I'm in my mid 40's and I have been pondering a life change. (that's LIFE not WIFE). I am very happy in my marriage and I still have 4 kids at home. I have been working for the same company since 1989 and have been in my current position since 2006. I have been working 1000+ hours overtime per year for the last 6 years or so and I don't see any end in site the next few years. The money and benefits are good, but how many years do I have left to live?

I have been thinking about taking 1.5 years and going back to school to become a mechanic. The money will be less and it will have it's own BS, I know that, but I can work in all states, work days, get holidays off, and maybe open my own shop later.

Have any of you pondered a change like this?

Hey KS.

Life is about having a dream and pursuing said dream over what ever valley,mountain or river. Also there is nothing better then getting paid for something you love doing and are good at.

I've changed careers at 46 (I'm 56) with much success (financially and other wise) but the transition was financially seamless so there was no dangling my future in harms way.

Its your call. No one knows you or the personal situation of the finacial lay of your landscape. Good luck. Haste makes waste. Plan your work and work your plan.

I was at the HD dealership yesterday - I asked them if they need any new sales people... he said give him a call later in the week. I could stand around talking about new bikes and getting paid for that. I'm a people person!!

I don't know RK. If I had to act like most of those ass hat salesmen at my local dealership I'd rather sip drano. You might be on to something though. If perhaps the dealerships would bring in less pressurefull folks and more actual riding/lifestyle people there sales might see a boost?

Actually they were pretty receptive to me - I guess if one can find something they really like to do - it's not really work.

I have dealt with the bad salesmen and a few good ones. Anymore I won't deal with any that are high pressure or shady. The last sales guy I had was fair and straight forward. He moved to a different dealership and when I buy my next one it will more than likely be from him... whatever dealership he is at.

High pressure and shady...yeah that about sums it up the local dealership here pretty good. I'm still plenty pissed off about that and its been 8 months. I haven't stepped foot in there since.

One day just before I left for Christmas vacation I came home and there was a message on the answering machine. It was from that ahole salesman who flippantly stated "Hey John call me!". Yah, hold your breathe.

Ya really have to pick and chose your dealerships carefully and don't be afraid to travelk a little to get a good one. The good ones are out there.

* Regarding midlife back stroking...make sure you're not falling victim to a midlife crisis deal.

That's one of the reasons I started the thread. Back in the late 90's I went back to college and got my associated degree with the intention of changing careers, but in the end the pay was half what I was making so I soldiered on doing what I was doing.

I looked up the meaning of a midlife crisis and on Wiki it is defined as follows: "Midlife crisis is a term coined in 1965 by Elliott Jaques stating a time where adults come to realize their own mortality and how much time is left in their life.[1] A midlife crisis is experienced by many people during the midlife transition when they realize that life may be more than halfway over. Sometimes, a crisis can be triggered by transitions experienced in these years, such as andropause or menopause, the death of parents or other causes of grief, unemployment or underemployment, realizing that a job or career is hated but not knowing how else to earn an equivalent living, or children leaving home. People may reassess their achievements in terms of their dreams. The result may be a desire to make significant changes in core aspects of day-to-day life or situation, such as in career, work-life balance, marriage, romantic relationships, large expenditures, or physical appearance."

WOW... yeah that about sums it up. I don’t see it in the same light as the psychologist. Why do they view a desire to change as bad? I suppose it can be self-destructive to reset your career late in life. That’s why I put the question out there. I assume some of you guys have been through it and had similar thoughts.

In a sense, it’s like the last two bikes I owned. The Heritage I just rode and maintained. Loved every minute of it and have no regrets. The Wideglide I have a vision for and have been modifying it to me. It’s goes against my normal behavior. I would normally use something as designed.

Instead of "mid life crisis" I think a better term would be " mid life reassessment".
You have more life experience and knowledge by mid life, so why not make an adjustment. Not all change is bad. I have always felt my mortality since I'm about 18 years old. I was in a MC accident and broke my back. Laying in the street and then laying in a hospital bed I had time to see things beyond my years. I've made all my decisions based on that knowledge of being lucky enough to get a second chance. Balancing a full life with safe and sound decisions - maybe taking a chance but also reaping the benefits of risk vs. reward. No one can see the future but we all can see our mistakes of the past. Changing course is inevitable - it's called gravity. One can either plan for it or let nature take its course - I for one plan for it. I hope I've put away enough for my later years without sacrificing too much in the present. Hopefully I'll have just enough to live off of and when the time comes just enough to plant myself without being any kind of burden to those I leave behind.

I think what the experts might be trying to say is don't let some powerful inner "whim" make you run rough shod over what is your life and the people who you are responsible for. Weigh the pros and cons. I've alway felt that men are the captain of their ship, wife being the 1st mate, the rock of stability and strength in all times, good and bad. As the Captain comes great responsibility and hopefully the wisdom for the task at hand. Myself... my wife of 31 years is always included in all discussions of family future implementation,no surprises. If we are not mutually agreed on something it doesn't happen. I do and have on occasion had to over rule her because her knowledge on something was not extensive enough to wrap her head around the issue, hence thats where the wisdom on my part comes in. So far so good. There have been a couple things over the years that we've agreed on mutually and that didn't work out,lol. I'm a hyper type "A" and she's a mellow type "B". Being slow is not always a good thing and being fast isn't always a bad thing and visa versa.