Life changing decisions you have made

[Wscad]

Me....

Out of the blue, I had call from a former work mate offering me a job. 10 days later I’m on a plane to Hong Kong then a 2 hour fast ferry into China

The deal was a 12 month contract, I was single, not married so I thought... why not

Well ..... 12 months turned into 2 years, then 2 years turned into 5 years which turned into 10 years

During in that time I met my now Chinese wife. By chance, at that time, my sister was the top boss for births deaths and marriages on the Isle of Wight . My sister carried out the wedding proceedings

I’ll post a pic when I can find it

[Buckaroo]

The opposite I guess. I had multiple opportunities to live and work in the Bahamas, USA and Germany. Declined them all and travelled an awful lot. Wanted our kids to have a settled life in the UK.

[weeksy]

I was sitting at home after finishing a term for Tarmac Construction as an IT bloke, i got a call from an agency

"We've got a job in Slough"
"where the fuck is Slough"

The rest is history, i moved 200 miles down south from Liverpool and began a new chapter 5 days later. As with all things in life, it's hard ace bits and not so ace bits.... but jeez i think about how my life could have gone at times.... Wow.... I'm the luckiest bloke on the planet.

[Yorick]

30 years ago was made redundant in Bradford
An agency showed me a job in Milton Keynes paying double my previous wage.

Rode down and was a bit scary. At interview they offered me the job and asked if I wanted anything else.
I said a car would be nice. They told me to go find one I liked up in Bradford

Started work 7 days later. Was massive upheaval for me and the wife

10 years ago we moved here. Wow. Best place in the world.
Retired here at 55. Pen was 50

If I hadn't moved down sarf I wouldn't have got on the property escalator and made enough to retire here.

Funny old world innit?

[Jody]

i've mentions this before but.....

about 16 years ago I was living with my parents in France, bored and really lacking any sort of social life. not sure what to do with myself. Then a conversation with a mate and she says "why don't you do a ski season, it's a cheap way of going snowboarding".

Just last week I signed the contract for what must be my 16th season !

[Noggin]

I've made a few !!! But the biggest and bestest was trying to get off the-hateful-job-roundabout and a friend suggested (a bit like Jody) why don't you do a ski season, you'd love it

So, 6 weeks later I was here - total non skier !!!! (But I could cook and talk to people so the job side was fine!!!)

6 years later I came out for a solo unemployed season and found a play to live, 2 years later I moved here permanently

Nothing major job wise but mental health wise, awesome; tho the thing I miss the most is the friend group I had in the uk, whilst I chat with most online, being further away seems to create distance in comms as well

BUT - I'm almost bi-lingual (other people's description, but I'm pretty fluent!!!), have a pretty cool job (with a possibility of changing after the winter for a better paid and less school-runny one!!!), met a great guy which may or may not end up with me changing countries and languages again and due to language I'm finally starting to make decent friends - once I have a bike for the summer then I think I'll find a similar sort of group of friends again, just Fronch versions!!!

Totally worth it - and all with a shit shoulder that affects every aspect of life and zero family support

[Nordboy]

As with most, job related.

At 30 yrs old I joined the police and stayed for the next 25 yrs. Saw and did some of the best things, most that I couldn't have imagined doing previously and that some could only dream about.

BUT, it also changed me as a person, saw and did some of the worst things ever, stuff that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. So, changed me as a person but maybe not for the best? Out of it now, but am struggling to make sense of a lot of it.

Still, I'm here, alive and kicking which is a bonus I guess?

[Rockburner]

Quit a job that was making me so angry I was bordering on violence with nothing to go on to. Was fortunate to have a supportive partner at the time until I found something else.

Quit the corporate rat-race and went off travelling in a van with same partner. Probably the best, most-life-affirming thing I've ever done and was desperately needed for both of us.

Accepted a major financial loss when divorcing same partner: it meant the divorce was clean and argument free, otherwise could have been very unpleasant. Sometimes you just have to accept the losses and move forwards instead of getting mired down.


Most of the other events that were life-changing weren't "considered decisions" at the time, more like just attempting to deal with life.


