Stuck in HR (Germany), job-hopping and unhappy – anyone here successfully changed careers?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working in HR administration / HR operations (“Personalsachbearbeitung”) in Germany for several years now and I’m really unhappy in this field. Over time I’ve started job-hopping within HR, hoping a new company or a slightly different role would make things better – but I keep noticing the same pattern: I don’t feel happy or fulfilled anywhere.

I’m not here to rant about HR itself, I just have the feeling that this field is simply not a good fit for me anymore. It’s always super stressful. Many deadlines, no appreciation very monotonous.

What I’m mainly looking for are experiences and ideas from people who: • used to work in HR (ideally in Germany, because the market and roles are quite different compared to e.g. the US), and • successfully switched into another job where they’re now happier.

I’m especially interested in: • What kind of roles did you move into? • Which jobs are realistic to get into after several years in HR administration? • Did your HR skills actually help you in your new field? • How did you make the transition (retraining, self-study, internal shift, networking, etc.)?

For those in Germany: I’m also wondering which career changes are realistic if you want to use a Bildungsgutschein from the Agentur für Arbeit (education voucher). If anyone has used that to move from HR into another field: • What training did you choose? • How did you convince your advisor that this makes sense?

I’m very aware that the same job title can mean very different things in different countries (especially HR in the US vs. HR in Germany), so I’m particularly interested in experiences from people living and working in Germany.

Thanks in advance to everyone who’s willing to share their story or suggestions. 🙏