My name is Louise Humphries and I currently live in London, England. Recently many people I know have decided to change their careers and I wanted to set up this website to share what I learned with them and others from my own experience of changing careers.

My Story

Some people have always had concrete ideas and goals as to what they wanted to do in their career. Then there’s the rest of us. I was one of those people who went through school, college and university with no plan as to what I wanted to do when I finished. So, after completing a degree in languages I ended up managing translation projects in an agency. The job paid a salary and used my language skills but I started to get bored. I guess like many people who undergo a quarter life career change , I'd just fallen into a job after going through the education system and not really considered what I wanted to do with my life. The thought of looking back on my death bed and thinking a good part of my life was spent chasing translators to meet deadlines terrified me. I was unhappy going to work everyday but didn’t have the confidence to change the career path I was taking.

The Career Change Journey Begins...

My career change began when I was bought a book entitled Feel the Fear and do it anyway. This book changed my perspective on life in general and it made me realise that I could make a career change to do something I loved.

Firstly I had to decide what I wanted and could do. This began with some soul searching. What did I actually like doing in my previous employment? What did I want to achieve in my life? From previous employment I know I loved working with and helping people and I knew I had good people skills. I also knew I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.

I also loved working with information, searching the Internet and reading. I researched the types of jobs I could do with my skills and becoming a librarian seemed a good choice for me. I know this sounds like a dull job to a lot of people but it really excited me.

Putting the steps in place

Once I’d decided what I was going to do, I realised that it wasn’t going to be easy. I had to do a trainee year at a library, then an MA in library and information studies. This meant taking a dip in wages, getting a place on an MA course, paying for a course and then living for a year without a full time wage. I got a place at UCL in London as a trainee which I took. This meant moving to a new city and surviving on little money in one of the most expensive cities in the world but I did it (although not without getting into a little bit of debt). How? Well, I worked really hard at my trainee job which led to me getting an evening supervisor’s job which I could work round my MA course. I got a place on the MA course at UCL and managed to get funding from the AHRB who paid for my course fees. If this hadn’t have worked I would’ve done the course via distance learning or part time. After I completed my studies I got a fantastic job in an FE college.

After my career change

I loved my new job. I loved meeting different kinds of people and helping them find the information the need to enhance their lives. I help people with their studies and the challenges they face in ife from passing a driving test to undertaking a new career. I order the books people like to read. I love helping kids who were failed at school and supporting them in their new opportunity at college.

I learned html as part of my library course which is how I managed to build this website. I haven't ruled out a further career change in the future. Perhaps as an affiliate marketer or even doing a further web design course and doing web design. Life is about learning, going through new experiences and this is what I intend to do and enjoy every minute.

Learning from other people's career changes

Lots of people I know have gone through or are going through a career change. I guess it's a sign of the times where people no longer stick with one profession or job anymore. I have learned so much from them and their journeys which is all included in the website. Please contact me with your own stories and let me know if this website has helped you in anyway. I would love to hear from you