How do you change careers?

[Pwalo]

I hear you Jim... maybe my goal was not to be happy, but rather to change the things that made me unhappy... the bi-product would be the reduction of the unhappiness.

:spudwhat:

I think it's a difference in priorities. I'm 'happy' when I know that my wife and kids are 'happy'. To me this means fed, clothed, educated and housed (and preferably not yelling at each other!).

Everything else, including my biking habits is a nice extra.

I'm sure that my priorities were different when I were a young lad, but I've never cosidered my personal 'happiness' as the one thing that determined what decisions I took. Perhaps it's a difference in the way men and women view things. If you're a bloke you know your main job is to work and provide.

Buggered if I know. Actually I'm not sure if it even matters.

[BarBender]

Happiness mostly stems from setting and meeting goals, from little tiny ones to great big ones.

Setting the goal of being "Happy" is setting yourself up to fail.

I agree with your previous comment that todays view of happiness tends to be hedonic with an emphasis on immediacy. Perhaps thats why so many people struggle with their chosen careers only to find out on their death beds that they completely missed the point. I think goals are part of it. But I also think Happiness - rather than an emotional state - is more about you fufilling your potential so that sometime in life you display the best version that you can be.

[peasea]

My partner is in that situation too.

I would suggest that the $10,000.00 drop p/a would mean nothing if you were re training to do something that was exactly what you wanted to do.

You would make the adjustments gladly.

Do you know how to get into the Automotive Journalism industry?

That's not an easy one to get into. I freelance and it's a nutty life. However, I threw spanners for donkey's years and I'd never go back. The trick is to be able to produce readable stuff, on time, every time. I now contribute to seven magazines (three in Oz) but it's been a long haul. I could give you some tips....PM me.

[MotoGirl]

That's not an easy one to get into. I freelance and it's a nutty life. However, I threw spanners for donkey's years and I'd never go back. The trick is to be able to produce readable stuff, on time, every time. I now contribute to seven magazines (three in Oz) but it's been a long haul. I could give you some tips....PM me.

You guys are just the coolest, most helpful folks ever!

[The_Dover]

Don't mention it.

[peanuteater]

some great posts/comments by beemer and motogirl and others !!
I changed work areas and took a $12000 pay cut, end of the day, If youre happy at work, its a BIG part of your life, just need to seperate the "needs" from the "wants", but wages in this country are low by comparison to say.. oz.. AND havent kept up with the cost of living over the last 10 or so years.
thers a old quote....
net income $20,000..outgoings=$21,000=unhappy
net income $20,000...outgoings=$19,000= happy

[terbang]

I was mechanic in a large Auckland workshop. It was a good secure job that paid relatively well, I had good career prospects and I had a cute girlfriend who wanted to marry, on the outside things looked rosey. I had been an early school leaver at 15 going straight into an apprenticeship and don't get me wrong, a mechanic is a highly skilled job but it was just not for me. I pondered the work to live vs the live to work question and concluded, why do a job that pisses me off for the rest of my life then retire and die..! I have never been a materialistic sort of a person so the money wasn't the issue. Took a few flying lessons and my fliyng instructor said to me 'some people have to work for a living and the rest of us just drive around in planes'. So I took the plunge, drove to the flying school in a nice car with a garage full of motorbikes locked up at home and left a year later on an old beat up XL250, my sole possession, an empty garage and a brand new commercial pilots licence in my back pocket. She was engaged to a builder by then and I hear she is making his life a misery now. I was very happy though a little scared. I lived in the back of a Toyota landcruiser for a while and got paid peanuts as a flying instructor. I was 23.
I have an awesome career now in corporate, law enforcement and airline aviation that, as a bonus pays pretty well, and has allowed me to see damn near all of the world from a birds eye view. I currently fly regional flights on a Boeing 737 for Qantas. Yup he was right, the rest of us do just drive around in planes and fixing bikes is now my hobby.
So should you change your career? Well I reckon so, as life is not a rehearsal..!

