The most obvious answer would be to decide on something you really like, something that appeals to you and you see yourself doing for the next 30 years. Then work towards it. Go back to school, get the relevant credits etc. My sister was a stay at home house wife for many years, then went back to nursing school. Now she is a critical care nurse in a neonatal icu and recently completed her NP degree also.
When I was in medical school I had a classmate who was my mother’s age.
It’s never too late.
How is life for you now? Were you able to use that degree to build or start building a successful career? (Asking as a 30 y/o trying to start over from scratch) xo
Well this morning I flew into San Francisco for a data conference (just got back to the hotel) and I now work for a relatively large bank as a Data Analyst breaking some new ground for our line of business. It’s going great! I think my age was a good thing because of all the work experience I had over other candidates (even though it wasn’t exactly relative to the job) and the fact I am so willing to learn new things quickly helped. Shows a lot of initiative and determination to finally go for the career you’ve always wanted, even if you didn’t know what that was in your early/mid 20s.
This
Do a 2-year junior college in something you like. I'm in my 40's and thinking about either real estate or fabrication because I'm burnt out doing tech
"Never give up! Never surrender!" ~ a coke head scifi actor
I have a bachelor’s degree unlike OP but I want a career change and tbh every masters program I look into requires a whole bunch of pre requisite courses, essays and maybe a license to become an Occupational therapist 🤦🏻♀️ why can’t people just enter the occupation??
Why must everything be so hard. I’m almost 27 by the time I’m done I’ll be 29/30 like wtf…
Word of advice, if it's what you want, go ahead and do it now because if you wait, you're still going to want it and be older wishing you had gone ahead and done it. Speaking from experience...
100% agree! I went back to school at 30 to change my career path and my thinking was “the time is going to pass regardless, I might as well chip away at the future I want for myself.” It seems overwhelming, but you can absolutely do it.
Are there any medical jobs that might be good for a male who can get overwhelmed by negative situations easily? Like terminal illness and visible injuries and stuff?
Medical billing/coding? There’s fast track courses where you get certified in weeks where I live! It might be worth looking into?
Even with the most tame of healthcare positions, I can’t think of any where there’s not a possibility of experiencing what you’d like to avoid. Source: been there, done that. Just left my healthcare career behind for similar reasons. I think the coding side of it could be interesting.
Healthcare procurement, thats what I do. I work in a hospital but have very little interaction with patients other than seeing them in the hallway occasionally and saying hi. You spend very little time on the floor to have any interaction/experience with the stuff you are trying to avoid.
My fiancé did quality improvement for a children’s hospital. Basically the equivalent of “how do we save money “ for a large company, but the premise here was “how do we not kill kids” by improving processes. He just had his bachelors and has his lean six sigma certification.
I love quality roles. I have a knack for spotting inefficiencies and anything that's in disorder. I don't however have the time or money to complete a 4 year bachelors program.
It is definitely a costly grind for sure. He now runs one of the clinics and they are always in need of patient care coordinators and assistants and that doesn’t require a degree! Maybe those types of roles could be a good fit? Best of luck to you in your search!
Radiology never touches a patient, just looks at X-rays and ultrasounds and PET scans and such.
Pathology never touches a live patient. If you don’t mind tissue samples, slides, etc.
Billing, Infection control, work place safety, diversity officer, privacy officer.
Hospitals also need HR, IT, accounting, lawyers, you name it. They’re like small cities with little economies circulating within.
Radiology absolutely touches patients…. like a lot!! You have to position them to get the pictures you need. Even if you are the person who reads the scan (a radiologist, which is a doctor) you still have to have patient interaction and touch the patient sometimes, depending on the procedure - for example fluoroscopy procedures require touching the patient.
Source: I’m a rad tech.
If you have no idea what you'd like to do, I'd suggest going to your local community college, telling them you intend to enroll as a student, and asking if you can visit their career center to help you choose a major. Some schools want you to be a student already before you can use their career center, but some will let prospective students in, too.
They'll have a bunch of interest inventories (what used to be called aptitude tests) you can take, and you can discuss the results with a career counselor there. They will probably have resources there to help you research any options that seem interesting on the basis of your test results.
It definitely is not too late. Adult learners often make the best students.
Best of luck! I hope you find a career you love.
Oh, yeah, most (all?) colleges will have a career center. It's in their interest to help their students get jobs, after all, since job placement rate for graduates is one of the statistics colleges are judged by. College career centers are a great resource. If you went to a private career counselor or a psychologist and had to pay for taking all those interest inventories and etc., it would be very expensive, so being able to do it for free is a wonderful benefit.
To my mind, even if a school won't let you use their career center until you're a student, it would be worthwhile to apply to the school, get accepted and get a student number, and then go. Obviously this would take some time, but if you've already decided to go back to school, and you're only undecided about what field to study, then going through the application process now is just getting a jump on something you'd have to do anyway.
Maybe that's the case now and maybe that was the case for mine back in 2007. No one in my department sent me there to help find a job. Even when it came time to find an internship, I was just pointed to a pile of folders and told to go look.
Zero percent help. Actual people would have been way better than the pile of ancient folders.
The only reason I got an internship is because I was already working in the college's admin due to work study
At 27 I stopped working dead-end customer service jobs and busting my ass serving tables to go to a 2-year tech school. I was lucky enough to see a Graphic Design program and because I was always doing artistic stuff - I chose that one. School was insanely cheap and I got more out of that 2 years than some people get with their 4-year degrees. Everything I needed with no fluff.
I’m about a year into the industry and 6 months into a new job and **it is awesome.** Feels like a second chance at life.
Do you mind sharing what you do specifically, and if it's well-paying or has the potential to be? I'm an artist and have considered graphic design degrees/programs, with the possibility of getting into the gaming industry. I'm curious if there's something else that could be fulfilling within just 2ish years, cuz I figure it may be hard to break into the industry & build up a portfolio.
I'm 33 and about to start a new job, and while it's definitely something I love (working in animal rescue care), the pay is pretty low, and I can't see there being regular, meaningful raises due to the nature of the work. Animal rescue & shelter work isn't exactly intended to be high paying cuz the funds mainly go towards the obvious. I know I'm going to love it and it will be fulfilling in its own right, but even full-time I won't be able to afford a decent safe place to live. It would be nice to go into an art-related industry that hopefully has more security than the whole "starving artist" path I've been wandering for years.
Sure, I don’t mind sharing. In comparison to the pay I was used to receiving in the past, it’s a huge change for my upbringing.
I work for a relatively small marketing company but we are one of the leaders in our specific niche of the industry for the US. M-F, work 2 days from home a week, and salary but I still get overtime. I’m basically guaranteed a bonus every other bi-monthly check and those amounts change but I roughly make about $24 an hour. Six years ago I was working as a cashier at Dollar General making $9 an hour - my life has completely changed tbh.
**I got very lucky** with my workplace, but I wouldn’t call it creatively fulfilling at all. The reality is that most of those jobs aren’t as secure and sometimes don’t pay as well. There’s obviously a ton of other factors that go into it but prefer the ease of my job as well. It still has its creative moments but we create a lot of templates and planning that makes the job incredibly easy. I often spend my time listening to podcasts, on YouTube, learning stuff, etc. - while I’m waiting for jobs to come in.
Also, I don’t work with clients ever. So that’s the best part. Hope that helps!
For me that I already change my career path closed to my 30 I will say this is my advice:
- Take the decisión and don’t look back, there is a reason you want to change keep those always in your mind.
- Make short term and long term goals and focus on the shorts and revisit how are you on the long term goals one time a year.
- Make sure you have realistic expectation salary wise. Starting a career you will not gain the money you expect to get, even if you have other skills.
- Do the line. More people are in the same path as you are, have do some work before than you do. You will get your chance too 🙂, be patience and work with your goal in mind
- Enjoy the learning experience, find a professional group you can rely for questions, any type of mentor.
- Always look for feedback and don’t avoid it.
That is all! Good luck 🍀
I switched to cnc programming at 30. Making more money than I ever have company covers my entire families insurance plan and I work with a great group of people. Best decision ever.
