r/careerchange

I am 23 m I work as a (myquals) data analyst in an insurance company , i earn 3 LPA after 1year of experience , I have a under grad degree in Bsc data science . Currently I don't see any growth in my company, so I am trying to switch but its difficult in this job market . I don't know what i should do next , whether i should go for higher education like MBA or other masters degree , or continue new job hunting , i just need a guidance. would be glad if someone helped.

I'm curious to hear from people who left a corporate or remote/online job to start a physical business (store, café, gym, workshop, clinic, restaurant, etc.).

I'm considering doing something similar—not really for the money, but more for a greater sense of purpose, freedom, and to build something tangible. Another reason is that I may be moving to a new place, and I feel that owning a local business could help me feel more connected to the community and give me a stronger sense of belonging.

- What did you do before?

- What business did you start?

- How was the transition?

- Do you have any regrets?

- What were the biggest lessons you learned?

- If you could do it again, what would you do differently?

I'd love to hear the unfiltered reality—the good, the bad, and the unexpected. Any tips or stories would be greatly appreciated.

I studied computer science, and then I got a job as a programmer at a IT consulting company. It was my first job. I've been in the business for almost 5 years now in two different companies. I'm not sure if it is the consulting or the corporate world, but I'm getting sick of it. The constant change of project, the stress, the deadlines, the mismanagement, the higher ranks blaming the lower ranks for their mistakes...

I actually got into computer science because of videogames, but I never actually got into videogame programming. Would like to though. I know the obvious answer is to get into videogame programming. But it is a difficult career to get into, and the industry is kind of a mess right now, with massive layoffs in recent years.

Videogames would be the dream job, but I just would like to do something that I enjoy to some extent. I'm not an ambitious person, so career paths and promotions just don't motivate me at all, and working with cero motivation is crushing me.

Does anyone know of a good place to assess transferable skills into another job? I've done 26 years in IT now and I really just want a change, I like interacting with people which I think is one of the issues I'm having ATM as my current role is home based and the office is hours away so I think I'm missing that interaction. I'm looking at linkedin and some other job places but I just wondered if there was a better place to start of if anyone else here had done a similar thing? Im Yorkshire UK based

I've spent fifteen years in operations and I'm done. Decent money, no spark, the usual story. Flying is the one thing that's never stopped pulling at me and I finally have enough saved to consider it instead of just daydreaming. The part I keep getting stuck on isn't whether I can learn to fly, it's whether the math works at my age. From what I can tell you can go from zero to the right ratings in roughly a year if you do it full time, then build hours instructing while you wait for a regional to pick you up, and the airline timelines have been moving faster than they used to. But I'd be torching a stable salary for a year of training plus a stretch of low CFI pay before it turns around. For anyone who pivoted into this in their mid 30s or later, did the income recover in a timeframe that made sense, or did you wish you'd kept the day job and flown for fun?

I (f31) have been in the ABA field working directly with children with Autism and disabilities for roughly 6 years. I have a high school diploma and some college credits- but no degree.

My dream was to pursue a career in psychology working with children, so at the time becoming an RBT in the ABA field seemed like a great field to get my foot in the door as there is a little bit of intersection between mental and behavioral health, and entry level positions do not require a degree.

The problem is that this field has completely burned me out. I started school, and ended up dropping out and losing my financial aid due to having to drop courses so frequently while working as an RBT. I have been severely injured several times, and am now on worker’s comp for the second time while awaiting my second surgery due to being injured by a client. I live in a high cost of living area and only make 18/hr, and have little room for career growth without finishing my degree.

At this point I would like to just pivot to something more stable and less mentally and physically taxing, but I feel completely lost. None of my recent experience translates to any job I come across that doesn’t require a degree, and I am having a hard time finding positions that offer a livable wage at entry level. Has anyone here been in a similar position and made a successful transition this late in life?

Anyone shifted from tech to finance?

Really struggling with how to pivot. Started in tech PM/finance transformation. moved into Investment banking - had to take time out to do an mba for personal reasons (folks live in mba country and needed to be taken care of, so decided to do an mba whilst taking care of them) .
After mba got a consulting offer from top 4 and a fintech ceo - took the fintech ceo role (operating partner) which burnt me out. I don’t want to go back into core tech. Now want to go into PE/VC as have an affinity for market facing finance origination roles. Any advice on target roles or how to pivot?

