Career Change At 40

How I Changed Career At 40

2009-11-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

When you consider that most of us will spend around a third of our adult lives working, doesn’t it make sense to do something for a living that you enjoy? These days it is not uncommon for the average person to have as many as five different careers in their lifetime. So if you’re unhappy with your present job, why not change?

Sounds like a simple solution to your workplace woes. However, a total change of occupation usually means retraining to acquire new skills. Doing this, around work and family commitments is a challenge most people would not even attempt.

I was in my late thirties when I went in search of a new vocation. As a father of two with a full-time job, studying for my new career wasn’t easy. I managed to pass six exams and secure a role within an up and coming company when all around me said it could not be done by someone my age.

On Sunday afternoons, I’d start to feel a bit down. It would be a matter of hours before my week would start all over again and I’d be back at work in a job I really hated. I didn’t like this feeling so I decided to do something about it.

When deciding upon a new line of work, I considered many factors. Money was definitely an issue. I wanted a career that would allow me to provide a decent standard of living for my family. I knew, however, that starting all over again would mean a cut in pay, at least in the early days. The other thing I had to think about was how I was going to get qualified for my new occupation. Would it be evening classes or distance learning – studying from home? How long would it take and how much would it cost?

After much self-analysis and research into several occupations, I shortlisted several possibilities, one of which was furthering my existing career.

I read an article written by a recruitment specialist which provided advice on how to change your occupation. One of the recommendations was to examine your present line of work and asked the following questions: Would a change of employer or department help? Could acquiring new skills gain a promotion?

At the time, I had worked as an estate agent for ten years and thought about training to become a surveyor. I knew many people in that field so researching the profession was not difficult. Unfortunately, the requirements for qualifying and the timescale involved were just not practical for someone in my position. I decided to leave the property business altogether.

The IT industry was my chosen field and I decided on a distance learning course to help me get the required qualifications.

Using books, CDs, DVDs and the internet, I studied from home. There was email and telephone support from qualified tutors and practice tests online to help prepare for the exams.

What most attracted me to this method of learning was the flexibility it offered. I could put the kids to bed, then get on with my reading in the next room. At times, I would get up at 5.30 in the morning so that I could study for a couple of hours before my daughters would wake. This allowed me to concentrate without distraction and enabled me to spend time with my children when I got home from work in the evening. It was very tiring and sometimes I almost fell asleep at the keyboard.

Were there any drawbacks to studying from home?

The difficulty comes when it’s eleven o’clock at night and you’re reading a chapter that contains stuff you don’t understand. Unlike when in a classroom, you can’t raise your hand to get the teacher’s immediate assistance. You can make notes, then email or call the tutor the next day, but right then, it stops your flow – it’s no good moving to step two when you haven’t understood step one!

Sometimes, I’d be so tired it was extremely hard to focus. I would read a page several times and still not grasp the material. My mind would wander and I’d start thinking about the bills and my other commitments.

Having passed my first two exams, I set about trying to find a job within computing and this is an area I found quite challenging.

My experience as an estate agent meant that I came across as quite confident at job interviews. One potential employer commented on how well I’d conducted myself during our meeting but, even though he was impressed, he didn’t give me the job. His reasoning - the starting salary would be too low for me!

I had to convince several interviewers that I was prepared to accept a pay cut in relation to my previous occupation, just so that I could get started in IT.

Looking for that first job in a new industry can be quite a testing experience. It seemed like almost every position advertised required candidates to be experienced and those that didn’t were attracting 30 or 40 and sometimes over a hundred applications. At moments it felt as if I was trying to get an audition for the X Factor!

The process of applying for jobs and attending interviews can be a time consuming activity.

I was quite fortunate in that I secured a position as an entry level technician after five interviews; however, I’d made 20 times as many applications. I would browse websites daily for newly posted vacancies and immediately submit my CV with the application. Within a couple of days, I’d follow up with an email or a phone call. It got to the point that my persistence was beginning to annoy some of the recruitment consultants I dealt with – I could hear it in their tone.

If you’re an average person trying to break into an industry of which you have little or no experience – learn to brush off being ignored. I applied for over a hundred advertised jobs for some of which I met all the prerequisite requirements. Did I get a reply? No, and although it did upset me, I carried on. I would get phone calls telling me that I’d been shortlisted for interview from 28 candidates and never hear from them again.

One employer, after a two hour interview, closed by telling me that he felt that I’d fit in very well with my team and that he would contact me within the week. This was two years ago!

Prior to a meeting with a prospective employer, I would visualise a positive outcome – them making me a job offer and shaking my hand. I would psych myself up by telling myself over and over that the interview would go well. It worked! I had a phone call from the recruitment agency telling me that the employer was impressed and that a formal offer was in the post.

This was a fantastic achievement but as it was a junior role, I had to work hard to apply my training to the real world and gain valuable experience.

