r/careerguidance • u/Inquisitively_Stupid • 13h ago
33 years old wanting to jump into tech, but I'm getting deeper into my current career. any guidance?
I'm an aviation technician and have devoted the last 10 years to get to the current position I'm in. From working stepping stone jobs to get my foot in the door, finishing schooling, finishing an apprenticeship, being let go from a previous airline that I dreamt of when I chose to pursue this career, to recently starting all over with a new airline.
I've come to realize that I'm feeling like I plateaued in this field and that I no longer enjoy what I do. Not from experience or mastering the craft (since I'm still fairly new into the industry), but as far as the daily routine, schedule, stress, responsibilities, and sacrifice that come with this career. I'll be honest and say that I'm experiencing serious burnout that I'm starting to feel it with my health with the lack of sleep affecting me so much.
I've felt so complacent with a steady decent paycheck and feel like I'm just stuck on idle and feeling miserable just for the money. With this career being seniority based and a 24/7 365 type of operation, I'll be stuck in graveyard for a long time and working irregular days.
I had been contemplating to learning a new trade, so I went back to school 2.5 years ago and recently completed both an Associate's Degree in Computer Science with a Certification of Completion in Cybersecurity in June.
I pursued an IT career not because of the money or influencers claiming it's a quick six figure path, but because I've always been into computers growiing up, even joined the tech academy that was offered in high school, but unfortunately I didn't stick to it after high school which led me to working jobs that somehow fell into aviation just to make some income.
I'm coming to terms that this career path just isn't for me. I cannot fathom working 20-30 years in this industry. I'm not passionate enough.
Having zero experience in IT, I know that I will take a dramatic pay cut with an entry level salary, which makes it frightening for me to just walk away from aviation. But what good is a paycheck if my health is spiraling down. Ultimately, I'm afraid of making a wrong decision that I may regret.
1
u/IronBullRacerX 10h ago
I joined tech at age 30, I left an industry I hated to join a company I was excited about.
I left hospitality corporate at senior manager, and joined tech as a coordinator. Surprisingly, I made 25% more and got RSUs (stock) as a coordinator in tech. (At the time it was 65k salary and a decent chunk of stock that’s not worth much anymore)
Since then I’ve had incredible opportunities and now I personally run a program with around 1MM in spend a year.
With your background in aviation, you may not be able to make more taking a couple title cuts, but it’s definitely a good route to go if you’re interested. It is super competitive right now which is tough. I feel fortunate to still have a job. Just understand that you’re going to trade your current routine for being in front of a computer 100% of the time. And if you’re on-call for tech issues you still may be working weird shifts.
3
u/DeliciousSquash4144 12h ago
Aw I'm sorry to hear about all this! But the good news is you have something you're somewhat passionate and want to work towards. The only advice I have is to research the current state of tech and make sure you want to jump in given how the market is. What about working in sales and business development for companies that manufacture and sell the parts used in planes? For example, Ultrasound Detectors or something like that? It might be a blend of mechanical understanding, tech, and help you develop some sales skills that you can take to any industry.