Reply to: Is there life after IT?

[MrMark]

When hope and self-belief disappears, what is there to do?

Al Pacino gave the answer....

[MrMark]

Well looking at my talents outside of IT (none) and even looking at my marketing of IT skills (low, which results in large quantities of bench time) I think I'm going to have to find the answer to the question "Is there life after IT?". The answer will have to include "Parklife" and "Weatherspoons" I fear.

[doodab]

My advice is: take your time thinking, and most of all, feeling what it is that you like, what your talents are, what are you natural affinities. If you don't see them clearly today, just keep looking, and one day you will see clearly what you need to do. It could take you a day, or it could take you a year, or 5 years. But before you see clearly what you need to do to feel content, there is little point in trying thins, that and the other. At least that is how I see it. The more clearly you see it, the easier it will be to realise the dream.

If I followed your advice I'd be an alcoholic womaniser.

[russell]

I'm interested to hear about anyone who has left IT and started some other career (e.g. what they moved on to, and how they got on). Could be you or someone you know of.

I'm disillusioned with IT, sick of...

• endless skills treadmill (e.g. learning a skill only to find that it is obsolete after only 5 years maybe even less)
• job advert skill requirements that can only be met by lying
• short-termism (ie churn out some crap really quickly instead of being allowed time to do a proper job)
• offshoring
• outsourcing
• sitting at a desk all day
• lack of social interaction (occasional grunt exchange with another techy doesn't count!)

I'm approaching 40 and finding that sitting at a desk all day is causing me postural problems (stiff neck, tense shoulders etc). This is becoming an issue now, so god knows how I'll get on in future as I get older.

I've got a decent amount of savings, no dependants, no debts. I have the option of moving back to my parents' house and living cheaply whilst I develop a new way to earn my living. I reckon I could survive on my savings like that for at least 3 years, maybe more (depending on stuff like how much I spent on outgoings such as petrol etc).

I'm quite academically minded, introverted, and very good at analytical thinking/strategising/weighing up all the options etc. I would like a job that involves more dealing with people but not too much (remember I come from an IT geek background!).

I like learning new skills but I want to learn skills that will last the rest of my life, not just 5 years before they become obsolete having been replaced with <random IT skill version 2.0 dot web>.

I'm interested in psychology and have been reading a careers guide to that subject. However, it seems that all psychology careers require a doctorate (not just a degree), which is too long a road for me. Plus I'm not sure I would want to do psychology for a living (probably a whole lot different from studying it in the comfort of an armchair at home!).

Hoping to get some inspiration from the collective wisdom of CUKers...

Cheers,
Bwana

Rather than go to all that trouble, just sit correctly in your seat. Much easier than changing careers.

[sasguru]

I have been thinking about leaveing IT for a good few years. Like many people, I didn't know what else to do. So.. my strategy was to sit down and think about it for as long as it took for me to know what I want to do with the rest of my life. Like you, I wanted something that I actually WANTED to do. So, I started lists of things I enjoy doing in my daily life, of my natural inclinations, talents, affinities. At first it was all very disjointed, the individual words (which I wrote on the wall, as and when they came so as not to lose them) just looked lost net to each other. But gradually, a picture began to emerge as to who I am, what I like, what I can, what I want. For awhile I considered studying again, and I even embarked onto a distance learning Uni course, but that fell over all of itself at one point. I let it stay where it fell, thinking there is no point in forcing myself to do anything I don't truly want to do. I watched the picture mature, and I gradually began to think about what could all of the stuff that I actually love and enjoy bring to the world? Can any of it be sold? To whom? Can it sustain me?

I decided to not do just the one thing, as my interests are quite varied, and there was no reason that I could see that I had to discount all but one. I left them all on my list of things that I want to do/can do. I also thought - investing big money is a bad idea (whatever is big for me), because then I will have to chase the money to return my investment. That is not what I wanted, at least not initially. So I thought: OK, what can I do, without big investments? It turns out that majority of my likes do not require lots of money invested in them.

My advice is: take your time thinking, and most of all, feeling what it is that you like, what your talents are, what are you natural affinities. If you don't see them clearly today, just keep looking, and one day you will see clearly what you need to do. It could take you a day, or it could take you a year, or 5 years. But before you see clearly what you need to do to feel content, there is little point in trying thins, that and the other. At least that is how I see it. The more clearly you see it, the easier it will be to realise the dream.