I never liked speech therapy. I do like helping people but a lot of the content of it I find boring and was not particularly interested in most of my grad school classes. my parents basically forced me into this field because I was unsure what to study.

I started a baking business out of my home five years ago. had a couple great seasons with farmers markets but now after having a second child I’m struggling with getting to the markets. my firstborn was chill and my son who is 3 is high energy and it takes lots and lots of hours to prep to even attend one market. I’d love to have a storefront someday when my kids are much older but now Doesn’t seem like the right time to jump into that when they need me so so much.

i Wish my parents could have an actual conversation with me about this. But I just feel like a huge let down to them. they don’t seem proud of pursuing my baking passion and uninterested in my plans to possibly go back to school :(

ive Been thinking I ended up in the wrong helping profession and considering getting a masters in mental health counseling . I could take one more pre req this fall and then if I got accepted start the masters program in spring 2027.

Thoughts on this switch to mental health counseling? Any advice? Thanks for reading! 🩷

Hi, I am in the process of recruiting for a new role. I've been asked several times during interviews in the past what my motivation is for seeking a new role. Would an acceptable answer be that I am seeking a new role to be closer to friends and family?

Hi everyone,

I am 32 years old and have an Accounting Diploma from a public college (completed in 2023). I started the program when it was still easy to find entry level accounting jobs with a college diploma.

My college program was completely online, and I realize now that I barely remember much of what I learned after the first two semesters. I did not complete my degree program because OSAP did not cover the full cost of tuition, and at the time, I was jobless and did not have the financial means to return to school.

Fast forward to today, I have been working as a Medical Office Assistant for almost a year. While the pay is only slightly above minimum wage, I am honestly very grateful to have a job in this economy. Unfortunately, my clinic is now experimenting with AI, and one of the owners of the clinic mentioned reducing staff, so my job is probably at risk.

My goal was to hopefully get a clerical associate or similar administrative job in a hospital using my experience at the current job. However, given the recent healthcare cuts and how difficult it is to get a hospital job now, especially without a Medical Office Assistant diploma or certification, it feels nearly impossible.

So I am here asking for advice on what jobs are currently in demand and are expected to still be in demand in the coming years? I am ready to go back to school.

Should I take refresher courses in accounting and complete my accounting degree? Should I pursue something in healthcare instead? I was also considering a Medical Device Reprocessing program, but the cost would be fully out of pocket, and a job is not guaranteed afterward. I am also not sure if this is the best route given current healthcare cuts.

Or should I complete a Medical Office Assistant diploma and eventually bridge into health administration? I am worried that health administration is one of the first fields in healthcare that will be signficantly impacted by AI.

Thank you for your advice!

I am a very creative person. I love art and music. I also like research, as much as I like to use my hands, because to me, there is a "creation" aspect, like the question and the finding of the answer...you have to get creative with it, and the results are some pretty unique finds (like an original painting or song), and I especially love visualizing data. I could sit at a desk all day and do that.

But I HATE sitting at a desk doing anything else. With a severe aversion. Probably because I'm burnt out a bit.

I would simply shift from office work to something artsy but I am worried, with where I live, I'd have to start my own business for that. Otherwise, much of the "hands on" work is outside. In the forest. As much as me myself and my mind would love that, my body wouldn't survive doing manual labor all day. But, part of the day, sure!

This has really left me torn and a bit barren in terms of options, especially because I really want to avoid spending more time and money in school. Worst case is getting a lisence or a certificate.

However, I am stating to worry that school may be the only option, as I am considering being a teacher, a social worker, or even a biologist in the psychology or environmental vein.

I'm being so stubborn and I am so wrongly ashamed that I am almost 30, have a social sciences degree, live no where near a big city, and am about to start working at the grocery store to get by without wanting to die from doing another administrative job. Honestly, I love talking to people and making folks day more then the prestige of a office job, and know a lot of folks do retail so that they can go back to school. But I already feel the future judgement from people and society telling me to suck it up.

I dunno. I am young and don't want to burn out any further in what I have been doing. Very very torn.​

Hey Everyone,

I’ve (39m) been doing commercial hvac for 15 years. My dad was in the field for 51 years. I got out of college with a lame marketing degree and didn’t wanna be in an office and was always good with my hands. So the job kinda fell in my lap after dad kinda pushed me towards the field and I got really good at it. Never loved it.

