Let’s talk switching careers
Research (1) shows the average Australian worker will make 5 – 7 career changes in their lifetime. Deciding to switch careers can be attributed to a variety of reasons, in some cases workers are finding their careers incredibly stressful or boring. Whilst others change careers to gain more job security. Given the health industry is growing rapidly, in particular ‘aged care’, there is a number of Australians making the switch. Mick Norquay, a Lake Macquarie resident, is a prime example.
Mick is now a Trainee Care Assistant working at Anglican Care in our Jesmond Grove residential aged care home. He says ‘I found my dream job and passion after making the switch to aged care later in life’. The dedicated care assistant has worked in many many different roles. In previous years you may of come across Mick pumping petrol, delivering newspapers, packing shelves at his local supermarket, or during his longest of careers, making pallets. Of which he did for over 30 years.
What took him from pallets to caring for seniors?
Mick emphasises that whilst cutting timber and building pallets demanded a great deal of manual labour and repition, it also required team work. Due to his responsible nature, he was also in charge when the manager was busy or offsite. When the economy declined and the organisation shrunk from twenty to six, Mick used these transferrable skills to begin a new career.
Caring for others was not unfamiliar to Mick. Due to unfortunate circumstances in the past, he had been a devoted carer to both his Mother and his Wife. Mick said it was “hard to see them go through the pain” but was there to comfort and care for them during this important time.
Making the switch to aged care had been quite serendipitous for Mick. He hadn’t been sure how to get into the industry but during a meeting at an employment agency he heard about Anglican Care’s Pre-vocational Program. The 6 week program gave all the participants the opportunity to apply for a traineeship with Anglican Care at the conclusion. The rest is history. Now in his Trainee Care Assistant role at Anglican Care, Mick see’s the residents as “family” and he treats them like he would his own parents or grandparents. He often says, “it’s the best job and I love it”. He particularly enjoys helping, encouraging and inspiring the residents. A friend of Mick’s told him that “we do gods work”. Mick reports he always goes home with a smile on his face and looks forward to working in aged care for the rest of his working life.
The aged care industry needs to grow by a staggering 129,945 workers in the next 15 years (2). Make the switch to caring for seniors and future proof your career today. For information on our current vacancies, visit our careers page.
1. https://www.acap.edu.au/blog/update-your-qualifications-or-switch-careers/
2. https://mccrindle.com.au/insights/blogarchive/demand-vs-supply-australias-aged-care-puzzle/
