Some of you are considering a career-change. I've been there... twice. My only tip is "try to put the emotion to one side and do the next right thing, one day at a time." I know: easier said than done, but you've all done the odd missed approach -- just do the next right thing step by step; the alternative is messy and expensive.
The IT field has been mentioned here, but here's one to consider: Business Analysis. It doesn't have to be in IT, business analysts are popping up throughout the commercial world these days: and the basic qualification can be gained in three to six months:
https://www.theknowledgeacademy.com/...ysis-training/
I chose Business Analysis because it is one of the jobs that can not be automated out of existence in the near future. It's mainly contract consulting work, so relatively well-paid.
And the commercial heavy-jet aircraft captains I have met would do it superbly. Among the leading requirements:
- Ability to negotiate at a very senior level
- Ability to lead a team to a good outcome when one or more idiots are trying to derail the project
- Ability to work effectively both independently and as a team member
- An analytical approach
- Good attention to detail
- Sufficient humility to keep asking "what makes you say that? Please explain what you want the outcome to be?"
- Sufficient intelligence/imagination to be able to forsee an outcome three or four steps into the future
- Sufficient core inner strength to avoid being browbeaten into doing something wrong when some stuffed-shirt oxygen thief is trying to pull rank (without getting fired!)
Sound like the sort of person you expected to find in the left hand seat last week?
Since most of the responses here are from UK members, I picked a UK training organisation -- I don't know if they're any good or not. The international meal-ticket is a Practitioner membership of the International Institute of Business Analysts. To find out which are your good local schools, ring one or two large companies locally and ask to speak to their Lead Business Analyst, tell them why you want to know, then ask them what they would recommend. Don't be thrown by the Indian accent: nearly all the good ones are Indian
Sometimes the switchboard won't know who their chief business analyst is: in which case ask for the Chief Information Officer, their assistant will know.
Hope this helps