IT vs Electrician Please Help Me Choose

Lwmic on 22/09/2025 - 12:45
Last edited 22/09/2025 - 15:20

41, should I go back into IT or start fresh as an Electrician?

Torn in a midlife career debate. I’ve got about 8 years of IT experience (MSP, computer repair, some web design) plus a Cert IV in Cyber, but not much hands-on in that area. I left IT about 5 years ago due to stress, health issues, and the constant upskilling grind. I’m mostly recovered now (physically and mentally),
but currently unemployed and have applied for multiple IT jobs without hearing back.

Part of me wants a fresh start as an electrician — hands-on work, clear path to a license, chance to run my own business, and strong demand in Australia. But that means 4 years as an apprentice on lower wages, working alongside younger guys, and physical strain I might feel more at this age.

I really love IT and Sticking with IT also makes sense. With certs in cybersecurity or cloud, I could build on my existing skills, earn more in a few years, and have flexible/remote options. Downside: I’d still be back in the cycle of endless upskilling.

Has anyone made a big career shift after 40? Did it pay off, or do you wish you built on what you already had?

TLDR: 41, 8 years IT, currently unemployed; Debating between returning to IT (cyber/cloud) or starting from scratch as an electrician.
Which is the smarter move this late?

Your response is much appreciated - Thanks

Thank you, thank you all for your reply and the perspective. I’ve decided it makes more sense to stick with IT and focus on Cloud / Azure certifications, since that’s where I left and already have the most familiarity. You’re guys are right, at my age the physical side of trades would probably take its toll sooner rather than later. Appreciate the advice, it really helped me make the decision.

Poll Options expired

  • 43
    IT (Cloud/Cyber)
  • 23
    Apprentice Electrician
Education & Work

Comments

  • jv on 22/09/2025 - 12:47
    +29

    IT

    Your knees only have about another 10 years left in them…

    • MikeKulls on 25/09/2025 - 20:05

      I work in telecom. So many people try to escape. Very few make it. I don't feel the need myself. There a big range of work I could do and the work is quite interesting.

  • sumyungguy on 22/09/2025 - 12:51
    +29

    Crawling around in roofs during summer doing smoke detectors is arguably a younger person's caper.

  • Fredfloresjr on 22/09/2025 - 12:53

    IT + 5090 work station with RGB = Dream Job

    • faricity on 24/09/2025 - 09:30

      Depends on what level you are at. Some struggle to get 100k a year these days to afford a 5090 unless you are the top of the food chain.

  • RotundPolarBear on 22/09/2025 - 12:53
    +6

    I think pushing 40 implies that you are almost 40. If you are 40+ you can't really say you are 'pushing 40'. Sorry for being pedantic.

    • wmic on 22/09/2025 - 12:56

      Appreciated mate, I'm 41. Fixed

  • SnowDragon on 22/09/2025 - 13:15
    +3

    Do you know any tradies? Could you do some labouring for a few days to see if you'd enjoy doing it for the next 25 years until you retire?

    • wmic on 22/09/2025 - 13:21

      Fair point, I spoke to someone friends and they prefer IT over Electrician.

  • MS Paint on 22/09/2025 - 13:42
    +16

    Based on your history in IT I would recommend you become a sparky.

  • Hybroid on 22/09/2025 - 13:51
    +2

    The reality is this is probably less of a personal choice, and more of what actual employment opportunities exist. Can you actually realistically get a job in high competition IT at that age and relatively limited experience? If so, that's your safe bet.

    You may find the opposite nowadays though, and you can be replaced with someone half your age for, probably, half the salary.

  • JIMB0 on 22/09/2025 - 14:02
    +7

    If you get into industrial/commercial you could leverage your existing skills. All modern factories have a great deal of automation and the associated networking/programming that goes with it. It's quite an in depth and interesting field to work in. The work is not that physically demanding and many people work well into old age.

    Domestic electrical work is mostly grunt work crawling through ceilings running cables, replacing powerpoints, chasing people up for money. I've worked with several who made the switch to industrial and only do the odd domestic cashie on the side.

