Career Changers
These are some thoughts from my own experience of changing careers - hopefully they’ll help if you’re thinking about making the switch yourself.
Signs you might need a change
I talked about why I changed careers in my previous post, but here’s a quick recap of the signs that told me I needed something different:
- Found myself just going through the motions each day
- Lost my drive for the work
- Stopped caring about learning new techniques in my field
- Every day started feeling like a slow day
This may sound like you, and you may not need a new career as such, maybe just a new environment could be what you need. However for me i had tried all different sectors of my plumbing and had learnt other trade skills but the passion just wasn’t there anymore.
Reality Checks
Maybe it feels daunting and there are some things i will say to be prepared for:
- Most likely your income will go down because you may be starting in a unrelated job and having to learn a new set of skills so this is to be expected and you might need to prepare for it.
- Will be lots of learning, and you will be starting at the bottom and that’s okay.
Learn before you leap
Here’s a tip: start learning before you quit your current job. You might find out it’s not your thing before making such a big change. I started with The Odin Project - a free frontend course. Even though I ended up preferring backend and infrastructure and DevOps stuff, it helped me confirm this was the right path for me.
Want to explore more? Check out Udemy courses - there’s loads of good entry-level stuff there. When looking for courses that aren’t on Udemy etc this is how i check for well regarded ones:
when looking for course recommendations, search “[topic] reddit” - you’ll usually get more honest reviews than sponsored content. Just remember to do your own research too.
“Good Docker courses Reddit” which lead me to this https://devopswithdocker.com/ which is a course sponsored by a DevOps company and created by Helsinki University… for free.
The Helsinki University courses in general found here have all been amazing and free.
Am i too old?
I think the days are gone where you leave school start a career and stay till you retire. (Then again in Futurama they had a career chip which was your job for life, but we aren’t there yet) Our Interests change as we get older, now with the internet and the resources available it gives us this option to change paths and learn more.
I personally know someone in their 50s who switched from manual work to a software developer and had no previous connections to the industry.
Starting Fresh? Maybe not as fresh as you think
Although i did say you start fresh and have everything to learn that isn’t quite true. You don’t truly start from Zero, some of our skills are actually relevant no matter what we do and travel with us.
I can’t say what yours are but i can list some of mine to help you determine yours.
Switching from being a self employed plumber to working in software/DevOps they feel worlds apart. One dealing with physical pipes and the other virtual. But here are some of the things I’ve come to realise:
Problem Solving
Let’s take boiler fault-finding for example. When i get called to a “broken” boiler, it’s actually surprisingly similar to debugging software.
Just because something isn’t working to the user doesn’t mean everything is broken. Both need systematic approaches.
Here’s a real example: Say I get called to a boiler that’s giving intermittent hot water.
First, gather the facts:
- We’re getting hot water initially (so the boiler can fire up and run)
- Heating mode works fine
This lets me rule out several components right away:
- Gas valve (clearly working)
- Pump (operating fine)
- Electrodes (firing successfully)
- Diverter valve (switching modes correctly)
Using logical reasoning, I can narrow down the likely culprit. Experience tells me it’s probably a blocked plate heat exchanger, but I’ll check those heat sensors too - it’s less likely but quick to verify.
Working under pressure
Pressure isn’t just about water flow be it working on a old legacy system knowing if you touch one of these imperial sized components you won’t be able to get a replacement and will be in for a world of hurt or trying to fix a heating system at an evening for a vulnerable old person. You learn to stay calm and focused.
Managing Customer expectations
Clear communication is crucial. It’s about finding that sweet spot where you provide enough technical detail to build trust, while keeping explanations simple enough for anyone to understand. You need to be honest about what’s achievable and set realistic expectations from the start.
Breaking Down Technical Concepts
We often forget that what’s obvious to us might be complete mystery to others. The skill of explaining complex technical issues in plain language - whether it’s a heating system fault or a software bug - is invaluable in any technical field. It’s not about dumbing things down, but rather making technical concepts accessible.
Professional Problem Management
Things go wrong sometimes, no matter how careful you are. Maybe you get carpet stains despite laying protective sheets, or a simple job turns complicated. It’s not about the problems - it’s how you handle them that counts.
Timekeeping and Communication
Jobs overrun sometimes - it happens. The key is keeping people in the loop. Most folks are understanding if you communicate well.
I could probably list more but you get the idea. Even though you may know nothing in the new field you can use your previous like experiences to your advantage.
Thanks to my plumbing background, I approach software challenges differently. When I’m handed something new I haven’t tackled before, I don’t panic, I dive in. Sure, I’ll probably need to learn new things along the way, but that’s what makes it interesting! I’ve got the confidence to either figure things out myself or know when to ask for help. Working with all sorts of people and situations in plumbing has made me pretty good at fitting into any team.
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not reckless (trust me, when you’ve dealt with live water pipes, you learn to respect what one wrong move can do!). But I am confident getting stuck in, and I absolutely love learning new things. Problem solving isn’t just part of the job for me, it’s what gets me excited to tackle each new challenge.
It won’t be easy
I’m not going to say it’s straight forward, i had set backs getting to where i am now and still have a long road ahead. There will be sacrifices needed, lots of hours studying, not going out or seeing friends. But if it was easy then everyone would do it and it probably wouldn’t be worth as much.
But for those who truly want to, it is obtainable.