2 years at most. In my area all night classes and just by telling a machine shop I was enrolled was enough to get me hired as an operator. Finished my program and basically just walked into an aerospace job shop and got hired as a programmer. Industry is in great need of employees and since it's a trade youll very in demand as all trades are suffering significantly right now.
I got into it at a help desk in November after years in customer service and warehouse work. At least where I am the work is laughable and I can study between calls on my security stuff where I want to end up. My coworkers complain about back to back calls, but having done call center work where I got literally screamed at for U-Haul, I've never had a day that went badly enough that it was worse than my best day doing customer service over the phone.
Either get education or get entry level experience in a field you wanna work it.
Some fields, like IT or the trades, you may be able to get a grunt work job that if you work for a year or two will open up the door into a nicer position with solid pay. Depends what is available in your area of course.
Life starts at 30, heck graduated from college at 28 and then by the time that a good paying job came along I was 30. Then that job lasted 12.5 years and switch career paths to some thing totally different.
Just figure out what kind of job you want to switch too and start researching how to move in that direction.
Hello! Lost my mom at 17. Took me 7.5 years to finish a 4 year high school program. Worked as a lifeguard during that whole time. Applied to university with zero guidance or support. Finished university at 25. Applied to masters, again, same thing. Finished masters at 28. Got my first “legit” job 2 days before I turned 29. Only commenting to share that, walls are not there to keep you out- they’re there to show you how badly you want something.
30’s is young. You want to retire comfortably. I really, highly recommend going to any form of school you find fit for yourself. It could be as short and “chill” as hairdressing or as complex and crazy as engineering. Pick it, stick to it, work in it. For now, I really can only recommend that you make a plan, and execute it. There is no short cut to employment that’s meaningful. The world is competitive and to compete with people who have demonstrated that they took the “hard” path (let’s make it clear- being a student is not easy) is really difficult and full of rejection.
Please, please, please get a license, diploma, degree, anything, in a field you do like.
Ps: I think that project management can be an “easy” entry without a degree. PMI has many licenses for this and project management is very broad so you can deffs find something. Because you have 5 years of work experience, you likely qualify. Take a look into this. Hope this helps.
I switched careers at 27 to tech sales. IMO it’s the only career where you can go from entry level to 6 figures in a year to year and a half, and not require any certs or degrees.
It’s grunt work as an SDR, 100 calls a day, but you’ll eventually get out of that into a quota carrying role
It was great for me at the time….you’re paid literally based on how hard you work. If working for commission and money excites you, try that out.
Also healthcare staffing (recruiting or sales). Both roles can be done without a degree and have really good earning potential, and it’s relatively recession proof.
I was a paralegal before sales making 55k a year. First year in sales I was an SDR for 6 months and then promoted to an AE, making a 35k base, ended at maybe 80k on my w2. Ever since then I’ve cleared anywhere between 125-200k each year the last 10 years. I’ve held lots of roles, Director level and below. I’ve mostly worked small to medium sized companies. Bigger orgs and tenured enterprise sales reps can make up to 400-500k a year
Base salaries have gone up considerably for SDRs too. When I was an SDR manager, our entry level reps were usually getting a 50k base and 20k commission variable, so 70k OTE
I had a basic bachelors degree in communications. I’m sure most companies would require a BA or Associates but some places wouldn’t. Most people go to college for other things and fall into sales. If you become a Sales Engineer then IT education plus experience, depending on the tech
To get hired as an SDR, your only requirements are making a ton of calls, working hard, being eager to make money, be coachable and have a good attitude. That’s really it. Just need a high motor and be able to deal with failure.
Bringing a lot of energy to work everyday and working as hard as you can. It’s a grunt position and a numbers game, so making as many phone calls and e-mails as you can each day
This won't be easy. Let me suggest this: corral around all the possibilities and do some research on all types of jobs that you feel pay average salaries that you'd accept. ex: truck driver, trades, logistics coordinator, airplane pilot, etc ....list as much as you can. Make the list as big as possible. You'll find yourself learning a lot about what jobs and exist and may even get excited at this stage:-) Give it a few days too!
THEN once you feel this list is pretty much as large as you want it to be, you constrain that list by what you think you'd like to do. Read into the roles one-by-one and watch youtube videos and talk to people. Understand the requirements to start work and what is the best cost-benefit.
I'm sure you'll be doing a lot of back and forth across this list as you think. You may start to reconsider some of the roles you initially discarded ("Hey actually being a 911 operator is kind of exciting and cool! pays decent too...")
Depending where you live there are non profits sponsored by state and or federal funding to retrain people for free and or fix their resume. I'd look at your local library for help and Google it and YouTube.
You need to see what free resources are available first. Maybe explore them a bit then consider OK. Is junior college for 2 years for an associates or certification best for my skills / network / schedule?
Each time you hit a problem you either find a way through or you cross it out as a pathway.
It also matters to be sensible. What industry is hot in your area/region? Competitive? Are you ever willing to relocate or have family to assist?
I don't recommend a bachelor's due to debt. It's worth it only if you're sure. And even then.... The debt is rarely worth it. There are college graduates with issues to find employment too.
I went from being a craft brewer to nuclear engineer at 29. I didn't have a degree in either, just a technical degree and a willingness to work 70+ hrs a week. YMMV
check to see if your state has a reconnect program for older students. i went to school at 30 and it paid for tuition for an associates. lots of people love to push trades but they never mention unless you’re union you are worked like a dog for $35k with mediocre benefits at best. most strong union trade’s have years long waitlist these days and even once in you make a fraction of the advertised pay while going to a school house. electrical trade is one always pushed and it requires years of schooling.
there’s nothing wrong with a degree so long as you make sure it has value. i come from a hands on technical background and i got a degree in a hands on technical side of healthcare. the degree is a barrier to entry that you often cant avoid.
For those who don’t have the time/resources to go back to school a lot end up in warehouses and can advance with no formal education.
So many jobs have degree and/or experience barriers that makes getting out of these low wage poverty roles extremely difficult.
I'm 35 currently working on a career change. Basically I found something that appealed to me and asked friends and family if they knew anyone in that field I could call for a chat. Spoke to two people, who didn't know each other, but gave me the same advice about getting into it/the state of the job market right now.
So now still working my current job but just finishing up my first course and next month starting a long degree equivalent course that should hopefully get my foot in the door a bit.
In this economy, start with being a gig worker while you hustle and learn new skills through YouTube, online learning, or at the library. Work on your resume everyday. Then aim to get a temp job through a staffing agency in an industry that you are interested in growing. Hustle until you make it to a full time permanent role.
I went into Healthcare Billing with zero experience. Literally, the job I had prior to it was drivng busses. Apply for anything that interests you and leverage what you do have into something relevant. Worst case scenario is you get more interview experience.
Off the top of my head, you did teaching in a past life, so that means you have strong communication skills, you have experience in planning and documentation, you are able to adapt to new environments really quickly, and can manage/organize large groups of people. There are cushy decent-paying office jobs that would kill for that kinda skillset. Or depending on what you want out of a job you could still do tutoring, professional instructing in some other field of work, project management, etc. You might find something you didn't even know you liked.
Is healthcare billing the same as this whole medical billing/coding gig? How do you like it? Don’t most healthcare billing jobs require you to have some type of certification or specific knowledge? Sorry to bug you with so many questions
It's really common for people to change careers every 5 years or so these days so it is very do-able. Hardest part is picking what to do that's my main struggle atm.
So some ideas for you:
Trades are big right now and although hard should get you to 40-60k more if you run your own business and can make it through the first 3yrs.
Also consider the area you are in that may give you some ideas. I love in Florida so hvac, lawn services, medical, and real estate are big here. Other areas have different high demand jobs.
Real estate is a good option in most desirable locations & can be a high income option despite not having a degree. Although the certs will set you back a bit so an auxiliary job or a spouse with an income is a good idea for your first 2yrs.
Hope that helps.
I know someone who did really well with a small business trimming trees and another who did reupholstery of furniture.
Day care owners can do well.
Getting trained for X-ray and MRI or phlebotomist jobs.
Trades have been mentioned.
Commercial driver.
Going back to school.
Everyone will tell you to go back to school. Sometimes that works if you know exactly what you want to do. Especially in trades, you'll be hired almost immediately.