    • wmic on 22/09/2025 - 14:51
      +1

      Thanks for pointing out the difference, that's actually really helpful. The automation and hands on networking sounds right up my alley.

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/09/2025 - 14:55
      +1

      To op, leveraging off this reply - look at getting into DALI and Casambi commissioning. You don’t need to have an electrical license for it and there is surprisingly not many that offer it as a service in house.

      • wmic on 22/09/2025 - 15:04

        Appreciated mate, I never even thought about that. Honestly I thought you do need Electrical license, I'll definitely dig into this further.

        • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/09/2025 - 15:11

          It’s just a bit harder in the way you won’t be legally allowed to touch anything not classed as ELV - but of the main groups I know of, they only do the commissioning (addressing , setting up scenes etc)

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/09/2025 - 14:07
    +2

    hands-on work, clear path to a license, chance to run my own business, and strong demand in Australia. But that means 4 years as an apprentice on lower wages, working alongside younger guys, and physical strain I might feel more at this age.

    I work almost daily with sparkies and spend a LOT of time talking to them about the ups and downs of the game - im not saying its impossible…but running your own business as a 1 man band (or 1 man + a apprentice) is a bloody hard slog and pretty hard to scale.

    It looks like the age thing has already been covered but you will be expected to do a LOT of the dirty/ hard/ borderline dangerous work - please consider accordingly being insured correctly with good extras cover. Also please tell me you have a manual license and not scared of heights. I met an apprentice the other day that could only drive auto (not a HUGE deal breaker) - but was afraid of heights…

    • JIMB0 on 22/09/2025 - 14:12
      +2

      The hardest thing with scaling a business like this is finding good reliable tradies and putting up the working capital for the long payment terms big companies demand. There's plenty of work out there if you can get past these hurdles.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/09/2025 - 14:37

        You hit the nail on the head there - all the good ones mainly get poached -

        It will be a hard slog and if not ready to put the work in they may be better off on wages

    • MS Paint on 22/09/2025 - 14:30
      +3

      Wait! What? The boss has a manual Raptor that the apprentice is allowed to drive? Where do I sign up?

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/09/2025 - 14:50

        Best he can do is a beat up workmate

        (Also I may be wrong but I’m almost sure I remember reading the raptor gen 2s were all auto when I was looking for which Ute to upgrade to…)

  • 7ekn00 on 22/09/2025 - 14:09

    Downside: I’d still be back in the cycle of endless upskilling.

    What makes you think a sparky does not need to upskill?!?

    • mboy on 22/09/2025 - 15:06
      +11

      You've taken it in the wrong way. The tech industry moves at a much faster pace than other industries, which means staying relevant in the job market requires staying ahead of the curve.

      Obviously that's not to say you can get away with being a sparky and never having to learn anything new, but the pace is nowhere near the same.

    • skillet on 23/09/2025 - 16:02
      +1

      They do! They need to learn how to fit a Wago.

  • Far Cough on 22/09/2025 - 15:08
    -2

    become a cop or firey

    • Purp on 23/09/2025 - 18:51
      -7

      piggy is easy work in australia, basically zero risk and overpaid huge

  • suchan on 22/09/2025 - 15:08
    +3

    Being on a relatively same age as you i'm half in awe with your decision and half concerned.
    Commenting just so I can closely follow where this takes you.
    Good luck, seriously :)

  • tenpercent on 22/09/2025 - 15:10
    +4

    I left IT about 5 years ago due to stress, health issues, and the constant upskilling grind. I’m mostly recovered now (physically and mentally),
    but currently unemployed and have applied for multiple IT jobs without hearing back.

    Unless you're adequately addressing the time off and demonstrating growth / acquired new skills / did something productive / etc in that period they are going to mentally (subconsciously or consciously) try to fill in the blanks on your behalf; as unfair as that may be. It's possible that's why you're not hearing back. May not be relevant in your situation and you have already have covered it.

