveraging my IT experience while I become an oil analyst... Seemed like the most interesting thing to do

[GD]

I'm in electronics, but recently moved into software. I was looking at renewable energy before I found out about peak oil anyway, as I find sitting at the desk so unhealthy. There's also the not insignificant matter of job insecurity in the industry anyway, so a move into something with a better potential for the future seems a good idea.
So I'm aiming to become an electrician (at least) within the next couple of years or so, and then try and work my way into renewables.

(I have considered and decided against the "back to uni" option, but now my preference is to get my hands dirty!)

GD

[Rach121]

Greenbean,
the world is your oyster, but can you wire a plug, fix a dripping tap, make bread, grow cabbages, run a laptop off a potato, make good compost, get to grips with longitude and kill man with your bare hands?
Never mind all that, how about teaching?
I've had a 'career break' for 7 years and now my kids are at school I'm wondering what would be the most useful/rewarding thing to do. All I know is that I can NEVER work 9 til 7 all week in an office again.
What do you want to do?

[greenbean]

[quote="Rach121"]Greenbean,
the world is your oyster, but can you wire a plug, fix a dripping tap, make bread, grow cabbages, run a laptop off a potato, make good compost, get to grips with longitude and kill man with your bare hands?
Never mind all that, how about teaching?[quote]

I'm fairly sure I can wire a plug. As for the rest...

Teaching is something I've considered, but I am put off by my own memories of school - how my teachers would tell me they were marking until ten at night, etc. Nursing? Medical skills could be invaluable in future. As for what I actually want to do, I don't know. Ideally something creative, but I'm not sure if there will be much room for that in the future. One thing I'm sure of is that even if the peak doesn't fully hit for a while, there is a horrible recession just around the corner. Who has job security during a recession?

[peaky]

I certainly feel that 23 years sitting on my bum all day staring at a VDU is enough

I would like to be doing something active and something that I believe to be of genuine value and ideally something appropriate to a post-carbon future. I imagine something dealing with either making or growing things or both. I certainly enjoy being physical and would like that to form part of it. And I'd like it to be part time - talk about having my cake and eating it!

C.A.T. do courses and perhaps many 'Universities'. I'll check them out once I've got rid of the house and have some money for some courses.

[grinu]

Some of the CAT courses look really good - I'm thinking of doing a few myself when I get a chance.

I kind of work in construction (landscape architecture) which is usually one of the first sectors to go pear-shaped if things slow down, so I might look at finally getting round to a course in sustainability, which I've been planning for a couple of yrs now but didn't get round to.

[Sam172]

I'm at the other end of the career ladder..just beginning. And I have no idea where to go

I'll be hitting there in between 1-5 years (depending if I find any course at uni, or other educational establishment I like the look of)

At the moment I'm hitting a brick wall >_<

[snow hope]

I am starting to think that trades will be most useful for the future. Joinary leaps out at me and plumbing, electrics, etc

[GD]

Anyone interested in University courses try starting with Loughborough STREEM

I'd personally prefer an accredited qualification (as opposed to a straight CAT course) because this allows people to get a grant if they use you to install.

If that's not your goal then the CAT courses have the benefit of being cheaper to do.