Get a New Career (Job) in 2018!

[ToolateforER]

I am committing to getting a new career in 2018! I have had it with my super stressful position as a VP at a nonprofit organization and with my career, in general.

My whole career has been in the nonprofit realm (I'm a sucker for a good mission), but I'm going to broaden my scope. I'm reaching out to corporate recruiters this week to see how my skills might translate. I would definitely take another nonprofit role, but I need it to be in a different area of responsibility, even if it means I take a pay cut. I make a really good living doing what I'm doing, but it's not worth it anymore.

I've freshened up my resume and begun to quietly put the word out that I'm looking for a new opportunity. I've applied for a few jobs and even had a few phone interviews for positions I decided not to pursue (too much like my current role). It's complicated because I have a long and successful track record in my career field, but I'm just really sick of it. But, I am the "money" in my family, and we're not yet FI (got a late start), so I can't just throw in the towel or work just "for fun". My personality (money = security) means that I have a certain salary threshold I need to meet to feel comfortable.

I'm posting to see if there's anyone else who is making a career shift and who has decided that 2018 is the year.

Let's keep each other motivated to more forward!

[diapasoun]

I too am planning on making a career shift (into technical writing). I'm looking forward to doing something I actually enjoy during the day (writing) while also making people's lives easier by making work less frustrating for them (yay documentation).

[Money Badger]

A wise mentor once said "Everyone has a certain level of mission and stress they can sustain."   There's little ego in happiness.   So I've begun to appreciate my corporate peers who worked in VP and Director levels who filled up their retirement plans in Manager positions mentoring the next generation or who even took individual contributor roles later on (e.g., Project Manager, Partner Relationship Manager, etc.).   They filled up their retirement plans with another 3 to 5 years of good compensation and then left on their terms.    But it's a tough pill for the ego to swallow after calling the shots at VP or above of course.   It takes grace.   So I too share the goal to make a chance from "middle Management" corporate to a role with mission and people that really speaks to me.   I've made my FIRE nut if I can just let it grow organically a few years.   Time to enjoy the fruits of 30 years of corporate I.T. life.

[StiffUpperLip]

I'm in.

I've been with the same company for over 10 years, and the same Dept for over 6 years (in 2 different roles). Golden handcuffs to a degree as I'm in a LCOLA and with a company with relatively high salaries for my field. I also have a raging case of imposter syndrome and interviewing is awful for me so I've done well moving up within my company without having to formally interview for any of my role changes.

I interviewed for a couple of jobs over the last couple of years but haven't gotten any offers, which saps at my will and motivation to try again - the rejection heightens my imposter syndrome and with two small children it sometimes doesn't seem worth the time it takes to search for opportunities, align my CV, craft covering letters, interview, follow up - complainypants much!!!

So this is the year I'm committing to making the jump. I want to move closer to our families so our kids can grow up close to grandparents and cousins so I need to bite the bullet.

My role spans a niche technical speciality, quality/management systems and people management/governance so first up I need to decide which direction to take in my search - more technical specialist, more process management or more people facing.

[StiffUpperLip]

Progress so far:

Changed tack a bit and decided plan A is to get a transfer agreed with current company as primary driver for change is that we want to move closer to family. Initial discussions held with my manager and 1st draft of the formal request written.

Plan B is get a new job closer to family at a different company. Due to such a niche field I've got one opportunity in my sights and am working on aligning my resume to the posting today for submission tomorrow.

I know it's minimal progress but it's progress!

[StiffUpperLip]

@ToolateforER , @indentured4now , @diapasoun 
How're you all getting on?

[diapasoun]

Thanks for the check-in, StiffUpperLip!

I've been working on my career change very slowly. I'm working to get into a more creative field (technical writing) than my current (a weird technologically oriented legal niche), so it's involved a bunch of portfolio work as well as the inevitable weird "how do I re-write my resume to fit this" balancing act.

That being said, I really do want to have some sort of real moves done by the end of May -- certainly job applications out, if not also interviews and *wishes* a new job....

[Money Badger]

@StiffUpperLip,  Thanks for asking...  Corporate life hasn't been good lately.   Similar situation of being "too senior, too expensive" for most other companies I've talked to.   But it's a blessing in disguise as my wife and I are going to downsize house this summer and use that equity to really ramp up passive income for the FI plan.   From there, I intend to be a miserable failure at early retirement and use my skills in the nonprofit sector with a mission that uses some of my Info Technology skills (and that lets me work on some other things I'm passionate about).    Fortunately, I have contacts and friends in the area that speaks to me.   So that's my motivation to get through the BS at work these days to finish padding the FI fund.

[Apple_Tango]

I'm in healthcare right now, but you wouldn't really know it if you talked to my bosses because they're under the impression that I'm making widgets in a widget factory instead of helping to heal real human beings. After 3 years in healthcare I'm done. Out. Finito. Currently to sustain myself, I'm working part time in the same field during the day while also working part time in the late afternoon/evening as a K-12 tutor. I have been accepted for a job as a government contractor, but I have to wait for my clearance to come through (which is 45-120 days according to their estimates) so I'm just be-bopping along. Crossing my fingers that it all actually comes through and I get a steady paycheck again! I should be in my new job by July at the latest. My cash cushion is currently dwindling down a little at a time...yikes!

Things that new job has that old job/career doesn't:

10 paid holidays per year (that my boss won't try to guilt me into working)
a 401k match up to 3%
the ability to get a raise and move up the ladder (only way to get a "raise" in my healthcare field these days is to quit and start somewhere new and negotiate something higher)
50% work from home schedule


I'm excited!!! I hope I'll like it, but even if I don't, it *can't* be worse than my old career. And even if it is, a clearance will open some doors. Plus I'm keeping my healthcare license so I can always go back to it as plan B.

[2Birds1Stone]

I'm in.