    FWIW it sounds like you're not wedded to the idea of having a dream career that you must do or else your life will be unfulfilled, and therefore I would assume these two alternative job pathways are just a means to an end. So what is that end? Do you know? And do these two options really represent all your realistic choices to achieve that end?

    Also run the numbers as a high level sense check; will a little more sacrifice now (ie. 4 years of electrician apprenticeship wages) followed by relatively good job prospects for another X working years (X doesn't have to be pension age minus current age) less the cost of good income protection insurance be better than uncertain job prospects by continuing to pursue IT (for which you may need to sacrifice some time anyway to upskill to get current and have a better chance of call backs from job applications)? Is there a third option you haven't considered? Something that incorporates both?

    • wmic on 22/09/2025 - 15:52
      +1

      Appreciated your response mate, you’re right, my health knocked me around for a while. Did some small contract stuff like web design but had no clear long-term plan, especially with AI coming up fast. Thanks to the OzBargain community though, I’ve got a much clearer direction now.

  • ReaperX22 on 22/09/2025 - 15:16
    +7

    Am 36 in an IT Role, been doing computers/IT since high school - mostly for fun/making upgrades, troubleshooting windows, etc. Got a retail IT job in 2014, 2.5 years then into IT Service Desk / analyst role and IT Support. Then moved to where I am in IT (Consulting, because of course), doing mostly operations/Infrastructure support and managing a small team. (Last bit is last ~2-3 years only).

    I've been thinkin bout a pivot as well, electrician was one I was interested in too! (Heck I'd consider nursing as well.. something that actually helps people, not just makes some big corpo money)

    Ultimately it comes down to:
    - Time: Do you have the time to invest in re-learning a new skill/are you also quick enough at adapting to a new trade? Old habits die hard is a saying for a reason
    - Money: Do you have the financial ability to invest into learning something new/get paid WAY less than you probably would in IT, at least to start..
    - Health: are you relatively fit/no major back or knee problems? Do you stretch regularly/remain mobile? Electricians end up in weird spaces sometimes, and contorting can be a thing. A bad neck/back/ankles/knees can make this a lot harder
    - Flexibility: I WFH full-time. I'm okay doing hybrid (2 days in office ideally, max 3) but WFH has just been super convenient. Electrician is a job that has no option of WFH, and in fact can also lead into long hours, emergency callouts, etc. You mentioned mental stress so consider if you want to be an electrician that you may be required to work non-standard hours/weekends etc fairly regularly!

    I'm pretty unfulfilled in IT myself, but it pays decently, WFH is convenient. But yeah you hit a roadblock of either a technical boundary - requiring hours on hours (months really) to upskill technically, OR in a higher/senior consulting management role, that seniority training/position etc - this is harder to train for and is more about the individual/inherent ability to lead teams and talk the talk in meetings even if you don't know the deep technical stuff.

    But even without massive up-skilling you can get a decent pay. Depends what your long-term goal is.

    • wmic on 22/09/2025 - 15:26
      +1

      Appreciated your reply mate. I wanted the same but I dropped the ball somehow because of unforeseen circumstances and now AI is catching up made me nervous. I still love IT and the hands on excitement it provides. I hope to keep my mind sane and move with Cloud. Thanks

      • ReaperX22 on 22/09/2025 - 16:05
        +3

        There's certainly a case to be made that AI is covering a number of things people simply can't, at speed at least (algorithmic stuff, predictive models, etc) - but we're a LONG while off AI covering any/all facets of IT. In its current capacity in the Consulting space, it's more used as a tool to assist. There's some cool stuff it can do (predictive stuff using cameras/movement recognition, etc) but yeah if you want to get back into IT, and you DON'T currently have any experience with the Cloud (AWS/GCP/Azure), as an FYI Azure is probably the 'easiest' to get a job with - this is because of the massive push of old/legacy companies (think government) moving off old DCs/self hosted racks in offices, and into the Azure/Microsoft cloud space. GCP is massive, but I've found it the hardest to learn/navigate.

