I fancy a change. Am I mad to even consider it?

[anonymous-user]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 09 December 2023 at 23:37

[Rusty Old-Banger]

Don't get too tied up on salary. I'm on nearly half of what you are and we have 4 kids between 1 and 14, they don't go short, and we don't struggle (live in SE). I know everyone's circumstances are different but you don't need to be on mega money.

What interests you or inspires you? Being outdoors, computer work, working with kids etc etc?

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Boo-urns said:

. Making sure that she’s well provided for is my top priority,

I'm thinking you might have answered your own question?

But...looking forward with the development of AI is copywriting likely to become a bit like VHS or Kodak film?

I can't think of any jobs you can walk into at that level. Maybe starting your own business might be a way. But, you'll doubtless go backwards to go forwards.

Good luck!

[okgo]

You haven’t said anything about your interests/skills/day to day tasks that could be transferable.

If money is your sole aim (kind of reads like it’s important here, rightly or wrongly) what about sales? Probably have positions at the company you’re already in?

It isn’t glamour work but we would pay grads around £55-65k inc bonus + a of stock in an entry level sales position, wouldn’t be hard to work your way up to exceeding your salary there in a couple of years I’d think.

It isn’t for everyone though.

[Pit Pony]

Recently this song made me think about what I've been doing with my life.

Photosynthesis https://g.co/kgs/EBcocE

In particular this line.

And if all you ever do with your life
Is photosynthesize
Then you deserve every hour of these sleepless nights
That you waste wondering when you're gonna die

https://youtu.be/mQMVHhxTtLc?si=MDdugaL-NHXFHdQ0

[asfault]

No one should work in a job they are unhappy but with a newborn baby so stressful homelife surely the sensible thing is to keep work a known constant.
The stress and presure of a new job (without the job security as well) adds another level to it.

[StevieBee]

Boo-urns said:

in-house copywriter for a tech brand

Journalism? Either specialising in the sector you know or a related area.

[FlyingPanda]

I know I have given this answer elsewhere, but taking on a franchise can be a great way of taking an entirely new direction into something you enjoy, with the added benefit of being your own boss. Starting your own business can feel risky but with a franchise you are supported by a franchisor committed (and financially incentivised) to ensure your success.

I have spent the last 30-ish years matching people to opportunities and the phrase I hear most often is "the only job I am qualified to get is the one I already have" meaning they feel trapped in something they don't enjoy. I could give you literally dozens of examples where people have done a complete about-turn and gone into something hugely different - sometimes less money, sometimes more - but they all say "I wish I done this sooner".

Worth exploring at least!

[okgo]

FlyingPanda said:

I know I have given this answer elsewhere, but taking on a franchise can be a great way of taking an entirely new direction into something you enjoy, with the added benefit of being your own boss. Starting your own business can feel risky but with a franchise you are supported by a franchisor committed (and financially incentivised) to ensure your success.

I have spent the last 30-ish years matching people to opportunities and the phrase I hear most often is "the only job I am qualified to get is the one I already have" meaning they feel trapped in something they don't enjoy. I could give you literally dozens of examples where people have done a complete about-turn and gone into something hugely different - sometimes less money, sometimes more - but they all say "I wish I done this sooner".

Worth exploring at least!

What sort of options exist here? Obviously I know of the famous ones like McDonalds and such but are there others that are lucrative?

I’ve thought about these, a guy I know at work has his partner on 2 or 3 Maccas franchises - wonder how lucrative it all is.

[FlyingPanda]

okgo said:

What sort of options exist here? Obviously I know of the famous ones like McDonalds and such but are there others that are lucrative?

I’ve thought about these, a guy I know at work has his partner on 2 or 3 Maccas franchises - wonder how lucrative it all is.

There are just under 1,000 different franchised brands currently operating in the UK, not all are as profitable as McDonald's, but to be fair, very few require that level of investment either!

You can choose from a whole range of sectors, investment levels, activities etc, and a good place to start is here:
https://www.franchisedirect.co.uk/ which is basically a directory listing of most of the major franchised operations.

