Fill the application. Start a new career

[mark]

I have been self employed for almost 40 years, but now I am embarking on a new chapter in my career.

I had a great run and over the past 30 years or so. I have basically been semi-retired, yet making a living that most would love to make working full-time and even traveling for their job.

Due to budget cuts, but mostly egregious, dereliction of duty and poor management, we are now down to one remaining customer. Even though they just signed a five year contract, the revenue from one account is not enough to sustain my salary.

I have been answering ads on LinkedIn and signed up on Indeed etc. The job descriptions are ridiculous and are written in language I am having difficulty understanding. Yes, it's English, but the way they are written is mind numbing. lol

I had a couple of interviews with recruiters and one resulted in getting a remote MS Teams interview with a company owner when I was on vacation last week in Florida. That interview resulted in getting a second round interview at the company offices which takes place tomorrow afternoon. It's an IT Infrastructure Engineer / Manager position at a private, small company about 12 minutes from home. It's a good fit for my skills and abilities and I am actually looking forward to starting a new chapter in my work life. At 61 years of age! lol

It's not a certainty but, If I get this position, I will have benefits for the first time in my life. Health, Life, Dental, Vision, 401k with 5% match, paid vacation (my entire life to this point was basically a paid vacation lol), etc. I have had a 401k with company match, for about 4 years now since our company grew quite a bit starting in 2019. Not having to pay for health/dental/vision insurance out of my net pay is something I will enjoy.

The past few months have been very stressful since my salary was reduced to 1/3. We have a nice cushion so we are not in danger financially or anything but seeing the new net amount of my paycheck was like a kick in the stomach.

We exhibited at a regional 9-1-1 conference two weeks ago here in Wisconsin and we are still pursuing sales for our 9-1-1 ERP and QA/QI solution, but the sales cycle to county governments is measured in years. I need to find something to replace my lost income. If business picks up in the next year or two, I will still stay with this new job and will be able to handle both positions as the activity for my current company requires very little work on my part and it can be performed in the off hours and on weekends.

I hope I get this new job. If it falls through, there are a lot of opportunities in the IT world out there and I am sure I will find something.

[Mik]

It's a weird feeling, isn't it? I've gone back and forth. I hope it works out well. If not, there's always consulting.

[Jolly]

You'll enjoy the stimulation of a new job.

If you really want to try maximum rejuvenation, change job fields entirely.

I didn't make as much money, but had a blast when I went from working as a medical lab administrator to working as a retirement counselor in the financial industry.

[Copper]

@Jolly said in Fill the application. Start a new career:

change job fields entirely.

Yes, find something fun, I highly recommend it, 30 years in IT followed by 10 in flight instruction.

[Horace]

Whomever hires you will be lucky to have you. Good luck! Nothing wrong with two incomes.

[George K]

Break a leg, Mark!

Thanks for the update, and I hope the interview goes well. Please keep us posted!.

[Jolly]

@Horace said in Fill the application. Start a new career:

Whomever hires you will be lucky to have you. Good luck! Nothing wrong with two incomes.

Amen.

Dumb question....Can the software business be rejuvenated?

[mark]

@Mik said in Fill the application. Start a new career:

It's a weird feeling, isn't it? I've gone back and forth. I hope it works out well. If not, there's always consulting.

At first I was in a state of shock. Depression and anxiety were starting to drag me down and I had to fight like hell to put a stop to it. I am still wrestling with it but on a much lower level now. Doubt and fear were consuming me. I have decided to say "fuck that! I have a lifetime of experience in this field and although I have not spent my career chasing the "language or tech du-jour" etc, I have vast knowledge of IT infrastructure, application development, and real-world experiences for which any company would benefit.

So I am tossing my hat into the ring of hopeful employment.

It is a very weird feeling.

[mark]

@Copper said in Fill the application. Start a new career:

@Jolly said in Fill the application. Start a new career:

change job fields entirely.

Yes, find something fun, I highly recommend it, 30 years in IT followed by 10 in flight instruction.

I briefly considered auto-mechanic. I could make about $70k and have great fun doing so. I love working on cars. However, I need my former salary+ if I am ever going to retire.

[mark]

@Horace said in Fill the application. Start a new career:

Whomever hires you will be lucky to have you. Good luck! Nothing wrong with two incomes.

Thanks Horace! Your are correct. Two incomes are better than one.

[mark]

@George-K said in Fill the application. Start a new career:

Break a leg, Mark!

Thanks for the update, and I hope the interview goes well. Please keep us posted!.

Thanks George! I will.

[mark]

@Jolly said in Fill the application. Start a new career:

@Horace said in Fill the application. Start a new career:

Whomever hires you will be lucky to have you. Good luck! Nothing wrong with two incomes.

Amen.

Dumb question....Can the software business be rejuvenated?

Not a dumb question at all. Yes, it can be rejuvenated but like I said in my OP, the sales cycle is ridiculously long. I have several hot leads from the conference last month. I am doing follow-up on them now.

[89th]

Wow Mark, what a change! How long would you prefer to be employed before being truly retired?

I know you work in IT, if you want, send me a message and I can see if there are any networking chances... I work in IT and while I work in Minnesota, all of my connections are for DC or Virginia IT companies (including my current company), many companies of which have government clients (which require some clearance or on-site requirements) but there's also a wave of positions that are remote ever since the pandemic, so maybe that's an option. Let me know, happy to try.

[mark]

@89th said in Fill the application. Start a new career:

Wow Mark, what a change! How long would you prefer to be employed before being truly retired?

I know you work in IT, if you want, send me a message and I can see if there are any networking chances... I work in IT and while I work in Minnesota, all of my connections are for DC or Virginia IT companies (including my current company), many companies of which have government clients (which require some clearance or on-site requirements) but there's also a wave of positions that are remote ever since the pandemic, so maybe that's an option. Let me know, happy to try.

Barring any serious health issues (have none currently) I should be good for another 10-15 years. Very interested in remote work and getting a clearance will be no problem. No criminal history here and I have a few government contacts that will vouch for me. I will send a DM. Thanks 89th!

[Jon]

Hey, at least your second career pays money..

Seriously though, I think you’ll enjoy it. Especially the benefits.

[Axtremus]

Good luck getting the job, @mark !

[cathys]

Mark - I know what you mean 40+ years in an endeavor can certainly feel surreal when you make that change. I had 40+ years employed at my former company and decided to take the leap when they put out an early retirement offer. I had to get back out there financially but the offer allowed for some "garden leave" paid time to get my head around what to do in my 2nd life and I didn't need to fully replace my income so I went 180 degree from my field and am learning something completely new but still tied in to the technology piece. Getting to learn a lot about manufacturing and building ships Thoroughly enjoying the change, It was scary before I got into the door of the new job though.
The interview sounds very promising, I know if this one doesn't fit there are a lot of opportunities out there for your talents and the right one will connect. Definitely weird feeling but opening to new adventures...

[LuFins Dad]

@Horace said in Fill the application. Start a new career:

Whomever hires you will be lucky to have you. Good luck! Nothing wrong with two incomes.

This…

[Doctor Phibes]

Best of luck, Mark - and congratulations on the opportunity to do something a bit different! I really hope it comes through for you.

I also hope the old source of income comes back

[Aqua Letifer]

Mark, honestly I think that you know too much about too many things for a transition like this to get to be crazy hard. Really confident you'll pick up something cool fairly quickly.