Changing careers after 7 years? Yay or Nay?

[XXshawnXX]

So I am currently 28 years old with a wife and a newborn baby, house mortgage, car payment, typical household bills no other credit card debt. I have been working at the same company for the past 7.5 ish years and have worked my way up to the point were next august I will be, I think, promoted to the GM of this particular location. I am in the oil and gas industry as an operations manager.

I make decent money, I have a 401k, company truck including gas card/maintenance, and a bonus which consists of Restricted stock units. I do not have a formal education past 1.5 years of college for accounting but with no degree. I am my current GM 's right hand man as well as his young trainee. I do not want to leave my current boss as he has helped me through the thick of it and has kept me during some challenging times. I do not want to leave him high and dry but, I do not like what is going on. He also has the same feelings with what is going on as well.

We have recently gone through a shitstorm of changes at a local level and I am having a hard time with the way corporate has been handling this transition of splitting up the local lab into two separate labs because of a sneaky manager who went around everyone and persuaded corporate to make this change. I am starting to think and realize that corporate is so focused on making money that sometimes the business ethics and business model/goals fly out the window. I don't see my self wanting to stand behind that kind of business nor do I condone what is happening.

Now my wife is on her way to getting her Masters of nursing so she can become a clinical nurse specialist and already has 3other associates and another BA. she still has another 1.5 years until she is done. So I know we still need to have income coming in. Ideal situation I would love to get into doing logistics/operations for a moto race team but that is far and few between. I also was thinking about a heavy equipment operator but I have always seen myself in an office managing people

What I am wondering is if anyone else has had a late 20's career change and how it went in the long run? Have you left an employer due to like situations? I really just want to work for a company that has a strong backbone and sees situations from a non-financial stand point from time to time.

Jesusaresrex (sp?) I know you are in the same field?!?!

Any insight/opinions?

I know this might seem more of a rant than a question but everyone is sleeping in the house and I am bored.

 

[Blankpage]

I can't imagine equipment operator if a very stable position. It would likely be union and involve short projects spread throughout the state with long commutes in between.
Only you know if you've got what it takes to pull of a career change and that clock is ticketing.

 

[NorCalAthlete]

I'm 29 and going through my 3rd official, 5th unofficial career change. My situation is entirely different from yours aside from age though. This will be my first civilian career after the military. I'm single with no kids (that I know of) and no spouse. Full time student on the GI bill.

Feel free to ask any questions but I don't know how much my answers may or may not help.

 

[littlebeast]

So I am currently 28 years old with a wife and a newborn baby, house mortgage, car payment, typical household bills no other credit card debt. I have been working at the same company for the past 7.5 ish years and have worked my way up to the point were next august I will be, I think, promoted to the GM of this particular location. I am in the oil and gas industry as an operations manager.

I make decent money, I have a 401k, company truck including gas card/maintenance, and a bonus which consists of Restricted stock units. I do not have a formal education past 1.5 years of college for accounting but with no degree. I am my current GM 's right hand man as well as his young trainee. I do not want to leave my current boss as he has helped me through the thick of it and has kept me during some challenging times. I do not want to leave him high and dry but, I do not like what is going on. He also has the same feelings with what is going on as well.

We have recently gone through a shitstorm of changes at a local level and I am having a hard time with the way corporate has been handling this transition of splitting up the local lab into two separate labs because of a sneaky manager who went around everyone and persuaded corporate to make this change. I am starting to think and realize that corporate is so focused on making money that sometimes the business ethics and business model/goals fly out the window. I don't see my self wanting to stand behind that kind of business nor do I condone what is happening.

Now my wife is on her way to getting her Masters of nursing so she can become a clinical nurse specialist and already has 3other associates and another BA. she still has another 1.5 years until she is done. So I know we still need to have income coming in. Ideal situation I would love to get into doing logistics/operations for a moto race team but that is far and few between. I also was thinking about a heavy equipment operator but I have always seen myself in an office managing people

What I am wondering is if anyone else has had a late 20's career change and how it went in the long run? Have you left an employer due to like situations? I really just want to work for a company that has a strong backbone and sees situations from a non-financial stand point from time to time.

Jesusaresrex (sp?) I know you are in the same field?!?!

Any insight/opinions?

I know this might seem more of a rant than a question but everyone is sleeping in the house and I am bored.

a few thoughts:

it may be helpful to accept the fact that to remain viable, every company needs to focus on making money. the question is - are they smart about how they go about it? if they have a scorched earth policy (which includes how they treat employees) it is doubtful they will last long. in which case - get out while the getting is good.

management skill may seem like a common commodity, but it's not. if you have any, and a manager that is further developing it - wring every ounce of benefit (education/experience-wise) out of that you can. everything you gain adds that much more heft to your resume.

in the long run, your educational status doesn't mean shit compared to your talent and skill. this gets more true over time - as your career develops. if you have a track record of accomplishments, sell that. in the end, it's the difference between reading about it, testing on it - and actually doing it. and don't ever forget that.

and finally - you are at an age where - no matter how bad you fuck up anything, you have plenty of time to recover. so be bold, speak your mind (do whatever feels right, challenge whatever feels wrong, kick some ass) and go for it.