        AWS is, IMO, the easiest to learn intuitively, especially in terms of UI/Console stuff, but naming conventions in AWS make you scratch your head. GCP is like 'BigData!' - obviously has to do with… big data! AWS? Hey you can pull your Cloudwatch logs through a lamba function transformation and spit it out to athena to analyse as you would in SQL. None of those names have anything to do with what it does. Hahaha. (it's not always the case, but it can be harder to learn in that sense).

        Alternatively, companies like Atlassian kind of have their own niche, similar to Salesforce, but they tend to require other specialised skills too.

        • wmic on 22/09/2025 - 16:15
          +1

          I am familiar with Az/o365, but no Certification. I worked on hybrid - Cloud/ On-Prem/o365 and I still remember a lot of stuff. I do really appreciate your time explaining things and making my goals clearer. Thank you

          • ReaperX22 on 22/09/2025 - 18:44

            @wmic: You can get entry level az-900 qualifications super easy and the exam is a joke. But if you've got more than 6 months experience of it regardless it's probably not worth the time unless you go for something more mid tier cert wise

  • ihbh on 22/09/2025 - 15:33
    +4

    Here's a contrarian suggestion - if the majority are suggesting IT, then there's going to be a big supply.

  • mboy on 22/09/2025 - 15:34
    +3

    Hey OP. I'm in IT too, in a tech data & analytics role, been at it for over 12 years, and what you've said regarding stress and upskilling grind and has resonated with me.

    What I've found personally is that the mental toll that comes with your average tech role often scales proportionally with salary. And in an industry where remuneration is seemingly limitless, it's easy to bite off more than you can chew. So that's just something to keep in mind. This might not be germane to your immediate situation, but might possibly say something about how you got here. Or possibly not - just my own experience, I don't mean to assume.

    The only other thing I'd say is that the IT industry is massive. Rather than pivoting to another industry altogether, have you considered whether any other specialisations or disciplines interest you, or that you're passionate about? If so, while it might take some training or certifications to get your foot in the door, a lot of your skills will transfer and could give you a renewed interest in your work.

    Good luck!

    • wmic on 22/09/2025 - 16:04
      +1

      Appreciate the reply and the solid advice, it really helps put things in perspective. I think cloud specialisation makes more sense for me at this stage, especially since I don’t have much hands-on experience in cyber sec.

    • ReaperX22 on 22/09/2025 - 16:08
      +1

      This is great advice.

      Honestly if I could make the same money I'm doing now in IT Consulting and just physically build machines/gaming computers etc all day I'd do that ha! Setup a massive testing lab etc. It's still 'IT'!

      And agree absolutely, there's like.. this weird plateau. Starting entry-level you bust your ass to prove yourself/learn what you can. Get to Consulting level/senior consultant and you end up in a weird space (at least for me) where I can cruise where I am, but not really make any meaningful gains in salary/position, or get back to ass-busting to get that extra 20%/title. But then that title comes with more than 20% extra work/dedication required so it's all a balancing act…

      • serpserpserp on 23/09/2025 - 19:46

        What you doing realize is that 20% is just the next step, the one beyond that might be 50% extra. This is where the extra effort pays off.

        But I am also in that in my career. My job is so good from a WFH perspective. I don't think I would give it up for 20% more money

  • beltdrive on 22/09/2025 - 15:41
    +1

    Electrician. Try something new, see if you like it.

  • geekcohen on 22/09/2025 - 16:16

    Rather than going full electrical, maybe getting your cabling ticket? There are lots of opportunities there. Whilst electrical is handy, age could be an issue for doing the groundwork.

    I am 31 and often find myself crawling through roof spaces to run data cabling, which isn't great at times, especially in the heat and tight spaces. I only do the physical stuff about 50% of the week and there are some days I am sore. I know my knees are going to give me grief one day.

    I run my own business, which includes IT work and other services like CCTV, Starlink and other networking installations. Its taken me 2.5 years to build up the business and the work is starting to flow in on a bit more of a regular basis. It takes a while to build it up and I think you need to do multiple things, not just 1 thing. The IT knowledge and experience really helps and is an advantage to win jobs, plus ongoing work.

