19 People Share How They Changed Careers And Never Looked Back
Some of us spent our whole lives knowing exactly what we wanted to do in life, while others are still struggling to figure out what we wanna be when we grow up. And still, some of us thought we knew what we wanted, tried it out, and realized, "Umm... No thanks. This actually sucks."
Showtime / Via giphy.com
But starting over is hard. When you've been stuck in an industry for so long, you get used to the comfort and fear the unknown, even if it means you're overworked, underpaid, understaffed, and burnt out.
Fox / New Girl / Via tenor.com
My therapist once asked me, "If you're already feeling your worst at this job, why would you continue at it, when the possibility of something better is certainly out there?"
That sentence changed my life, but it took yeaaars for me to accept and finally pull the plug on a career that no longer served me. But I'm still young, foolish, and trying to figure my life out, so I asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to share how exactly they made successful career changes. And phew, they made me feel so much better about starting over, no matter the age.
1."After a bachelor's, master's, and five years working in archaeology, I decided I wanted to leave the field. I loved it, but knew I wanted something different. I was interested in marketing, so I audited a Marketing 101 class at the college in town. I also reached out and scheduled coffee dates with people I knew in marketing to pick their brain. Those coffee dates led to some freelance opportunities. After hustling for a few years, I applied for an internship and got it! I was the oldest person in my intern group, but I'm so glad I made the switch."
Warner Bros. / Via tenor.com
—anonymous
2."I was in mental health and addiction recovery and working toward being a fully qualified psychologist. I realized it just wasn't for me. I went back to law school and did my degrees part time in the evenings whilst still working FT. It was pretty intense, but I'm now a fully qualified lawyer so it has worked out. It's never too late to make a change if it feels like the right thing for you."
MGM / Via giphy.com
3."I worked long hours and earned less than $40,000 as a high school English teacher. I wasn't making enough to save, and was barely paying back my student loans. I started doing an OnlyFans gig in my off time as a gay foot fetish model. Within two months, I was making what I used to annually. Stopped teaching and now wiggle my piggies for big $$$!"
Roc Nation / Via giphy.com
—anonymous
4."I landed my dream job in entertainment PR and, on paper, it was the coolest thing, but it was a total Devil Wears Prada scenario. My entire life was ruled by this severely underpaid job, and by the time I quit, I was SO burnt out."
20th Century Fox / Via giphy.com
"The thought of hopping to another PR agency seemed impossible, so I swallowed my pride, and I nannied and worked on freelance projects for a year before moving into a communications career where I am happy and thriving!"
—anonymous
5."I spent my 20s working in retail, but I got to the point that I hated the job and the people I worked with. I won a small lawsuit that paid me about $15k in 1995 dollars (about $27k in today's dollars), so I was able to quit my job and go work for a bookstore."
"Over 8 years, I worked myself up the ladder at this national chain, which then got me a job at one of the Big 7 publishers. I now work as a literary agent and live in the Hamptons! Thanks to the broken hand that won me a lawsuit that got me out of retail clothing."
—anonymous
6."I spent 10 miserable years working in HR. It was a career I fell into after barely surviving the Great Recession. ... The thing about HR is that no one ever goes to their HR person happy; they go to HR to complain. It makes it nearly impossible to help people. COVID hit, and my life entered a new layer of hell. I was getting screamed at daily about the rapidly changing laws that I had no hand in creating."
Netflix / Via getyarn.io
"A sympathetic friend of mine said she would hire me as a project manager and said I could use the job as a bridge to figure out what I really wanted to do. I quit while hyperventilating at a lunch meeting the following day and am now happily in event planning."
—anonymous
7."I had worked for 12 years in various corporate industries, the stereotypical guy in a suit, flying from city to city. Money was great, but I wasn't fulfilled. At the end of August 2001, I was laid off. When 9/11 happened, I still hadn't found a new job. It was a blessing in disguise for me because my almost daily routine was to meet clients at the World Trade Center..."
"...I started volunteering distributing food to the rescue and recovery workers. I've been in the nonprofit industry ever since. I've been the volunteer services director for 18+ years for a homeless agency that operates 34 shelters and permanent housing facilities throughout NYC and love every minute of it! I'll never go back to the corporate sector, unless it's to ask them for donations."
—anonymous
8."I was a childcare staff member and director for 15 years. I loved those little kiddos like they were my own, but the pay rate in childcare is abysmal. I became a realtor, kinda on a whim. 20+ years later, our family's life and legacy has changed with the opportunities that have arisen in real estate. Wouldn't change a thing!"
Netflix / Via giphy.com
—anonymous
9."I quit doing hair because it made me incredibly anxious. I got a job as a waitress and worked my way up to bartender. Ended up leaving that scene after five years because it was super toxic for me, but during that time, I started a yoga practice. I took a local yoga teacher training program, and a few years later, I’m teaching yoga almost full time. I love it so much, and I can’t believe how different my life looks seven years later."
Love Island Australia / ITV Studios Australia / Via giphy.com
10."I went from being a sous chef working 10–12/hour days, making a pathetic $18/hr in Colorado. When COVID hit, I said well, it's time to do something else. I decided to work in manufacturing building water purification systems, and now I'm one of their welders! I love it."
