If you could start a new career

[SoSlowDx]

Interesting didn't know you were in IT Ben.

I've never made it on the 'sunshine list' but that's probably with a lot of OT and I didn't sign up for much. I agree, you cant' be complacent in our line of work but there are more good days than bad days. Correct, you'll never get rich but there is job security. In terms of toys, I'm sure we really only have three "toys" to play with.

In my opinion some things that you have said I don't agree with. We all respond to stress/incidents differently and view it differently.

[BavarianBeast]

If I could do it all over, I would of probably joined the Air Force and tried my best to become a CF-18 pilot...

[Shlade]

I'd probably try my hand at CPS if I wanted to switch things up a bit.

That or RCMP and move out of Alberta.

[Gestalt]

I like where I am. There isnt much else i could do. I'm terrible at school. I like to diagnose and solve problems. Things that need mind of a logical procedure.

Besides an auto tech, Im not sure what else there would be for me without higher education.

[Darell_n]

I would have forgone any work experience or schooling and went straight into designing City of Calgary art projects. Obviously any idiot can do it so I could have been a good fit.

[Darell_n]

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Being a sports braodcaster like Stephen A Smith would be awesome or the people who test out new cars on the track and report back their findings.

I grew up with Bryan Mudryk (TSN) and Jay Onrait in a crappy little Alberta town of 800 people. What are the chances of 2 sports broadcasters starting out there?

[speedog]

Bumping this thread because of an interesting tidbit @Ferio_vti posted in one of Extraslow's threads....

Are there anyone that jumped ship from one industry to another? It obviously sucks working from the bottom at a minimum wage position, but not impossible. What is people's experience growing a new career like this??

I'm curious as to what people think is enough of a change to be considered as a jump from one industry to another? If you're still doing the same sort of work but just in a different industry is it really a jump?

I've made what I would consider two jumps and major ones at that, three totally different industries and three totally different careers with the major skill sets being totally different. Moving from an engineering job in O&G to a similar engineering job in another industry, is it much of a leap as you could quite possibly be using the same skill sets.

[HiTempguy1]

Anything to do with O&G is different, as typically industries outside o&g won't touch you with a 10' pole because of flight risk.

Which is pretty reasonable, wages are pretty much the #1 reason people change jobs.

My current career, I'd never be able to get a job in manufacturing out east for instance. Or go work in research in Vancouver.

[RX_EVOLV]

We are in Biotech/Medical Devices and we don't touch anyone from O&G (immediate pass on them once we see it on the resume/cover letter). Flight risk is too high because of wages. If you make $90K in my industry, you'll probably make $150K+ in O&G. We already lost a few people who jumped into O&G and didn't look back. We also had a few ppl who jumped into O&G and hated it, but got accustomed to that income level (several kids, but driving new cars, living in inner city 800K duplex, with day care, stay-at-home mom/dad, or full time nanny). So now they can't come back to our industry even if they really wanted to, and they are all having their mid-life crises.

With that said, we see alot of people bouncing between non-O&G industries, like biotech to ICT to cleantech to insurance, etc. It depends on their skill sets (e.g. operational vs technical vs sales) but most seem to have no problem adjusting. Sales seems to be the easiest. If you are a good salesman and have a likable personality, you can pretty much make it in any industry.

[nzwasp]

I jumped from doing networking in enterprise IT in the telecom sector to doing industrial networking / SCADA / control systems and cyber security (more so now) in oil and gas related company. Not only did I not get paid less or start at the bottom I got a 30% raise over the last place and have gotten a promotion to senior level in the first 18 months of working here.

[HiTempguy1]

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I jumped from doing networking in enterprise IT in the telecom sector to doing industrial networking / SCADA / control systems and cyber security (more so now) in oil and gas related company.

You're kind of proving the point in the opposite direction. O&G will take anyone with a bloody pulse, competent employees are just a bonus even now. I don't think anyone has ever had difficulty transitioning "into" O&G :lol:

[Mitsu3000gt]

I don't think I'd change anything. I enjoy what I do, pay is good, perks & benefits are good, and work/life balance is good. Checks all the boxes pretty much.

Most people's 'dream' jobs are occupied by no more than a handful of people in the world, and are completely unattainable for the 99.999%, so as long as you're happy and making enough money to travel and do what you like to do outside of work, all is well in my books.

[Buster]

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We are in Biotech/Medical Devices and we don't touch anyone from O&G (immediate pass on them once we see it on the resume/cover letter). Flight risk is too high because of wages. If you make $90K in my industry, you'll probably make $150K+ in O&G. We already lost a few people who jumped into O&G and didn't look back. We also had a few ppl who jumped into O&G and hated it, but got accustomed to that income level (several kids, but driving new cars, living in inner city 800K duplex, with day care, stay-at-home mom/dad, or full time nanny). So now they can't come back to our industry even if they really wanted to, and they are all having their mid-life crises.

With that said, we see alot of people bouncing between non-O&G industries, like biotech to ICT to cleantech to insurance, etc. It depends on their skill sets (e.g. operational vs technical vs sales) but most seem to have no problem adjusting. Sales seems to be the easiest. If you are a good salesman and have a likable personality, you can pretty much make it in any industry.

Sales is a weird one. Not "easy", in that high-end, professional c-suite capable salespeople are worth their weight in gold, and rare. And often paid a mint.

[ExtraSlow]

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Sales is a weird one. Not "easy", in that high-end, professional c-suite capable salespeople are worth their weight in gold, and rare. And often paid a mint.

Sales is quite unique when you are truly professional at it. O&G sales has a very small percentage of these people, and a very high percentage of hockey bros and order-takers. Even today.

[speedog]

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I jumped from doing networking in enterprise IT in the telecom sector to doing industrial networking / SCADA / control systems and cyber security (more so now) in oil and gas related company. Not only did I not get paid less or start at the bottom I got a 30% raise over the last place and have gotten a promotion to senior level in the first 18 months of working here.

But your networking skill sets in the telecom side probably aided you quite well on the O&G side, it's not like you were going into something new with no familiarity of what that new job would entail.

[Tik-Tok]

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Aiming to change it now at 30. Better late than never.

I just turned 40 and am likely changing. Never too late (for some fields anyways).

[jutes]

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If I could do it all over, I would of probably joined the Air Force and tried my best to become a CF-18 pilot...

No, you don't want that. Over 10 years now as a tech on the jet, they are long overdue for retirement. I did my flights in them 6-7 years ago and would not fly in one again. I don't know what inspires pilots to fly in a fighter that would get destroyed in a modern battlefield.

If I get out before my pension I'd probably get my eyes LASIK'd and apply for CBSA or Saskatoon City Police. I'd love to get into law enforcement. No RCMP as the postings, much like in the Air Force, suck ass.

[Neil4Speed]

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Sales is quite unique when you are truly professional at it. O&G sales has a very small percentage of these people, and a very high percentage of hockey bros and order-takers. Even today.

Absolutely true.

If I could do it again I would 100% have put my efforts into going into Medicine. Such a rewarding career.

[msommers]

There is nothing stopping you from doing it now other than yourself.

Message me if you’d like.

[shakalaka]

Hmm I guess I would become a lawyer or something.