What’s a ‘Real’ Job Anyway?

I’ll be the first to admit that my career path hasn’t exactly been…linear. Having worked my way up through corporate, dabbled in education, trained as an outdoor instructor, worked in a hostel and managed a cafe, it’s safe to say my skill set is very varied.

It’s becoming a lot more common for people to chop and change their jobs, and industries, more regularly. Research has shown that younger people are three times more likely to switch sectors than older people (Learning and Work Institute 2023), with nearly twice as many Gen Z workers expressing an interest in changing jobs than Baby Boomers (Forbes 2024). Since the pandemic there has been an even bigger switch up, with 30% of UK professionals changing jobs in the year after the pandemic began (TopCV 2021). With ease of access to both training and opportunities, it’s no surprise that people may want to see what else is out there. It feels like there’s beginning to be a shift from living to work, to working to live.

Job Jumping

There are many different reasons why I’ve changed jobs so much since finishing uni. My original plan was to train as a counsellor, but when I graduated, I couldn’t think of anything worse than spending more time in education. I also felt a lot of pressure to get a graduate job, even if it was just pressure I was putting on myself, so that’s what I did. My friends went off to South America without me, and I started ‘my life’. I quickly fell into the life I thought I should be leading, married with a house and a good job.

But after being in corporate for 5 years, I felt like I needed a change. I wanted to do something with less travelling, and that was more rewarding. After doing some research, I settled on an apprenticeship at a local nursery. I absolutely thrived being back in a learning environment, and it felt like I was doing something that had a real impact on the kids that I was looking after. The downside was the hours. It was only four days a week, but ten hours a day, which when looking after a rabble of toddlers, is pretty exhausting. From here, I moved to working as a teaching assistant. Less hours, more holidays and a bigger impact. It was a perfect fit for that period in my life. It was lockdown and I was going through a divorce, but it gave me the time to start to find myself again. But once the house sold, I realised I had very few ties to where I was, and I decided to make a big change whilst I could.

I signed up to a three month outdoor instructor course in Cornwall and moved myself to the other end of the country. This move was one of the best things I ever did. Though the instructing wasn’t for me, I found the perfect job in a local cafe, I made some incredible friends and I spent time working on myself and my passions. I grew so much in my year in Newquay, and have so many happy memories of that period. I thoroughly enjoyed working in the cafe. Even though it got ridiculously busy in summer, I was basically being paid to spend time with friends (colleagues and customers) and drink coffee, all topped off with evenings on the beach.

The decision to move from Cornwall wasn’t an easy one, I really loved my life down there. However, I was a long way from family, and with nephew number two on the way, I wanted to be more present in their lives. Even though I was pretty content, I felt like a wanted a change and wanted to push myself. There was also the pull to the Lakes, that seems to be embedded into me.

So I packed up once again and moved back to my parents whilst searching for jobs and figuring out my move to the Lakes. I was lucky enough to get a couple of trips away during this time and some paid work, which helped me feel like I hadn’t completely lost my independence. After five months, one of my friends suggested looking at jobs at the YHA. They had so many hostels based in the heart of the Lake District, with accomodation on-site, which made the move really straight forward. Being based in Coniston was incredible, I could hike, swim and paddle morning and night (and in-between split shifts), but after a while, the long shifts, late nights and early mornings started to take their toll and with no sign of it easing, I stepped away.

The plan was to move to New Zealand, but a whirlwind romance changed all of that, and instead, I moved to windy rainy Edinburgh, and we opened a cafe. The last few months have been a mix of some of the hardest, but most rewarding. I have grown so much, learnt a lot about myself, and realised I can do far more than I thought I was ever capable of. Unfortunately things didn’t quite work out and ultimately I realised I am not cut out for running a business.

The Freedom of Flexibility

I am very aware that this kind of life isn’t for everyone, or just not possible for some people. I’ve been in a position for a while where I have no real ties to anywhere or anything, no mortgage, no career, and for several years, no relationship. This has allowed me to easily pick up and move my life, try different jobs, and take risks. The majority of jobs I’ve had since leaving the corporate world have been minimum wage, or just over, but as I don’t live an extravagant lifestyle, I’ve been able to live quite comfortably on this and still be able to save.

There are times when I’ve thought that maybe I should have stayed on a career path, but these thoughts are quickly dismissed with the realisation that if I had, I wouldn’t have had half of the amazing experiences I’ve had, or met the people that bring so much joy to my life. I would sometimes get embarrassed when people asked me what I did, or feel like I had to justify the choices I’ve made throughout my life. But looking back, I’m proud of myself. I’ve taken risks, I’ve tried new things and ultimately, I just don’t want to settle for something when I don’t have to.

All that being said, I’m starting to feel the need for a base to call my own, and as grateful as I am to my parents for letting me stay here in between chapters, I want to stand on my own two feet again. I’ve managed to save quite a bit over the years and have been looking into what properties I can afford, so now I do need to find a slightly more stable job, in order to get a mortgage on my own.

Getting Back to the Grind

I don’t regret any of my past job decisions. They’ve all led me to who I am and where I am today, and I am really proud of the person I’ve become and the decisions I’m making for myself. But applying for jobs again is scary, especially after having been out of the ‘mainstream’ job market for coming up to 4 years. Writing cover letters and updating my CV is daunting, and I’ve always hated that feeling of trying to sell yourself. Though it has been kind of fun browsing through indeed, as there are also so many jobs out there that I had no idea existed.

The plan is to ideally find a remote job, that gives me the flexibility to adventure and travel around it. Or alternatively, something based within Cumbria that’s linked to the outdoors – though I’m not quite sure what this might be. I’m not putting any pressure on myself just yet though, as I’ve got a couple of exciting trips over the next couple of months, as well as some paid work to help keep things ticking over.

People always say to me that my life seems to have a funny way of working out. Things just happen at the right time, and opportunities present themselves when they fit the most. So for now, I’m focussing on the positives and I’m excited for the next chapter, whatever it may be.

Happy adventuring!