    Just my 2 cents.

  • c64 on 22/09/2025 - 16:44
    +2

    getting an electrician apprenticeship at your age is going to be an uphill battle. you are competing with 16-20 year olds

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/09/2025 - 17:01
      +5

      It’s true but sometimes it’s worth paying slightly more for mature age as they will generally be more reliable

      • c64 on 22/09/2025 - 17:04

        i usually get the impression that companies just want cheap labour and government subsidies

        • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/09/2025 - 17:20
          +2

          It’s true - they are great do cable running and other dirty work… as long as they actually show up, or do the work and not just checking out tik tok while up in the roof space.

    • JIMB0 on 22/09/2025 - 19:05
      +1

      Big companies put on adult apprentices all the time, it generally helps if you're already at the company in some capacity though. They're seen as grounded (kids, mortgage etc) and will often stick around when they finish, unlike a lot of younger ones who are off to the mines chasing the big dollars once they finish.

  • ECE on 22/09/2025 - 18:48
    +1

    You will be extremely luck to get an apprenticeship at that age.

  • BiotBargin on 22/09/2025 - 19:16

    Tag Testing

  • Kongzi on 22/09/2025 - 19:48
    -1

    Be a car mechanic

  • lainey13 on 22/09/2025 - 20:01

    Do you actually WANT to do electrician work though? Nothing in your post screams for a love of sparks and cables.
    I have a friend who had to ditch IT for medical reasons (eyes and screens) and became an apprentice in his late thirties. I believe after it it becomes a choice of running your own business, trying to drum up work, in small businesses and houses and its more difficult than you think. Apparently corporate big builds pay more and is easier. Are either of those options appealing to you?
    So it is possible but one thing he told me is that who you work with in IT versus electrician work is COMPLETELY different. Polar opposites. If you don't fit in, get along with the 'boys', hold your own, then its going to be very difficult and different compared to fitting into an office.

  • trustnoone on 23/09/2025 - 00:38
    +4

    Is it worth looking into a more hybrid role of technician and electrician. Something that has a partly physical aspect so its AI resistant but also still the IT side (which sounds like you enjoy?) like:
    Data Cabling / Network Technician (say fixing internet/NBN issues)
    Data Centre Technician
    A/V Conference Tech
    XRay Technician
    CCTV/Alarm Technician
    Something random: Drone Pilot - sorta techie, you can get a licence for it, can work for photography (realestate, advertising), Surveying and spatial, mining etc.

  • tellhimhesdreaming on 23/09/2025 - 06:36
    +2

    If you want to dip your toes back in to IT after time out of the industry I'd suggest a role in a not for profit. Less desirable for people who want big money, work life balance perks, and arguably makes the role more about helping people too although a bit abstract.

  • maxiboyfm3a on 23/09/2025 - 10:45
    +1

    Why not both, IT skills are useful for electricians. Think ethernet, security cameras, PLCs, control circuits etc.

    • LFO on 23/09/2025 - 16:13

      Think ethernet, security cameras,

      Isn't all that covered as an "Cable Installer"?

      Obviously not a full electrician but still licensed to install low power cables PoE, Ethernet, etc.

    • fusion17 on 23/09/2025 - 20:28

      Agreed.
      IP security/cam setups, smart lighting, smart home tech

      Youd probably need to keep up to date here though.

  • LFO on 23/09/2025 - 16:16
    +3

    If 5 years ago "IT" was too demanding then now it will be even worse: you are behind (lack of sophisticated skills) and older (facing age discrimination).

  • ylukman on 23/09/2025 - 16:40

    IF you're single and no additional burden, I'd suggested to go for Electrician and find some sort of casual but not physically demanding job in IT at night. Unfortunately open cable ticket will need Cert III in Electrotechnology anyway and almost rarely have training and work during night time, else I'd done it long time ago, so might as well just get the Cert IV directly and pursue your Electrician license. You'll practically have almost no life except for work and study but after 4 years, the path might be better. Make sure you sleep well and take care of your physic. Would be good if you have a partner that is supportive but if not, just maintain your help and sanity. Good luck. Cheering on you for chance that I don't have.