"I get benefits that a chef job never paid: PTO, paid holidays, a CONSISTENT schedule. I have a family, and it's nice being home for them at the same time every day and make them dinner. Never again will I be a night/weekend warrior underpaid and overworked."
—anonymous
11."I worked in public relations for eight years. Some of it I like and was good at, some of it I loathed beyond and chose to be bad at it. When I was justifiably fired from my last PR job, I decided I wanted to pursue digital data analytics instead (for those not in this industry, it'd be like a socialite deciding to become an accountant)..."
"...Instead of going to get a master's degree, I chose to start as a 31-year-old intern. ... I was being taught how to do the most rudimentary work from people who were five or six years younger than me. It was a big piece of humble pie, but it's been more than six years, and I'm so much happier now."
—anonymous
12."I spent 15 years in retail management, mainly in tool stores and home improvement centers. When I started in the late '90s, it wasn't the slog it is now. Somewhere along the line, though, a new mentality came up. I had to look a man in the face the week before a surgery to tell him that he didn't have health insurance anymore. When my kid asked if he'd get to see me at all that week, I turned in my notice immediately. I didn't know what I was going to do. ... One day, I saw an ad on Craigslist that just said, 'Are you good with customers? And do you like dogs?' I didn't realize that it was for a receptionist position at a major tech company until the interview."
20th Century Fox / Via giphy.com
"I was offered the role on the spot. When there was an opening for an executive assistant role, they thought of me, and that's what I've been doing ever since. I'm happier, my family sees my face in person, and I don't have to crush anyone's spirit anymore to make money for someone else."
—anonymous
13."I finished grad school with a master's in jazz studies, and didn't get any of the teaching jobs I applied for. Ended up getting a job at a tech company my friend worked at, as client support. Six years later, I'm a scrum master at a different company, making a ton more money, and able to support my family, and with time to continue making music on the side."
—anonymous
14."Straight out of college, I started working behind the scenes of a popular radio company. I had to take three different trains and a boat to get there and home, but I was excited. My start date came, and they had nothing ready for me. I tried to talk to people around me, and not one person held a conversation other than the basic hello. My boss wouldn’t even speak to me."
CBC / Via giphy.com
"About a month in, I decided I wanted to do some night classes. My boss told me, 'Oh, we don’t really think that’s a good move.' I thought about it, and the next day applied for a teacher position. I quit the radio via email that morning and have been teaching ever since. I probably will make less as the years go, but I actually talk to people during the day. And guess what? They encourage you to advance your career here."
—anonymous
15."I was a solicitor in the UK and really loved what I was doing, but deep down, I knew I always wanted to teach. I changed the area of law I was working in so that it would involve working with families and children, and did that for a few years, but each day, I just kept wanting to teach more! So, I moved and started my teacher training! I qualify in July, and in September, I have my own class — I don’t regret a THING."
—anonymous
16."I was working as a manager for a shitty retail company, but trying to get out of retail is awful as hiring managers tend to not realize how hard it actually is and overlook it. I applied for an admin job and they asked me to come interview..."
NBC / Via tenor.com
"...after talking through what I did at work, they thought I was overqualified for the role I’d applied for, and asked if I would want to interview for a role in HR instead. Realized during the interview that the role actually sounded interesting. Was offered the job and have never looked back!"
17."Back in 2005, I got hired at an aerospace manufacturer. Over the years, the work culture changed for the worst. ... After surviving a large layoff during COVID (no one was flying, so who wants to buy airplanes?), my job had become a dead-end..."
"...My early interviews with prospective employers were horrible (A LOT can change in 16 years!). But after almost six months, I lucked out and got hired by an industry-leading pulp and paper company. And my starting salary was 40% higher! It was a HUGE change, and came with a helluva learning curve, but I am SO happy I finally made the leap. For anyone that might be contemplating doing the same, go for it! Leaving the known for the unknown is scary as hell, but can be so rewarding."
—anonymous
18."I was the general manager of a sandwich shop for a while. I was in charge of 20+ people, worked long, terrible hours, very rarely had a day off. ... Out of pure luck, I got a job doing data entry at a law firm from home. I make the same amount to sit in my bedroom and do maybe six hours of work a day. I’m only in charge of my own work, and it’s SO easy. It’s not glamorous or particularly fulfilling, but this is virtually stress free."
Nine Network / Via giphy.com
—anonymous
19."I was sold on the idea of IT being a booming field...but by the time I graduated with my shiny new IT degree, it was nothing at all like the world of computers when I grew up. ... I was laid off and devastated. I applied to every IT job I was qualified for, but got none. I did not want to do that for 40 years. So, I made the decision to go back to school. I now love my new healthcare degree. Sometimes, when things do not work out, it's just best to move to a new pasture and start over."
The IT Crowd / Channel 4 / Via giphy.com
—anonymous
Did you have a career change? Any advice on how you began anew? Let us know in the comments below!
Submissions may have been edited for length/clarity.
