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[MMaRsu]

Hi im Ryu and I'm 33 years old. Right now my life is kinda shit. I have been working in customer service for over 10 years, but I'm really burned out on it. Past few months I was at home with depression. Currently I have a new job, again in customer service. This because I needed money to live and pay my rent but also because it was easy to obtain the job. The job itself is not bad at all, its a very nice company with friendly people around my age.

The thing is, I want to desperately get out of this business. I want to learn editing, VFX or something in that creative direction. In my younger years I did a 2 year education for Fotonica, learning to be a cameraman/editor/photographer but I was young and stupid and quit after almost two years and never finished it.

Ive learned that my passion is in this direction. I also would love to get into voice acting.

What would be the best way to change my career path to make sure I dont become so miserable over the next few years? Any help guys?

Thanks

 

[lifa-cobex]

Personally I would spend my free time doing/ developing my skills in said passion and see if that over took my main job.

Eg; I spend a fair amount of time 3d printing, painting and selling them. It certainly hasn't taken over my main job but it brings in a little bit of cash and it's a start to something that might develop down the road.

I know quite a great deal of people who only really discover what they want to do in life then they get into their 30's. It kinda bothers me how schools try and coheres you into making a decision on your teens.
I get it for things like being a Doctor takes a great deal of training. But it's a hell of a lot of pressure to place on someone going through weird shit at that age.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I think the idea of a "career path" is overrated. Can you learn those skills while tolerating the current job? I'm talking about a rigid habit of 2+ hours invested into your passion every day. Whether you're editing, recording, reading/watching material on the topic, etc you should invest your time into it now while you look for professional opportunities.

 

[Azurro]

I mean, maybe it's a bit older, but as long as you haven't forgotten the Hadouken, I'm sure you can still get into street fighting even at this age.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

yeah you can. as long as your comfortable starting relatively low on the ladder.

but typically if you change careers at an odler age youre wiser and more ambitious/driven. so you would propel yourself up quicker hopefully.

 

[Bogey]

It's definitely possible. I knew a guy who used to be a baker, but went on to go into banking at age 40.

I myself switched into a much more technical sub-discipline of my own profession at 30, even though I had no formal educational background to back up my skill in that area.

My suggestion, however, would be: First, sit down and think about what you really want to do. As in: What do you enjoy, what are you good at, and what is a skill valuable enough to earn decent money with.
You've listed a few areas that sound to me as if they don't have a huge amount of overlap, which might suggest you haven't really given it enough thought just yet (but I don't want to over-diagnose based on just a few lines of your post). If that is the case though: Sit down, have a very, very good think. And then again. As a rule of thumb, personally, I would probably avoid changing directions fundamentally, unless I had been thinking about if for at least 6-12 months, and remained sure throughout the entire time that the new direction is really what I'd want to do. Just to avoid rash decisions.
If your interest lies on the artistic side of things, maybe also try to get (honest!) external opinions on how good or not your current skill in that area is.

As a next step, I would get in touch with people in the industry/roles you're interested in. Have a chat with them, get their thoughts on if they think you can still break into these roles, and what they think the best steps are. Also, use it as an opportunity to learn from them if their day to day work is really what you think it will be. This one I can't stress enough. It's often very easy to imagine what would be super cool and awesome about job X/profession Y - but often it's very easy not to think about what the negative aspects, and the annoying parts of the day to day job for said job would be.
This should give you a bit more clarity on how to get there - and also might net you a few contacts you can leverage when eventually looking for a job.

If your path requires you to get an additional degree or such, I'd then plan out in detail if all of that is affordable, and if you can realistically earn back that extra money after switching careers (or if you think your general level of happiness will compensate for any monetary loss).
If at all realistic though, I personally would always prefer doing this without quitting the workforce entirely for a few years, and if that means brushing up your skillset every day after work or so.

Any way, good luck - it's definitely possible. My TL;DR would simply be: Make 110% sure you're opting for an informed decision that carefully weights the pros and cons of your move, instead of rushing into anything.

 

[MudoSkills]

It's never too late but you also need to be realistic about where you would be entering the industry. If I wanted a career change it's not likely I'd be looking at something with equal seniority/salary to the position I'm currently in.

Sounds like your job satisfaction is completely non-existent, so probably worth considering the sacrifice.

