I'm 39 years old and I'd like to move out of the Hospitality Industry for several reasons.

Anonymous

July 6,2022 at 5:42AM UTC

Welcome to Fairygodboss!

We’re the largest online career community helping women achieve their career goals. Gain access to articles, jobs, events, and a supportive network of women and allies. Membership is free, always.

I'm 39 years old and I'd like to move out of the Hospitality Industry for several reasons. The main one is because my body feels like it's been hit by a truck every day when I get home from a high volume shift. I've always been a creative and would like to get into Set Design but to get into that you have to start off as a production assistant, a job that's extremely labor intensive and pays minimal wage. I've been feeling embarrassed to start at the bottom at my age and it's another job where I come home and I'm in tears from standing on my feet for 12 hours and my back is killing me. I'm miserable. How do I shake this? I compare myself to the 20 year olds that just got out of school taking these jobs and I also like a loser. I'm sure it's my pride/ego, but I can't seem to shake it... Any advice?

Why women love us:

Daily articles on career topics
Jobs at companies dedicated to hiring more women
Advice and support from an authentic community
Events that help you level up in your career
Free membership, always

4 comments

Share your insight

Join an authentic community that helps women support each other at work. Share your professional experience or ask for advice — you can even post anonymously.

4 Comments

Join the conversation

AnonymousJuly 6,2022 at 5:48AM UTC
I started in a new field at 35. I took a very low-level position, and was running the office within 3 years. We bring life experience, the ability to communicate, a more mature perspective, and creative problem-solving with a fresh take on things. This sets us apart from the younger people while we work our way up. After seeing colleagues who were brought in higher up the ladder but without direct experience, I think there's a lot of value in combining the earned skills from our years of adulting with a floor-level understanding of a new field. If you can absorb the pay cut for a couple of years, I would recommend going for it.
AnonymousJuly 6,2022 at 5:23PM UTC
I think it's important to remember that people change careers all the time. And it's never, ever too late to do so!
You aren't alone in this!
AnonymousJuly 7,2022 at 2:39PM UTC
I'm in a similar boat. I left the nonprofit world and moved into higher ed. I had to take a paycut and start at a lower position than some people here my age, but I also am OK with it. My boss is already talking about how to move me up (in higher ed promotions move at a glacial pace). After a steep learning curve the first few months I have settled in and am really enjoying my role. Career changes are awesome opportunities for growth even though you may have to take a few steps back at first. Remember, it's a jungle gym not a ladder.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 7,2022 at 5:05PM UTC
I'm not sure I understand. You say you want to make a change "because my body feels like it's been hit by a truck every day when I get home" but then you say "it's another job where I come home and I'm in tears from standing on my feet for 12 hours and my back is killing me."
I don't see how this transition is going to alleviate the physical toll to your body.
You're not a loser - you've been doing a physically hard job for a long time - not wanting to keep doing that is standing up for yourself and what makes or doesn't make you happy. Which you should 100000% do.
Why do you want to move into set design? Have you explored other options that might not be so physically taxing?