Hi ladies,
Not baby related but really hoping for some advice.
My husband has worked in hospitality his whole working life. Didn't go to university but started in hospitality straight out of school and has worked in it ever since.
Since having a family we find the hours involved in working in hospitality are just not suitable for us anymore and his body (not as young as it used to be) finds the long hours of standing/running is taking its toll.
Now at 40 he really wants a career change. A full time job with consistent hours, preferably with weekends / most evenings off and a career that is sustainable as he gets older and of course pays a decent salary.
He is an incredibly capable man. Worked at management level for most of his time in hospitality. Opened and successfully operated his own bar/restaurant. He is extremely handy and creative, can fix just about anything and build furniture. He is super friendly and personable and hardworking. He has great confidence and could sell ice to an eskimo!
The problem is he has no actual qualification or experience in anything outside of hospitality. However I honestly believe that given a chance he could excel at anything.
Can anyone suggest any avenues we could explore? Has anyone been in this situation and changed career at this stage in life? He is open to anything and not averse to studying. Hospitality is really not working for him (and us) anymore and causing quite a strain on our family life. We just have no idea where to go from here.
Any advice/ideas would be much appreciated. TIA
3 Replies
I'm nearly 33 and no qualifications and haven't worked in over 6 years (stay home mum). I'm currently studying online via ECU to gain my degree. Only in second semester (part time) but it is manageable. It is possible to change careers, although it may take a little longer. If he is interested in study, get him to have a look at the various unis and see what they can offer online that interests him. Failing that, he can always do some courses via TAFE or training courses such as scaffolding or fork lift license. The world is his oyster, just needs to decide on where he'd like to go ?
Could he be a sales rep for one of the food suppliers?
I studied and gained a teaching qualification at 36, best decision I ever made!! I now earn $95k a year and get all weekends off and 12 weeks paid holidays every year! Don't get me wrong, it was hard work getting my degree, many late nights and my family sacrificed a lot, and it is a mentally and emotionally demanding job and most Friday nights I'm asleep on the couch by 8pm because I'm that exhausted but the work is fulfilling and the benefits (good income and holidays) make it all worthwhile. When I did my degree there were many other mature aged people changing careers or returning to work after kids, retirement age is being pushed back constantly so at 40 you really have another 25-30 working years left, so my advice would be upskill to something that pays well and can see you into your twilight years.