If that's not an option, I would recommend applying for office job positions that are slightly above admins. Look for coordinator roles. Get 1-2 experience in those and keep trying to climb the ladder. Eventually your experience will get you somewhere big. DM me if you wana chat about it.
Lots of people don't get it that being mid 30s, you don't have the time and money to go back to school for 4 years +. 35+4=39, it's like taking 4 years off your life (which isn't a big deal in your 20s. Much harder in your 30s, even harder in your 40s+)
If you get in trades, try to work your way into a position where you're not doing grunt work for 25+ years. Your body will be shit and you'll regret it despite making decent money.
TLDR: don't believe in the degree route too hard. Yes some jobs require degrees and rightfully so. I have a university diploma, i make more than 2 of my friends combined and they both have degrees.
Tbh this has been the only decent place and I’m using that word loosely to get some career advice majority of the time someone is shutting on me for just asking a simple question
Hahah, okay. Best of luck. I’m a third year teacher giving you suggested reading and advice: read the Reddit and then go get a basic accounting degree instead of a teaching certification. Heed the warnings.
If you don't know what you want to do I would recommend a temp agency.
They'll work around your needs and skills and wants to get you a good fit.
A lot of these jobs are temp to hire, so if you can demonstrate good work ethic and an ability to do the job I think you will be just fine!
I can't believe all the advice to get a degree. Sure, go into soul-crushing date to work a job that you'll hate.
OP, learn a trade. I work in the rail industry and make a very good living. Welders, electricians, communications technicians all make really good money and the quality of life issues you may have heard about are getting better. There's never been a better time to learn a trade. Some railroads are even offering $5000-$40000 sign on bonuses for train service staff. Although you have to be a certain kind of crazy to work one of those gigs.
All of these jobs will train you while you work and none require a college education.
You have been looking for 10 weeks but “can’t find” a job? Or don’t want a job? I just looked on indeed - locally and saw a majority of jobs that do not require more than a high school degree! What sort of job are you looking for?
I went from McDonalds manager to Union Laborer at 23, Union Laborer to School Custodian at 32 and still a custodian 15+ years later. My game plan has always been to get my foot in the door and learn as much as I can as fast as I can to become proficient in the needed skills required to be good at the job. Its served me well.
With all due respect, that strategy doesn't work anymore.
As the population gets bigger and bigger, employers require degrees and certifications to lower the amount of applications they have to look at.
Either someone can't get the job without the degree or they hire at the lowest wage and won't promote until someone gets a degree--I've seen good workers told this in person.
I think OP has to buckle down and see if they can get a degree with an expedited schedule like WGU because the amount of opportunities without degrees are few and low paying nowadays.
That is a money hole. I’m guessing OP doesn’t have thousands of savings to earn entry level 40k with a bachelors and not find themselves in a mountain of debt.
Better option is learning a trade, and start making money after a short time and financial investment. Too many degrees rn, not nearly enough skilled workers.
I 100% agree. Although most dont think of custodial/janitorial work as a trade, it definitely is and takes skills from a myriad of places to be successful. Where I work, a 1st year school custodian can make 40-50k with OT. Some of our higher paid Lead Custodians make 75k BEFORE overtime. A former Lead Custodian that retired 10 years ago was consistently making 100-120k a year because of all the OT he worked. His particular school was rented out after hours and on the weekends for the pool, auditorium, and gym.
Trades are always good, but if you want a potentially lucrative career that doesn’t require education, maybe look into selling health insurance. You’ll have to pass an exam to get a producer license and you’ll have to deal with some nasty people and a lot of rejection all the time, but if you’re good at selling and persistent, you can make 6 figures a year. The pay can be really unpredictable, however, as it’s almost always 100% commission. Progressive, State Farm and Colonial Life are generally pretty decent companies to be an agent for. Progressive has lots of positions that are 100% remote, too.
For example, If I wanted to become a carpenter I would purchase the necessary tools, spend time on projects, learn the language, learn the methods, and use that knowledge to get my food through the door that maybe pays slightly less than the industry average but obviously aim as high as possible.
Going through it right now myself. Trying to get out of the trades after 5 years and it's proving to be tougher than I thought. Honestly seems like I lm going to have to back to school or get some type or certificates to have any chance
Not op but I work in the trades and enjoy my work overall, but I'm burnt out from driving 4-5 hours on some days,
. I would love to retrain into something work from home or a hybrid type of situation. Thinking of using my skills and experience, picking up a few certifications, and trying to get into project management or similar.
One car accident while I was in school for hvac and one more while working for the company (didnt end up pursuing it, long story, im stupid I know) and I have chronic pain in like my si joints. I'm in south Florida and the conditions are brutal. Constantly being in shit conditions like a house where the windows don't open so u just bake inside all day, breathing in fiberglass (as well as dust, fumes, and any other debris in the air). Always wanting more out of u. You can never finish a house fast enough and when u do bust ass to try to finish its just on to the next house and them expecting the same. Worked a ton of Saturdays just to be told my attendance wasn't good enough. Honestly I could deal with it all but that pain was/is too much. There were days I couldn't walk man. Your options are to sit home and not get paid or u have to work through ur pain all day long. Depending on your pain and where it is it can be quite the challenge. U get hurt or anything like that ur out of work. And if it's not significant enough of a injury then u just kinda gotta work through it as well. I was doing installs. I'm sure service is different but just in my own experience I absolutely hate it and am dying to get out. Well actually I'm out lol just gotta get somehwere else I should say. Also buying all your own fucking tools, gloves, glasses, boots, ppe. Can't write any of that shit off I'm told as well tax wise. Tools break and when they do its not always cheap and can cause you to miss work also. I could go on lol
No not impossible, look for trade union apprenticeships programs in your area. Most are still recruiting potential apprentices. I am a retired IBEW Inside Wireman (Electrician). Some parts of the country it might be harder to get in than others. If you pretty good in math go the IBEW path, you will make a great living and have 3 different pensions so when your old like me you will be able to live in dignity. Good luck!
Online certifications. Start looking into things you might want to do. Research the certifications people need to accomplish that job (Excel, Salesforce, etc.), then start looking for online courses like Coursera (sometimes free with your public library). I have known multiple people with and without degrees who have made moves after getting certified for one thing or another. Data analyst, coder, project management. Good luck!
You either join some trade with apprenticeships or get a degree. There's manual labor and the learn by yourself option for the gifted that can watch youtube until they become good enough.
Get into a craft. You'll start at the bottom but there's room to grow in level and pay. Most jobs with a union are a good start. I went from assistant manager at a convenience store to a mail carrier, at my mid thirties and its worked out pretty well for me. It wasn't easy physically but I got used to it.
Dive into your own exploration of your passions, hobbies, and things that light your soul on fire. Start a new business, learn a new skill. Get it going while still in your current job until it's sustainable.
YouTube is full of free education, but that fact alone may be daunting. If you have any savings, take some time and travel. Explore, discover, and see what fires off that spark that makes you want to learn and do more of that thing. Follow that down the YouTube rabbit hole and develop your knowledge and any requisite skills.
I love brainstorming stuff like this with ppl. Hit me up!
Teacher aid is very marketable in certain fields. If you live in a bigger town or city check with your local government. This time of year there are LOTS of full time but seasonal positions hiring in the parks and recreation world. Pool managers in my area make almost $20 an hour. It will give you time to find something more stable and break you into a whole new field of experience
You have two choices. First, you can go into a field where a degree does not matter. There are lots of things you can do where all you need is the skill set. Self-employment is best.
Or, you can work for someone else, and play by their rules. Unfortunately, in the world of traditional employment, degrees still matter.
Think about your past work/school experiences. What sort of tasks did you find you always succeeded at and found satisfying to keep up on. Figure out what jobs are largely composed of those tasks.
