Midlife crisis and a career change at 30

Maestro23 · 22-04-2024 7:00pm #1

Lived abroad, now at home and need a change of scenery.

Have a general science degree and experience in sales.

Ideally I'd like a career that has set working hours, weekends free, and allows me to work to live not live to work.

I'm creative, charismatic, and like routine. I should have studied architecture when I left school but I'm not in a position to spend 7 years qualifying now! Other areas I've considered are primary teaching (creative element and fulfilling), accounting/finance (good qualification and broad), and then blank!

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Or any advice to offer?

jethrothe2nd · 22-04-2024 8:21pm

In that short post, you've mentioned science, sales, architecture, teaching, finance. Honestly, I think you would be better off starting with what you are actually interested in and working from there rather than searching for the Holy Grail that ticks all the boxes.

You'll (probably) spend a significant part of your life in work - better something fulfilling than something you plod through to get to your free weekends. Have you considered career guidance of some description?

Maestro23 · 22-04-2024 8:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122050900#Comment_122050900

Thanks for the response! Sorry it does read quite vague! The sales work was related to my degree but I've always liked art/design etc. I spoke to a career guidance professional last year and they told me Architecture would be my perfect fit on paper but I would be eligible for the full fees for 4/5 years at University (approx. 7.5k per year) and then there's an additional 2 years required after graduation to fully qualify as an architect so I put this to the side. Primary teaching was also recommended as it may allow for creativity with planning classes, fulfilling work etc but going from what some people have said it kay be smarter to do something like accounting! I'm waiting for divine intervention but it hasn't happened yet!

readoutloud · 22-04-2024 8:53pm

Specialist AO role in the civil service?

Definitely meets your criteria: "a career that has set working hours, weekends free, and allows me to work to live not live to work."

See:

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058291282/administrative-officer-specialist-streams-2023

NiceFella · 22-04-2024 9:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122050989#Comment_122050989

If your thinking of teaching, you'd prob be able to teach science and technical graphics and maybe even some maths. That's not a bad combo for getting a job teaching. If you like people you'll prob like teaching and those who do love their jobs. Accountancy might be long hours especially early on but good money. Depends what your after.

koifish · 23-04-2024 11:20am

It may be worth experimenting and trying smaller certs, part-time courses etc. to get a sense of each area you're interested in and work out what you might enjoy most in the long-term.

The creative sector might seem fun but it can be long, exploitative hours (demanding clients are a nightmare) for very little pay compared to other areas. Architecture and many areas could be very technical and software heavy. Expect little to no stability, unless you focus on teaching or the public sector. Ask around and explore production/project management sides of it too.
Accountancy/finance would provide plenty of options and stability but can be stressful and long hours. Software and Excel heavy. You'd need to be fully qualified (look into the ACCA exams, Accountancy Technician or Tax Technician certs, etc) to start earning decent money. It's a world apart from the creative side so look into small certs, online learning etc. to experiment. Springboard is great here.
Teaching might have the best of all worlds but look into whatever further study may be necessary and if salaries/stability balances out. My best advice for all areas - reach out to those you know already know in these sectors, ask for their advice and network.

I can't recommend the civil service enough if you're looking for stability, peace of mine and work/life balance - it's the best you'll get! It's still a decent area to move into in the interim if you need another couple of years studying or researching any of the above. There're career break options (once you've done enough service) so you could return to study and come back, etc. plus mobility and opportunities to work in departments of education, teaching, finance/Revenue etc.

El Gato De Negocios · 26-04-2024 12:06am

In 2009 during the recession I was unemployed for about 9 months and took a job in an insurance call centre as I could get nothing else. I had turned 30 that year. Did some professional exams, changed jobs a few times, got more experience, took a bit of a punt and moved into a different but connected job. Was there for about 18 months and got an offer to move to another different but connected job. Was in that role for 4 years and last year moved again into another different but connected job with a different company. In the 15 years I've been in the industry my salary has more than quadrupled and I now have a basic in the six figures along with some brilliant benefits. The insurance industry is a bit of a grind for the first 12 months until you get experience and some qualifications but once that happens, the opportunities really open up. I couldn't recommend it highly enough tbh, there are numerous different areas you can branch into from sales to broking to underwriting to governance to compliance to auditing to finance to operations. It's a massive industry and the knowledge and experience is very transferable if you want to travel, particularly if you work for a global company.