As to your health - keep an eye on it, and notice when you feel better and when worse. The stuff that makes you feel better is an indication of what kind of activities you need to do to be well. Just keep listening to your own body and noticing what it says.
Once you have a picture, try to place it in material world - what do you need for it, and how can you get that? Avoid big investments, they are a burden when what you want is to feel free. Once you are on the road on which you truly want to be, and you know it, invest as much or little as you like.
I recommend qi-gong, or chikung, can be very inspiring.
Just some thoughts that may help, I hope.

And finally, I do know somebody who quit IT and became a landscape photographer. He has now been doing that for a good few years. I hope to be one of those in a year or thereabouts...
Regards and good luck.

So you've been navel-gazing for years and still don't know what to do/who you are?
How do you pay the bills?

[Clippy]

I have been thinking about leaveing IT for a good few years. Like many people, I didn't know what else to do. So.. my strategy was to sit down and think about it for as long as it took for me to know what I want to do with the rest of my life. Like you, I wanted something that I actually WANTED to do. So, I started lists of things I enjoy doing in my daily life, of my natural inclinations, talents, affinities. At first it was all very disjointed, the individual words (which I wrote on the wall, as and when they came so as not to lose them) just looked lost net to each other. But gradually, a picture began to emerge as to who I am, what I like, what I can, what I want. For awhile I considered studying again, and I even embarked onto a distance learning Uni course, but that fell over all of itself at one point. I let it stay where it fell, thinking there is no point in forcing myself to do anything I don't truly want to do. I watched the picture mature, and I gradually began to think about what could all of the stuff that I actually love and enjoy bring to the world? Can any of it be sold? To whom? Can it sustain me?

I decided to not do just the one thing, as my interests are quite varied, and there was no reason that I could see that I had to discount all but one. I left them all on my list of things that I want to do/can do. I also thought - investing big money is a bad idea (whatever is big for me), because then I will have to chase the money to return my investment. That is not what I wanted, at least not initially. So I thought: OK, what can I do, without big investments? It turns out that majority of my likes do not require lots of money invested in them.

My advice is: take your time thinking, and most of all, feeling what it is that you like, what your talents are, what are you natural affinities. If you don't see them clearly today, just keep looking, and one day you will see clearly what you need to do. It could take you a day, or it could take you a year, or 5 years. But before you see clearly what you need to do to feel content, there is little point in trying thins, that and the other. At least that is how I see it. The more clearly you see it, the easier it will be to realise the dream.

As to your health - keep an eye on it, and notice when you feel better and when worse. The stuff that makes you feel better is an indication of what kind of activities you need to do to be well. Just keep listening to your own body and noticing what it says.
Once you have a picture, try to place it in material world - what do you need for it, and how can you get that? Avoid big investments, they are a burden when what you want is to feel free. Once you are on the road on which you truly want to be, and you know it, invest as much or little as you like.
I recommend qi-gong, or chikung, can be very inspiring.
Just some thoughts that may help, I hope.

And finally, I do know somebody who quit IT and became a landscape photographer. He has now been doing that for a good few years. I hope to be one of those in a year or thereabouts...
Regards and good luck.

Is writing still on your list?

If so, can I suggest you remove it?

[Lasta]

Know thyself

I have been thinking about leaveing IT for a good few years. Like many people, I didn't know what else to do. So.. my strategy was to sit down and think about it for as long as it took for me to know what I want to do with the rest of my life. Like you, I wanted something that I actually WANTED to do. So, I started lists of things I enjoy doing in my daily life, of my natural inclinations, talents, affinities. At first it was all very disjointed, the individual words (which I wrote on the wall, as and when they came so as not to lose them) just looked lost net to each other. But gradually, a picture began to emerge as to who I am, what I like, what I can, what I want. For awhile I considered studying again, and I even embarked onto a distance learning Uni course, but that fell over all of itself at one point. I let it stay where it fell, thinking there is no point in forcing myself to do anything I don't truly want to do. I watched the picture mature, and I gradually began to think about what could all of the stuff that I actually love and enjoy bring to the world? Can any of it be sold? To whom? Can it sustain me?

I decided to not do just the one thing, as my interests are quite varied, and there was no reason that I could see that I had to discount all but one. I left them all on my list of things that I want to do/can do. I also thought - investing big money is a bad idea (whatever is big for me), because then I will have to chase the money to return my investment. That is not what I wanted, at least not initially. So I thought: OK, what can I do, without big investments? It turns out that majority of my likes do not require lots of money invested in them.