 

[XXshawnXX]

So far so good on the advice guys! Keep it comin esp you little beast some encouraging words there!

 

[XXshawnXX]

I do notice that for a lot of other fields and/or companies they always post that a BA/BS IS REQUIRED for managerial positions. Normal? Does skills outweigh degrees?

I have been one of the key persons in a group of three that helped this lab grow from $14mil a year to this last fiscal year $33mil, over the last 7 years. I hired 100+ people that are still with the company, Including taking someone under my wing training someone to take my spot who got pushed into a project manager on another site.

I do understand businesses need to make money but management seems 100% fully engulfed in money and money only.

 

[bojangle]

Just my :2cents, but if you think you'll be promoted to GM next year, and your wife is 1 1/2 years away from her degree...and away from making some good $$, and you have a little baby, stay put for the time being.

Wait it out. Hopefully get that promotion, as that will be one more thing for the resume. Once your wife has started her career, and you kid is a little older, and you've maybe put in some good time making miracles happen as GM, then consider making a career move.

That's my practical / conservative advice.

 

[Reli]

Just my :2cents, but if you think you'll be promoted to GM next year, and your wife is 1 1/2 years away from her degree...and away from making some good $$, and you have a little baby, stay put for the time being.

Wait it out. Hopefully get that promotion, as that will be one more thing for the resume. Once your wife has started her career, and you kid is a little older, and you've maybe put in some good time making miracles happen as GM, then consider making a career move.

That's my practical / conservative advice.

+1

 

[explorin]

Little to no education after high school, has 401k, soon to be promoted,stock options, Wants to leave to drive a tractor.

 

[JesasaurusRex]

So I am currently 28 years old with a wife and a newborn baby, house mortgage, car payment, typical household bills no other credit card debt. I have been working at the same company for the past 7.5 ish years and have worked my way up to the point were next august I will be, I think, promoted to the GM of this particular location. I am in the oil and gas industry as an operations manager.

I make decent money, I have a 401k, company truck including gas card/maintenance, and a bonus which consists of Restricted stock units. I do not have a formal education past 1.5 years of college for accounting but with no degree. I am my current GM 's right hand man as well as his young trainee. I do not want to leave my current boss as he has helped me through the thick of it and has kept me during some challenging times. I do not want to leave him high and dry but, I do not like what is going on. He also has the same feelings with what is going on as well.

We have recently gone through a shitstorm of changes at a local level and I am having a hard time with the way corporate has been handling this transition of splitting up the local lab into two separate labs because of a sneaky manager who went around everyone and persuaded corporate to make this change. I am starting to think and realize that corporate is so focused on making money that sometimes the business ethics and business model/goals fly out the window. I don't see my self wanting to stand behind that kind of business nor do I condone what is happening.

Now my wife is on her way to getting her Masters of nursing so she can become a clinical nurse specialist and already has 3other associates and another BA. she still has another 1.5 years until she is done. So I know we still need to have income coming in. Ideal situation I would love to get into doing logistics/operations for a moto race team but that is far and few between. I also was thinking about a heavy equipment operator but I have always seen myself in an office managing people

What I am wondering is if anyone else has had a late 20's career change and how it went in the long run? Have you left an employer due to like situations? I really just want to work for a company that has a strong backbone and sees situations from a non-financial stand point from time to time.

Jesusaresrex (sp?) I know you are in the same field?!?!

Any insight/opinions?

I know this might seem more of a rant than a question but everyone is sleeping in the house and I am bored.

Hey Shawn
When we met a few years back I was looking to getting off the road, at least cut it back a whole lot more than i was/currently am. My company was in the middle of being bought out and we were in a transition period. In short, i was in similar shoes that you are in now.

I was on a first name basis with the company owners and knew exactly where i stood before the buy out. Getting told the company was sold to a way bigger company felt like a kick in the nuts. Going from a name to a number was a scary time, we had no idea what was going to happen and how things were going to be run. Would I have found a position somewhere else that compensated me more and/or got me off the road more i would have left the company.

