Hi all. I am in my early 30s and I am wanting to change careers. For context, I have been in the field of education since I was 18, in accordance with the wishes of my parents. Specifically, I have a PhD in education and training and I am a researcher. Over the years I have worked hard at this as it seems to make my parents happy. However, recently I cannot face it anymore. Not only do I feel completely dispassionate about the subject, I have a manager at my new job who, for some reason and for the first time in my professional career, strongly dislikes me and has made it clear she wants to let me go at the end of my probation period. I have fought this and provided evidence to dispel her claims, but she is long term friends with the deciding SLT member so not much I can do as they have backed her. Prior to this I have had great working relationships so I’m not taking it too personally although the unjustness does piss me off.
I don’t want advice on the manager scenario, it is just there for context. What I want to know is – which of you have successfully changed careers in their 30s and beyond? How did you do it and how did you know which career was right for you? How long did it take? If it helps, I have a keen interest in photography, events and content creation but have only done this from a recreational perspective. I also enjoy creative writing etc. Stuck on how I can turn any of these into a well paying career.