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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Mar 26, 2018 - 10:59am PT
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Age 22: Aerospace engineer
Age 32: Outdoor retailer, college professor
Age 45: High school teacher, computer consultant, mountain guide
Age 65: Non-profit director
Age 85: Undecided
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Mar 26, 2018 - 11:34am PT
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Electrical Engineer 1986-2000/age 22-36 (BSEE 1986)
Web Developer/Software Engineer 2000-2004/age 36-40
Financial Analyst 2004-2007/age 40-43 (MBA Finance 2004)
Electrical Engineer 2007-now/age 43-now
Side business building surfboards 2005-now/age 42-now (will be retirement business)
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Aerili
climber
Project Y
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Mar 26, 2018 - 01:38pm PT
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Switched careers in my 30s. It wasn't easy (actually proved to be harder and take longer than I ever anticipated), but it was worth it. I make a lot more money and have a lot more employment options than before. (I actually loved what I did before, but the stability and income left a lot to be desired.)
You might consider following the Career Shifters page on Facebook (or maybe they also have a webpage, not sure). I remember reading a recent article about a guy similar to you - tired of building/remodeling homes for rich people. Ultimately he switched to consulting with people on how to upgrade the energy savings in their home economically. Said it was a bit rocky at first but he was happy in the end.
I highly recommend Kate Wendleton's career books as well.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Mar 27, 2018 - 02:59am PT
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I was part of the big RIF (Reduction in Force) of the military after the fall of the Berlin Wall. I went from being a happy Navy jet jockey to being a depressed, unemployed, and freshly divorced civilian at age 32.
There was a glut of aviators, so the airlines were paying pilots $12,000 a year. No thanks, had to make a big career change. It was a painful and depressing 5 years, but I barely managed to get through it.
Now at age 58 I am fed up with the medical profession and would love to change my career again.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Mar 27, 2018 - 03:34am PT
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3 times but without all the education that most here have...
76 to 97 dish washer to chef. 97 to 2007 full time photographer. 2007 to 2010 full time photographer and house painter. 2010 to present full time carpenter part time photographer.. a few other stints as a painter over the years....
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Tom Patterson
Trad climber
Seattle
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Mar 27, 2018 - 05:23am PT
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Brandon, there's an interesting book that I'd recommend checking out. It's called "Working Identity." The gist of it is: Keep your day job, and dabble in things you think you might want to do. At some point, you might find yourself weighting the foot that's not your day job a little more, and the transition becomes a little easier to make.
Good luck!
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Jim Hornibrook
Trad climber
Redwood City, CA
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Mar 30, 2018 - 10:07pm PT
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Been there twice, but I've aided through it both times. Can't believe people can free that pitch.
Wait...you did say changing corners right?
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Mar 31, 2018 - 08:01am PT
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I stayed at the same career for my entire professional life, almost 30 years as a college instructor, currently retired. It was a good gig, although I almost bailed on it when, after six years of doing the part-time grind, I thought I was never going to land a tenure-track job. But, as a colleague said, just when you're about to give up is when doors start opening. I had a climbing friend who started out life as an electrical engineer (MS), but when sitting in his cubical at Bell Telephone labs decided he'd made a terrible mistake. He went back to school and got a PhD in psychology and became a counselor--most educated guy I ever met, really nice, but a very bad climber. Example: He and a partner took ELEVEN HOURS to get up Corrugation Corner at Lover's Leap. I think he eventually quit the sport, which is a good thing. He was happy with his career change, tho.
BAd
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Tom Patterson
Trad climber
Seattle
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Mar 31, 2018 - 08:12am PT
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He and a partner took ELEVEN HOURS to get up Corrugation Corner at Lover's Leap.
Trying to picture that. Were the aiding 5.7?
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10b4me
Social climber
Lida Junction
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Mar 31, 2018 - 08:30am PT
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Nursing...good pay, time off and you can live nearly anywhere.
and pretty much recession proof.
I’m growing weary of building homes for people with lots of money and am starting to wish I’d gone to college. I love building, so I’m caught wanting for something I can’t define. if you can afford it, buy a fixer upper, and flip it, do it again, and again.
I know people who have done that, and while not super rich, they live comfortably.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Mar 31, 2018 - 10:21am PT
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take a 3 month road trip to think about it.
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Scole
Trad climber
Zapopan
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After 35 years as a Mountain Guide and always needing a second job to survive the off season, I decided it was time for a change, and time to pursue something I had always been interested in.
I quit high school at 15 y/o to become a full time climber, so first I had to finish high school: That step completed, I began an online undergrad program while working full time. After several years to complete the undergrad, I was accepted at a school of Oriental Medicine, where I spent the next four years earning a Masters in Oriental Medicine, followed by a Doctorate in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.
I don't regret the years spent guiding, as it allowed me to see much of the world and climb some great mountains, but I wish I had of started working towards a retirement plan a little sooner.
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Don Paul
Gym climber
Denver CO
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I went to law school at age 39, fed loan covered tuition plus $20k per year to live on. But then you'll have to pay it off so you will need to aim for a high paying job.
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