Has anyone ever completely changed their life?

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HaffiesRock

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Sorry if thats a bit vague. Without going into a "woe me" kind of a post, just feeling a bit stuck in a rut at the minute. Decent job, but not turning out like it was supposed too. Only really have the skills and qualifications for what I do so cant change career (if you can call admin/pa a career) Have no money to retrain but just want a change and a job that pays a lot better!

Has anyone ever made a big leap and changed their life against the odds?

Thanks
 
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I think that admin jobs can lead you into so many areas - you just have to be brave and try something new that you would not have normally looked at before. Can you move away from where you live - you may get the chance of a different type of job if you live somewhere else - or go abroad to work?

I have always done admin jobs and so far have worked in education, logistics, as a farm secretary, done charity work and in retail management. None of them paid very well, 'though, but you could choose a well paid, office type job, but they usually come with long hours and loads of stress. Depends how you can balance that with owning a horse.
 
I left my admin job and took a £2,000 pay cut for a year to train for my current job.

It's not the job of my dreams by any means but I now earn more than double what I used to, which means when i'm not at work I can afford to do the things I want to.
 
Yes, more than once. You have to take life as it comes and learn to give yourself the freedom and the respect to do whatever you need to do. If you ask yourself the question "is this really me?" and you get a repeated "no", then maybe it's time to take a different path. Ok, I wish this was someone telling me this 10 years ago!!!

This sounds selfish, but unless you yourself can be happy, how do you expect others around you to be happy.

Are there options for development within your current role? Being a PA doesn't stop you from specialising... explore your options first and if none of them fit the bill, go out and seek something that does. Be brave!!!!!
 
Yes, several times! :D

The major one was the day in January 1984 when I turned 30 and decided I hated my life and wanted to move on. Within a week I handed in my notice at a bank and put an ad in H&H looking for a job. Everyone told me I was mad, having security at the bank, cheap mortgage etc. I had to sell my house and moved in the April to an idyllic situation at a small stud in North Wales. Took my dogs with me, and later my pony. Met my husband in June and was married in the October!

The day I turned 40 I was at an interview for nurse training so that was another major change. I am now a driving instructor and have been doing this for the past 5 years.

You only have one life so live it! :)
 
I have several times, Moved out of home when I was 16 and spent 2 happy years glass collecting and surfing. Then when I was 18 I moved out to switzerland and started my 6 years of ski seasons and mountain biking in the summer. At 23 I moved back to devon worked as a waitress for a summer and discovered that I was pretty good at photography and started doing family portraits. At the end of that summer I picked up my life again and moved to london to be a live in nanny while building up my photography business. June 2011 I did my first wedding as a photographer and haven't looked back. December 2011 one of my closest friends passed away tragically which made me change things around again and gave me the balls to leave the horrible woman who I worked for find my own place and concentrate solely on my business. From doing that I wound up starting to ride again and had a share with a lovely TB mare who has inspired me to get my own who arrives on wednesday. I could not be happier my business is strong (bookings for 2014 coming in) and I living my life the way I want to live it.
So my advice is if your not happy change it and take a risk. It might go wrong or might go right but surely finding out is much better than being stuck in a rut. It is scary but when you find the place that makes you happy its bloody awesome :)
 
SpottyFalula said:
Sorry if thats a bit vague. Without going into a "woe me" kind of a post, just feeling a bit stuck in a rut at the minute. Decent job, but not turning out like it was supposed too. Only really have the skills and qualifications for what I do so cant change career (if you can call admin/pa a career) Have no money to retrain but just want a change and a job that pays a lot better!

Has anyone ever made a big leap and changed their life against the odds?

Thanks
Click to expand...

OK trying to cut it short for you:

hairdresser maaaany years ago briefly. office/sales/recruitment roles from age of 18-30. many health problems & depressed, wanted to emigrate so went back to college to "re-qualify" as a hairdresser ONLY to get me the skills (during practicals i am quoted as saying "i hate this i have to think of the visa i am doing this only for the visa". i qualified (very quickly) & upped & left everything, my house, my partner of over 7 years, my horse,my job & emigrated within 5 weeks of deciding...

the downside? life was no different abroad, except sunnier, still the same ole chores to do and i was renting a room in someone elses house, paying to ride someone elses horse, working in someone elses salon. the life-change cost me a wonderful partner of over 7 years, it almost cost me my house, it cost me all my savings, and i still have health problems and depression....

