Career Changers Losing Years of Progress
23 posts across 5 communities in the last 60 days; 52% from r/careeradvice.
“Hello everyone! I’m looking for some advice on how to transition into a new career path, if at all possible. I’m a pastry chef, 27(F), and have been working in the field for around 5 years. I’m honestly getting tired of how demanding the job is, especially considering how little…”
“Has anyone who has been struggling for a long time to get a job after 50 considered a full career change they never imagined doing before. After a mixed career in training, consulting, HR, executive search and sales, I am sooooo sick of applying aimlessly (literally mentally…”
“I’m 29 and work in NYC as a writer in the fashion/beauty industry. This past June I left a job with pretty toxic leadership where I’d realized I was never going to be promoted (and frankly neither was anyone else) for a new role that came with more money and a better title. I…”
Many individuals are questioning their career paths, experiencing burnout, or facing job loss. This leads to a fear of wasted time and effort invested in previous roles, creating anxiety about starting over and potentially losing ground professionally.
SOURCES (33)
“For ref, I’m a girl in my early thirties, and I think I’m having a bit of a career crisis 🥺😪 I’ve spent over a decade working in journalism, editorial and digital media. I have worked at one of the world’s biggest tech companies, leading…”
“I was in the beginning of my marketing career when I decided to step back and travel/ backpack around the world and when I came back I decided to be self employed as a private chef. I’ve been doing that for the past 3 years, however, I applied to a job recently and didn’t get it and it really discouraged me. I had about five years of marketing experience (social media, website, CRM, event planning etc) but I understand my 3 years of being self employed is kind of an odd shift. I’m sad because I”
“Hello everyone! I’m looking for some advice on how to transition into a new career path, if at all possible. I’m a pastry chef, 27(F), and have been working in the field for around 5 years. I’m honestly getting tired of how demanding the job is, especially considering how little it pays, and I’m now looking to move into a more office/admin-based role. I have a degree in Hospitality, so ideally I’d like to explore something that could make use of my education like HR, administration or a related”
“Hey everyone. I am a sous chef. I don’t want to be a chef anymore. I’ve been a chef now for 5 years since I was 18. (I’m 23 now) and I think I want a new career the money is good, my base salary is 60k/yr but I get up to 85k with my bonuses. But the hours and the stress is catching up to me and I feel myself slipping. I’ve worked 70+ hours a week for at least the last 2 years. It’s a very busy restaurant so I’m there all day and I just want something that’s a slower pace. I’m a very hard worker”
“Has anyone successfully started over in their career in their mid 30s or later? I am currently going through a rough patch (I know the rules of the community so I will save the sob story). Unfortunately had to leave my good paying sales job that I worked extremely hard to get. First time being unemployed and not really sure what direction to take. I have been doing outside sales for the past couple of years and am really exhausted and burnt out from sales. I am just lost on what to do. I have a”
“Hi everyone, I am not sure if this is the right forum or if this post will even make sense. A few years ago, I switched from a full-time career to self-employed in media industry. At the time, it was a pretty bold move, most of my peers were all in full-time work. I was doing some pretty cool stuff and having some success with finding my way as a self-employed worker, but I kept it to myself and didn't really boast about it because I always had this fear that this could all fall apart at any”
“And what made you decide to finally take that leap of faith? I find myself struggling with this question. submitted by /u/catnapqueen13 [link] [comments]”
“I’d love to hear your story. What made you want to change careers, what did you do before, what did you move into, and how has the transition worked out for you so far? Did you take any sort of gap time in between? Was it something you had always wanted to do, or did you figure it out along the way? Would love to hear the good, bad, and messy parts of it all. :) PS: I’m currently figuring out what it is I wanna do and hence this curiosity. PPS: Would you be willing to have a detailed discussion”
“Background: 33F UK and live in the north of England with partner and dog, no kids. I have jumped around career wise, from retail management (9 years) to content publishing (2 years), copywriter (2 years) and now UX Researcher/CRO Manager (3 months). I work for an agency and it’s been a massive step up for me in workload, skill set, environment and pay. I am passionate about user research but the presenting back to clients or internal teams is leaving me burnt out. I’m an introvert so it doesn’t”
“Hello, so heres my background. I’m currently 30 i have a degree in working in cars. I did that but got a better opportunity in industrial maintenance so i took it. I’ve done that for the past 9 years, but I’m wanting to get out of it so i can be home more with my wife and child. Thing is mechanics and maintenance work is really all i know or have experience in. I did switch jobs recently think change of scenery and a different schedule would help which in some ways it has. I no longer work night”
“I moved to the UK in my 50s a few years ago and had to start over professionally. I did warehouse work and drove for Uber for about two years before getting back into marketing, which was my field before. I feel blessed that a friend put me forward for the interview that got me back in. How long before it felt like your career again, and what helped most — networking, retraining, or luck? submitted by /u/No_relief_pressure [link] [comments]”
