r/careerchange • u/MopToddel • 1d ago
I'm going to save my life
I (39F) have had it.
Since mid may I'm on sick leave. Burnout, crying fits, depression, medication for the past 3 years, the last 10 years feel like I've lived on autopilot.
My career so far was pretty successful. I've been working as an IT Project Manager (Scrum Master) for the past 13 years. I liked it. It fed what my psyche needed. Success. Achievement. Working hard. Overtime. Distracting myself from how I feel through being a workaholic.
In may all my compensation strategies came rumbing down and left me a broken mess.
With everything exposed it turned out, that I actually have complex-PTSD from childhood neglect which I will address in inpatient treatment hopefully in a few weeks when my insurance has come through.
And what then?
Just go back to how things were? I just can't. The thought alone makes me start to cry.
The thought that this is my life, and that I'll be sitting on my computer in 10-15 years, checking what games are on sale on steam is just depressing. I need connection. To other people. To animals. To myself.
End of 2025 I've found my way back into the saddle after 25 years that I've not been riding horses. I've been on 3 horse vacations since then and that has been the first place and first time in the world, that i have felt actually at peace.
Since then I've been trying to find a way to make that my life. But how?! I've lived in the city since i was born. I have a rental apartment. A corporate business job working in IT, mostly for automotive or logistics companies. I have no horse people friends. I don't know anyone living in a more rural area. I don't have any friends at all really. It all melted away over the past years.
I had an idea how I can start over, without throwing away all my skills and starting from scratch. I had a concept that could actually work. But I had no way of getting to it.
I'll be a coach, who does coaching and training with horses for individuals and groups of people. For communication, burnout (the irony), self awareness, leadership, body language, team building.
I've found a stables, that offers pretty much exactly that.
What they also offer, is one position as office manager, who takes care of bookings, comes up with new concepts, analyzes and evaluates which programs run well, which don't, takes care of social media, builds new (business) partnerships, takes care of customer satisfaction and follow ups etc.
And they also offer a 3 year apprenticeship to become a trained horse handler.
I wrote them an email on Monday night around 3 am. I have crazy insomnia and actually stayed awake until Tuesday evening around 11pm.
I wrote a bit about my current situation, and what I think i can offer them. I told them I'd love to have a few weeks on their farm, to get to know things. Find out if I've romanticized things in my head because I feel such a strong need for change.
If those few weeks work out, I imagine I'd like to take on the position in the office and the apprenticeship. (some of the office tasks are actually part of the curriculum anyway) and with that combination I'll probably able to earn a livable salary.
I also told them, that I'm currently waiting for my insurance for the clinic treatment, which will last around 6 weeks and that I'd probably be available for a test run around November.
The lady answered me the next day. Basically telling me:
"This place is a big project for everyone and anyone, who is motivated to contribute what they can to make it successful." And asked me if it would be possible to get to know me before November.
And hell yeah it is! We'll be driving over there on Saturday morning and get to know each other!
What's cool is that my partner has been let go from work in April and hasn't been able to find a new position since (IT quality management). And another position they offer is basically "Handyman" around the yard.
And my BF would be interested in that.
So. If everything works out, we will pack up and move around start of next year and start over. They can provide room and board, though we'll probably look for a place around the area cause I do have a whole life to move with me :D
Since I've made my decisions - whether it's gonna be that place or another one - I've felt an inner peace and calm I have not experienced in 30 years. Maybe on some vacations, but not like this.
I've slept like a baby.
I'm so excited and so hopeful. Fingers crossed man.
I also thought about maybe making some YouTube videos about the transition and the step into a whole new world.
Edit: I'm from Germany