the upside? well, i worked in salons over there which i wouldnt have been brave enough to do here, nor could have afforded to, gaining skills i wouldnt have got here (sorry but oz hairdressers are the best *hides quickly*) & got the emigration bug "out of my system"......came back here in feb 2009 worked mobile for a few months & opened a small salon then a few months later opened my modest size hair/beauty salon with a team of 6 which i adore having (www.undercutting.co.uk) bought the house off of my ex, got my horse back off loan very quickly and hey presto, i am now married with a pretty wonderful life.

so......whatever you decide to do, do it. i spent a LONG time when i got back feeling guilty for those i had hurt (who now have great lives & probably dont give me a thought) then i decided to get on with it, fought a recession within all of it, struggled to get my life back to where it was abroad, but i have.

do i regret making the leap? NO.

"it is good to look back but dont stare"

good luck.........x
 
Thanks everyone.

I started as an administrator about 10 years ago and this led me into private prosecution which I loved. I was made redundant in January this year and in a panic got the job I have now. I was promised lots of progression and a promotion within the year (I work for a very good University so never doubted this). This is never going to happen as I dont have any work to do. I think they have made up a job to be honest! I try daily to increase my work etc and my boss is very supportive of me wanting to progress, but if the people I work with dont give me things to do I can sit doing bob all all day. I have just had 2 weeks off, and came back to pretty much nothing today. I am almost 29 and have had a grand total of £3500 worth of payrises since I started work at 18! I like admin/pa but cant see myself doing it forever. Just not sure what to do with myself at the minute.

Cant move from where I live so it has to be near me. My OH would jump at the chance of moving abroad but I cant see that happening either. Good on you brave lot though! xx
 
How old are you?

If you are under 30 you can do working holidays in many countries - I can recomend NZ :).

I did mine over your side of the world when I was 25 (wish I had done it earlier)

I worked in Ireland (just over a year):
Archaeology (Fav job ever)
Racing stable
SJ Stable

London:
College Admin
Horse rides around Hyde park
Gave Lessons just out of London (this and one above just so I could be around horses)

Germany:
Flight simulation /marketing

It was awesome I was guttered when my visas ran out but if I hadn't done the above I wouldn't be where I am now.
 
I sound very similar to you. I'm just leaving my job as practice manager/pa/admin at a vets as I'm bored with no career progression and an awful wage. Having been offered the above role, I am intact just answering the phone. I've negotiated the same wage to go and work on the yard where my horse is! Could be for 6 months, could be more, but I had a 3 month notice period with current job and nobody would take me on. Since handing in my notice I've had 3 job offers, all part time but completely diverse, from photography assistant, to estate agent, to pa to a chiropractor. I do believe if you want to leave admin you do have to take a drop in pay, but I'm so much happier since I handed in my notice!!
 
Good or bad you need to do it, don't be sucked in to spending too much time going to Uni and getting in to debt, but analyse your skills and find a home for them.
PS I ended up with a post grad degre in Intenational Marketing and going to work in a racing stables, after four bad employers. I would have been better doing a racing secretary course, which would have been ideal, but I knew nothing, and careers people have no idea.
PS nursing is a great idea, loads of different careers, some gory bits but lots of flexible working, good pay. Get paid when training. you can get a job anywhere.
 
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I took voluntary redundancy from my laboratory job many years ago and on the spur of the moment decided to take a break with a working holiday visa to Australia. Worked as a polo groom for a year which was a lot of fun, met someone out there and ended up staying for a further 7yrs helping out on farms, with horses and eventually got a 'proper' job in a small horsey related publishing business going advertising design based purely on my horse background, I ended up doing a lot of IT stuff, helping others. However the gloss wore off my Aussie dream and I started to feel homesick so I returned to the UK. Based on my rough IT skills, I took a job as an IT support technician for a small local company. Many years on again and I am now Head of IT in a mid sized co! It can be done - you just have to take a chance. Having a working hol break was the best option for me as it took pressure off me to think about career choices so I just did what I wanted for fun and everything kinda followed on from that! Good luck and go for it
 
I am about to take the plunge from employed work to starting my own business...if that counts as a life change?! Hate, hate, hate my current job, really regret moving to it earlier this year but it has given me the kick up the backside to do what I have always wanted to do - work for myself!
I am still getting everything together and planned, whilst I work full time in this crappy job, that had so much promise when I joined. I will be leaving at the end of the year and have timed everything for then, so not long now.
It will be risky from a financial point of view, but I have a supportive OH and a bit of money to get us by for a few months if we really need.
It is scary, especially in the currentl market but I have been self employed before and have learnt a lot of lessons since then, so feel confident that this time will be a whole lot better.
Sometimes you have to take the plunge in life....you only live once and need to enjoy what you do or there is no point!
 
