With today's culture of long hours, increasing workplace stress and work-life imbalance, many of us can empathise with Arthur Miller's anti-hero Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman" when he said, "After all the highways, and the trains, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive."

Indeed, given the fact that 70% of your waking day is spent at work, it is not surprising that more and more people are seeking ways to spend those hours doing something they enjoy.

The number of 30-somethings who feel that their career has reached a plateau has been increasing in recent years and figures suggest that as many as 60% of UK workers are planning to change their career in the near future.

The most popular new careers are in IT, photography, teaching and psychology, according to a survey conducted by YouGov.

If you're one of those wanting to change career but needing extra motivation before you jump ship and swim the treacherous seas to career nirvana, then take a look at the following people who overcame their doubts to become successful in their new careers.

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Case 1: From journalist to art director

Arriving in the UK from his native Spain, Fernando Venzano soon found that his earnings as a Journalist and Copywriter were not sufficient to survive in an escalating London property market. So he looked for other options and quickly realised that he enjoyed the creative side of his work and decided to explore that as a new career path.

"I spent all of my free time training on the computer, learning new programmes and reading about the subject area," he said. "I was eager to learn new things and explore the potential of my abilities."

With several years experience now under his belt, Venzano has risen to the position of Art Director and has never looked back. He said: "I still enjoy journalism but, by changing my career, I can now put together the full package – the words, the visuals and the design to create more and better ideas. I am working on the things that I enjoy and using the skills to do the things I love."

His advice to others: "Just do it. You can always go back if it doesn't work out. But, the important thing is to continue developing and learning. You need to give it 110% and commit to making it a success... it's not a hobby, or something you can do part time - it needs to be taken seriously as a new profession. And above all, enjoy it."