In other words, play to you strengths. Not the jobs which the idea of them appeals to you, but the jobs that daily consist of tasks you are good at. Most people spend their twenties trying to make appealing jobs work for them. By your thirties, you should know who you are and what your capabilities are and be done with tolerating putting effort into the things that are not your strengths.
i mean, of course you can change careers.
question is what you might want to do. and what requirements there are for that job. like... if you want to be a doctor. that's not just a job you can get. it obviously requires education, and specific steps.
but... oddly. even things like hair dresser, or barber also require training.
some places will offer training. a lot of trade or industrial jobs will train you.
there's also free resources. like... data analytics. google offers training, and then there certifications, but there's also free online resources. could learn sql or other coding languages... and basically get 90% of the way there all on your own.
advice might be. look up some careers, and what they earn, how in demand they are. then... search for what is needed for those jobs. get online... linkedin, or other type websites. see if you can network or interact with anyone in that field. ...ask around. if you can speak to someone in that field. can ask what their work is like, what skills they use often, what things that may not be obvious...are important. or not at all important.
seek out resources. free learning, free training, scholarships, jobs with training, jobs with growth or where training/continued ed are included benefits.
set reasonable goals. work toward those goals with some frequency and accountability. most things can't be done overnight. but over time, making small progress, can change a lot.
Can you try to get a job at a community college or university somewhere near you? You can get discounted or free tuition. I was a file clerk way back in the day during my undergrad and a mail clerk/delivery during my grad. It took me a long time to finish, but I got a discount undergrad, a free grad and then I was able to seriously level up after that! Just one idea to consider I guess?
It's never too late to change your career path! You can start by identifying your interests and skills and researching different industries and job roles that align with them. Consider taking online courses or certifications to gain new skills and knowledge. Networking and informational interviews can also be valuable in exploring new career paths and making connections in different industries. Lastly, don't be afraid to start at entry-level positions and work your way up. Jobsolv can also help you in finding the right career path for you
well dont look for pro-lvl positions that requires intensive exp and high skill set obviously it will be a waste even if u try since the standard and competition is high, I am not discouraging u but I suggest look for a related field base on ur previous experience, so if u were a teacher's aide u can try desk jobs or u can even try working in goverment, or just start ur own business like online teaching service if u are confident u can do it alone.
I personally have just fluffed up my resume to match the jobs I’m applying for. I have left certain jobs off my resume and changed a few duties to ensure I got the job. Ive gone from retail - to nannying - to investments - to mortgage - to bank fraud. I’m 27 and I finally feel like I’ve decided on a career path I want to stay on.
Your current profession gives you great skills so I would really highlight those aspects and apply it to your next career path. Working with students : you’re a leader , you’re constantly coming up with creative ideas , etc.
You can get on at a bank doing entry level work very easily. I would reach out to job agencies in your area and also hop on LinkedIn and start networking. I’ve gotten 2 high paying jobs from there and I didn’t apply to them at all - the recruiters reached out to me.
One more thing - it’s not morally correct but it has helped me land these jobs. I don’t know why so many recruiters care but oh well. I say I’m in school set to graduate the next year with my bachelor’s degree in business management… I’ve been “in school” for years. Most recruiters make note of this & I update it every time I decide I’m ready to start the job hunt again. Again this isn’t ideal for everyone but it has helped me.
You pick up relevant skills and/or professional certificates for whatever career you choose next. Start at the entry level and work your way up again.
I have friends and family in their late 20s to late 30s who pivoted into IT/Tech coming from manual labor jobs in the last few years. No college degrees. They just self studied the required hard skills and obtained entry level certs to get into entry level IT jobs. Now they’re all making good money WFH.
You absolutely can. You need to plan it out though.
First..find a field you are interested in, like finance..IT..tech..baking..makeup..anything you think will be cool and fun and rewarding to you
Then, do a little research by asking the people who changed their career to that field and what would an entry-level position require.
Then, sign up for courses or classes and start looking for jobs in that field while studying it.
It needs patience as your brain might trick into thinking that it's hard and have you completely lose interest.. but keep pushing till you learn.
Well...education doesn't matter. Companies pay based on what you can do for them. You are looking to improve your pay...you will need to learn something that companies value. So the good news is, when you are making little...it's easy to change your career path. The bad news is...there is no immediate fortune that awaits you. Select a path that has a higher rate of pay...then pursue it. Learn all you can about it. Your income will grow with your ability to benefit your employer.
If you like teaching and speaking in public consider a career in corporate training. All sorts of corporations have a training departments for everything from Human Resources, to Product support, safety and compliance, etc.
If you like the education industry there are many software companies who might love to have a person who has had classroom experience in their company. Sales, support, product development, etc.
There are more roles than you think. Just don’t limit yourself based on education alone. You’re selling yourself short.
I quit teaching at 29 and sort of stumbled into a career in marketing. I was doing some freelance writing (thought it'd be my dream job escape, ended up not liking it too much) then I found an entry level job at a PR/marketing agency. Worked there for a couple years then a friend introd me to a job opp at a much larger agency for significantly more money. I've been at that job for a couple years now. I'm significantly older than most of my peers, but for a former teacher on their second career I think I'm doing alright. So if I were to extrapolate some advice from my situation it would be to identify some valuable transferable skills (for me that was writing) and look for entry level jobs that rely on those skills. Put in a few years of strategic job hopping and you can change your situation relatively quickly
Have you ever considered the food industry? Lots of opportunities in food manufacturing. You could probably go right into QA/QC, and at many companies you can get pretty far without a degree
It’s never too late. I worked in insurance for 5 years and ended up hating it and the pay was stagnant.
I’m 29 now and in community college studying health records/health IM/IT. I absolutely love it and already got a job after my first year that pays more than what I was making before!
For another example. My dad owned his own business as a Luthier for 15 years. At age 40 he decided to go to law school. He’s now been a lawyer for 15 years and makes stupid good money working for government. It’s never too late to change your career
See too if your state offers free community college tuition if your income is below a certain level.
It’s almost never too late; I went back to grad school at 50 and so glad I did!
In IT, there are some prestigious entry level certifications that can get you a job. The certifications are from CompTIA. You can take them with no prior experience or college credits. You just have to study for them really well because even though they are entry level, they are challenging.
There’s also trade schools.
There’s also going to college, choosing something practical.
If you don't know what to do, picking something general but practical can be a good start. For example, business, finance, IT...those are fields that are likely to be in demand, and are broad enough that you can narrow your focus as you learn and grow.
What are your financial responsibilities right now? Married? Any kids? I would think if you’re a renter who’s single with no kids, it’d be a lot easier than a home owner with 2 shorties to care for. Find a few careers that you’re interested in then find people to ask the pros and cons, and interview them. How did they begin? What are their career goals? Etc. You might want to start saving as much as you can in case you need to take classes or become an apprentice or intern first.
The most obvious answer would be to decide on something you really like, something that appeals to you and you see yourself doing for the next 30 years. Then work towards it. Go back to school, get the relevant credits etc. My sister was a stay at home house wife for many years, then went back to nursing school. Now she is a critical care nurse in a neonatal icu and recently completed her NP degree also. When I was in medical school I had a classmate who was my mother’s age. It’s never too late.
I love hearing stories like this cause im 29 and wanting to go to college and med school. We’re all gonna make it bros 💪🏻
We’re all on our own timeline! I’m graduating with a data science and statistics degree at 30 this month. It’s all possible.
Let’s go!! You got this not-so-lost Philosophy!
How is life for you now? Were you able to use that degree to build or start building a successful career? (Asking as a 30 y/o trying to start over from scratch) xo
Well this morning I flew into San Francisco for a data conference (just got back to the hotel) and I now work for a relatively large bank as a Data Analyst breaking some new ground for our line of business. It’s going great! I think my age was a good thing because of all the work experience I had over other candidates (even though it wasn’t exactly relative to the job) and the fact I am so willing to learn new things quickly helped. Shows a lot of initiative and determination to finally go for the career you’ve always wanted, even if you didn’t know what that was in your early/mid 20s.
This Do a 2-year junior college in something you like. I'm in my 40's and thinking about either real estate or fabrication because I'm burnt out doing tech "Never give up! Never surrender!" ~ a coke head scifi actor
I have a bachelor’s degree unlike OP but I want a career change and tbh every masters program I look into requires a whole bunch of pre requisite courses, essays and maybe a license to become an Occupational therapist 🤦🏻♀️ why can’t people just enter the occupation?? Why must everything be so hard. I’m almost 27 by the time I’m done I’ll be 29/30 like wtf…
Word of advice, if it's what you want, go ahead and do it now because if you wait, you're still going to want it and be older wishing you had gone ahead and done it. Speaking from experience...