  • afayd on 23/09/2025 - 17:58
    -1

    Not an electrician but know a few and helped out some in the past. Money seems to be very good but not a very intellectually demanding job. Just lots of running cables around and crawling by the looks of it. The good part of it is that you can be your own boss and have none of the corporate bullshittery imposed on you. I would probably say try it as a hobby first before you dive in. A lot of solo electricians need helpers to pass tools around and help feed cables etc. Just tell a few local electricians your situation and see if they need a hand and go from there. You can then make up your mind after.

    • JIMB0 on 23/09/2025 - 18:22
      +3

      not a very intellectually demanding job

      Depends on where you work. If you get into automation, mechatronics, instrumentation, PLCs etc. The work demands quite a high level of intellect to be good at it. If you're just running cables on new builds the level is much lower.

      • Juice-Wa on 25/09/2025 - 07:48

        automation, mechatronics, instrumentation, PLCs etc

        Those are mostly engineering jobs

        • JIMB0 on 25/09/2025 - 11:00

          That's for the design stage, you still need an electrician to build and maintain them.

          • Juice-Wa on 26/09/2025 - 08:14

            @JIMB0: It's not a specialised job, and the work is mainly just patch wiring within the same cabinet. Though it can be rewarding to see the end product if you are very tidy and meticulous.

            • JIMB0 on 26/09/2025 - 12:06

              @Juice-Wa: My experience is from a maintenance background and residential sparkies are rather useless in an industrial environment. Commercial ones are not much better.

              Sure they can disconnect motors, replace contractors, sensors, wiring etc, but the real talent is tracking down the fault. You need to have an intimate understanding of how things work.

              I've seen a piece of equipment out for days while these 2 sparkies who had no clue couldn't track down the fault. They wanted to replace every component. Another guy came along and fixed it in 15 minutes.

              • Juice-Wa on 29/09/2025 - 07:48

                @JIMB0: The places I've worked, those are just standard sparkies in the industry. You just get to know who the good ones and the bad ones are haha

  • Davelovesdealz on 23/09/2025 - 19:02

    I have 2 extended family uncles that broke out of IT at 50 and 55. One is a labourer and the other a fencer. Both love their lives. Grass is usually greener once youve had 20 years or so….

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 23/09/2025 - 20:06

      fencer

      At the rate charged by the older gentleman my neighbour arranged to fix our shared fence , I did half consider telling my boss I was quitting that week to be a fencer…. Somehow was still the cheapest of FIVE quotes.

  • Vomo on 23/09/2025 - 19:37
    +1

    Reading through the comments and your responses I would say you don’t seem to be the overly ambitious type. You seem happy to cruise along but need some occasional challenge so why not consider the a less stressful life in a public service IT job? If you want Work life balance that’s a way to go. There’s also less age discrimination in the public sector so you need to factor that in as it will become a thing as you’re pushing 50.

    • serpserpserp on 23/09/2025 - 19:41
      +2

      Not sure public sector IT jobs are easy to come by

      • Vomo on 23/09/2025 - 19:53

        That’s true, I guess because people hold onto the public service jobs. However, if the OP does manage to get in at say the desktop support, they could potentially start at a lower level and work up to better pay inside the organisation.

  • serpserpserp on 23/09/2025 - 19:38

    OP what jobs did you hold in the first 20 years of your adult life?

    If you quit IT due to stress you might like the idea of IT as a career, but it just might not be suited to you. I mean if you LOVE IT the "upskilling" part is actually the best part about it

  • IcySpicyStew on 23/09/2025 - 21:32

    I really love IT

    do what you love, pick up electronics as a hobby

    chance to run my own business

    IT has many more opportunities, on a global scale rather than local
    if you're creative enough you could incorporate electronics within IT

    You'll need to keep up with technology faster though and this won't come easy as you age
    Don't become stubborn and accept new technology emergence

  • Aneurism on 23/09/2025 - 22:45

    An electrician can easily swap to IT but not the other way around.