I am completely burnt out, from the hours, the people(coworkers), the toxicity, the industry and the monotony. Been with a few companies and it’s all the same. Most techs are just miserable but the pay is really good. I see techs at 55 and their bodies are completely wrecked. Once you’re a journeyman there’s nothing really above that. So you’re basically just a tech who gets cost of living raises for the rest of your life.

I have a 6 month old and I wanna be apart of his life unlike my dad who was always working. I literally have no freaking idea what to do. Just thinking about HVAC gives me anxiety.

Sorry for the rant. Anyone get out of career like this with transferrable skills to something totally different?

Thanks.

Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to change fields?

I'm a game dev of around 10 years, mostly doing Unity Development professionally. I have my MBA, and have done some PM work though my titles don't say that.

I'd love to both move out of game industry (as it's very unstable) and being developer.

I've tried catering my resume to be more PM specific but all these PM jobs are so specific to their specific fields and how could I compete with people with years of experience to any industry I try to switch to?

Has anyone swapped fields like this and has been successful? And has any advice for me? Honestly doesn't even have to be PM. Im just looking to transition into a more stable industry. It's just outside of Unity Dev experience, PM is the only other thing I could even come close to.

Appreciate it, thank you.

I have around 5+ years of experience in SEO and have also managed some Meta Ads campaigns. While I enjoy SEO, I feel that performance marketing offers better career growth, higher salaries, and more opportunities.

Now I want to transition completely into performance marketing, but I'm not sure where to start. I already understand marketing fundamentals, analytics, and conversions from my SEO background, but I know there's a lot more to learn, especially with Google Ads, media buying, campaign optimization, attribution, and scaling.

Would you recommend buying an online course, or is it better to learn through free resources and hands-on practice? If you've made a similar switch, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience.

Some questions I have:

• Which skills should I learn first?
• Are there any courses that are actually worth paying for?
• How can I build practical experience without already working in a performance marketing role?
• How long does it typically take for someone with an SEO background to become job-ready in performance marketing?

Any advice or roadmap would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I (31m) want to change careers, but I have no idea what to do and terrified with starting over.

I have been a paramedic for 8 years. I have worked on ambulances, oil rigs, military bases, and refugee camps. It’s been a fun ride but I don’t think it’s for me anymore. I make a decent living and that would be so hard to give up.
I’ve considered nursing and healthcare avenues to go into but I’ve also considered getting out of healthcare completely.
But with today’s economy and job market I’m terrified to start over. It’s tough enough finding a job with my experience I can’t imagine going into a new field.

I’d really appreciate any advice especially from other medics or people in similar situations.

I’m 29, male, and currently in a corporate management role. I have a Computer Science degree, and over the past 5 years I’ve moved up fairly quickly into a national-level operations/logistics position.
On paper, things are going well. I have a stable career, good coworkers, and solid pay. I work remotely and I’m not unhappy in the traditional sense—but lately I’ve been feeling increasingly disconnected from what I do.My work is mainly in logistics optimization. It’s technically interesting, and I’ve learned a lot over the years, but most days feel repetitive. I don’t really feel a strong sense of purpose or pride in it, and I’ve started questioning whether this is what I want the next 20–30 years of my life to look like.

Recently, I attended a close friend’s firefighter graduation. Watching him and his class receive their badges and step into the profession was surprisingly emotional for me. The sense of pride and meaning they seemed to have really stood out to me, and it made me reflect a lot on my own career.
It also made me realize this isn’t a completely new feeling. When I was in university, I remember being really interested in things like medical AI—specifically research using AI to help detect diseases like cancer earlier and improve treatment outcomes. That idea of using technology to directly help people stuck with me.

Lately I’ve also found myself thinking about more service-oriented careers in general—firefighting, EMS, even areas like healthcare or emergency logistics. On the surface they’re very different paths, but I think what they have in common is a more direct sense of contributing to something meaningful.
At the same time, I’m trying to be careful not to romanticize anything based on a single experience. I know a graduation ceremony is very different from the day-to-day reality of a job.

My current plan is:
-Spend the next 6-18 months aggressively paying down debt.
-Get into the best shape of my life.
-Prepare for firefighter hiring tests.
-Talk to my friend again after he's had about six months on the job so I can hear what the reality is actually like, not just the excitement of graduation.
-If I still feel the same way after a year, apply.

I’m not looking for a quick decision, more trying to understand whether this feeling is a sign I should seriously pivot, or if it’s just a phase of dissatisfaction with my current role.

Has anyone else gone through something similar—moving from a successful but unfulfilling corporate career into something more service-oriented (firefighting, EMS, healthcare, military, etc.)?