My advice is: take your time thinking, and most of all, feeling what it is that you like, what your talents are, what are you natural affinities. If you don't see them clearly today, just keep looking, and one day you will see clearly what you need to do. It could take you a day, or it could take you a year, or 5 years. But before you see clearly what you need to do to feel content, there is little point in trying thins, that and the other. At least that is how I see it. The more clearly you see it, the easier it will be to realise the dream.

As to your health - keep an eye on it, and notice when you feel better and when worse. The stuff that makes you feel better is an indication of what kind of activities you need to do to be well. Just keep listening to your own body and noticing what it says.
Once you have a picture, try to place it in material world - what do you need for it, and how can you get that? Avoid big investments, they are a burden when what you want is to feel free. Once you are on the road on which you truly want to be, and you know it, invest as much or little as you like.
I recommend qi-gong, or chikung, can be very inspiring.
Just some thoughts that may help, I hope.

And finally, I do know somebody who quit IT and became a landscape photographer. He has now been doing that for a good few years. I hope to be one of those in a year or thereabouts...
Regards and good luck.

[Cliphead]

You don't want to be doing that.

If you can imagine John Otway meets 70's Glam rock with a Glasgow accent.

Bob Asher Dot Com - The Home Page of the Almost Infamous Rothesay Pub Singer & Guitarist (not my real name, obviously)

That sounds like fun! I'll let you know when I'll be heading over.

[TestMangler]

Definitley, I'll bring a video camera

You don't want to be doing that.

If you can imagine John Otway meets 70's Glam rock with a Glasgow accent.

Bob Asher Dot Com - The Home Page of the Almost Infamous Rothesay Pub Singer & Guitarist (not my real name, obviously)

[Cliphead]

No probs matey. I'll be working in it again from mid april.

You could come and see my 'musical act' too if you're around on a saturday night........

Definitley, I'll bring a video camera

[TestMangler]

I'll come visit soon.

No probs matey. I'll be working in it again from mid april.

You could come and see my 'musical act' too if you're around on a saturday night........

[Cliphead]

It's in Port Bannatyne, on the Isle Of Bute. It was a previously good going place which was sold and the new owner ****ed it up to the point it closed down and I got it for a fraction of what the last owner paid. I opened it back up as a cafe about 18 months ago and worked in it myself for a couple of months last year until a decent contract found me.

There is a new Marina opened last year 200 yds up the road, so from easter, it will be an 'upmarket greasy spoon' by day and 'cosy bistro' in the evenings.

It's come along way since I reopened it and it's doing OK. (Apart from costing me three grand for a new coffee machine this week). Will give it a good go anyway. Don't expect contracting money, but it's half a mile from my house and I actually enjoy it, so will see how it goes.

I'll come visit soon.

[TestMangler]

I wish you all the best.....can I ask roughly which part of the country your in?


fkwit edit: Unless of course you have opened a cafe on the isle of bute as it says in your location.

It's in Port Bannatyne, on the Isle Of Bute. It was a previously good going place which was sold and the new owner ****ed it up to the point it closed down and I got it for a fraction of what the last owner paid. I opened it back up as a cafe about 18 months ago and worked in it myself for a couple of months last year until a decent contract found me.

There is a new Marina opened last year 200 yds up the road, so from easter, it will be an 'upmarket greasy spoon' by day and 'cosy bistro' in the evenings.

It's come along way since I reopened it and it's doing OK. (Apart from costing me three grand for a new coffee machine this week). Will give it a good go anyway. Don't expect contracting money, but it's half a mile from my house and I actually enjoy it, so will see how it goes.

[conned tractor]

I've just knocked back and extension at Client Co. In 2 1/2 weeks, I will, potentially, not be a contractor any more.

I'm going to do six months at my Plan B (a cafe/bistro that I've owned for the last 18 months) and put all my efforts into that to see if it's a goer. It's currently a 'goer' but want to see if I can make it a 'real goer'.

As someone said previously, contracting is hard to give up. When you're getting £500 a day for not really breaking sweat, then it isn't easy to jack it in. We'll see..................

I wish you all the best.....can I ask roughly which part of the country your in?


fkwit edit: Unless of course you have opened a cafe on the isle of bute as it says in your location.

[TestMangler]

I've just knocked back and extension at Client Co. In 2 1/2 weeks, I will, potentially, not be a contractor any more.

I'm going to do six months at my Plan B (a cafe/bistro that I've owned for the last 18 months) and put all my efforts into that to see if it's a goer. It's currently a 'goer' but want to see if I can make it a 'real goer'.

As someone said previously, contracting is hard to give up. When you're getting £500 a day for not really breaking sweat, then it isn't easy to jack it in. We'll see..................