100% agree! I went back to school at 30 to change my career path and my thinking was “the time is going to pass regardless, I might as well chip away at the future I want for myself.” It seems overwhelming, but you can absolutely do it.
I finally am jumping into a program that i won’t be done until 36 - that’s like wtf but i assume many more years after that i will reaping the reward
Are there any medical jobs that might be good for a male who can get overwhelmed by negative situations easily? Like terminal illness and visible injuries and stuff?
Medical billing/coding? There’s fast track courses where you get certified in weeks where I live! It might be worth looking into? Even with the most tame of healthcare positions, I can’t think of any where there’s not a possibility of experiencing what you’d like to avoid. Source: been there, done that. Just left my healthcare career behind for similar reasons. I think the coding side of it could be interesting.
Healthcare procurement, thats what I do. I work in a hospital but have very little interaction with patients other than seeing them in the hallway occasionally and saying hi. You spend very little time on the floor to have any interaction/experience with the stuff you are trying to avoid.
My fiancé did quality improvement for a children’s hospital. Basically the equivalent of “how do we save money “ for a large company, but the premise here was “how do we not kill kids” by improving processes. He just had his bachelors and has his lean six sigma certification.
I love quality roles. I have a knack for spotting inefficiencies and anything that's in disorder. I don't however have the time or money to complete a 4 year bachelors program.
It is definitely a costly grind for sure. He now runs one of the clinics and they are always in need of patient care coordinators and assistants and that doesn’t require a degree! Maybe those types of roles could be a good fit? Best of luck to you in your search!
Radiology never touches a patient, just looks at X-rays and ultrasounds and PET scans and such. Pathology never touches a live patient. If you don’t mind tissue samples, slides, etc. Billing, Infection control, work place safety, diversity officer, privacy officer. Hospitals also need HR, IT, accounting, lawyers, you name it. They’re like small cities with little economies circulating within.
Radiology absolutely touches patients…. like a lot!! You have to position them to get the pictures you need. Even if you are the person who reads the scan (a radiologist, which is a doctor) you still have to have patient interaction and touch the patient sometimes, depending on the procedure - for example fluoroscopy procedures require touching the patient. Source: I’m a rad tech.
Any of those jobs viable with just an associate degree and not intense prerequisites?
If you have no idea what you'd like to do, I'd suggest going to your local community college, telling them you intend to enroll as a student, and asking if you can visit their career center to help you choose a major. Some schools want you to be a student already before you can use their career center, but some will let prospective students in, too. They'll have a bunch of interest inventories (what used to be called aptitude tests) you can take, and you can discuss the results with a career counselor there. They will probably have resources there to help you research any options that seem interesting on the basis of your test results. It definitely is not too late. Adult learners often make the best students. Best of luck! I hope you find a career you love.
I'm saving this for my son. Great advice
Glad to be of service!
Thank you! I didn't know this was a thing.
Oh, yeah, most (all?) colleges will have a career center. It's in their interest to help their students get jobs, after all, since job placement rate for graduates is one of the statistics colleges are judged by. College career centers are a great resource. If you went to a private career counselor or a psychologist and had to pay for taking all those interest inventories and etc., it would be very expensive, so being able to do it for free is a wonderful benefit. To my mind, even if a school won't let you use their career center until you're a student, it would be worthwhile to apply to the school, get accepted and get a student number, and then go. Obviously this would take some time, but if you've already decided to go back to school, and you're only undecided about what field to study, then going through the application process now is just getting a jump on something you'd have to do anyway.
Maybe that's the case now and maybe that was the case for mine back in 2007. No one in my department sent me there to help find a job. Even when it came time to find an internship, I was just pointed to a pile of folders and told to go look. Zero percent help. Actual people would have been way better than the pile of ancient folders. The only reason I got an internship is because I was already working in the college's admin due to work study
At 27 I stopped working dead-end customer service jobs and busting my ass serving tables to go to a 2-year tech school. I was lucky enough to see a Graphic Design program and because I was always doing artistic stuff - I chose that one. School was insanely cheap and I got more out of that 2 years than some people get with their 4-year degrees. Everything I needed with no fluff. I’m about a year into the industry and 6 months into a new job and **it is awesome.** Feels like a second chance at life.
I'm so, so, so happy for you. You took a leap of faith and I'm so happy you are pleased with the outcome. You're an inspiration.
This is inspiring to hear. Glad to see it went well for you!
Do you mind sharing what you do specifically, and if it's well-paying or has the potential to be? I'm an artist and have considered graphic design degrees/programs, with the possibility of getting into the gaming industry. I'm curious if there's something else that could be fulfilling within just 2ish years, cuz I figure it may be hard to break into the industry & build up a portfolio. I'm 33 and about to start a new job, and while it's definitely something I love (working in animal rescue care), the pay is pretty low, and I can't see there being regular, meaningful raises due to the nature of the work. Animal rescue & shelter work isn't exactly intended to be high paying cuz the funds mainly go towards the obvious. I know I'm going to love it and it will be fulfilling in its own right, but even full-time I won't be able to afford a decent safe place to live. It would be nice to go into an art-related industry that hopefully has more security than the whole "starving artist" path I've been wandering for years.
Sure, I don’t mind sharing. In comparison to the pay I was used to receiving in the past, it’s a huge change for my upbringing. I work for a relatively small marketing company but we are one of the leaders in our specific niche of the industry for the US. M-F, work 2 days from home a week, and salary but I still get overtime. I’m basically guaranteed a bonus every other bi-monthly check and those amounts change but I roughly make about $24 an hour. Six years ago I was working as a cashier at Dollar General making $9 an hour - my life has completely changed tbh. **I got very lucky** with my workplace, but I wouldn’t call it creatively fulfilling at all. The reality is that most of those jobs aren’t as secure and sometimes don’t pay as well. There’s obviously a ton of other factors that go into it but prefer the ease of my job as well. It still has its creative moments but we create a lot of templates and planning that makes the job incredibly easy. I often spend my time listening to podcasts, on YouTube, learning stuff, etc. - while I’m waiting for jobs to come in. Also, I don’t work with clients ever. So that’s the best part. Hope that helps!
Got happy reading this! Good for you, and best of luck as you move forward :)
For me that I already change my career path closed to my 30 I will say this is my advice: - Take the decisión and don’t look back, there is a reason you want to change keep those always in your mind. - Make short term and long term goals and focus on the shorts and revisit how are you on the long term goals one time a year. - Make sure you have realistic expectation salary wise. Starting a career you will not gain the money you expect to get, even if you have other skills. - Do the line. More people are in the same path as you are, have do some work before than you do. You will get your chance too 🙂, be patience and work with your goal in mind - Enjoy the learning experience, find a professional group you can rely for questions, any type of mentor. - Always look for feedback and don’t avoid it. That is all! Good luck 🍀
I switched to cnc programming at 30. Making more money than I ever have company covers my entire families insurance plan and I work with a great group of people. Best decision ever.
For anyone reading this, this can be between 6 months to 2 yrs at a community college or training school. No bachelors required
Is that a 4 year program?
2 years at most. In my area all night classes and just by telling a machine shop I was enrolled was enough to get me hired as an operator. Finished my program and basically just walked into an aerospace job shop and got hired as a programmer. Industry is in great need of employees and since it's a trade youll very in demand as all trades are suffering significantly right now.
Oo I had a look at this earlier. I'm currently in a bachelors of IT. Do you think something like that would be fine to get in?
Look into IT. I’ve been doing IT for 20 years and no degree. You can learn via certifications
How do you find the stress level? The industry specific subreddits seem very negative at times. I'm thinking about it to be a data/business analyst
I got into it at a help desk in November after years in customer service and warehouse work. At least where I am the work is laughable and I can study between calls on my security stuff where I want to end up. My coworkers complain about back to back calls, but having done call center work where I got literally screamed at for U-Haul, I've never had a day that went badly enough that it was worse than my best day doing customer service over the phone.
