Every time I want to try something new I do a few Udemy courses to get the feel for it. If you are into audio engineering (by choice) there’s a high chance you’re technically minded and also creatively inclined so in theory could turn your attention to anything in that area: Design/Graphics, Service Design/UX/UI, Data Analytics or Development. Good luck though.
I’m sorry to hear this and appreciate that it can take a huge toll on your mental health. I can’t say I’ve completely solved the problem myself, although I’m probably the “happiest” I’ve been after several months on SSRIs and a recent Autism diagnosis.
Not to dissuade you from seeking a change of environment and/or developing skills in an area that interests you but - depending on your circumstances - perhaps it’s worth considering counselling/therapy too, if that’s not something you’ve tried already?
Whatever you choose to do, wishing you the very best of luck.
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There’s a colossal amount of content being pumped out by streaming services, broadcasters, podcasters, radio and games that requires audio engineering skills.
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can you explain?
Exactly this!
It’s probably wise to find out/research (with professional help) what it is that made you find yourself in these current circumstances in the first place.
Wherever you go, there you are mate…
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How do you make a million bucks in audio?
Start with 2 million
This joke is older than you!
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in Italy… there is an enormous difference between some random guy/girl working in a cafè and an experienced barista.
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What do you do now @Roger? And what don’t you like about it? That would be a help for contributions on this thread
One thing I’ll add - I used to love photography. It went hand in hand with my day job as a Graphic Designer. Figured it made sense to start doing it on a professional level. Big mistake. Hated it. Not really picked up a camera since. I’m not sure I’d want to work in audio for this same reason, I love it for me personally, but making it my career would probably kill that love. Just a personal observation.
If I didn’t have the financial responsibility as a farther, husband and now home owner - I’d start a gardening job to be outside and not have to deal with media idiots.
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This is what I came here to say. I am a late-comer to the trades (locksmithing) and absolutely love it. If you have the slightest bit of mechanical aptitude and interest, take a look to see who is hiring where you are. Don’t write anything off - I have a friend who became a plumber a couple of years ago and couldn’t be happier. After half a lifetime of staring at screens, I find it very refreshing to use my hands to fix or build tangible things that exist in the real world.
Another benefit of this route is you can likely just start working right away. This way you’ll be trying something out and making a little dough. Skip the classroom!
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Sadly, what’s true in Italy (especially regarding coffee) is rarely true in the rest of the world.
I used to hang around with a geezer from Milan. He spent a lot of time complaining about the dreadful bastardisation of his culture all over our culture.
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30’s weird
40’s weird
50’s Hold my prune juice. 
Don’t want to think about 60’s and beyond yet.
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I’ve lived in Turin.
Ive worked in cafes.
I’ve been a barista (shudder)
Variations of adding water/milk/flavoured goo/booze to espresso.
Thats it. No mystery.
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Deep confession.
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There is nothing more terrifying and debilitating than a blank canvas. And as such, fresh starts are best attempted with solid footing and clear purpose. I’d suggest there’s some work to be done before getting there.
But it sounds like, maybe, a fresh start isn’t what you need so much as just… feeling better? Consistently? I’m no expert on the matter (and I can definitely recommend talking to an expert on the matter because human feelings can get complex and tangled fast), but feeling good for me is never about big changes. It’s almost always about exercising control over small bits of my life in meaningful, positive ways.
To put it another way, if I feel my life is shit and I can make a list of 30 things I hate, making an intentional, positive dent in just one of them makes me feel as good as if I miraculously slayed 10 or 20 or all of them. It’s not like digging out of a hole where you won’t see the sun until you reach the surface. Things get brighter the moment you start climbing.
There’s nothing tying you down, so you’ve actually got a lot of control over your life and a lot of freedom over what things you want to make consistently better in some small way. But personally, I’ve never found a bigger bang for my buck than getting in shape. It’s low investment — you can get half the way there with free push ups and sit ups. It’s astounding how quickly you can see improvement — it’s not unheard of to routinely double your previous best efforts in a week when starting out. It’s easy to be consistent — it just takes a few minutes to do however many sit-ups you can in the morning and quickly becomes routine. And the results directly affect mood, self-confidence, energy, and the general ability to take on challenges and handle a load. All stuff that’s gold when the goal is feeling good about life.
But really anything will work so long as it
- makes something that you felt bad (or even just meh) about marginally better
- via your attention to and control over some aspect of your life
- and you can do it consistently to lock in that feeling and have a sense of progress.
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Just chiming in to say I can relate to this thread, as I’m also looking at the possibility of a fresh start at 42.
I have a degree in 3D animation but ended up in a network support/infrastructure projects IT role. Jobs in the arts are very difficult and often there were ten times the applicants for those jobs when compared to general IT jobs.
About 10 years ago the film industry left Soho in London and never really came back, pursuing jobs in that field was futile and I rarely heard back.
I have just been made redundant after 10 years in an IT job and going through consultation now, there are a couple of jobs that I can apply for at my current place but only one is appealing to me. Technically, I will be out of work in 14 days and my car is a company car so I lose that too.
