Half of Brits consider career change with medical professions, gardening and teaching topping list of preferred jobs
ALMOST half of Brits are considering a change of career - with medical professions, landscape gardening and teaching topping the list of preferred industries.
A survey of 2,000 adults revealed this year’s events had left two-thirds thinking life is too short to be working in a job they hate.
This could mean a shift in careers for millions, with a fifth (21 per cent) admitting they don’t enjoy their job and 42 per cent seriously considering a change in profession.
Three in 10 (31 per cent) of those polled by the National Lottery said lockdown had made them realise how important a good work-life balance is.
The desire to work in a traditional office role has gone out of the window, with 23 per cent considering a medical career, 12 per cent saying they’d love to be a gardener and 11 per cent wanting to retrain as a teacher.
One in 10 said they’d like to start again as a chef or baker, eight per cent would now like to join the charity sector, and one in twenty (six per cent) have spent so much time online that they now want to become a social media influencer.
£126M JACKPOT
The National Lottery carried out the research ahead of tonight’s EuroMillions rollover draw - where an estimated £126 million jackpot is up for grabs.
Despite the life-changing sums won on the lottery, 22 per cent of Lottery millionaires have chosen to carry on working by retraining for a new career in an industry they’re more passionate about.
The survey revealed just three in 10 Brits would give up working if they won the lottery, with 36 per cent learning a new trade.
When asked what role they’d take on if they scooped a big prize, 16 per cent said they’d train to be a pilot while 13 per cent said they’d like to learn how to be a florist.
NEW LIFE
Barbara Derry-McClellan is one of the lucky winners to quit their unfulfilling job to start a new career after she scooped the £2.3 million Lotto Jackpot in 2000.
She didn’t want to sit at home all day so, two years later, followed her passion and started her own florist shop.
Eighteen years later, Barbara and her husband Ian own both a flower shop, Pinks of Hazlemere, and run a florist wholesale business supplying to flower shops and floral artists across the UK.
She said: “I hated my job at a courier company, it was so boring and unfulfilling.
“I didn’t really have any other skills apart from being good at talking to customers but I did think my mum (a florist) was super talented and that I’d love to be able to do what she did.
TOP 20 NEW CAREER AMBITIONS FOR BRITS
Medical Professional
Gardener
Teacher
Chef/Baker
Decorator/Interior Designer
Charity Worker/Volunteer
Florist
Care Worker
Photographer
Delivery Driver
Personal Trainer
Shop Assistan
YouTube Star
Novelist
Counsellor/Therapist
Social Media Influencer
Politician
Video Creator
Musician
Film Maker
“The National Lottery win gave me that chance to try my hand at flower arranging and I have loved every minute, first working in the shops and now supplying other flower businesses direct.
“It can be incredibly busy and hard work, especially on big occasions like Mother's Day and Valentines but I find it really rewarding.
“I probably wouldn’t have made the leap if it hadn’t been for the Lotto win and now I’m surrounded by beautiful blooms everyday – what more could a girl ask for?”
Three quarters (78 per cent) of those surveyed said the events of 2020 had made them reconsider their lifestyle and priorities.
CAREER CHANGE
Two thirds (66 per cent) have pledged to become healthier, 45 per cent want to spend more time with their loved ones, and 32 per cent are committed to travelling the world, as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Andy Carter, Camelot’s senior winners’ advisor, added: “2020 seems to have left many of us wanting more from our jobs, thinking about what our next career move might be or jacking it all in to do something that we really love.
“Our passion for gardening and cooking in lockdown and months of home-schooling has clearly inspired the nation to consider a career overhaul and realise the importance of job satisfaction.
“The importance of our careers doesn’t appear to change even after a lottery win, with only a number of the people looking to quit their jobs if they get lucky.
Most read in UK News
“Over half of National Lottery winners still work in some capacity with many starting their own business after their win, turning their hand to floristry, hairdressing – we even have a winner that’s invented their own spicy sauce.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Tonight’s EuroMillions draw is a rollover with an estimated £126 million jackpot up for grabs.
Players can check their tickets online at www.national-lottery.co.uk, via the National Lottery app or in their local store.