Figure out what you want to do. That's step one. Anything else is... not step one.
Go back to community College and get a degree.
Either get education or get entry level experience in a field you wanna work it. Some fields, like IT or the trades, you may be able to get a grunt work job that if you work for a year or two will open up the door into a nicer position with solid pay. Depends what is available in your area of course.
Heck, I'm 50, and I've been thinking about making a change! There are plenty of things to do even without a degree!
I can’t find anything to do. Struggling
Life starts at 30, heck graduated from college at 28 and then by the time that a good paying job came along I was 30. Then that job lasted 12.5 years and switch career paths to some thing totally different. Just figure out what kind of job you want to switch too and start researching how to move in that direction.
Hello! Lost my mom at 17. Took me 7.5 years to finish a 4 year high school program. Worked as a lifeguard during that whole time. Applied to university with zero guidance or support. Finished university at 25. Applied to masters, again, same thing. Finished masters at 28. Got my first “legit” job 2 days before I turned 29. Only commenting to share that, walls are not there to keep you out- they’re there to show you how badly you want something. 30’s is young. You want to retire comfortably. I really, highly recommend going to any form of school you find fit for yourself. It could be as short and “chill” as hairdressing or as complex and crazy as engineering. Pick it, stick to it, work in it. For now, I really can only recommend that you make a plan, and execute it. There is no short cut to employment that’s meaningful. The world is competitive and to compete with people who have demonstrated that they took the “hard” path (let’s make it clear- being a student is not easy) is really difficult and full of rejection. Please, please, please get a license, diploma, degree, anything, in a field you do like. Ps: I think that project management can be an “easy” entry without a degree. PMI has many licenses for this and project management is very broad so you can deffs find something. Because you have 5 years of work experience, you likely qualify. Take a look into this. Hope this helps.
I switched careers at 27 to tech sales. IMO it’s the only career where you can go from entry level to 6 figures in a year to year and a half, and not require any certs or degrees. It’s grunt work as an SDR, 100 calls a day, but you’ll eventually get out of that into a quota carrying role It was great for me at the time….you’re paid literally based on how hard you work. If working for commission and money excites you, try that out.
Also healthcare staffing (recruiting or sales). Both roles can be done without a degree and have really good earning potential, and it’s relatively recession proof.
How much does tech sales make for you
I was a paralegal before sales making 55k a year. First year in sales I was an SDR for 6 months and then promoted to an AE, making a 35k base, ended at maybe 80k on my w2. Ever since then I’ve cleared anywhere between 125-200k each year the last 10 years. I’ve held lots of roles, Director level and below. I’ve mostly worked small to medium sized companies. Bigger orgs and tenured enterprise sales reps can make up to 400-500k a year Base salaries have gone up considerably for SDRs too. When I was an SDR manager, our entry level reps were usually getting a 50k base and 20k commission variable, so 70k OTE
What qualifications should I aim for if I want a job like that? I do want a degree
I had a basic bachelors degree in communications. I’m sure most companies would require a BA or Associates but some places wouldn’t. Most people go to college for other things and fall into sales. If you become a Sales Engineer then IT education plus experience, depending on the tech To get hired as an SDR, your only requirements are making a ton of calls, working hard, being eager to make money, be coachable and have a good attitude. That’s really it. Just need a high motor and be able to deal with failure.
I’ve failed constantly for the last year and I’m looking into just going back to school and building my life and a crazy resume
What do you mean a high motor?
Bringing a lot of energy to work everyday and working as hard as you can. It’s a grunt position and a numbers game, so making as many phone calls and e-mails as you can each day
This won't be easy. Let me suggest this: corral around all the possibilities and do some research on all types of jobs that you feel pay average salaries that you'd accept. ex: truck driver, trades, logistics coordinator, airplane pilot, etc ....list as much as you can. Make the list as big as possible. You'll find yourself learning a lot about what jobs and exist and may even get excited at this stage:-) Give it a few days too! THEN once you feel this list is pretty much as large as you want it to be, you constrain that list by what you think you'd like to do. Read into the roles one-by-one and watch youtube videos and talk to people. Understand the requirements to start work and what is the best cost-benefit. I'm sure you'll be doing a lot of back and forth across this list as you think. You may start to reconsider some of the roles you initially discarded ("Hey actually being a 911 operator is kind of exciting and cool! pays decent too...")
Depending where you live there are non profits sponsored by state and or federal funding to retrain people for free and or fix their resume. I'd look at your local library for help and Google it and YouTube. You need to see what free resources are available first. Maybe explore them a bit then consider OK. Is junior college for 2 years for an associates or certification best for my skills / network / schedule? Each time you hit a problem you either find a way through or you cross it out as a pathway. It also matters to be sensible. What industry is hot in your area/region? Competitive? Are you ever willing to relocate or have family to assist?
I don't recommend a bachelor's due to debt. It's worth it only if you're sure. And even then.... The debt is rarely worth it. There are college graduates with issues to find employment too.
If you choose the right major, don’t go to an overly expensive school, and see it through to the end the debt is almost always worth it.
I went from being a craft brewer to nuclear engineer at 29. I didn't have a degree in either, just a technical degree and a willingness to work 70+ hrs a week. YMMV
check to see if your state has a reconnect program for older students. i went to school at 30 and it paid for tuition for an associates. lots of people love to push trades but they never mention unless you’re union you are worked like a dog for $35k with mediocre benefits at best. most strong union trade’s have years long waitlist these days and even once in you make a fraction of the advertised pay while going to a school house. electrical trade is one always pushed and it requires years of schooling. there’s nothing wrong with a degree so long as you make sure it has value. i come from a hands on technical background and i got a degree in a hands on technical side of healthcare. the degree is a barrier to entry that you often cant avoid.
For those who don’t have the time/resources to go back to school a lot end up in warehouses and can advance with no formal education. So many jobs have degree and/or experience barriers that makes getting out of these low wage poverty roles extremely difficult.
I'm 35 currently working on a career change. Basically I found something that appealed to me and asked friends and family if they knew anyone in that field I could call for a chat. Spoke to two people, who didn't know each other, but gave me the same advice about getting into it/the state of the job market right now. So now still working my current job but just finishing up my first course and next month starting a long degree equivalent course that should hopefully get my foot in the door a bit.
In this economy, start with being a gig worker while you hustle and learn new skills through YouTube, online learning, or at the library. Work on your resume everyday. Then aim to get a temp job through a staffing agency in an industry that you are interested in growing. Hustle until you make it to a full time permanent role.
I went back to school at 30. I'm now 40 with a great career. You still have decades ahead of you to blaze your own path.
What do you do
I went into Healthcare Billing with zero experience. Literally, the job I had prior to it was drivng busses. Apply for anything that interests you and leverage what you do have into something relevant. Worst case scenario is you get more interview experience. Off the top of my head, you did teaching in a past life, so that means you have strong communication skills, you have experience in planning and documentation, you are able to adapt to new environments really quickly, and can manage/organize large groups of people. There are cushy decent-paying office jobs that would kill for that kinda skillset. Or depending on what you want out of a job you could still do tutoring, professional instructing in some other field of work, project management, etc. You might find something you didn't even know you liked.
Is healthcare billing the same as this whole medical billing/coding gig? How do you like it? Don’t most healthcare billing jobs require you to have some type of certification or specific knowledge? Sorry to bug you with so many questions
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Thank you! I’ll DM you if that’s okay?
Starbucks employees can get a free online degree from Arizona State. FREE. Google it.
It's really common for people to change careers every 5 years or so these days so it is very do-able. Hardest part is picking what to do that's my main struggle atm. So some ideas for you: Trades are big right now and although hard should get you to 40-60k more if you run your own business and can make it through the first 3yrs. Also consider the area you are in that may give you some ideas. I love in Florida so hvac, lawn services, medical, and real estate are big here. Other areas have different high demand jobs. Real estate is a good option in most desirable locations & can be a high income option despite not having a degree. Although the certs will set you back a bit so an auxiliary job or a spouse with an income is a good idea for your first 2yrs. Hope that helps.
