01-08-13, 07:42 PM
I guess what you've got to do is look at what your skills and interests are. I came out of the Air Force in 1992 as an avionics technician, unable to continue with my trade for various reasons, so had to look for other, maybe non-specific/general skills I had. As an accountant, you must be quite good with using computers/paperwork for instance. You presumably have pretty good maths skills too. Such things can be adapted to many different trades. I'm in a pretty boring warehouse job myself, and miss working in parts departments in bike shops. I miss the variation, meeting and helping people, and the opportunity to learn more about my favourite subject. Perhaps try that? You don't need to be a skilled mechanic yourself, although obviously the more knowledge you have the easier/.more enjoyable the job is. If you've got good mechs/techs in the workshop, they should back you up on the knowledge front when you need it. I've also looked at working in the outdoor pursuits trade. I spent a lot of time researching lightweight backpacking kit for my 2 months of fell-walking/camping in the Lake District last year and could easily have got a job in Keswick or somewhere like that (unfortunately couldn't find an accommodation solution tho'.) In conversations with shop staff, I found my knowledge was pretty good compared to theirs, without even having spent the time working in the shops like they had. Of course, if you're doing evening classes, you could do something in bike mechs/technology? I know from personal experience that it's difficult to find a solution to this one, but you're bound to have skills in less obvious things, like being good with people, a good problem solver or something like that. Without knowing more about you, I couldn't really suggest anything more, but perhaps seeing how I stepped outside of my trade, it might give you some ideas?