For many of our grandparents and parents, your career was something you did for the rest of your life. For some of them you did that same job at that same company pretty much until retirement.
That's not the world we live in anymore.
Not only do we rarely stay working at the same companies for that long anymore, but it's much more common for someone to just up and walk away from a career they've had for a long time and do something totally different.
This article is devoted to those brave and bold enough to pull that switch up. It takes some serious guts to do!
Reddit user TrailOfDust asked:
People who switched careers, why did you do it?
The reasons are as varied as the careers and people themselves. Honestly, that doesn't surprise us. What it mostly seems to come down to, though, is mental health. And money. And a betta fish - but you'll get to that one.
Sensitivity
As a highly sensitive person, I could not offer the skills required of an EMT, regardless of all the book knowledge and training I had acquired. I needed something that suited me better as a person, where I could be more effective in service to others.
Although, now that I think back on it, I didn't realize at the time that that was the issue. I just knew it wasn't for me and decided to leave.
I felt like a terrible person for a long time after that, and it wasn't until I started training as an LMT that I realized how I'm a very soft and squishy person and I was chasing after an ideal of being strong and tough. It was detrimental to my mental health because it was against my nature, and it was potentially detrimental to my patients because I would freeze up.
But at least I recognized the need for a change, even if I didn't know why. Haha.
Just Tired
I was a chemist with a PhD. I'm now a welder. I just got tired.
I did my PhD on synthetic organic chemistry and that was the subject I found fun and interesting. However, when I was done I could only find job in analytical chemistry, something that I always found boring and tedious. Due to family reasons moving was out of the question. After a few years of boring work I thought something has to change... Why not try making my hobby (welding and metalwork) into my profession? Applied to a one year welding program and was accepted. I have worked in welding since that.
And actually, there are many similarities in mindset between welding and synthetic chemistry. Both are about constructing larger assemblies utilizing the available materials and methods for joining them together.
Terminal Burnout
I went from having a relatively successful 25 year career in IT infrastructure to being a struggling indie app/game/web developer.
I encountered a thing I've been calling Terminal Burnout. That is to say, if I'd stuck in that position, I'd probably have killed myself in the next 2-3 years. I just couldn't take the idea of working myself to death day in, day out, for no real reason. The reports I generated were rarely reviewed, as evidenced by he time I screwed up and submitted the exact SAME report for 6 different projects, without even changing project names/titles on the report. Watching my company (pharmaceutical) botch clinical trials left and right due to technical incompetence, not faulty science, then watching the execs get rich off those same failed trials... ugh, just no.
There are times when I don't know how I'm gonna pay next month's rent, but you know what? I'm doing this on MY terms, not to line the pockets of some jerk who doesn't give a damn what is going on in the building as long as their eTrade account looks sexy.
Lost That Bet
I'm still in college (thanks to my degree switch. ~7 years for a bachelors is GREAT /sarcasm). I was going to school to become a vet and then switched over to elementary education.
Let me preface by saying I come from a family of educators and SWORE I would never become one. My dad actually made a 2k bet with me that I would switch to teaching. I lost the bet, obviously.
I was very devout in being a veterinarian. That's all I wanted to do as a kid. I read encyclopedias, gathered injured animals and "fixed" them and did job shadows at vet clinics. I was so well known from birth to my first two years in college for going into veterinary science that I had people asking me to give their pets shots and everything else.
When I moved away for college, all of my real working experience was with kids (both my parents worked at my school and it was pretty easy to be a TA or work in after school programs) and retail. So I got a job teaching kids gymnastics and at the time it was all I could really get after applying for months to various companies. I LOVED MY JOB. I absolutely fell in love with teaching.
Now, I have depression and anxiety and a lot of weird physical things that come with those. The only time I ever felt comfortable and confident was when I was working with children. Something in me clicked a year into my teaching job and suddenly teaching became the only thing I could think about. It's still the only thing I think about. Every time I learn something new, I think about how I can put it into a lesson. I make lesson plans in my head for fun. My first job teaching kids in a professional setting just sparked something in me that I didn't know I had a love for, and the fire is still burning even after nearly 5 years of college.
Raising Other People's Kids
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I wasn't sleeping at night worried I was screwing up raising other people's kids. I had daily breakdowns where I would just silently cry while they took a nap. I got super impatient and very internally angry with them and knew it wasn't healthy. So I quit being a nanny and found something in an office.
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Couldn't Imagine Spending The Rest Of My Life...
Went to film school. Worked on sets for half a decade. A few months ago I quit to focus more on music and photography and I've never been happier. I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life working up to 18 hour days and barely sleeping and not having any time for myself.
I mean, I'm broke and scared about being unemployed but it's been fun as hell.
I Can't Stand Working With Teenagers
Got my degree in English so I could become an English teacher. After working in the classroom for three years, I finally discovered that I can't stand working with teenagers.
At the same time, I was in charge of putting together all of the marketing material, email campaigns, and social media pushes for the school's theatrical productions and choral events, and I've really enjoyed it. Now I'm back to school working towards a marketing degree and an MBA so I could try my hand in that field.
Worst case scenario, I can just teach college level business—it's not really the teaching that I couldn't work with, but the emotional level and capacity of teenagers in general.
If You Can Do Anything Else
Acting--theatre in particular and indie theatre in even more particular--was wonderful for a time and I had a lot of great experiences and made a lot of great connections. But the conventional wisdom holds, "If you can do anything else for a living, do." Meaning, if you can't bear the thought of not performing, then keep working hard at it. But if you could see yourself being happy doing something else, for the love of God, do that other thing, because sooner or later show biz will burn you out.
Fortunately I realized sooner rather than later that I simply did not have that kind of drive. It took me a long time to find a career path that suited me better, but eventually I did. (I'm a legal assistant at a law firm now, which has its own pros and cons I can go into if anyone is interested, but that isn't really part of the original question.) And I'm glad I got out when I did, because the longer I took before coming to that realization, the worse off I would have been. Now theatre is a fun hobby I can indulge in sometimes, and I'm perfectly happy with that.
Sedate Them
I worked in a call centre and it was destroying my soul because people are arseholes. So I became a nurse. People are still arseholes but now I can sedate them.
A Desktop Betta Fish
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Kept getting on the job injures as a flight attendant. I'm ready for a safer desk job where I can have a desktop betta fish, plant, and eat a well balanced meal while not standing in the back galley next to the trash can and people going in and out of the lavatory (once they figure out how to open the door).
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- People With Little Known Professions Explain What They Do For A Living - George Takei ›
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.