I should mention that all will require initial investment, but thanks to things like the Government StartUp Loan Scheme funding is readily available for most (good) franchises.

It's helpful to spend some time thinking "what do I enjoy doing?" Outdoors in all weathers or sat in an office? White Collar B2B interactions? Hands on and practical? Running a team or working alone?

And think about what interests you - cars, food, wine, travel, coffee, driving, DIY, gardening, IT? There are franchises in all of these sectors (and dozens more).

All of these thoughts will shape what might suit. If you get stuck I will be very happy to help. My firm has worked with over 500 UK brands and another 150 internationally, so we probably have the low-down on most of them!

[Countdown]

okgo said:

I’ve thought about these, a guy I know at work has his partner on 2 or 3 Maccas franchises - wonder how lucrative it all is.

I googled the accounts of the franchise where my youngest used to work at. The franchise owner had 6 branches and made £roughly 600k profit per annum (ie £100k per branch).

[okgo]

Countdown said:

I googled the accounts of the franchise where my youngest used to work at. The franchise owner had 6 branches and made £roughly 600k profit per annum (ie £100k per branch).

Right. Quite a lot of effort then really.

[FlyingPanda]

okgo said:

Right. Quite a lot of effort then really.

Typically I would expect to see more like c£180k pa net profit per branch, but there will always be some tax-reducing strategies in play here. Don't forget the asset value that exists too - McDonalds are a big investment but never lose their value.

[105.4]

okgo said:

If money is your sole aim, what about sales?

It isn’t glamour work but [bwe would pay grads around £55-65k inc bonus + a of stock in an entry level sales position[/b], wouldn’t be hard to work your way up to exceeding your salary there in a couple of years I’d think.

I’m clearly in the wrong job, although my lack of a university education of rule me out of such roles.

[Greshamst]

Boo-urns said:

So, my question is, are there any good careers that require minimal training and good earning potential straight off the bat that I could switch to?

Drug dealing.
Only fans.


I’m sorry but you’re going to have to provide a bit more information on what you’re good at, and what you roughly enjoy or skills you think would be transferable otherwise it’s pointless.

[VeeReihenmotor6]

Hate to put a downer on things but if it were possible to get £75k as a newbie with no training in a new field I think most of the country would be on that game!

Look at your transferable skills or retrain in a well paid industry/trade. Easier said than done though with a newborn and family to support.

[okgo]

105.4 said:

I’m clearly in the wrong job, although my lack of a university education of rule me out of such roles.

Possibly a hindrance but it’s possible. I don’t have any higher education.

Thanks Panda - food for thought - and it’s a few hundred k down for something like a McDonalds I think. My issue would be it needing to be lucrative enough to quit my job which I think very few would warrant.

[jonsp]

StevieBee said:

Journalism? Either specialising in the sector you know or a related area.

That sounds like the best answer. Freelance, build up your own brand, writing, ultimately TV appearances, speaking gigs etc. That's going to take time to get back to £75k though. Maybe you could start building outside of work hours but with a newborn you maybe wouldn't have time.

Is your Mrs in a position to fund you/family while you build this up?

[sjg]

Agree with others that new baby usually means trying to keep the other parts of your life as simple and straightforward as possible, so staying in a well paying job that you can do makes sense, even if it might not be the most fulfilling. It's a really common time for introspection though, and I certainly had a rough initial 6 months or so after our first was born where I was questioning all sorts of stuff about my life. Some people do all sorts of silly and rash things in that time.

As you're already using ChatGPT it might be worth looking at the AI prompt engineering field - https://www.datacamp.com/blog/what-is-prompt-engin...

[Countdown]

okgo said:

Countdown said:

I googled the accounts of the franchise where my youngest used to work at. The franchise owner had 6 branches and made £roughly 600k profit per annum (ie £100k per branch).

Right. Quite a lot of effort then really.

It depends on how you look at it. Each branch had its own manager and they were on a bonus structure. Stating the obvious but the key was to get really good managers in place and make sure they were incentivised to run a tight ship. I believe the branch manager was on something like £60k plus a company Audi. According to my youngest the branch manager popped in maybe once a month.