I'm still with the same company, and while there have been some changes there hasn't been anything as drastic as i thought there would be. I'm still very happy here and glad I didn't leave. My advice is ride out the storm a bit longer and see where the dust settles before making any life changing decisions. If by the time your wife graduates and you still don't like the way things are going, let her find employment and follow here there. You'll probably be able to find an NDE gig near by (maybe or maybe not more money) and you'll realize that you don't really want to leave the trade, you just needed to leave the company. That or you'll realize you just really dislike the trade and then you can look into riding a backhoe around so that way i can tell you where to dig some more

Good luck, if it gets to the point where you just need to go and can't stand that place anymore give me a ring. You'll be chasing a pipeline and won't get home anymore but who knows, you may just love it.

510 385 2089

Take care

 

[jh2586]

TLDR

7 years isn't a long time. You're young enough to start a new career path if you choose to. Just make sure to weigh out your pros and cons should you decide to leave your current job now.

 

[SFSV650]

Dude, sounds like you've got it made.
I know plenty of folks who are 30 and have terrible benefits, no stock, no 401k, are 5 to 10 years away from a managerial role, and can only dream of buying a home. These are professionals working full time + with BA's and MA's which, while essential to getting them into their careers, are a weight around their neck rather than a passport to gratifying work.

And they all work for companies who will sidestep ethical behavior to make a buck, particularly if it's only the staff getting screwed. Unless your ethical issue is thay they're dumping crude into national parks, burning the villages of natives, or half-assing undersea drilling caps, I'd guess you'll see the same behavior anywhere.

Edit: if you can feasibly finish your ba part time while working (tough with a baby in the house) that will open up opportunities for you down the line if other factors (a downturn in your industry) change your situation under you.

 

[kevin 714]

So I am currently 28 years old with a wife and a newborn baby, house mortgage, car payment, typical household bills no other credit card debt. I have been working at the same company for the past 7.5 ish years and have worked my way up to the point were next august I will be, I think, promoted to the GM of this particular location. I am in the oil and gas industry as an operations manager.

I make decent money, I have a 401k, company truck including gas card/maintenance, and a bonus which consists of Restricted stock units. I do not have a formal education past 1.5 years of college for accounting but with no degree. I am my current GM 's right hand man as well as his young trainee. I do not want to leave my current boss as he has helped me through the thick of it and has kept me during some challenging times. I do not want to leave him high and dry but, I do not like what is going on. He also has the same feelings with what is going on as well.

We have recently gone through a shitstorm of changes at a local level and I am having a hard time with the way corporate has been handling this transition of splitting up the local lab into two separate labs because of a sneaky manager who went around everyone and persuaded corporate to make this change. I am starting to think and realize that corporate is so focused on making money that sometimes the business ethics and business model/goals fly out the window. I don't see my self wanting to stand behind that kind of business nor do I condone what is happening.

Now my wife is on her way to getting her Masters of nursing so she can become a clinical nurse specialist and already has 3other associates and another BA. she still has another 1.5 years until she is done. So I know we still need to have income coming in. Ideal situation I would love to get into doing logistics/operations for a moto race team but that is far and few between. I also was thinking about a heavy equipment operator but I have always seen myself in an office managing people

What I am wondering is if anyone else has had a late 20's career change and how it went in the long run? Have you left an employer due to like situations? I really just want to work for a company that has a strong backbone and sees situations from a non-financial stand point from time to time.

Jesusaresrex (sp?) I know you are in the same field?!?!

Any insight/opinions?

I know this might seem more of a rant than a question but everyone is sleeping in the house and I am bored.

if the ethics are bad enough youre considering leaving, thats a pretty important issue IMO,

my best friend is a crane and heavy equipment operator, a member of local 3 operator engineers unions, and makes a VERY good living. he works a lot of hours, but he makes a great living, with great benefits, and loves his job, dude makes more and is happier at his work than pretty much any of our friends that have a formal degree. couldnt recomend it enough. its a good time to get in now, if you are interestd

 

[Shaggy]

Just my :2cents, but if you think you'll be promoted to GM next year, and your wife is 1 1/2 years away from her degree...and away from making some good $$, and you have a little baby, stay put for the time being.

Wait it out. Hopefully get that promotion, as that will be one more thing for the resume. Once your wife has started her career, and you kid is a little older, and you've maybe put in some good time making miracles happen as GM, then consider making a career move.

That's my practical / conservative advice.

Agree.

Hell, getting promoted might even put you in a position to change what you don't like about the company. Be an agent for change instead of running away from it.

 

[radvas]

I did something similar, at about the same life/family/financial position as you. It worked out. In fact it worked out (luck, good fortune) that I was better off very quickly after the change, but ahhh those were different times.

I had a degree already. It was the end of the 90s, and everyone in software seemed to be pulling in cash like it was growing on trees. It sounds a little hyperbolic to phrase it this way, but it seemed like there was another gold rush in the works, and that I was in the wrong industry. So I went back to school, learned enough to get in the door (and continued school for quite some time). I got into the software industry just enough ahead of the crash to ride it out by proving myself valuable to the team.

