Retrain as a plumber and tiler

[bigbob2112]

I am a software developer in my early forties. I have been in IT for around 20 years.
I feel as if i need a change, there isnt a lot left in IT that i havent done.

I also enjoy DIY, been doing it for a while for friends and family.

I was wondering if it is too late to train as a plumber / tiler and fit kitchens and bathrooms.
I know i would need to start at the bottom, get the knowledge and then shadow an experienced fitter for sometime for free. Has anyone else done this or gone down this route in their forties?
It feels good and right to me, but wondered if there were any gotchas that i should be aware of.

 

[Alan]

If it feels good and right, then go for it.

 

[mediakitchen]

I don't blame you for wanting to escape from a life of IT. I say go for it - nobody can ever take away that 20 years of IT experience so you can always return to IT if it doesn't work out for you but I am sure if your heart is in it you will succeed. You have plenty of years left before you retire so I say go for it!!

 

[Matt1959]

think carefully about age and health! alot of trades would be glad to get out of physical graft by the time they are in their 50s when the joints start seizing up and stamina starts waning. By mid 50s you can struggle to do what you could in your 30s. In fact I'd say alot of trades would kill for a desk job by the time they approach 60

 

[soundengineeruk]

First instinct is to say go for it as you have a fall back.

However airing on side of caution go for it if you are in the position to accept defeat and roll back to IT without struggle (Health, financial etc..)..

 

[Scott@KarmaContent]

A friend of mine did this and he passed all his qualifications but because of his age (30 at the time) he struggled to get taken on by someone to gain the relevant practical experience. That said, he did eventually. I'd try and ensure you sort out where your going to get your practical experience from before committing. If you can do that, go for it!

 

[bigbob2112]

Thanks all. I have pretty much decided to go ahead with it. I don't think it would replace IT, but as a fallback for quieter periods between contracts. The feast / famine environment that working for yourself brings can be stressful, so a second skill would help plug those gaps.

 

[Jon Neale]

What dev skills do you have? Maybe a permie job would reduce the stress of the feast/famine environment?

If it's something you really want to do go for it.

 

[bigbob2112]

What dev skills do you have? Maybe a permie job would reduce the stress of the feast/famine environment?

If it's something you really want to do go for it.

Oh i have had perm jobs, stress is no less, just a different flavour. I think i need something new, hands on, less digital!

 

[Paul Norman]

I actually sounds exciting to me. If you have plumbing skills, can get the qualifications, and are willing to deliver good customer service, I would have through you could quickly get work. Finding a plumber is not always straight forward and the good ones can be heavily over subscribed.

But most importantly? If you fancy it, do it.

 

[Philip Hoyle]

I'm slightly worried about your comment about it being a fallback between IT contracts. A lot of your work will come via personal recommendation and repeat business from previous clients - you risk losing that if you aren't 100% permanently plumbing, meaning you'd have to rely more on advertising at the times you want plumbing work, which means competing with everyone else. I once had an electrician who liked spending a few months in the Sun every winter - he really struggled to keep the regulars as they'd have to find someone else whenever he wasn't available so he never really built up a regular customer base - always having to go back to heavy advertising in the Spring when he came back to the UK.

 

[Bradley Holmes]

Wouldn´t you need to do an apprenticeship to be a plumber? Or is there a test you can do to prove your skills?

 

[robchops20]

Hi.

If you are based in London, then maybe we can do a skills swap. If you are interested let me know.

 

[simon goldring]

Hi big bob did you join your plumbing course I'm thinking along the same lines too. What's your business start up