  • duluxe2000 on 23/09/2025 - 22:57
    +2

    There must be something wrong with the apprentice system, which was outdated and designed for young school leavers.
    A matured person can't afford 4 years of apprenticeship with family/mortgage/partner etc…

    The apprentice program should be modernized to cooperate classrooms, simulations, project based work etc… so one person can self learn or study part time.

    I feel there is a lack of will from government to address this problem. Im happy to learn the trade myself and do "gig" economy for trade.

  • AustriaBargain on 23/09/2025 - 23:09
    +3

    ChatGPT installed onto Tesla robots is going to be doing all the electrician work one day. OnlyFans is the best and only optimal solution as a career now.

    • tenpercent on 25/09/2025 - 11:24
      +1

      OnlyFans is the best and only optimal solution as a career now.

      Every man and even his dog could do that career with sufficiently advanced AI filters.

  • hughes on 23/09/2025 - 23:10

    i'd find an area in IT that won't make you feel like a grind to upskill. i enjoy learning new things especially on the company's time/dime. went from windows programming to full stack then did android apps and now some AI. higher pay and more flexibility after you've proven yourself a problem solver.

    i felt burnt out and stressed early in my career. contemplated about switching to electrical engineering for a while. did a short course and didn't find ladder logic more interesting computer programming. glad i toughed it out for a few more year, though i probably would've ended up where i am even if i didn't work so hard.

  • Guerilla89 on 24/09/2025 - 02:58

    I have the same background as you almost. I've worked in IT for about 11 years, I've done a cert IV in Cybersecurity.

    If you are in IT, get a job working for government. It's much less demanding with much better hours.

    If you want an outdoors job, consider surveyancing. It's outdoors, you work in a small team, it doesn't need much training compared to a sparky, it doesn't need you to invest $100k in tools.

    • afayd on 24/09/2025 - 09:23

      Could you please provide an idea about how a cybersecurity job is in gov? Like on a day to day basis what are you required to do? Do you get much down time or are you expected to do something all the time even if it’s pointless so that they feel like they are getting what they paid for?

      • Guerilla89 on 24/09/2025 - 11:20

        I don't do cyber security, I just did a cert IV in cyber security (paid for by work as it's a focus point for government). I work IT at a school. 96K a year salary or $63 an hour casual. I got into it with a Diploma of IT in networking (one year at TAFE). You'll get 10 hour days but you'll also get 11 weeks off a year (4 weeks of holidays and 7 weeks of ADO).

  • 0z8smakf on 24/09/2025 - 06:42
    +3

    I was in IT for 15 years (12 hour days behind a PC), 7 years ago I moved away from IT into the construction field.

    I'll never go back, my body and mind feel so much better than what they did sitting behind a PC all day.

  • faricity on 24/09/2025 - 09:45

    Yea i have been thinking this myself too. I dunno how stable or how long the Solar panels and battery industry will keep going up or if its too late to join, but could be worth looking into.

    My other type of backup would just be related to police or some sort of professional driver, bus/taxi/uber

  • D3HUN on 24/09/2025 - 10:04
    +2

    The thing about the current state of IT in Australia is that most of the jobs are getting offshored or done by imported workforce (often as contractors).
    This, plus the slowing demand (due to gen IT assisted everything) means that there are less jobs available and even those are paying less. Rat race.

    On the other hand, electrician work can't be offshored, but yes, the hot roof cavities, plus the physical demands.

    Not an easy choice.

  • dono2 on 24/09/2025 - 10:59
    +1

    Stick with IT is the smart move. Your 8 years of experience and Cert IV in Cyber give you a head start. Cloud/Azure certs are quick, high demand, and can land you $80k-$120k+ in Australia without the 4-year apprentice grind at lower pay. Electrician work's temptin', but at 41, the physical toll and time commitment ain't worth it when you can build on what you know. Polish your resume, grab Azure AZ-900 in 1-2 months, network like crazy, and apply for cloud roles. You're not too old; you're pivoting to better. Hustle hard, and you'll be back on top fast.

