Ask HN: Changing Industries and Lifestyle Later in Life

2 points by johnnycarcin 7 years ago | 3 comments

I feel like this is kind of a "everyone is different" or "duh, just do the math and figure it out" type question, but folks here have been super helpful previously so here goes...

Has anyone, maybe those who have become burnt out, changed your industry (say from dev to forest ranger or something) later on in life (40+)? Did you search out a career that had similar pay or did you have to plan ahead to the lifestyle change regarding salary?

Maybe it's part of a mid-life crisis ;), but I'm not really enjoying life in the world of tech right now so I've been looking at industries/careers that I think I might enjoy. There are not many fields that pay someone without a college degree like tech does, so as you can imagine I haven't found many options that would allow me to continue supporting my family in the way that I currently do.

I guess it really comes down to: Stick it out, bank as much as I can and try to retire early and enjoy life OR take what is likely a huge hit, adjust our lifestyle and hopefully start enjoying work again.

towaway1138 7 years ago |

I've significantly downsized, from a high-paying to low-paying tech position. Not the same as switching fields, but definitely has benefits, and is perhaps less disruptive.

I'm definitely try to enjoy life now. There might not be a tomorrow. Or, you might find that once you've "made it", you're no longer able to enjoy it.

johnnycarcin 7 years ago | |

Thanks for the response. Just curious, are you single or do you have a family who depends on your income? If the latter, how did your family handle the adjustment?

towaway1138 7 years ago | | |

Unfortunately, my ex won most of our net worth in the divorce. (No kids.)

I remarried, though, and yes, I'm still the breadwinner, although at least my latest wife works.

That's kind of side details, though. If you have kids, you should try pretty hard to do right by them, in my opinion. Your wife, on the other hand, is perfectly able to get a job, too.

It's all balance. Your kids aren't going to be that happy if you're miserable.