The only other thing that sprung to mind when considering this question was a decision made while riding a bike in France . I realised I had royally fucked up a corner. Gone in far too fast and was already at the point where I was just hoping it wouldn't hurt too much, when, from somewhere, the thought materialised: "No, Fuck that, you can make this." And with an almighty stab at the bars I hauled the bike over onto it's ear and the tyres stuck.
Might have been life-changing, might not: but when you're riding around with only half a knee joint (due to a previous incident) any off has the potential to be far worse than it would be for a 100% fit person.

[Skub]

At 38 I left a decent paying 'job for life' position and a pension to become chief cook and bottle washer looking after my three weans. It was either that or see them passed from one feckless childminder to another. Might as well use the feckless Da on site.

We had to manage on half the previous funds coming in and it wasn't easy at times,but we cut our cloth to suit. Sure,I could have had more money by now and also something better than a state pension,but I got to see my kids grow up and remain close to all of them to this day. Money can't buy that one.

[Count Steer]

Wasn't really a decision I made at all. Aged about 25, both of us working in N Wales, had a house, mortgage etc. Wife applied for a job in Central London and got it. Put the house on the market and I started applying for jobs. Got the first one, dossed in the (v small) temporary accommodation her employer provided until our place sold. Job evolved, money was good, both of us moved on into other types of job. Retired at 55, no mortgage etc etc.

Best move, ever and all pretty happenstantial* for me really.

* most things have been - didn't do the degree I planned to at the Uni I was planning on. My first planned Uni industrial training assignment got cancelled before I started so they sent me somewhere much better, where I met the missus-to-be. Got made redundant at one point (got paid off quite well) and dropped into a better job.

Luck seems to be a better friend than planning.

[ZRX61]

Left the UK for the US in June '91, haven't been back to the UK since. Now been here longer than I lived in the UK.

[Horse]

Being wound up gently by a mate.

Me:
"Oh FFS just give me her number"

That was 30 years ago.

[Yambo]

2004 and we were on holiday in what had become our favourite place and the wife ups and says "I'm sick and tired of coming back here.

Me: Where do you fancy then?
W: You don't understand.
Me: You want to help me out then?
W: I want to stay here, not keep coming and going.
Me: The army pension kicks off properly in 2 years, I'll get a forecast and we have 2 years to see if we can afford it on the pension.

We had 4 holidays, found a house, worked out what we could bring from UK, and prices etc locally etc. Sold the bungalow and doubled our money on it, bought the house here and moved over in 2006.

Wife died 2011 and I was single for 10 years and then, kicking and screaming, decided that a new relationship would be good for me.

So, I'm home and sort of settled. Happy even.

[Nobby]

Bought a Chest of Drawers on Ebay, as Ikea wanted 40 pounds to deliver…….

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Me....

Out of the blue, I had call from a former work mate offering me a job. 10 days later I’m on a plane to Hong Kong then a 2 hour fast ferry into China

The deal was a 12 month contract, I was single, not married so I thought... why not

Well ..... 12 months turned into 2 years, then 2 years turned into 5 years which turned into 10 years

During in that time I met my now Chinese wife. By chance, at that time, my sister was the top boss for births deaths and marriages on the Isle of Wight . My sister carried out the wedding proceedings

I’ll post a pic when I can find it

What nationality was she before she was Chinese?

When you think about it every decision you make is life changing, just the degree of change alters, deciding not to join the Army when I was 16 after passing selection probably changed my life the most, but who knows, no way of telling.

[cheb]

The most recent is wandering off from 30+ years of marriage and living on a Scottish island to live in eastern Germany with the intention of applying for citizenship in 5 years time. That was about 3 months ago.

[wheelnut]

The most recent is wandering off from 30+ years of marriage and living on a Scottish island to live in eastern Germany with the intention of applying for citizenship in 5 years time. That was about 3 months ago.

You win! Good luck with it all.

[asmethurst99]

Driving down the A2 to my sisters on a Sunday - we spent 5 minutes discussing me taking a year out from work to go to Japan (my wife’s country).
Didn’t do a lot of planning apart from booking flights.
It was quite difficult-but worked out in the end and made a big difference to our relationship and life since then in a positive way.

[MyLittleStudPony]

The most recent is wandering off from 30+ years of marriage and living on a Scottish island to live in eastern Germany with the intention of applying for citizenship in 5 years time. That was about 3 months ago.

I didn't realise you'd separated as well as moved. I hope it all works out well. I think it takes massive bravery to make moves like that, and they're often for the best. Bon chance mon brave! I suspect you have things in hand and don't need it.