[peanuteater]

The figures above are just an example, and for the record, im married with kids, but have PRETTY much got the mortage down etc,and were all a LONG time dead, my theory is dont leave it till 65 to "enjoy" life, then look back and say " i wish id done that", its pretty hard to go out and do SOME things when youre bodies getting sad.

[Beemer]

That's not an easy one to get into. I freelance and it's a nutty life. However, I threw spanners for donkey's years and I'd never go back. The trick is to be able to produce readable stuff, on time, every time. I now contribute to seven magazines (three in Oz) but it's been a long haul. I could give you some tips....PM me.

Hey, peasea, what magazines?

[peasea]

Over here, New Zeland Petrolhead, New Zealand Rodder, Bike Rider Magazine and New Zealand Classic Car. In Oz, Live to Ride, Choppers and Performance Ford.

I've been with NZPH since day one. I used to write their tech articles while still running my own business, then NZCC came along and I sold by business. I was just sick of spanners. Then Rodder started up and my (now ex) wife went back to work. This allowed me to either write during the day or work on the house. It was also a blast being the house husband. When we split in 01 I had to expand it to survive, cold calling on magazines and sending samples. Some never respond though.

Be warned; 1) It's not as easy as it looks to come up with acceptable pictures all the time; modern magazines are pretty sharp. 2) being creative at 2.00am when you're tired and a deadline is looming isn't easy either. 3) You need to travel; a lot.

However, now that I have a bike I like, a V8 to tour in with my daughters and new lady, another house that's almost renovated and a bourbon in my hand I have to say life ain't too bad. I sure took a dive in the financial stakes to start with but everyone noticed that the grin had returned.

You are, indeed, a long time in the ground.

[Big Dave]

The best way to get into the moto journo bit is to just start doing it. Beg borrow steal hire a vehicle bike scooter whatever and start typing.

600
1200
1500

words - double spaced with good quality images
and start hawking it/submitting to the magazines.

eg:http://www.kiwirider.co.nz/index.html

and click on contribute.

If you are good enough someone will run it. Do a few at a good enough quality and they might start buying them off you.

Reliabilty and quality carries the day.

dc

[peasea]

The best way to get into the moto journo bit is to just start doing it. Beg borrow steal hire a vehicle bike scooter whatever and start typing.

600
1200
1500

words - double spaced with good quality images
and start hawking it/submitting to the magazines.

eg:http://www.kiwirider.co.nz/index.html

and click on contribute.

If you are good enough someone will run it. Do a few at a good enough quality and they might start buying them off you.

Reliabilty and quality carries the day.

dc

What he said.

Do a few and fire them into whatever magazine you, or your mates, like. To tell you the truth I've never read a copy of Kiwi Rider but I do like Bike Rider. There is plenty of variety with sports bikes, customs and cruisers featured with reviews on gear, stories on travel and even vintage bikes on occasion. If you like reading a particular magazine then it's easier to contribute to.

When I can't ride due to old age or whatever I think I'll go for Mills and Boon.

[MotoGirl]

What he said.
Do a few and fire them into whatever magazine you, or your mates, like. To tell you the truth I've never read a copy of Kiwi Rider but I do like Bike Rider.

Thanks guys, and to you too Big Dave. BRM used to run almost anything so they might be a good place to start. I've certainly read some crap in my time! For example, one of their last track days a woman wrote a two page article about the "track day", yet ONE paragraph related to the track day and the rest was nonsense about WIMA.

I was asked to write one for another track day, but because I'd crashed I was afraid it'd come across like I was racing (which wouldn't be good for my insurance claim).

Disclaimer: No offense to anyone who's ever been published in BRM.

[Toaster]

Satisfaction at work all depends on your secretary.

[MotoGirl]

Satisfaction at work all depends on your secretary.

haha that sounds like the type of "satisfaction" we're all after