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Changing Careers

Moderator: Andrew Grant

Future Solar Energy Contractor/Advocate

Andrew Grant is a former commercial music producer and composer who worked with one of the premier music houses in the world. A short list of clients he worked with includes Coca Cola Co., Time Wa... expand

visit: http://www.lattc.edu/dept/lattc/WED/GCIPrograms.html

Recent articles by Andrew Grant

Deciding to Change Careers

I recently left my job as a producer for a commercial music company to begin a career in the solar energy industry. I thought my friends and family would think I was crazy to change careers at age 34, but the fact is that all of them were completely supportive.

There were multiple reasons why I needed to change careers and the one reason that most people change careers -- money -- wasn't even on the list!

The following 4 factors were what motivated me to shift careers:

1) Mental Health - Let's shoot straight here, I understand that the majority of us are not "happy" on our way to work, but for those of us that bring this unhappiness home with us, then it is time to really think twice about what we are doing.

2) Impact - Feeling good about what you do is very important.

3) Commute - I would spend nearly 2 hours a day in my car. The day that I calculated that I was potentially spending 20 days a year in my car I almost lost it!

4) Sedentary Work - This is not meant to bash those of you that are sedentary office workers, but I could no longer be chained to a computer screen 8-10 hours a day.

As you see above, the first reason was my own mental health. The stresses and pressures of my job started to outweigh the benefits. I don't care how much money you are making -- your sanity and happiness should be what is most important to you!

Related Conversations

As parents, we often hear that "our children are the future." This phrase is often placed within the context of taking better care of not only our minds and bodies, but also of our planet. Especially over the past decade, the call to become more environmentally-conscientious, and making a strong effort to recycle, use biodegradable products, and reuse items that can be utilized for more than one purpose have become increasingly prominent within our society. And since my husband and I agree with this philosophy and style of living, we try to instill these same values into our four children. A family man that shares our passion for helping the environment is Andrew Grant, whose motivation to use green energy products encouraged him to change careers. Andrew shares his insights on changing careers while simultaneously helping the environment, here on The Knowledge Nests. Wendy Bellissimo

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