  • titewod on 24/09/2025 - 11:24
    +2

    You could take the middle-ground and become a datacentre installation/repair support engineer. The pay is good, there's not a hell of a lot of upskilling involved, you don't need any new qualifications and you also get to drive around town and have a break from screens etc, but at the same time, you wouldn't have to crawl through peoples roofs etc.

    Also, it's an IT job that will not be automated out of existence anytime soon.

    Employers are basically all vendors who sell servers, and the datacentre operators themselves - as well as private companies and government agencies who have hardware in datacentres.

  • dufflover on 24/09/2025 - 15:02

    I'm in IT but it seems silly to me to get into it from your position. As if IT outsourcing wasn't already prevalent in the past fast general comms/internet and AI just make it even easier now to down-size a lot of IT work (the fact the quality is probably inferior doesn't stop higher up corporates doing it … as just demonstrated very regularly now).

    Literal hands-on work is going to take a lot longer to replace, if ever.

  • Darude Sandstorm on 24/09/2025 - 16:21
    +6

    Kinda funny situation to be in.
    I 'quit IT' 2 years ago due to the massively sedentary lifestyle I had (Work from Home, Network Engineer, Finish work and play vidya for a further 8 hours) and made the transition to more of a field tech role. Got my cabling registration, a bunch of other construction tickets and moved into Electronic Security. No suffering with a 4-year mature age $28/hour apprentice wage, I still get to run cables for Commercial and Industrial situations (No hands and knees style work - my workplace has Electricians for the shit jobs), fit off and then program the access control, configure VMS and NVR's, Setup and deploy servers within existing sites, install managed networks with Layer 2 and Layer 3 switches, Office Fitouts, Network and Security Management.

    Granted, the first year I took a pay cut and had to start at 90K + Super + Car + Tools + Cabling Registration, Construction/EWP Tickets, Vendor certs etc
    In Year 3 now and back at 140K, doing 10K+ steps on most days.

    If you're wanting a middle ground, that's one avenue I'd recommend.
    Massive demand for people like yourself in this field due to everyone basically being an electrician and having no idea what an IP address is, let alone how to turn on a computer.
    Very easy to work your way up and have skills others won't - you'll also naturally gain knowledge on IT networks, configurations, differing designs like Leaf/Spine, Tier 2/3 etc
    Working on Help Desk, in a NOC or SOC you'll likely be paid less and have competition for a role, rather than applying and just getting it.

    If you become an Electrician.
    Only Industrial or Union is worth going to.
    Most house basher sparkies are on $35-$40/Hour doing the worst of the work.
    Industrial working on PLC, Automation etc is the way to go.

  • Powderhound303 on 24/09/2025 - 16:52
    -2

    Cyber pays big money. Go to cybercx website and di their 6 month training course then you’ll get and job and eventually earn big money as these pen testing jobs are in huge demand

  • Zondor on 24/09/2025 - 18:50
    +1

    IT is absolutely oversaturated at the moment with every man and their dog. However, if you're a good tech and a big picture thinker, there are still very lucrative positions out there.

  • Nonce on 25/09/2025 - 08:09

    life starts at 40 as some say

    go for it

    • Lizard Spock on 25/09/2025 - 12:54
      +1

      Go for it or go for IT?

  • Alley Cat on 25/09/2025 - 16:53

    You are clearly not built for IT if you find the up-skilling a chore rather than something that draws you in. When I was in IT, whenever there is a shiny new toy coming out, I would play with it. There was never a sense of fomo that’s pressuring me to get my hands dirty on them either. I was just happy to be programming. Even though, I had my career change in my 30s. Technical skills are means, not ends. You got to move on to build something that is unique to you, and that means it’s not something you can copy and paste.

    Don’t get caught up by your age either. Ozb’s favourite Colonel Sanders didn’t get anywhere until his 70s.

  • EFC94 on 25/09/2025 - 20:29

    Also be aware electrical apprentices are incredibly hard to come by, so don't expect to just walk into one off the street with not much (I assume) background in construction at your age.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join