If so, did it actually lead to a stronger sense of purpose, or did the feeling fade once the novelty wore off?

I'm 40 and been a graphic designer for 15+ years now. I've worked at ad agencies, tech and other in-house clients. I'm feeling burnt out and my latest contract is coming up in a couple months. I don't know if I have it in me to find another role and keep hustling looking for a full-time role in an industry that's unstable and getting harder and harder to find work.

I honestly want to get out of marketing completely. I know I could move to project management, strategy, etc but that feels like a lateral move.

I've considered teaching as I could roll some of my experience into that, but honestly anything that's stable and pays decent I would consider. Ideally something that I could get into quickly as I don't want to be back in school again for too long. I'm down with trade/union jobs, healthcare, I'm open and looking to work to live and not the others way around

I wanted to share something for the women here who are 35+ and navigating a career shift, especially if you are at home and wondering when your next job is coming or feeling a bit low, or warn out because you have tried but it seems that you are missing something, or the jobs you are invited to interview for seem to never fit your family life or your personal choices.

I had to transition career because I couldn't find work in my industry and I also had a strong desire to work for an industry I truly loved. All this happend in my mid‑30s, in addition previously ma carrer wasn’t straightforward. I didn’t have the perfect academic background, I faced setbacks, and I had to rebuild my direction step by step.

Today, I support women over 35 in visualising their next chapter their ideal career, their dream life, and the confidence to move toward it.

What I learned is simple: clarity can be created, reinvention is possible, and your story is far from over.

Today, my work is rooted in a bigger mission:

• equal pay for women
• better mental‑health conditions at work
• supporting women to become financially independent

If you’re in a transition right now, sat at home or hanging out with your friends or family and wondering what you will be doing next, know that your age and experience are not obstacles they’re strengths.

You only need to explore the possibilites and see what you truly aspire to do in life without limiting yourself. No more I can't because of this, or do I even dare to dream myself as a Director, Head of Business, Managing Teams or having less work and more money, or even not needing to worry about money and simply enjoying life.

IF you are that person sometimes it only takes a short discussion with a person who is living their dream life or career or even taking 10 minutes per day to remind yourself of your goals and going for them.

This is what visualisation helps you to do, it brings you clarity and direction and I’m happy to tell you more about it anytime.

Who is where in their career? Are you feeling you can do somehting different but usure what?

Maybe I can help all comments welcome.

I am 29 years old with 7 years full time experience as a SWE located in the US. I’m considering switching to healthcare. My last straw was about a week ago that I got news of half my team being let go and having to take on extra work with no warning or promotion (even though I’m about a year overdue for that). I’ve experienced layoffs myself in the past, being part of the 20k or so FAANG employees who got laid off in 2023. I took about a 40% pay cut and moved to something that I thought would be more stable but now about 1/5th of the devs in my industry have been laid off in the last 2 years. It’s getting worse with AI.

When I was choosing colleges about a decade ago, I was stuck between healthcare and tech. I chose tech because it seemed like the more lucrative thing to do at the time. I regretted it immediately because I hated coding but didn’t try to change majors (sunken cost fallacy). Every job I’ve had since then has felt more and more soul crushing. Even the jobs I get interviews for these days are more and more morally abhorrent in my eyes (defense contractors, AI data center startups). I don’t even see postings in my area for regular old tech jobs. I’ve realized I can’t spend the next 35 years feeling this way.

I signed up for some pre-requisite science courses at my local cc and signed up for a weekend volunteering gig at a local hospital to get some idea of what a healthcare career entails. I spoke with some of my nurse friends to get their insight as well and they said pretty mixed things. I’m still holding onto my tech job as long as I can but I’m thinking of going back to school for nursing or maybe perfusion. Most of my friends and family think I’m insane. My father is a SWE of 30 years and he can’t believe anyone would switch out of the industry (he’s retired though). Can anyone provide me with more insight? Any other research I can do besides speaking to people/volunteering to get a better idea?

I’m not a rash person so I’m not taking this lightly in the slightest. I understand the burnout rates in healthcare and that the pay cap is lower. I’m just trying to weigh my options! Thanks!!!

My role also includes governance, writing internal comms, onboarding, writing our annual and six month reports! I like the comms and project coordination but I’m so over being someone’s dogs body, I feel I’m making someone else’s dream happen and it’s tiring having no Autonomy or authority !