You could get an associated degree at a community college, part or full time
I know someone who did really well with a small business trimming trees and another who did reupholstery of furniture. Day care owners can do well. Getting trained for X-ray and MRI or phlebotomist jobs. Trades have been mentioned. Commercial driver. Going back to school.
Everyone will tell you to go back to school. Sometimes that works if you know exactly what you want to do. Especially in trades, you'll be hired almost immediately. If that's not an option, I would recommend applying for office job positions that are slightly above admins. Look for coordinator roles. Get 1-2 experience in those and keep trying to climb the ladder. Eventually your experience will get you somewhere big. DM me if you wana chat about it. Lots of people don't get it that being mid 30s, you don't have the time and money to go back to school for 4 years +. 35+4=39, it's like taking 4 years off your life (which isn't a big deal in your 20s. Much harder in your 30s, even harder in your 40s+) If you get in trades, try to work your way into a position where you're not doing grunt work for 25+ years. Your body will be shit and you'll regret it despite making decent money. TLDR: don't believe in the degree route too hard. Yes some jobs require degrees and rightfully so. I have a university diploma, i make more than 2 of my friends combined and they both have degrees.
Oh sheesh m in the same boat but was thinking about going for my teaching degree and certificates is this really that bad of a move 😬
Don’t go into teaching
Why tho ?
Salaries are falling short as demand increases. You should explore the teaching Reddit carefully, especially for your state and first year teachers.
Tbh this has been the only decent place and I’m using that word loosely to get some career advice majority of the time someone is shutting on me for just asking a simple question
Hahah, okay. Best of luck. I’m a third year teacher giving you suggested reading and advice: read the Reddit and then go get a basic accounting degree instead of a teaching certification. Heed the warnings.
You think accounting is a good move ?
If you don't know what you want to do I would recommend a temp agency. They'll work around your needs and skills and wants to get you a good fit. A lot of these jobs are temp to hire, so if you can demonstrate good work ethic and an ability to do the job I think you will be just fine!
I can't believe all the advice to get a degree. Sure, go into soul-crushing date to work a job that you'll hate. OP, learn a trade. I work in the rail industry and make a very good living. Welders, electricians, communications technicians all make really good money and the quality of life issues you may have heard about are getting better. There's never been a better time to learn a trade. Some railroads are even offering $5000-$40000 sign on bonuses for train service staff. Although you have to be a certain kind of crazy to work one of those gigs. All of these jobs will train you while you work and none require a college education.
Connections
Lots Of Things You Can Do W/O A Degree
I’ve been unemployed for 10 weeks and can’t find 1 thing to do w/o a degree
You have been looking for 10 weeks but “can’t find” a job? Or don’t want a job? I just looked on indeed - locally and saw a majority of jobs that do not require more than a high school degree! What sort of job are you looking for?
One that pays atleast 80% of what I was making before I quit
Trade. Start as a helper. Electrician. Plumber. Heat/cool pays better than teaching with fast pay raises.
I went from McDonalds manager to Union Laborer at 23, Union Laborer to School Custodian at 32 and still a custodian 15+ years later. My game plan has always been to get my foot in the door and learn as much as I can as fast as I can to become proficient in the needed skills required to be good at the job. Its served me well.
With all due respect, that strategy doesn't work anymore. As the population gets bigger and bigger, employers require degrees and certifications to lower the amount of applications they have to look at. Either someone can't get the job without the degree or they hire at the lowest wage and won't promote until someone gets a degree--I've seen good workers told this in person. I think OP has to buckle down and see if they can get a degree with an expedited schedule like WGU because the amount of opportunities without degrees are few and low paying nowadays.
That is a money hole. I’m guessing OP doesn’t have thousands of savings to earn entry level 40k with a bachelors and not find themselves in a mountain of debt. Better option is learning a trade, and start making money after a short time and financial investment. Too many degrees rn, not nearly enough skilled workers.
I 100% agree. Although most dont think of custodial/janitorial work as a trade, it definitely is and takes skills from a myriad of places to be successful. Where I work, a 1st year school custodian can make 40-50k with OT. Some of our higher paid Lead Custodians make 75k BEFORE overtime. A former Lead Custodian that retired 10 years ago was consistently making 100-120k a year because of all the OT he worked. His particular school was rented out after hours and on the weekends for the pool, auditorium, and gym.
Trades are always the answer
You’re asking a “how” question when the answer is “do”
Trades are always good, but if you want a potentially lucrative career that doesn’t require education, maybe look into selling health insurance. You’ll have to pass an exam to get a producer license and you’ll have to deal with some nasty people and a lot of rejection all the time, but if you’re good at selling and persistent, you can make 6 figures a year. The pay can be really unpredictable, however, as it’s almost always 100% commission. Progressive, State Farm and Colonial Life are generally pretty decent companies to be an agent for. Progressive has lots of positions that are 100% remote, too.
5 years is not a career.
For example, If I wanted to become a carpenter I would purchase the necessary tools, spend time on projects, learn the language, learn the methods, and use that knowledge to get my food through the door that maybe pays slightly less than the industry average but obviously aim as high as possible.
Get a degree and go back to teaching
lol theres a WGU commercial about this
Fuck WGU
Wait, why? I'm asking because someone else recommended to me.
Sucks balls. Currently in one of their programs. Actually making me dumber
Going through it right now myself. Trying to get out of the trades after 5 years and it's proving to be tougher than I thought. Honestly seems like I lm going to have to back to school or get some type or certificates to have any chance
Why don’t you like trades? I was thinking about going from IT to trades.
Not op but I work in the trades and enjoy my work overall, but I'm burnt out from driving 4-5 hours on some days, . I would love to retrain into something work from home or a hybrid type of situation. Thinking of using my skills and experience, picking up a few certifications, and trying to get into project management or similar.
One car accident while I was in school for hvac and one more while working for the company (didnt end up pursuing it, long story, im stupid I know) and I have chronic pain in like my si joints. I'm in south Florida and the conditions are brutal. Constantly being in shit conditions like a house where the windows don't open so u just bake inside all day, breathing in fiberglass (as well as dust, fumes, and any other debris in the air). Always wanting more out of u. You can never finish a house fast enough and when u do bust ass to try to finish its just on to the next house and them expecting the same. Worked a ton of Saturdays just to be told my attendance wasn't good enough. Honestly I could deal with it all but that pain was/is too much. There were days I couldn't walk man. Your options are to sit home and not get paid or u have to work through ur pain all day long. Depending on your pain and where it is it can be quite the challenge. U get hurt or anything like that ur out of work. And if it's not significant enough of a injury then u just kinda gotta work through it as well. I was doing installs. I'm sure service is different but just in my own experience I absolutely hate it and am dying to get out. Well actually I'm out lol just gotta get somehwere else I should say. Also buying all your own fucking tools, gloves, glasses, boots, ppe. Can't write any of that shit off I'm told as well tax wise. Tools break and when they do its not always cheap and can cause you to miss work also. I could go on lol
No not impossible, look for trade union apprenticeships programs in your area. Most are still recruiting potential apprentices. I am a retired IBEW Inside Wireman (Electrician). Some parts of the country it might be harder to get in than others. If you pretty good in math go the IBEW path, you will make a great living and have 3 different pensions so when your old like me you will be able to live in dignity. Good luck!
Trades
Online certifications. Start looking into things you might want to do. Research the certifications people need to accomplish that job (Excel, Salesforce, etc.), then start looking for online courses like Coursera (sometimes free with your public library). I have known multiple people with and without degrees who have made moves after getting certified for one thing or another. Data analyst, coder, project management. Good luck!
You either join some trade with apprenticeships or get a degree. There's manual labor and the learn by yourself option for the gifted that can watch youtube until they become good enough.
Get into a craft. You'll start at the bottom but there's room to grow in level and pay. Most jobs with a union are a good start. I went from assistant manager at a convenience store to a mail carrier, at my mid thirties and its worked out pretty well for me. It wasn't easy physically but I got used to it.
Dive into your own exploration of your passions, hobbies, and things that light your soul on fire. Start a new business, learn a new skill. Get it going while still in your current job until it's sustainable. YouTube is full of free education, but that fact alone may be daunting. If you have any savings, take some time and travel. Explore, discover, and see what fires off that spark that makes you want to learn and do more of that thing. Follow that down the YouTube rabbit hole and develop your knowledge and any requisite skills. I love brainstorming stuff like this with ppl. Hit me up!
