Considering a Career Change Away From Writing

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   Gordon Hamiltonposted 13 years ago

   No - this is not a, "Leaving Hub Pages," thread. Not by any means. I have no intentions of doing that - no way! I love it here but may have to reduce the levels of my activity.
   
   Basically, I didn't become a full time freelance writer through choice. I sort of fell in to it through a very complicated set of circumstances, three years ago. Since then, I've made a living but a poor one and I am getting a little bit fed up with working twelve or more hours, seven days a week. It's 4am here and I still have a publishing deadline to meet before I can go to bed.
   
   I worked in banking for the best part of twenty years (pre credit crunch) but could never go back to that in a million years. The only other thing I know is the boats - fishing boats. I am off on what should be a good trip next week for a few days and am considering seeing if there are vacancies in any of the local boats.
   
   Is a forty plus, separated old man too old to run away to sea...??? What do you think?

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      paradigmsearchposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      At least you have somewhere to run away to. I haven't even gotten that far yet.

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      IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You talking about joining the trawling fleet as shown in Trawlermen? You're a braver man than me! Talk about hard work?
      
      My brother was a trawlerman before the sea took him, and my other brother was a trawlerman briefly before taking up work on the North Sea Supply Vessels.
      
      He's deceased now too. Not an easy life. Good luck

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         Gordon Hamiltonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, Izzy, that's what I'm talking about. Drastic option, I know but I need a change, I think.
         
         Sorry to hear about your brothers. I know what the life's like but sometimes things have to be done. It's not something I'm going to commit to tomorrow but have arranged to explore it further next weekend with a working boat skipper.
         
         Just think of the great, authentic Hub Pages I could create... God permitting my return each time...

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            IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I have taken down a thousand notes from the Trawlermen series, and never written that hub yet. You go and experience it, and I'll bet you could write it a million times better than me!
            
            Ooops that takes you back to writing.
            
            If anyone is interested here, check out the UK Trawlermen series, its up on btjunkie, it is amazing!
            
            And our Gordon is thinking of going off to join them...wow!

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   Rafiniposted 13 years ago

   Only you can answer that question for yourself.  But if you go, Good luck to you!!

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   Will Apseposted 13 years ago

   Head off to Thailand and keep writing. Your money will go roughly 5 times as far.
   
   Or you could work for one fifth of your normal day, I suppose.

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      Gordon Hamiltonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Good point, Will. That is of course another option for me and I know what a wonderful country Thailand is.
      
      Will definitely bear it in mind. Thanks.

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   Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

   I don't even know what a "trawlerman" is.  (It doesn't sound too appealing to me, though. )  (I'll look it up sometime.)  I just know that when my mother was forty she thought she was old.  Then, when she was in her seventies, and I was talking about my own turning forty; I made a joke about being old.  She said, "I wish I'd known how young forty was when I was there.  It's so young."  It has always bothered me when people start talking about being "old" at forty; because I think of my mother and how she spent all those years, thinking she was old - when she just wasn't.
   
   I'd say to change your careers if you want to, but don't factor over-40 into any decisions one way or the other.  Over 40 is a non-issue, unless you turn it into an issue (and most likely regret having done so when you're in your seventies and know better).   

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   habeeposted 13 years ago

   Gordon, you're not too old! I'm 53, and I still want to be a cowboy...or a lawyer...or a shrimp boat captain...or a famous novelist...or a standup comic. You can do it!

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