Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – Career Changes & Taking Leaps 2

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

You are going to read an article about four people talking about the grueling process of retraining and going back to college in their late twenties to completely change their professions.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   experienced a drastic reduction in their everyday spending power?

2   admits to feeling intellectually inferior to their peers at first?

3   resorted to taking on a job to survive financially while studying?

4   found the transition back to academic writing particularly tough?

5   was motivated by the desire to do a job that truly benefits society?

6   faced a lack of support from people they knew when they announced their plans?

7   had to completely sacrifice their leisure time to keep up with the workload?

8   found it difficult to accept being a learner again after years of professional authority?

9   gained immense satisfaction from showing critics that they had made the right choice?

10   realised their former profession left them feeling completely unfulfilled?

Starting Over: Going Back to College in Your Late Twenties

A Mark – From Finance to Nursing

When I hit twenty-eight, I came to the harsh realisation that climbing the corporate ladder felt utterly pointless. My previous role in finance was lucrative, but it left me feeling entirely empty inside. I desperately wanted a career that brought tangible benefits to the community. Consequently, I handed in my notice and enrolled in a nursing degree. If I had known how grueling it would be, I might have hesitated! To make ends meet without taking on night shifts, I had to swallow my pride and move back in with my parents. It was a massive adjustment; my personal budget plummeted overnight, and I had to monitor my outgoings stringently for the first time in my adult life. While my friends were buying houses, I was studying anatomy. Nevertheless, I have finally come to terms with my new reality. The sheer exhaustion is worth it, knowing that my future profession will actually matter.

B Sarah – From Retail Management to Software Engineering

Trading my position as a retail manager for a degree in software engineering was the most daunting thing I’ve ever done. Having spent years being the person everyone turned to for answers, it was incredibly frustrating to suddenly be a complete novice again. At first, I felt completely out of my depth. I was surrounded by eighteen-year-olds who seemed to grasp complex coding logic effortlessly, which inevitably led to severe imposter syndrome. I honestly felt I simply wasn’t smart enough to keep up with them. I remember crying over an assignment, convinced I had made a terrible mistake. Fortunately, I bounced back. I set up a study group, and gradually, the concepts began to click. It has been an immensely steep learning curve, and I’ve had to study double the hours my younger peers do, but the thrill of finally building my own applications is indescribable.

C David – From Accounting to Primary Education

People often assume that switching from accounting to primary teaching is a breeze, but they couldn’t be more wrong. The university workload was phenomenal, and because I didn’t have the luxury of living rent-free with family, I was forced to take on weekend shifts at a local supermarket just to keep a roof over my head. Burning the candle at both ends soon took its toll on me. While my peers were out enjoying the typical university experience, I was either writing lesson plans or stacking shelves, meaning my free time virtually ceased to exist for three years. I must have missed countless birthdays and get-togethers. My previous desk job was tedious, but at least I had my evenings to myself! That said, the moment I stood in front of a class during my final teaching placement, all the exhaustion faded away. It was the confirmation I needed that the sacrifices were justified.

D Emma – From Marketing to Architecture

Deciding to study architecture at twenty-nine was met with a lot of raised eyebrows. When I told my social circle about my plans, several acquaintances explicitly warned me against it, suggesting I was throwing away a perfectly good marketing career. I had to turn a deaf ear to their negativity. Once the course began, my biggest hurdle wasn’t the design work, but the academic research. Having been out of the education system for nearly a decade, structuring formal essays and adhering to strict referencing guidelines was a massive shock to the system. I had naively assumed I would breeze through the written modules. I spent countless nights in the library, painstakingly drafting and redrafting my papers. Now that I’m graduating at the top of my class, the sense of vindication is incredibly sweet. Seeing the surprised faces of those who originally doubted me has been the absolute highlight of this grueling journey.

Reading 2

You are going to read an article about four former office workers sharing how an unexpected health scare prompted them to leave the city and start working in agriculture.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   admits to occasionally longing for the amenities of urban life?

2   faced doubts from their loved ones regarding their dramatic career change?

3   mentions that their agricultural business became profitable quicker than anticipated?

4   points out that their new lifestyle involves just as many working hours as their old one?

5   experienced a terrifying psychological episode that triggered their decision?

6   highlights the therapeutic benefit of working alongside livestock?

7   had to rapidly acquire completely new skills to make their farm survive?

8   narrowly avoided a major, life-threatening medical emergency?

9   credits a local network of people for helping their new enterprise thrive?

10   took a substantial financial risk to secure their new rural property?

From the City to the Soil: Finding Health in Agriculture

A Mark

I spent fifteen years climbing the corporate ladder in a prestigious London law firm. I took it for granted that working weekends was entirely normal, until I collapsed in the office with severe chest pains. It wasn’t a heart attack, but my doctor warned me it was only a matter of time if I didn’t slow down. I handed in my notice the next day and bought a small organic vegetable farm. I was incredibly naive; I didn’t know the first thing about crop rotation or soil pH, so I had to get my head around the complex science of farming almost overnight just to keep the crops alive. Interestingly, I haven’t cut back on my workload—if anything, I’m putting in longer shifts now than I ever did in the city. However, physical exhaustion from harvesting carrots under the open sky feels immensely more rewarding than burnout from staring at spreadsheets.

B Sarah

My wake-up call wasn’t physical, but mental. I was giving a high-stakes presentation to a major client when I suffered a debilitating panic attack. The sheer dread was overwhelming, and I knew right then I had to escape the concrete jungle. Despite having no safety net, I poured my entire life savings into purchasing a struggling vineyard in the countryside. It was a massive gamble, and I spent the first year terrified of bankruptcy, knowing that growing grapes is reliant entirely on the mercy of the weather. These days, my anxiety has completely vanished, replaced by the tranquil rhythm of the seasons. I’ll confess, there are moments when I fondly remember having coffee shops and theatres right on my doorstep, and the rural isolation does sometimes get to me. Nevertheless, watching the sunset over my own vines more than makes up for the lack of local entertainment.

C David

As an investment banker, I lived on a diet of fast food and adrenaline. That lifestyle abruptly caught up with me when a routine check-up revealed my blood pressure was dangerously high; the specialist bluntly told me I was on the brink of a massive stroke. Realising my own mortality, I traded my tailored suits for Wellington boots and took on a dairy farm. My relatives were absolutely horrified, constantly questioning my sanity and predicting I’d come crawling back to London within a month. They couldn’t understand why I’d voluntarily walk away from a highly lucrative salary. Yet, managing a herd of cows has been the ultimate remedy for my hypertension. There is something profoundly calming about interacting with the cattle every morning; they don’t care about profit margins or looming deadlines. Their gentle nature grounds me in reality and keeps my stress levels at bay.

D Emma

Working as a senior architect eventually left me suffering from severe chronic fatigue syndrome. Some days, I simply couldn’t get out of bed, let alone face a demanding commute. I had always been passionate about gardening, so relocating to a rural cottage to cultivate cut flowers felt like a natural healing process. Unlike those who start from scratch, I already knew my tulips from my daffodils, though scaling it into a commercial flower farm was definitely daunting. Thankfully, the neighboring farmers took me under their wing, generously lending me heavy equipment and offering invaluable advice on dealing with seasonal pests. Without their solidarity, I would have struggled immensely in those early days. To my astonishment, the demand for locally grown, sustainable bouquets skyrocketed almost immediately, putting me in the black well ahead of my five-year projection. I may earn less than I used to, but my energy has bounced back entirely.

Exercises:   123456