28F - Considering leaving my industry after 10+ years. Am I burned out or is it time for a change?
**28F - Considering leaving my industry after 10+ years. Am I burned out or is it time for a change?**
Looking for some outside perspective from people who have made a major career change, or who stuck it out and were glad they did.
I’m 28 and have spent basically my entire working life in the collision industry. I started as a painter, before that I completed most of my 310B apprenticeship schooling and was working toward getting my ticket, but ultimately moved into painting instead. Unfortunately, a serious car accident left me with a severely broken ankle and long-term complications that made painting no longer realistic as a career.
From there I became an estimator and eventually moved into management. I’ve been a collision center manager for the last 6 years.
On paper, things look pretty good. I’ve built a successful department, make good money, have a lot of autonomy, and have worked hard to get where I am. The problem is that I’m finding myself increasingly miserable with the industry itself.
It feels like every year things get harder:
Technicians seem increasingly impossible to keep happy. They constantly want more but often don’t give much in return.
Customers are becoming more demanding and expect miracles.
Insurance companies are harder than ever to deal with.
Vehicle technology is getting more complex and more vehicles are resulting in total losses rather than repairing which makes it hard to meet monthly goals year over year
The stress level just keeps increasing.
Lately I’ve been seriously considering a complete career change, but that’s where I’m stuck.
I’ve invested so much time into this industry and accumulated a lot of knowledge that would essentially become useless if I left. It’s also what I’m good at. I don’t have a degree, and outside of collision repair and management, I honestly don’t know what I’d do.
Part of me wonders if I’m just burned out and should stick it out because the grass isn’t always greener. Another part of me thinks if I’m already feeling this way at 28, what will I feel like at 38 or 48?
For those who left an industry after investing years into it, was it worth it? Did you regret starting over?
For those who stayed despite feeling burned out, did things improve?
Just trying to figure out whether I’m experiencing a rough patch or getting a warning sign that it’s time to make a move.