“I’m 39f freelance journalist and I want to start a family. I need to figure out how to make more money with benefits or change careers to something more stable ASAP. What sort of jobs would give me high income that I’d be able to transition to easily in this job market without much training or education? I’m in Toronto with a bachelor in film and broadcasting submitted by /u/frigginfurter [link] [comments]”
“I’m 39f freelance journalist and I want to start a family. I need to figure out how to make more money with benefits or change careers to something more stable ASAP. What sort of jobs would give me high income that I’d be able to transition to easily in this job market without much training or education? I’m in Toronto with a bachelor in film and broadcasting submitted by /u/frigginfurter [link] [comments]”
“I've been working in the same field since I was like sixteen, that career got me all I ever had in life, but the market got fun and things are not working anymore. Some part of me start exploring the idea of letting go, I'm in this point where I need to choose whether I find new ways to stay next to my wife (I'm an expat), or go back home until a specific industry implodes (I'm not a fan of waiting for external things to happen). I'd like to hear your story, know at what age”
“I’m 25 and currently working in a job that pays the bills, but I don’t see myself doing it for the next 10 years. I’m considering changing careers, but I’m worried about starting over and losing the experience I’ve already gained. At the same time, I don’t want to stay somewhere just because I’m afraid of change. For people who have changed careers, how did you decide it was the right time to leave? What factors did you consider before making the decision? submitted by /u/Tatt00ey [l”
“Has anyone who has been struggling for a long time to get a job after 50 considered a full career change they never imagined doing before. After a mixed career in training, consulting, HR, executive search and sales, I am sooooo sick of applying aimlessly (literally mentally getting depressed - 54M) thinking "is this it" and "this was not the plan. So I recently started looking at working with senior citizens, something I would never have imagined. Not very well paid where I live”
“Guyssssss help me out. It's been almost 6 years I've been working as a content writer. I don't think I have learnt anything new, n I got no idea what else I can do. I need a career switch asap, smth more stable a lil less draining. suggest please. submitted by /u/Great-Reflection-160 [link] [comments]”
“TLDR: For those that feel the same way I do, how did you not leave your current career path and move up? For those that left, did it end up being the right thing? I currently work at a major "transportation hub" in the US and have been doing so for almost 4 years. I don't want to say exactly what I do or what it is, because it will be a very obvious giveaway for certain folks that work in the environmental field. I currently work in the operations part of my department to be in com”
“I’m 29 and work in NYC as a writer in the fashion/beauty industry. This past June I left a job with pretty toxic leadership where I’d realized I was never going to be promoted (and frankly neither was anyone else) for a new role that came with more money and a better title. I started the new job immediately, and it has been a total shit show ever since, like huuuuge regret all around. The team is understaffed, there are basically no processes in place, I’m inundated with work, and the timelines”
“I’ve been thinking about making a major career change and going back to school. Part of me feels excited, but another part wonders if I’m too late. For those who went back to school in their 40s (or later): Was it worth it? Did it actually improve your career? What surprised you most? Is there anything you’d do differently? I’d appreciate hearing honest experiences —both positive and negative. 43/F New Haven CT submitted by /u/ImHurdHQ [link] [comments]”
“I’ve spent my whole career in kitchen. Started out as a line cook and worked my way up to sous chef. I now work at a bakery and have managed the kitchen for 4 years now. The bakery seems to be going downhill and I’m looking to jump ship. However the only jobs a I’m qualified for are other kitchen jobs and I don’t want to go back to line cook life. Is there any way to pivot into an office roll? I have experience in managing a kitchen so I feel like that could transfer. I also have 1.5 years at co”
“Seeking advice and inspiration from people who made major career changes after 50 I’m considering a major life change and would love to hear from people who have successfully reinvented themselves later in life. Examples: Changed careers completely after 50 Earned a totally different degree later in life Moved to another country and started over Began a new career or purpose after retirement Changed paths after becoming disabled or facing a major life challenge Did something you never imagined y”
“For those who switched careers, or at very least took on a job role significantly different to their previous job role, what steps did you take in order to achieve this? That is assuming that you are now happier and/or better off financially in your current role :) submitted by /u/Odd-Statistician570 [link] [comments]”
“Hey, everyone. I have been working as an Senior Content Writer (SEO) with Pepper Content for the last 1 year. I was hired as a contractual, full-time employee to work with one of their clients. Recently, I was informed about the termination of my contract. No heads up. Nothing. They told me about it on the day I got sacked, even when I kept asking about an update for over a month. They have retained me on a freelance model at a lower rate for now, but there isn't really much volume. Not havi”
“Hi everyone. I’m 25 years old, and I work as a pastry chef. I started studying this profession when I was 16, and I began working while I was still learning. Over the past 7 years, I managed to build my own small business: some of my products are sold through a store, I take custom orders through social media, I have regular clients, a small blog, and a YouTube channel. I’m not going to tell the usual story about “how I achieved success through struggle,” because anyone who has built a career by”