When there was a task ahead, I’d volunteer. I wanted to learn as much as possible and at the same time, I was studying for further exams. A new shift rota was introduced for my department which meant I’d be working some nights, weekends and bank holidays. This was a difficult time for me, but I persevered as I knew at the very beginning that I’d have to prove myself.

Those late nights and early mornings of study paid off for me. Six exams later, I am a Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician and a Microsoft Certified Systems and Messaging Administrator.

After almost two years with the company, my salary now exceeds that of my previous occupation and my benefits include private medical insurance, gym membership, share options and a pension scheme. A promotion means no more night and weekend shifts and I now work normal office hours.

What advice would I give to someone considering a similar vocational path?

If you’re going for a career move later in life, you can’t afford to be negative about your age – there will be many people who will do that for you. The best advice that I was given was to do everything in stages. Achieve one goal and then move on to the next. Whatever you do, finish what you start and above all else, never give up.

Good Luck
MikeM

Would I Recommend Computeach?

2009-08-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

Computeach is a distance learning organisation that has been providing IT training for over 45 years.

The courses are mainly home-study with email and telephone support from qualified tutors. Study materials for the various courses are in the form of books, CDs and online training or E-Learning as Microsoft calls it. There are forums and chat rooms which allow you to interact with fellow students and obtain support from tutors.

Once you have studied the materials for your particular exam, if you feel ready to, you can take the relevant ‘mock’ exam. This is a timed, online test that you take from home and it has similar questions to the real exam. Computeach require their students to achieve a 90 percent pass mark on their respective mock exam. Once you attain this level (hardly anyone does on the first attempt), you are invited to Computeach HQ, in the Midlands, for a two-day revision course that culminates in the main event – the exam. These mini courses are known as ‘in-centre’ visits and depending on which exam you’re studying for, may be more than two days in duration.

Everyone I met on the ‘in-centre’ courses seemed to enjoy their time there. My tutor at the time had a great sense of humour and this made the classes fun while providing a relaxed atmosphere going into the exam.

Through Computeach, I passed six exams, which lead to two Microsoft Certifications. Also, their careers department helped me to secure a position with a rapidly expanding IT company. Two of my colleagues also came via Computeach.

It wasn’t easy though. There were many ups and downs and several times I thought I’d made the wrong decision signing up with them. However, I adopted a positive frame of mind, studied hard and achieved what I set out to do.

If you’re thinking of training for a career in IT and are considering the home study route, here are my opinions on Computeach based on my time with them:

Home Study – the Pros: This suited me because I could fit it around my family and work commitments. Studying from home is more flexible than having to take evening classes. No travelling to and from the place of learning. Imagine having to ask your present employer if you could leave work early twice a week for the next two years, so that you can go to college, attain qualifications and leave your current job for a better one! How do you think that would work?

With Computeach, your boss needn’t know what you’re doing. You study from home and email or telephone your tutors with any questions or speak to them via the support forums or chat rooms.

Home Study – The Cons: The kids are fast asleep and you’ve been studying for nearly two hours. It’s 11pm, you’re tired and you’ve come across a chapter that you just don’t understand. Unlike in a classroom, you can’t raise your hand to ask your teacher a question. You need to make a note of what you don’t understand and either email your tutor or call them the next day. However, right there and then, your studying stops. Alternatively, you could continue to the next chapter and then return to the previous one once you’ve spoken to your tutor or they’ve replied to your email. Whatever you do, your flow will slow down. What’s worse is that you may be on a subject where you cannot move on to point B until you’ve grasped point A. In this scenario, your flow will stop!

During my time with Computeach, the best solution for support was being able to phone the tutor at the precise point where I needed something explaining. Then, they’d follow it up with an immediate email if required. However, this was only possible during normal office hours.

The support chat rooms were good, but once again, during my time with Computeach, this service was mostly available during the day. Sometimes, there wasn’t a tutor available when the timetable said there would be, day or night – I hope this has been sorted out.

Would I Recommend Computeach?

I’m not sure if Computeach now offer tutor support in the evening, but if they do, then this is a good thing.

Studying from home is flexible, but you must be organised and self-disciplined. Your family must understand and respect what you’re trying to do – so no loud music or TV while you’re revising for an exam!

The ‘in-centre’ revision courses were informative and enjoyable. They’re even better if you pass the exam at the end of the second day. Travelling and accommodation can be expensive if you’re coming from far.

I would recommend Computeach, but I’d say find out as much as you can about the different areas of IT and the various roles available. Do you want to be a Programmer, Website Developer, Network Engineer, Administrator or Support Technician? Before calling any learning organisation, take your time to really find out what all of these roles consist of and which one you think you’d like to do.

Do not be pressured by pushy sales people. If you experience the hard sell or are given ultimatums or deadlines for enrolment – don’t do anything. The opportunity to carefully consider what you want to do should be respected.

If you live near a college and they have the evening class that you’re interested in and the times suit your work or family commitments, I’d recommend considering this too.

Finally, myself and two colleagues were able to change career having studied with Computeach. Both guys will tell you it was quite a bumpy ride, so, whatever you decide – be positive!

Good Luck.