 

[Blond]

Yes you can, I made the transition from Telecom IT to Networking IT and the only bad thing is it wasn't a big leap and companies still reach out for those old skills despite me staying far away from it. That being said, I personally say learn to code, contribute to some open source projects, and in 6 months you'll be on the path for an entry level engineer position that pays around 60-75k depending on the area.

 

[highrider]

You can do anything you put your mind to, at just about any age.

 

[thief183]

I know people that cjanged everything over 50, I think it mostly depends on where you live

 

[GymWolf]

No, you are always gonna be the guy who keeps dicks erected in porn movies during scene changes.

Spoiler

you can do whatever you want buddy

 

[highrider]

I know people that cjanged everything over 50, I think it mostly depends on where you live

Im about to turn 53, I worked as an auto painter after I got out of the military for a good portion of my professional life but in my mid-40s became obsessed with cooking and became a chef. After a few years of that I realized I was more suited to be what I already was, a craftsman that worked at high skill, but also physical stuff where I was active and moving all day. I’ve far eclipsed anything I had done in my previous run as a painter, because I took me a long time to figure out not only who I was, but also what I really liked to do.

 

[n0razi]

Step 1: Get off NeoGAF

 

[It's Jeff]

Of course you can. At around 30, I finished up my degree and left customer service to teach high school English. At around 35, I transitioned to MWD Engineer and those things couldn't be further apart. Now that the oil industry is largely kaput, I'm looking at starting my own business... probably along the lines of a doggy day care because fuck traveling and 91 hour work weeks no matter how much it pays. Age doesn't mean what it used to. We all live longer than our parents. Realistically, you're not 33, you're 23. You haven't even hit your stride yet.

Whatever you want to do, get after it, if that's what you really want. It doesn't matter if you're a big success or not, it just matters if you go for it. If it doesn't work out, that's fine. Would you rather strike out swinging or never step up to the plate at all? You want to learn editing? Get your butt back in school. Lots of agencies will happily loan you the money if you need it. Voice acting? Best advice I can give is listen to Talkin' Toons with Rob Paulsen. He always asks the VA guests how they got into the business, so that's probably a good place to start.

You're not even weird. You'd be surprised how many people are in your same spot. Good luck, man! Keep us informed on how you're doing!

 

[Bog]

You can change whatever you want at any age. Will you ever be the best at that? Probably not. But who cares. Be happy.

 

[Elektro Demon]

30's are the new 20's. So it's not too late if you have the proper motivation and discipline.

 

[Cycom]

I’m 39 and have had to rearrange my life due to a brain injury. I used to repair computers but now am looking at different careers and am going back to school.

You’re never too old and it’s never too late.

 

[Ceallach]

No. I've been setting myself up for my "real" career for the last 15 years. I'm using the Navy as stability and a way to pay for my school and certifications en route to being an Electrical Engineer. I'll be 40 when I retire from the Navy and start my real career. No reason you can't do something else if you have the means.

 

[GeorgioCostanzaX]

Hi im Ryu and I'm 33 years old. Right now my life is kinda shit. I have been working in customer service for over 10 years, but I'm really burned out on it. Past few months I was at home with depression. Currently I have a new job, again in customer service. This because I needed money to live and pay my rent but also because it was easy to obtain the job. The job itself is not bad at all, its a very nice company with friendly people around my age.

The thing is, I want to desperately get out of this business. I want to learn editing, VFX or something in that creative direction. In my younger years I did a 2 year education for Fotonica, learning to be a cameraman/editor/photographer but I was young and stupid and quit after almost two years and never finished it.

Ive learned that my passion is in this direction. I also would love to get into voice acting.

What would be the best way to change my career path to make sure I dont become so miserable over the next few years? Any help guys?

Thanks

You absolutely can. I see way too many people working in customer service or call centers that downplay their experience when applying for jobs outside of that and or labeling themselves as “just customer service.” Look at job descriptions for something entry level that you want to do that requires 2-3 years of experience and look for cases in your customer service queue where you exhibited those qualities. People look at the brand you work for more than you think. If they see Verizon on your resume it helps but don’t just say “customer service” in your job title. It worked for me anyway and believe me I was in a call center too after graduation for a good 2 years and just ranked up by doing special projects and eventually out of that into another role in the same company. YOU CAN DO IT but don’t get advice from people who also feel stuck.

 

[haxan7]

Step 1: Get off NeoGAF

 

[zeorhymer]

Yes you can. Does your work provide for career improvement? Do you have savings that can tide you over while you brush up on skills in the field you want to work for? Are there opportunities available that you can work to increase you knowledge?