Yes!

I was a graduated Art student working as a book shop manager on almost minimum wage. (at the time I was earning £10.5k)

I managed to land a job in the food manufacturing industry as a Technical Admin assistant because I had good transferable skills (management of people, admin, organisational etc) a good attitude, and an 'interest' in equine nutrition!

I got a lucky break and was given a chance by a very kind man who was a great boss. I pushed the limits of that job until I was far beyond tech admin, I did as much on the job training as they would give me, got an internal promotion to be a Quality Systems Manager, worked bloody hard and became the company expert on our Quality Systems and auditing.

I then approached one of our Directors asking how I could make the next step and he offered me a further internal promotion to go to one of the sites and be a echnical Manager to gain the experience to fill in the gaps I had. It's hard work, an hour away from where i live, and can be stressful, but I love the challenge, and I love having a company car! I'm now on a £50k plus salary with a LOT of experience under my belt to be able to go on to many may other areas within our company, or another company if i wanted to.

My eventual goal is to set up as a consultant doing what i do now, so I can work part time weeks and charge a premium for it! But i need probably 5 more years experience before I can consider that.

I left my £10.5k job in July 2004. So it has taken me 8 years to increase my salary 5 times over, with NO relevant university qualifications at all!
 
I'm almost a professional thrower up of everything and doing something else. Spent most of my life working out how long it will be until I can change. Got two degrees, most of a masters degree (all in different subjects) and a specialist personal trainer for exercise on referral qualification and thrown everything up and travelled at least twice. With each of these changes I gained stuff, but you also loose stuff when you change - you leave places and grow away from people. Not everyone is happy when you change - I was the only one on my last degree that got to the end with their relationship intact.

There's an old story about the man who travelled the world looking for the tree of happiness and then found it growing in his back garden. The thing that helped me most was learning how to just be where I was, do my best and just let everything be as it when I wasn't in a position to change it.

That doesn't mean I don't think you should change your job if you don't like it, but learning how to be happy in a less than ideal situation is a very valuable thing.

This was the course that I did first: http://franticworld.com/
This is a very good website and course: http://www.getsomeheadspace.com/

Paula

P.S I'm not completely cured - a couple of months ago I went out and bought myself a horse to change my life. But, you know, it gets me exercising in the fresh air so no bad.
 
Yes - when I was younger, I went to my doctor (I was 21) because I could not sleep, I was going crazy, anyway while she did not prescribe sleeping tablets, she did talk to me about my life, and suggested a few changes.

I had made a radical change about 3 years earlier to keep other people happy, and it was not working for me, so I thought about it and changed it all again. Lead to a new career, meeting my OH and I guess having my 3 kids.

I imagine my life will turn upside down again in about 3 years time, and will have to make some big changes (selling our business/moving/maybe separating from OH)
 
I've been trying to break out of the cycle of being a technical consultant for years. I can remember a time for 5 years, until March this year where I was demanding 500 quid a day for my services from major corporates. Alas now, everybody is trying to do everything on the cheap, sooner than doing it right.

So its time for a change. There is 3 months money in the bank & thats got to last. Plus a new horse truck is required as the old one is dead. So Where next? Well, I worked in broadcast for years, so Photo/Video stuff might be a starter - but how the heck to get started? I've had all the kit for a while, but its trying to differentiate yourself from the 'any idiot with a camera' types who are springing up everywhere?

Inspirational ideas welcome...
 
I was living at home with my dad in the countryside, working in a tack shop/grooms jobs, I was saving up for my own horse FINALLY!

I started to feel like I was in a bit of a rut, still living with my dad at 23 years old, didn't really see where my life was going, OH got a job in London so I thought..bugger it I will go too!! Upped and moved to London, now training as a veterinary nurse and have had to give up my plan of buying a horse now! But it was what I needed!
 
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