Starting a new career at 38 - worth it ?

[Broken arrow]

Thats fucking nuts. Did you have to take a giant pay cut to go through the academy? It looks like the pay is pretty mediocre while going through the academy. Also, whats the physical portion of the training like?

Yes I took a 40% pay cut in the beginning. After the first year I got a raise and once off probation I was allowed to work overtime shifts. 1 over time shift per pay period put me up to about the same paycheck I made as an electrician. That's at firefighter pay.... engineer, lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, all include significant pay increases. So I saw it as a short term loss that would pay for itself in the future. Plus my quality off life went thru the roof.

I'm not gonna lie..... academy was hard. They intentionally stress you both mentally and physically. Expect to PT every day and they push you to see if you'll give up or slow down. It's similar to a military boot camp


I lost 2 guys from my academy who got fired for poor performance.

I am physically fit from BJJ but I went to crossfit 3 times a week for a few months before my academy started. There was no way I wasn't going to be successful once I got the chance so I became hyper focused on being prepared and being successful.

 

[hillelslovak87]

I was an electrician from about 26 to 44 making $43/hr plus pension and great benefits. The last 5 years I was miserable and lost all desire to do it. I dreaded getting out of bed everyday.

I didn't have a choice. I had to find something else or kill myself.

Walked away from it and became a fire fighter making a lot less money but 10000x happier and I love going to work

You can become a firefighter at 44? From what I had heard, 34 was usually the cutoff, but with age discrimination laws, I guess it is plausible.

 

[ultimateriley-o]

I've been in the grocery industry most of my life, and was a store manager until recently. Another company bought the store I was managing when I was 36, and wanted to put one of their guys in the management position, but offered me a position as a butcher at not much less than I was making as the manager.

My wife was offered a great promotion at work last year, but that included a transfer across the country, so when we left I thought I would try a career change, if possible.

Unfortunately the city we moved to was more French speaking than English, and my French is truly ass, so I couldn't even get a job bagging groceries despite spending every day for most of a year applying places. Fortunately I qualified for EI so I spent a ton of time doing BJJ and playing guitar and enjoying myself.

My wife got transferred again to Toronto a couple of months ago, and thankfully I was getting offered interviews and jobs from the first week of applying. Now at 38 I've moved into a logistics position, and honestly it's been refreshing rejoining the work force, but in a different role. The money sucks right now, but the wage improves rapidly with advancement. And, as someone else mentioned, the age and experience are huge benefits if you're not a complete idiot, because after decades in the work force, I know what a person has to do to succeed at a job. I know how to communicate well with my coworkers and superiors, what to focus on and learn, generally how to avoid mistakes, and the importance of working hard and not whining about doing so.

I think it's a smart thing to do, TS. If you have the drive to work hard and half a brain in your head, you'll succeed in a new field, and hopefully have more of a passion for it.

 

[Broken arrow]

You can become a firefighter at 44? From what I had heard, 34 was usually the cutoff, but with age discrimination laws, I guess it is plausible.

I've never heard that age limit before.

My academy had 16 people. Iwas oldest at 44 but there were 2 other 40 year olds. All of us made it thru and are currently doing great

 

[breadfighter]

I am 38 and started a new career this week. I hated my previous job in the end and had done it for 21 years.
Glad I did it too. Being stuck doing that shit for rest of my working life would have driven me insane.

Brothel worker?

 

[hillelslovak87]

I've never heard that age limit before.

My academy had 16 people. Iwas oldest at 44 but there were 2 other 40 year olds. All of us made it thru and are currently doing great

That's great! I'm 30, and that job has always appealed to me. physical, and helping people.

 

[Oliver Clothesoff]

I can't help you much. I've only had two jobs in my life and I still have both of them. Lol. I'm a stayer. So far, I have to say, it's worked out well for me. My primary job isn't exactly my dream job either, but it's provided a good living and security for my wife and kids.

 

[itrainUFC]

do it sir!
i maybe 25 but it is better to be happy than miserible.
we are not mechanical beings. the system is.
life and enjoyment is key.

 

[Kraysla]

It's never too late. Start thinking about a career field you would like to get into and go from there. Just looking up classes and knowing you will be changing careers will reinvigorate you. Good luck, man.

 

[Fluffernutter]

I remember when I was in 7th grade, I was shocked that my teacher told us that my generation would have 6 different jobs. After all, this was still the time when parents started a job after college/military/high school and stayed until retirement.

Now, it's not uncommon for folks to have six different careers, let alone six different jobs by the time they retire.

 

[ocfightfan]

No, I would say not.

 

[Brampton_Boy]

I have switched careers 6 times in my 20s and early 30s- often going into positions with less money and security.

My first job was as a technical analyst for a large telecommunications firm, then as a consultant for industry association. This was followed by a senior policy analyst position for the provincial government, a research scientist for the federal government, and finally, a university professor on contract. I make less money now than I did as a consultant, and have way less job security than when I worked for the government. With that being said, I don't regret it for a second - Life is too short to do something you don't feel engaged in or challenged by. If you have no responsibilities (i.e. family, mortgage etc), take the gamble on yourself and try something new.

If you do however have kids to feet and a mortgage to pay, suck it up, because you have to do what's best for your family (in my opinion)

 

[Phlog]

I'm at a cross roads myself with time to breathe. I need to decide on a course of action.

Current most likely jobs are to start a business traditional stone walling (I know how to do it well) or to re enter the world of psychology, probably helping people with eating disorders, drug abuse etc.

I'm 38, some days I want an office job, other days I want to be alone working with my hands. My problem has always been to determine what it is I actually want to do. All I tend to be able to imagine is what I don't want to do.