I spent a better part of a decade in retail right out of high school and just got tired of it. I took a step back and went back to school while working part time and I was able to get the opportunities that I've wanted. The hardest part is if you're married and/or have kids as they will take the bulk of your attention.

 

[rykomatsu]

1. Will your desired career make you achieve the income level you want? If yes, go to step 2, if no, try again
2. Research the career and steps necessary to get to the income level defined in step 1
3. Will current responsibilities hamper taking the steps necessary as defined in Step 2? If yes, go to step 4, if no, go to step 5
4. Stop dawdling around, and start taking the necessary career steps
5. Can your current responsibilities be refactored in such a way and goals with career change be tempered in such a way to make things work? If yes, go to step 4, if no, go to step 1 and try again with a new career

This might be a gross over simplification since you need to do your own research into what you want to achieve. However, 33 is not late by any means. I made a career change at 30 and 8-9 years later, I am essentially at the top of my game in the industry I chose to work in with the career I chose.

That said, as you are older, you WILL need to differentiate yourself somehow from your peers to move up rapidly. Rather than being a carbon copy of everyone else in your industry, how will you be different - you will need to learn this as you progress in your new career.

 

[SurprisedPikachu]

Yes! In fact I know a lot of people who have.. one in particular is a friend who went from being in construction to working as a programmer and makes a lot more money doing something they've found to much more enjoyable. I also know a girl who went from being a 3D Artist to an electrician. She's like "I MAKE FUCKING MORE MONEY DOING THIS THAN I EVER DID MAKING MODELS".

 

[Patrick S.]

Sure you can.

At 39, I decided I wasn't going to be an untrained hotel receptionist/slave anymore. I was lucky to get a position in IT and went back to school for two years. Now I have the job title of IT Specialist on an official paper, and I still am at that same company since 2017, and my immediate boss always tells me that he's super happy I am with them. No one at any other job had ever said something like that to me before, and it's super motivating and is a really nice thing to hear after two tough years at school, earning less money. Earning less money during that time was hard, but school was fun; I had a really nice relationship with my classmates, who were all around 20-22, and accepted me as just one more of them instead of some old freak, probably because at heart I'm just a boy

If a lazy cunt like myself can get of his ass and make it, you can, too!

 

[Shadowplay1979]

Hi im Ryu and I'm 33 years old. Right now my life is kinda shit. I have been working in customer service for over 10 years, but I'm really burned out on it. Past few months I was at home with depression. Currently I have a new job, again in customer service. This because I needed money to live and pay my rent but also because it was easy to obtain the job. The job itself is not bad at all, its a very nice company with friendly people around my age.

The thing is, I want to desperately get out of this business. I want to learn editing, VFX or something in that creative direction. In my younger years I did a 2 year education for Fotonica, learning to be a cameraman/editor/photographer but I was young and stupid and quit after almost two years and never finished it.

Ive learned that my passion is in this direction. I also would love to get into voice acting.

What would be the best way to change my career path to make sure I dont become so miserable over the next few years? Any help guys?

Thanks

Went from working in shitty restaurants, doing government security, commission only sales to being homeless on the streets of LA at 30.....to working as a 3d environment artist at 41 ( now)and now working for a very big Japanese studio which was my goal since i was 15. How did i do that? I mainly taught myself with free time i had and took on every freelance gig i could find eventually ending up at places like Naughty Dog. If you want to do it...nothing else will matter...youll do it.

 

[Goro Majima]

Statistically everyone does this more than a few times in their life by finding a way to parlay their existing skill set into something different.

Loads of stay at home moms or dads do this all the time at ages much older than you too.

Also consider that once you hit 10-15 years of experience on your resume in any one field, there are drastic diminishing returns for "years experience". This is partially because most practical experience ages out as time goes on since businesses or fields change how things are done.

If you started learning skills in whatever desired field now and let's say it takes 3-5 years you'll be 38ish when you're done. Then you'll only be like 53 when you've peaked in your field experience wise which isn't even old. Most people our generation will be working into our mid 60s anyway.

Now since you might take an earnings hit, it's better to make these choices sooner rather than later due to how retirement savings works and all that.

