38, bored, wanting to learn...

longwalks1

Please bear with me.. I’m 38, been in the same job since leaving school 20 years ago and I think I’m bored. I do earn well, and my job is relatively easy (engineering), but I’d like to learn something I can take with me if I moved somewhere new

I don’t think this is a mid life crisis (not just yet anyway...), but I’m getting itchy feet. I am a fast learner, can turn my hands to most things, am trained to HNC level so consider myself to be fairly smart. I’d maybe even like something I could do for myself, part time. But that’s where I get stuck. What do I do? Am open to suggestions

Any advice greatly appreciated, and please feel free to ask any questions if it’ll help

ssparks2003

20 years in the same job? How about trying another job it might give you some challenges, perhaps looking to move up a level?

nicechap

Have a look at the Open University.

Also Futurelearn have lots of taster courses.

Ja7188

Don't quit the day job until you've got a definitive plan as to what you're going to do next - the plan should obviously include how you're going to live on a lower salary, which sounds like it will be fairly inevitable. I'd also suggest thinking hard about whether it's really your work, as opposed to other areas of your life, that is causing you to feel bored.

As has been suggested, some part-time courses could be good to give you a feel for what you might like to do.

StevenB12

Hello mate,

Very much the same as you (in a sense lol) I tend to get, I wouldn't say 'bored' as such with jobs, but I usually end up stagnating in the sense that I go as far as I feel I can go in that company, and then end up elsewhere. I think in the past 10 years I have worked for 4 different companies now. Each has taught me new things and has helped me in terms of progressing onto a better job etc, I also do Engineering (drainage/civils) and I like to try and stay in that work, but to just tweak it a bit, new projects etc.

One of my friends a few years back now was exactly the same. He had done his HNC etc and was still on more or less the same pay, same job day in, day out. He basically had to fund an open Uni coarse that took him about 3 years to complete, but he now works for American Air Filters, got a permanent job in America, all the paper work sorted for by employer etc, and now takes home about 60K a year.

Could be something for you to look at, relocation or working abroad? I was lucky enough to have the experience for a year and it's a lot different than what we do over here. Sometimes it's more of a change of scenery than a change of career needed.

You could look at moving onto a different sector of engineering, have you looked at Airplane, Train/Rail etc? Much bigger challenge and different environment etc.

Fireflyaway

Well I'm also 38 and a bit bored too! I've never had a career as such but a series of jobs. The longest I've stayed in one was 8 years. I feel dread when I know I may have another 30 years of work ahead!
Have a serious think. I know someone in her 40's who went to uni. Lectures are not constant, she worked around them to earn money and now has a whole new career. 38 isn't old. You have time to completely change track if you want.

longwalks1

ssparks2003 wrote: »

20 years in the same job? How about trying another job it might give you some challenges, perhaps looking to move up a level?

Do you mean in the same company? The next step up from what I do now is a managerial role, which I wouldn't want to do as it wouldn't suit me, and i couldn't act how managers in my place do sadly

longwalks1

Ja7188 wrote: »

Don't quit the day job until you've got a definitive plan as to what you're going to do next - the plan should obviously include how you're going to live on a lower salary, which sounds like it will be fairly inevitable. I'd also suggest thinking hard about whether it's really your work, as opposed to other areas of your life, that is causing you to feel bored.

As has been suggested, some part-time courses could be good to give you a feel for what you might like to do.

I think its a combination of both now you mention it, but my company has changed so much in the last 5 years (for the worse), too many middle level managers who speak a different language (buzz word city) to me, and I just look around and think to myself 'when did the company change so much?'

Have thought about some part time courses to learn a trade perhaps, electrics or plumbing etc