Tempted to just take the redundancy and be done with it tbh, fancy a change. My degree is next to worthless in all honesty, but I did enjoy my time as a mature student, I was at uni until 32.
I would say education as a mature student in my 30s was a good experience if that’s what you want to do, but in something like audio engineering (considered a technical branch of the arts) the chance of it leading on to something great is slim to none. Audio is now for the masses, the barrier for entry has never been lower to be a home musician. Ai is also now a threat to those in the industry.
I have a BA (hons) in a digital art subject, ended up in tech ever since and now feel a bit directionless at 42
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Turin and Milan are much more similar to London and Paris in this regard than to Rome, Naples, and Florence. I have never had a good coffee in Turin. Anyone can make coffee, but few know how to make a good coffee.
In addition to this, a Barista must know all liquors, wines and spirits (which are not few in Italy and each one should be served differently) and know how to make cocktails and prepare aperitifs (no, not just some nuts).
You’ve been a coffee-maker/waiter, not a Barista. No offense.
Source: I’m Italian, half roman, half neapolitan.
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In Italy, this would be true.
Outside of Italy they write Barsita on the back of the Costa uniform.
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The industry was oversaturated with white collar people who were bored out of their minds who took 3 month General Assembly course to work with colours ‘cuz it’s fun’.
Also the recent tech layoff’s at google, fb also involved designers as well. There were so many people who didn’t knew how to draw a rectangle on figma calling themselves ‘service designer’ did got sacked eventually and now they’re filling up the empty spots in other companies - cuz it looks cool on their headcount to have an ex-google employee. Not to mention they’re sharp on corporate dynamic skills instead actual design skills, they end up being managers. So it’s quite usual to see a dickhead who doesn’t know about anything about product design hovering behind you and touching your screen to something like ‘Apple’ does.
My comment on the design part of it. I find the designers generally very toxic and it’s really really hard to find a place where designers get any sort of respect. I’d say solely don’t do it but do it as an accompanying skill to front end or backend etc.
my story - if anyone interested or inspires(!) someone
I’m a designer - digital product designer to be specific. UI, UX, research all sort of stuff. I was working as a freelancer and lockdown hit me extremely hard. Gone to 0 and had to rebuild everything that I’ve done so far within 2 years. I’m mentally drained. I cannot tolarate a second when a jackass comes up and asks a random thing just because they want to look nice infront of their bosses without any research or any data. I want to something not infront of the computer. Maybe even coming up with framer / figma templates and sell them with a overpriced tag to silicon valley startups that’s funded by their finance bro’s. I don’t know. Being an employee/freelancer is always means desperation and wasting your time to make someone else to get rich. I’m done being the middle man. (i hope can stop though)
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…yup, there’s a collosal output on sonic streaming farms…
round about 50thousand new tracks every single day on spotify alone…
90% all bedroom productions, more or less…
while their actual profit numbers still don’t work for real…
when it comes to the visual streaming services, yup, same there, heaps of new content every week, and next new competitors every year…all fighting for ur subscription…
and if u run their numbers, u’ll see, all based on shareholders actual, everchanging bettings…
no real profits, but heaps of market share projections…
only industry that’s not in overcrowded and uberdiversed decline yet is the gaming sector…that much is truu…many times bigger than hollywood since years these days…and vr and ar technology, all that virtual second retina sector, will be their final big boost…so for now, there’s still a chance to actually get a foot in the door, to trick the gatekeeping indeed…
but any audio engineer degree won’t make much of a difference, i’m afraid, if u don’t wanna put ur money on plain luck…
podcasts are the new radio, also sure…but take a second, closer look…vast majority also here is pretty much home/self made single handed and only worx out for real with a fresh concept and good old luck again…not to mention, if ur not a dj, than u run a podcast… 
self promoting wonderland got us all by the balls…warhols famous prediction of 15 minutes of fame for everyone has become daily life reality…
meanwhile, what once was a life time achievement in a music career, somebody like billie eilish accomplished in three years…and she’s a classic one in a million global success story…
also a bedroom production in first place…one final mix and master engineer needed, end of the day…hmmmmmm…and even she makes her profit not by clicks 'n plays for real, but by selling tickets and shirts…
makes u think…
and meanwhile, let’s not forget…what’s not fishing for ur subscription is still based on advertisement money, which is also on heavy decline…end of this decade there won’t be any classic private commercial tv stations anymore…they just can’t compete anymore against perfectly suited and individualized aiming ad’s for Ur consuming eyes only in this dawn of the information age…and don’t get me even started on the whole ai train that only has left the station yet…
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lots of good advice in this thread, but i will add my voice to the choir to point out that ‘already knowing 50% of it’ is another reason to NOT go to school for audio engineering. if you want to study something, finish the degree you started, at least that way you have the formal headstart.
would also suggest that totally uprooting might not be the best idea. if you want to make big life changes and reskill, change careers, etc., it’s going to be ultra important to at least have some kind of base. reskilling while adapting to a new country, new bureaucracy, job-hunting, not knowing anyone, etc, is fucking brutal.
i’m in a similar position tbh and empathise hard. wishing you the best, keep us posted.
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