Nearly half of Britons considering a career change, poll finds

Pandemic leaves two-thirds thinking life is too short to do job they hate

Gardening was one of the most popular professions among those surveyed (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Almost half of British people 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 do not 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 would love to be a gardener and 11 per cent wanting to retrain as a teacher.

One in 10 said they would 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.

The National Lottery carried out the research ahead of Friday's EuroMillions rollover draw – where an estimated £126m 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 are more passionate about.

The survey revealed just three in 10 Britons 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.

Barbara Derry-McClellan is one of the lucky winners to quit their unfulfilling job to start a new career after she scooped the £2.3m Lotto Jackpot in 2000.

She did not 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.

“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.

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.

SWNS