 

[12Goblins]

people say that you should live your life like every day is your last, but I say live your life like you will live forever. when I was in university there was this 80 year old retired radiologist in my 19th century french literature class. guy was brilliant

 

[lock2k]

Hi im Ryu and I'm 33 years old. Right now my life is kinda shit. I have been working in customer service for over 10 years, but I'm really burned out on it. Past few months I was at home with depression. Currently I have a new job, again in customer service. This because I needed money to live and pay my rent but also because it was easy to obtain the job. The job itself is not bad at all, its a very nice company with friendly people around my age.

The thing is, I want to desperately get out of this business. I want to learn editing, VFX or something in that creative direction. In my younger years I did a 2 year education for Fotonica, learning to be a cameraman/editor/photographer but I was young and stupid and quit after almost two years and never finished it.

Ive learned that my passion is in this direction. I also would love to get into voice acting.

What would be the best way to change my career path to make sure I dont become so miserable over the next few years? Any help guys?

Thanks

Yes, of course. I'm 37 and I'm doing this as we speak. You can always do something different.

 

[Halo is Back]

 

[M1chl]

I think the idea of a "career path" is overrated. Can you learn those skills while tolerating the current job? I'm talking about a rigid habit of 2+ hours invested into your passion every day. Whether you're editing, recording, reading/watching material on the topic, etc you should invest your time into it now while you look for professional opportunities.

It's downright retarded, if you feel like switching jobs, just do that. because boredom of doing same shit over and over must be terrible.

 

[BoingBus]

Of course you can; anyone in the USA can. The question is if you are willing to (ie not lazy enough to actually do something about it).

 

[thefool]

Yes, it's never late.

 

[Fbh]

I know a dude that used to sell flowers and vegetables and then went through one of the best med schools in my country in his 40's and is now working as a doctor.

So yeah, I'd say it's never too late.

 

[Foamy]

I think ive seen comnercials about becoming an IT or cyber securites tech in like six months of schooling.
Anyway it doesn't matter if you're 50, if you're a likeable person and willing put in the time and effort to learn you can start a new career.

 

[SF Kosmo]

Quit your job every three years and do something a little different that pays more.

That might be dumb/obvious advice for some but a lot of people think that careers are supposed to be a straight line and that you're supposed to work hard and do your job and be rewarded. But that's how to go nowhere.

In practice, the people at your job most likely have a fixed view of you and what you can do, where other jobs might be thinking about how you can help with what they need. Job hopping and taking a zig-zag career path is generally the way to get ahead.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

it is never too late to change careers.

as for how to get started, just take on work. seek it out. there are listings for video and photography in most of the online job search places. you can also just advertise your services.

For a while I worked freelance as a video editor. I only really had one client who was getting me jobs from various people he knew. I met him by working on a music video. For a while I was shooting and editing music videos for people in the local music scene. I did a lot of free work, which is something you may consider during your search. It’s a fine way of networking and finding actual paying work but don’t let yourself get exploited and always prioritize your paid jobs.

Video editing is a high demand field and is something many people would gladly pay to let someone else do. I say go for it.

 

[EviLore]

33 is young. Go for it, don't live a life full of misery and regret due to inertia.

 

[Master Of Illusion]

 

[MastAndo]

It's not too late, but I think you should pursue these new career interests and build those skills in your free time to see what sticks, and what opportunities present themselves as a result. It sounds like your considerations are a bit broad at this point, so it might be helpful to narrow your vision and do some research on careers in the industry - i.e. expected experience, education, salaries, etc.

Personally, I wouldn't uproot my life or abandon any current source of income without a definitive plan though. As much as your job might suck, not having any money to your name will suck more. Best of luck to you though, either way.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

You can do anything you put your mind to, at just about any age.

 

[Stouffers]

I think the idea of a "career path" is overrated. Can you learn those skills while tolerating the current job? I'm talking about a rigid habit of 2+ hours invested into your passion every day. Whether you're editing, recording, reading/watching material on the topic, etc you should invest your time into it now while you look for professional opportunities.

I disagree. My tenure in my field sets my opportunities and salary.

That being said, 33 is young. Go for it!

 

[Davey Cakes]

I often wonder the same thing, at age 32.

I’ve worked in landscaping, customer service, concessions, telecom, health insurance, energy efficiency, HR/Benefits, and now I’m with USPS.

I’ve never really “landed” after graduating in 2012.

