
Ask HN: Career change at age 30? - throwawayy88
I am not satisfied with the current job, customer service. There is no future in it for me. I am not doing anything in the current job, that will help me grow. I feel killing myself everyday.<p>I love to build stuff. I want to quit and start afresh. What career will be the best at the age of 30?
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jlc
Been there, almost exactly there, 15 years ago now.

0) If you are having suicidal thoughts, you should get medical attention. Even
if you're not "truly" suicidal, depression/anxiety will rob you of the power
you need to do things. So first things first.

1) Unless you're into building skyscrapers or bridges or something like
that[1], you don't need anyone's permission to build stuff. Do it on your own
time. Learn things. Have fun. Use it in the short term to give your life shape
and meaning.

2) In the medium term, look for or make opportunities to use what you learn
building stuff to make money. E.g., if by stuff you meant software, this could
look like a skunkworks productivity booster app at the customer service job or
a web app you make for a friend.

3) If you do 1 and 2 long enough; stay flexible, adjusting course as
necessary; and don't let fear/complacency keep you from taking some chances
now and again, you will eventually find that at some point you became a pro at
building stuff (or perhaps at some related, but satisfying niche).

[1] If you're into buildings or bridges or somesuch, obviously you'll also
need degrees/credentials, but steps 0-3 will still work.

Good luck.

EDIT: formatting

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potta_coffee
I'm 33. I started learning Python about 4 years ago and now I'm doing full-
stack web development. I enjoy my work, but there are downsides to everything.

I'd recommend getting into either Python or Javascript. If you can stick with
it for a few weeks and not go crazy, it might be a good fit for you.

Good luck.

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mankash666
Don't quit. Not unless you have a reliable fall back. Hustle on the side,
build until you find something that can allow you to quit and stay afloat.

Your job might suck, but being unemployed sucks even more. Stay strong and
good luck

~~~
mycat
This. Until your side hustle income is roughly the same as your day job, don't
quit.

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sova
Building has many gradations and flavors! You can become an expert builder of
hardware, software, houses, pet shops, clinics for the needy, anything. Hone
the intention. We, as humans, are blessed and capable of moving in any
direction we choose in life. Coursera! Go to coursera and take some classes.
You can find out what you want to do from there, that's just an idea. Whittle
it down overtime: what's your dream job? Ask your friends and long-term
companions, help others uncover their dream job. The best way to change your
life is to help someone else change theirs who has a similar need/want.

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terminalcommand
Since you're here on HN, I suppose you're interested in Technology, Computers
and Web. I'd suggest going through some tutorials on
[https://www.w3schools.com](https://www.w3schools.com). I'd recommend the Node
tutorial and a Bootstrap tutorial. From there on start creating some websites,
build a small portfolio.

Then you might try your chances in web development.

If your job is not too demanding, you could slowly build up your skills in an
area you enjoy. In the meantime you could focus on your mental health without
fear and anxiety.

Best of luck.

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sasilver
I've been in a similarly poor mental state before -- for me, it lasted months.
But I want to echo the comments about seeking out the health of a therapist --
try to find the best you can afford (or that your insurance will cover),
especially if they work in CBT. Look up some mental health apps like 7 Cups
and take up exercise (google Starting Strength).

You can definitely change careers at 30. You might have started working at 18
or 22 -- I'll call it 20. From 20, you'll have at 50 years of work ahead of
you. If you wanted to, I bet you could work effectively until 90 (if you like)
with the pace that tech and medicine are evolving. If that's true, you're only
1/7th of the way through a professional life that can be as rewarding as you
make it! [http://bit.ly/2j5hivb](http://bit.ly/2j5hivb) Is there room in there
for a change? The world (or the software industry) has no reason to include
you, but it also has reason to exclude you. And it's lucky that you're not
satisfied with your job NOW as opposed to four years ago -- the educational
materials available for free online in 2017 have never been better.

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SirLJ
I have done something similar years ago, tough mine was not a change (I love
my job - Team Lead in Admin/Security role) - it was an addition. Had to learn
Python to be able to backtest and automate my stock market trading when
Broker's APIs became available and now I am thinking about very early
retirement since I am making more money from my hobby, (the problem is I love
my "regular" job too much, so I am postponing every year...)

I guess you can try to do something similar in your free time, the barrier of
entry is very low and you don't have to spend money to learn and backtest and
if you find an edge, it could be a really live changing experience... Having
FU money should be the goal for everyone, because it gives you the ultimate
freedom to live as you please and do whatever you really like...

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codegeek
"What career will be the best at the age of 30?"

"best" is a subjective word and you ultimately will be the judge of what is
best for you. We can only give you some suggestions on how to find what you
really want to do to grow your career.

Now, you first need to take a step back and identify WHY you are not satisfied
with your current job. The Why matters. In your case, the clue is in "help me
grow". So looks like you don't just want to do a job that does the same
mundane customer service day in and day out. Ok, so you have figured that part
out already. A lot of people don't even get there.

Make a list of your dream jobs. List at least 10 items. Write it down. Yes, it
can be "dreamy" (read: unrealistic) but don't worry about that quite yet. Just
make the list. I am sure you can come up with something. If you struggle to do
even that, then think of people you may have met whose job you admire. Not
just because of money but because of what they do. Make that list.

Go through this list every day and keep checking if some items on this list
are still worth paying attention to. Perhaps, you can cross out 1 or 2 from
that list after a few days because you KNOW that this was just a whim and not
really something you would love to do. Keep refining that list.

As you do this, narrow the list down to 2-3 items max. Now, start thinking
about the "realistic" part. The 'realistic" part should be determined based on
what matters to you. Did you need something quick ? Perhaps becoming a doctor
is then out of the picture. You know that to do that, you will need 4 years of
undergrad, then med school and then another few years of professional
education. At age of 30, if you start, you may take another 7-8 years which
means you will be 38 when you can start practicing and not to mention that you
may have a few hundred K of loan. Hmm, so if need something quicker, becoming
a doctor is not realistic. Note that I am not saying it is impossible. It is
just unrealistic for your needs.

Use this tactic and I hope it gives you some ideas.

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checker659
Go back to school maybe?