As for your current situation, I'd be careful about ascribing to much certainty to the GM position. If you were an outsider interviewing for that position now, would you be a lock for it? Would they fire the current GM to get you? Would you easily land that GM position at a competing company? If the answer to any of those are "no," it's probably a lot less certain than you think. If the answer is yes, you should already be interviewing at the competing companies.

As for switching careers, there's no harm in taking a step backward to enable a few steps forward. I think it's ambitious. Just be sure to have a plan and execute that plan. Know where you want to be and do what's necessary to get there.

 

[Removed 4]

At 27 I quit my first career in law enforcement, sold my house in Phoenix, moved the whole family to Kansas, and went to nursing school.
Best decision of my life. But, at the time, the circumstances were PERFECT. Supportive wife, younger kids, place to live in Kansas while in school.

YMMV

 

[cleverusername]

tough point you're at, i was there a few years ago. left a pretty good paying gig for different reasons - figured i would
1. be making tons'o'dough,
2. just being super motivated/hard working/innovative and will therefore kick the ass of all these overly comfortable corporate folk
3. have more time to do the things i really wanted to do

i have listed the above in order of priority to my then 27 year old, young, and dumb mind.

i consider it pretty fortunate (though it was rather tough, looking back) to have been able to try 3 different career paths within my first 15 months of getting out of the military.

all 3 ambitions were fulfilled, too, but in different combinations for each job. my satisfaction in life varied with each different combination.

the point being that whatever brings the most satisfaction is on you and may *gasp* differ with what objectively you're supposed to want. and that combination will change according to the conditions of your life. if you're sensing that certain compromises are outside of your zone, that's pretty critical - try to avoid that for next time. for example, i find it unlikely i will engage in another production facility, have a commute of 400 miles, shift work that goes from 6am-6pm then shifts to 6pm-6am every 4 days. i don't think i will engage in another GM development program that has 121 metrics with nearly equal prioritization (imagine the mentality where people legitimately socialized that there is such a thing as having 121 #1 things!). or engage in a division of a corporation that has no growth goals without having known first - you can imagine being overly ambitious in that scenario isn't a good long run fit.

but congrats, while you have fucked yourself with a dilemma, you are also in a good spot. you may have to work your ass off in your free time to find a better gig and be patient while going through the motions. but until you punch out of there, you have a paycheck, and will have more accomplishments to add to your resume. don't feel bad because you've identified a point where you have to wear your big boy pants and make a real decision. you're at an age where you're settling into your own values and preferences, and come across something that challenges your sense of who you are and how much you're going to compromise. congrats.

as far as that feeling of being 7 years in and oh so vested that you can't change that would be crazy - well look at this lady http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/25/y...comfort-zone-to-learn-computer-code.html?_r=1.

 

[louemc]

a few thoughts:

it may be helpful to accept the fact that to remain viable, every company needs to focus on making money. the question is - are they smart about how they go about it? if they have a scorched earth policy (which includes how they treat employees) it is doubtful they will last long. in which case - get out while the getting is good.

management skill may seem like a common commodity, but it's not. if you have any, and a manager that is further developing it - wring every ounce of benefit (education/experience-wise) out of that you can. everything you gain adds that much more heft to your resume.

in the long run, your educational status doesn't mean shit compared to your talent and skill. this gets more true over time - as your career develops. if you have a track record of accomplishments, sell that. in the end, it's the difference between reading about it, testing on it - and actually doing it. and don't ever forget that.

and finally - you are at an age where - no matter how bad you fuck up anything, you have plenty of time to recover. so be bold, speak your mind (do whatever feels right, challenge whatever feels wrong, kick some ass) and go for it.

:thumbup

 

[BigRich]

Wait it out. Unless you have a real offer in your hands, it makes no sense to jump that close to a GM role. Though I'm in a completely different field, the market is insane. Masters students compete for entry level roles, and experienced hires can dictate their salaries if they're solicited.

 

[greener]

Wait it out. Unless you have a real offer in your hands, it makes no sense to jump that close to a GM role. Though I'm in a completely different field, the market is insane. Masters students compete for entry level roles, and experienced hires can dictate their salaries if they're solicited.

Agreed. Without a degree, your resume is your only Ace. It sounds like you are talented and do good work, but once you leave the company that knows this to be true, you are nothing but a few lines on a resume. If you are within reach of a GM position this is gold, this will save you from having to go to school just to get back your equivalent position if you go elsewhere.

I am starting to think and realize that corporate is so focused on making money that sometimes the business ethics and business model/goals fly out the window.

This is the ugly truth of business. To get to GM and succeed as GM, accept that you will become part of this mindset. Its not immoral, its just shitty. Do your best, support your family and if it all gets to be too much you will do what you need to do then. :cool