 

[Ten_Fold]

Mm find something you wouldn’t mind doing that pays pretty well an has a high rate for moving up, while also saving money for something like a business or something that you don’t have to work the regular 9-5, maybe it’s just me but I know I’ve been saving and grinding so I can get out of it. Anyways OP, it’s never too late to switch , I’ve seen people around mid 40’s get into IT support from some other random field and move pretty far up to making close to 100k.

 

[Husky]

If you don't change direction you'll regret it, because you'll realize that you could've at least tried. You deserve to be happy.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

tenure

Ah.

 

[ROMhack]

Hi im Ryu and I'm 33 years old. Right now my life is kinda shit. I have been working in customer service for over 10 years, but I'm really burned out on it. Past few months I was at home with depression. Currently I have a new job, again in customer service. This because I needed money to live and pay my rent but also because it was easy to obtain the job. The job itself is not bad at all, its a very nice company with friendly people around my age.

The thing is, I want to desperately get out of this business. I want to learn editing, VFX or something in that creative direction. In my younger years I did a 2 year education for Fotonica, learning to be a cameraman/editor/photographer but I was young and stupid and quit after almost two years and never finished it.

Ive learned that my passion is in this direction. I also would love to get into voice acting.

What would be the best way to change my career path to make sure I dont become so miserable over the next few years? Any help guys?

Thanks

How many hours are you working per week? And if it's too much, can you cut it down and train outside of it?

I won't bore you with any Jordan Peterson crap but it's all about incremental gains. If you can afford to put away an hour or two a day to work on projects then you absolutely should. You'll be learning all the time and feel more confident about yourself. No way you won't learn more simply by doing - and learning is the hard part, which comes at the very beginning.

For video production, all you need to use is YouTube. Get a channel. Do some voice acting. The quality of your content is totally secondary to what you're looking to achieve. At least at first; it'll get much better with practice.

Personally, I do something similar. My job is boring so I'm constantly learning outside of work because I want to work more in strategy and design (specifically designing and building digital services). This year I've done a whole bunch of free online courses and worked on some personal projects. It keeps me sane and feels good. Fucking Covid though ruined my job application plans!

So yeah, you're not alone. I'm 30 btw.

P.s. Books are useful too. I find supplementary knowledge in text is a lot better than anything found online.

 

[Bunker Hosted]

Hi im Ryu and I'm 33 years old. Right now my life is kinda shit. I have been working in customer service for over 10 years, but I'm really burned out on it. Past few months I was at home with depression. Currently I have a new job, again in customer service. This because I needed money to live and pay my rent but also because it was easy to obtain the job. The job itself is not bad at all, its a very nice company with friendly people around my age.

The thing is, I want to desperately get out of this business. I want to learn editing, VFX or something in that creative direction. In my younger years I did a 2 year education for Fotonica, learning to be a cameraman/editor/photographer but I was young and stupid and quit after almost two years and never finished it.

Ive learned that my passion is in this direction. I also would love to get into voice acting.

What would be the best way to change my career path to make sure I dont become so miserable over the next few years? Any help guys?

Thanks

I would reccommend checking out courses on places like Udemy, Coursera and youtube. You can find great courses to practice your skills, as well as prepare for the career change without forking up more than 25 bucks

 

[EverydayBeast]

Thread brings me back to graduating high school and CRUSHING warehouse jobs.

 

[Elcid]

Hi im Ryu and I'm 33 years old. Right now my life is kinda shit. I have been working in customer service for over 10 years, but I'm really burned out on it. Past few months I was at home with depression. Currently I have a new job, again in customer service. This because I needed money to live and pay my rent but also because it was easy to obtain the job. The job itself is not bad at all, its a very nice company with friendly people around my age.

The thing is, I want to desperately get out of this business. I want to learn editing, VFX or something in that creative direction. In my younger years I did a 2 year education for Fotonica, learning to be a cameraman/editor/photographer but I was young and stupid and quit after almost two years and never finished it.

Ive learned that my passion is in this direction. I also would love to get into voice acting.

What would be the best way to change my career path to make sure I dont become so miserable over the next few years? Any help guys?

Thanks

It’s not too late but you better be ready to hustle and bust your ass. It’s possible but not going to be easy.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

I think the idea of a "career path" is overrated. Can you learn those skills while tolerating the current job? I'm talking about a rigid habit of 2+ hours invested into your passion every day. Whether you're editing, recording, reading/watching material on the topic, etc you should invest your time into it now while you look for professional opportunities.

I have a rigid habit of watching premium French Produced Naughty Films 2+ hours every day.

What skills do I possess, sir?