Random: Debating career change.......

[WaterBullDawg1980]

So here is the low down...

I am 29 turning the big 3 0 in November. I'M GETTING OLD! : )

Been in the same industry but promoted from the bottom of the totem pole and am now selling Enterprise focused wireless solutions for one of the big 4. (Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T) phones, sim based solutions specifically in healthcare, logistics and engineering verts.

I like my job fine. The pay is better than most I guess and my benefits are second to none.

But I am not doing something I LOOOVE. The concern for myself is that I do have a very young family who depends on me and I would never want to do anything that puts us in a bad way. That being said, it would it is EXTREMELY APPEALING to start work in a job/career that I have a passion. I would gladly take a pay cut to be doing something I love. It's not that I do not like what I do now, but the passion I have which applies to my current career is not lining up with the direction my company is going. And I have close to zero control over this.

To some of you with more experience, am I chasing something that I shouldn't be? I have been taking a really strong look at a career shift into the watersports industry somehow, someway. My value add to these companies I truly believe is a convincing one, but it seems most are just trying to stay afloat right now and have no room for salesmen.

A buddy of mine is recruiting me to come over to OrACLE, but that just seems like it would be more of the same.....As you can see, I am at an standstill here....

My degree was in Marketing, but am currently looking at either getting my MBA or a second degree in Finance as it would not take but 12 months.

What do you fellas say??? Any opinions out there?

[jeffrogge]

Thats tough and I would not take my opinion but I am 31 and love my job. I also have a young family and providing for them is the most important thing, I have lived in very undesirable places to make that happen. I would at least look into it the field you are interested in. You already have a good job if you don't like what you hear when you speak to them. If you go to a few interviews and financially a change does not work then no loss. But if you can make it work then great. No harm in applying and interviewing. Good luck with your decision. A man a lot wiser than me once said "there are always a million reasons to not do something."

[Razzman]

Think 30 is old? I'm 53 and just went back to school for my BS in Electronic Security. That being said you have to look at the intended industry, how stable is it? What is the current and pprojected demand? Where is it going?

I made that choice two years ago and left AT&T after many years with them to follow a new path and it imploded due to the recession. I can't go back and nobody is hiring right now without the BS degree so i'm going after a federal job through the VA. But it's not without a lot of hard work getting there and at 53 it's not much fun either.

I too stayed in jobs to support my family i wasn't all that happy with but it was neccessary as i wasn't about to take the risk of putting their well being in peril.

Imo the watersports industry is not all that stable right now and will probably take quite awhile to come back, if it ever does to the scale it was before. But if you feel you can do it and make it work then it's a choice only you can make.

My 2 cents for what it's worth.

[zegm]

Wow! I feel your pain! But right now is probably not the best time to change careers and one in the Water Sports Industry at this time to me would NOT be wise (look what happened to my beloved Boaters World!!!). I work at a Fortune 500 company and for the past year my site HAS growing, that being said we have had a hiring freeze imposed on us from corporate for the past year. We do hire contractors but they receive NO benefits, NO time off! I feel bad for them when they have sick kids at home. It is a double wammy as they have to take off work for which they don't get paid to take them to a Doctor with which they have no insurance coverage for. If I was you I would wait a year or two to see how the industry responds. In this time do some research on what you want to do. Talk to people in the field, see how it is going, make some longer term plans. Save some money so when you do jump you have a cushion. You are YOUNG and have plenty of time to decide. Thirty is nothing I will be 50+ on Friday. Not as old as Razzman but almost!

[deerfield]

So here is the low down...

I am 29 turning the big 3 0 in November. I'M GETTING OLD! : )

Been in the same industry but promoted from the bottom of the totem pole and am now selling Enterprise focused wireless solutions for one of the big 4. (Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T) phones, sim based solutions specifically in healthcare, logistics and engineering verts.

I like my job fine. The pay is better than most I guess and my benefits are second to none.

But I am not doing something I LOOOVE. The concern for myself is that I do have a very young family who depends on me and I would never want to do anything that puts us in a bad way. That being said, it would it is EXTREMELY APPEALING to start work in a job/career that I have a passion. I would gladly take a pay cut to be doing something I love. It's not that I do not like what I do now, but the passion I have which applies to my current career is not lining up with the direction my company is going. And I have close to zero control over this.

To some of you with more experience, am I chasing something that I shouldn't be? I have been taking a really strong look at a career shift into the watersports industry somehow, someway. My value add to these companies I truly believe is a convincing one, but it seems most are just trying to stay afloat right now and have no room for salesmen.

A buddy of mine is recruiting me to come over to OrACLE, but that just seems like it would be more of the same.....As you can see, I am at an standstill here....

My degree was in Marketing, but am currently looking at either getting my MBA or a second degree in Finance as it would not take but 12 months.

What do you fellas say??? Any opinions out there?

WaterBullDawg - It's great to know you have benefits and a regular paycheck. In a world that sometimes can be rough and upside down, those are two things for which we can be grateful every day. That said, I encourage you to further explore work that you can approach each day with passion. I don't know your circumstances so have no idea how you would do that, but think that there is something to be said for not spending the better part of your life doing something just for a paycheck. Seems to me that in your DNA mix is a set of talents, strengths, and interests unique to you that will deliver for you and your loved ones in the biggest way with a job to match. If you can afford it, I encourage you to get your MBA. Regardless of where you go in your career, an MBA degree delivers earning power in the marketplace and will even have application to your personal life. If you go that route, don't get hung up on brand name. After thirty years in government and business, I've seen them all and can tell you that success comes in equal doses from both no-name as well as top tier graduate schools. Opt for the executive program. You get to keep your job while attending school. Life will be a challenge, but thousands before you have done it. Make absolute sure your wife buys in to the program. It will be tought for a couple of years. Your employer might even help pay part of the tab. - Deerfield

[brain_rinse]

... Regardless of where you go in your career, an MBA degree delivers earning power in the marketplace and will even have application to your personal life.

I completely agree with deerfield's comments above, especially this part.

[Razzman]

Not as old as Razzman but almost!

Hey, HEY! Easy on that not as old part!

[deerfield]

Hey, HEY! Easy on that not as old part!

No worry, Razz. If anything, you are a young pup.

[zabooda]

Go with your instincts if you have workable plan, path forward and a spouse that can support your family. You will be second guessing yourself if the opportunity arises and you don't jump on it.

[zegm]

Hey, HEY! Easy on that not as old part!

Oh sorry Razzman! This Friday though I will be closer to your age when I hit Fifty Two. (Notice how I spelled it out, not noticed as easily)