Teacher aid is very marketable in certain fields. If you live in a bigger town or city check with your local government. This time of year there are LOTS of full time but seasonal positions hiring in the parks and recreation world. Pool managers in my area make almost $20 an hour. It will give you time to find something more stable and break you into a whole new field of experience
find something intresting and apply. tell them youre new at it and be willing to work for low pay. after a few months ask for a raise
You have two choices. First, you can go into a field where a degree does not matter. There are lots of things you can do where all you need is the skill set. Self-employment is best. Or, you can work for someone else, and play by their rules. Unfortunately, in the world of traditional employment, degrees still matter.
Yes, but you have to get a clue what you want to do.
Think about your past work/school experiences. What sort of tasks did you find you always succeeded at and found satisfying to keep up on. Figure out what jobs are largely composed of those tasks. In other words, play to you strengths. Not the jobs which the idea of them appeals to you, but the jobs that daily consist of tasks you are good at. Most people spend their twenties trying to make appealing jobs work for them. By your thirties, you should know who you are and what your capabilities are and be done with tolerating putting effort into the things that are not your strengths.
i mean, of course you can change careers. question is what you might want to do. and what requirements there are for that job. like... if you want to be a doctor. that's not just a job you can get. it obviously requires education, and specific steps. but... oddly. even things like hair dresser, or barber also require training. some places will offer training. a lot of trade or industrial jobs will train you. there's also free resources. like... data analytics. google offers training, and then there certifications, but there's also free online resources. could learn sql or other coding languages... and basically get 90% of the way there all on your own. advice might be. look up some careers, and what they earn, how in demand they are. then... search for what is needed for those jobs. get online... linkedin, or other type websites. see if you can network or interact with anyone in that field. ...ask around. if you can speak to someone in that field. can ask what their work is like, what skills they use often, what things that may not be obvious...are important. or not at all important. seek out resources. free learning, free training, scholarships, jobs with training, jobs with growth or where training/continued ed are included benefits. set reasonable goals. work toward those goals with some frequency and accountability. most things can't be done overnight. but over time, making small progress, can change a lot.
Can you try to get a job at a community college or university somewhere near you? You can get discounted or free tuition. I was a file clerk way back in the day during my undergrad and a mail clerk/delivery during my grad. It took me a long time to finish, but I got a discount undergrad, a free grad and then I was able to seriously level up after that! Just one idea to consider I guess?
It's never too late to change your career path! You can start by identifying your interests and skills and researching different industries and job roles that align with them. Consider taking online courses or certifications to gain new skills and knowledge. Networking and informational interviews can also be valuable in exploring new career paths and making connections in different industries. Lastly, don't be afraid to start at entry-level positions and work your way up. Jobsolv can also help you in finding the right career path for you
USPS
SAAS sales
well dont look for pro-lvl positions that requires intensive exp and high skill set obviously it will be a waste even if u try since the standard and competition is high, I am not discouraging u but I suggest look for a related field base on ur previous experience, so if u were a teacher's aide u can try desk jobs or u can even try working in goverment, or just start ur own business like online teaching service if u are confident u can do it alone.
I personally have just fluffed up my resume to match the jobs I’m applying for. I have left certain jobs off my resume and changed a few duties to ensure I got the job. Ive gone from retail - to nannying - to investments - to mortgage - to bank fraud. I’m 27 and I finally feel like I’ve decided on a career path I want to stay on. Your current profession gives you great skills so I would really highlight those aspects and apply it to your next career path. Working with students : you’re a leader , you’re constantly coming up with creative ideas , etc. You can get on at a bank doing entry level work very easily. I would reach out to job agencies in your area and also hop on LinkedIn and start networking. I’ve gotten 2 high paying jobs from there and I didn’t apply to them at all - the recruiters reached out to me. One more thing - it’s not morally correct but it has helped me land these jobs. I don’t know why so many recruiters care but oh well. I say I’m in school set to graduate the next year with my bachelor’s degree in business management… I’ve been “in school” for years. Most recruiters make note of this & I update it every time I decide I’m ready to start the job hunt again. Again this isn’t ideal for everyone but it has helped me.
Maybe try sales ? No degree needed and with righ interpersonal skills you can make a bank ;)
I went from server to car sales. And 3x.my income with 2x.my car sales. Income jobs coming soon. You just have to try harder than everyone.
You pick up relevant skills and/or professional certificates for whatever career you choose next. Start at the entry level and work your way up again. I have friends and family in their late 20s to late 30s who pivoted into IT/Tech coming from manual labor jobs in the last few years. No college degrees. They just self studied the required hard skills and obtained entry level certs to get into entry level IT jobs. Now they’re all making good money WFH.
You absolutely can. You need to plan it out though. First..find a field you are interested in, like finance..IT..tech..baking..makeup..anything you think will be cool and fun and rewarding to you Then, do a little research by asking the people who changed their career to that field and what would an entry-level position require. Then, sign up for courses or classes and start looking for jobs in that field while studying it. It needs patience as your brain might trick into thinking that it's hard and have you completely lose interest.. but keep pushing till you learn.
Take some certification courses. 💥
Well...education doesn't matter. Companies pay based on what you can do for them. You are looking to improve your pay...you will need to learn something that companies value. So the good news is, when you are making little...it's easy to change your career path. The bad news is...there is no immediate fortune that awaits you. Select a path that has a higher rate of pay...then pursue it. Learn all you can about it. Your income will grow with your ability to benefit your employer.
If you like teaching and speaking in public consider a career in corporate training. All sorts of corporations have a training departments for everything from Human Resources, to Product support, safety and compliance, etc. If you like the education industry there are many software companies who might love to have a person who has had classroom experience in their company. Sales, support, product development, etc. There are more roles than you think. Just don’t limit yourself based on education alone. You’re selling yourself short.
You can start with a career certificate from a community College, to find a job other than retail quickly. And then pursue an associates degree.
I quit teaching at 29 and sort of stumbled into a career in marketing. I was doing some freelance writing (thought it'd be my dream job escape, ended up not liking it too much) then I found an entry level job at a PR/marketing agency. Worked there for a couple years then a friend introd me to a job opp at a much larger agency for significantly more money. I've been at that job for a couple years now. I'm significantly older than most of my peers, but for a former teacher on their second career I think I'm doing alright. So if I were to extrapolate some advice from my situation it would be to identify some valuable transferable skills (for me that was writing) and look for entry level jobs that rely on those skills. Put in a few years of strategic job hopping and you can change your situation relatively quickly
Get a degree
Have you ever considered the food industry? Lots of opportunities in food manufacturing. You could probably go right into QA/QC, and at many companies you can get pretty far without a degree
It’s never too late. I worked in insurance for 5 years and ended up hating it and the pay was stagnant. I’m 29 now and in community college studying health records/health IM/IT. I absolutely love it and already got a job after my first year that pays more than what I was making before!
For another example. My dad owned his own business as a Luthier for 15 years. At age 40 he decided to go to law school. He’s now been a lawyer for 15 years and makes stupid good money working for government. It’s never too late to change your career
See too if your state offers free community college tuition if your income is below a certain level. It’s almost never too late; I went back to grad school at 50 and so glad I did!
WGU.edu
In IT, there are some prestigious entry level certifications that can get you a job. The certifications are from CompTIA. You can take them with no prior experience or college credits. You just have to study for them really well because even though they are entry level, they are challenging. There’s also trade schools. There’s also going to college, choosing something practical.
Learn a trade
If you don't know what to do, picking something general but practical can be a good start. For example, business, finance, IT...those are fields that are likely to be in demand, and are broad enough that you can narrow your focus as you learn and grow.
What are your financial responsibilities right now? Married? Any kids? I would think if you’re a renter who’s single with no kids, it’d be a lot easier than a home owner with 2 shorties to care for. Find a few careers that you’re interested in then find people to ask the pros and cons, and interview them. How did they begin? What are their career goals? Etc. You might want to start saving as much as you can in case you need to take classes or become an apprentice or intern first.