Degree's for older people /successful career changes

[Sportysporty]

Had an interesting discussion with a friend who is giving up a professional lucrative career to become a teacher at nearly 50 (has huge pension already). She already has a maths degree and just to do i think It's a PGC?

Got me thinking about career r changes in later life and what degrees would be the bast to take if you want to do this or what routes out her people have taken to facilitate successful career changes in later life?

Nursing seams too physically challenging perhaps? Law - hard enough for young people to make a start in?

What would you take if you could or what have you taken/done successfully/unsuccessfully?

So i did law at 46, following a career as an accountant. I did not apply to be a solicitor but was indicated my background would be attractive for various legal fields -ie fraud or finance related ones. Or company secretary roles.

Or a ay medicine and then law would be good for medical negligence etc.

I'm about to start a law degree at 43. I would never survive the two year apprenticeship needed to become a solicitor (I'm pretty much my own boss these days) so I'm planning to use it to broaden my professional options. I work in the not for profit sector so it should be a valuable asset.

That was my thoughts too on a law career, I'd have hated the training and doing all that junior skut work. And staying until 2am for a deal.

I doubt I would have got a role either as they'd know I'd feel like that!

You may have missed this:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/4327788-Is-there-a-specific-Mature-Study-Retraining-board

Ha yes, the raised eyebrow if asked how I'd feel about working late nights or weekends.

[quote Edmontine]You may have missed this:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/site_stuff/4327788-Is-there-a-specific-Mature-Study-Retraining-board[/quote]
I cross posted with you, just added my support!

Oh, great - thank you!

Like burnoutbabe I’m currently doing a Law conversion having previously been an accountant. My new employer is paying for it, in return for a set period of my employment with them, in a governance / CoSec role. If you already have a degree and experience in one sector or area of work that you can reasonably transfer to another, that can be a good option which doesn’t involve you taking a career break to obtain new qualifications or starting from the bottom in an entirely new field.

Thanks for that board link - I will pass it on to a few friends as our conversation has really started a buzz amongst our friendship group - many of whom are teachers who want to get out 😂

That would be great, Sporty. If we set up a huge clamour for it, we may well be successful.

If you want to have a successful career change, do a degree which is designed to lead to a specific job, e.g. teaching or nursing, which seem to be the most popular options, and potentially law or accountancy, although do your research first. You might become a soliticitor but it might be much harder to become a barrister, for example.

Don't bother if you just want to take a "general" degree, English Literature, History etc and aren't sure what job you want, just that you want a new job, any job, because you're generally sick of where you are. I did a Geography degree and although I'm very glad I did it for a whole host of complicated reasons, it was of fuck all use to me in getting a graduate job. There was a career path I was interested in, but I was basically told to sod off and stop bothering, so I gave up. Looking for a graduate job as a mature graduate in your 30s is very, very different from looking for a graduate job as a 21-year-old who's taken a more traditional path.

I had no idea what I wanted to do, just that I hated my life and most employers were asking for degrees, so I did one, hoping that I'd find a niche interest and do a masters in a more career-focussed course. I never did a masters in the end as I'd become so disillusioned with the whole thing that I gave up.

Sorry to be so grumpy today but in my experience, "Just get a degree, any degree, because employers like graduates" just doesn't work the same way for mature graduates.

Another career-specific option is computer programming, if that floats your boat. There's a constant shortage of programmers and they get paid a lot.

Counselling is a very popular second career, but it can take years of training and you'd be earning very little at first - it can take a few years to build up enough clients - so you would first of all need to be in a financial position to support this.

I haven’t seen any statistics but experience would suggest that potential mature students are far less likely to pick any old degree.

They’re unlikely to pick a course based on parental influence.

They’re not going to want to waste time and money.

They already have better knowledge of the likely trajectory of various courses.

I disagree about your assessment of Arts degrees. Obviously if you have a generalist degree - particularly from a less well thought of institution - and have nothing to distinguish you from a million other graduates, it can be difficult. As you indicated, it helps to have a clear idea of the use you intend to make of your degree - and to begin building your portfolio while you’re studying.

I’m 50 abs happy enough in my chosen profession of civil engineering. When I retire, I’d like to retrain as a Humanist celebrant though. I have experienced a few Humanist celebrations, including some for my one family, and love how inclusive and personal they have been, and how they celebrate occasions without religion. I was raised RC, but am very lapsed and have no religion now- this doesn’t stop me from wanting to celebrate though.

Edmontine

They’re unlikely to pick a course based on parental influence.

My dad really wanted me to do law as my primary degree 20+ years ago I did a BA instead.

@Sportysporty

Had an interesting discussion with a friend who is giving up a professional lucrative career to become a teacher at nearly 50 (has huge pension already). She already has a maths degree and just to do i think It's a PGC?

Got me thinking about career r changes in later life and what degrees would be the bast to take if you want to do this or what routes out her people have taken to facilitate successful career changes in later life?

Nursing seams too physically challenging perhaps? Law - hard enough for young people to make a start in?

What would you take if you could or what have you taken/done successfully/unsuccessfully?

Interested to read your comment re nursing being too physically exhausting and just wondering if anyone did do this as a mature student and if they agreed? In particular midwifery in your 40s?

@Pankakes a friend who is a mid wife moved to scanning about 10 years ago at 40 - very hard on the back as I think nursing is in general. I'm sure many people continue successfully but lots leave 35 ish

@tectonicplates any particular area of computer programming? Do you have technical knowledge? Did you do geology? 😉

@Sportysporty

Had an interesting discussion with a friend who is giving up a professional lucrative career to become a teacher at nearly 50 (has huge pension already). She already has a maths degree and just to do i think It's a PGC?

Got me thinking about career r changes in later life and what degrees would be the bast to take if you want to do this or what routes out her people have taken to facilitate successful career changes in later life?

Nursing seams too physically challenging perhaps? Law - hard enough for young people to make a start in?

What would you take if you could or what have you taken/done successfully/unsuccessfully?

I know a few people who became yoga instructors, surfy Sports Type instructors later in life. They all took a major pay cut and a lot of people look down on this kind of stuff but who cares? It's an awesome life if you can pay the bills and quite accessible (at least to train for the quals, depending on the sport/type of fitness) depending on where you are. From my 20 odd years in fitness Pilates and yoga never seem to lose interest and spin still seems pretty popular.

Hi ya I m 44 and have worked in care since 18 I m starting acess to health science nxt week ( paramedic) but feel ill now at thought of it I ve quit my job but feel like I m been silly thinking I m to old and I deffo have not got brains it anything I m as thick as mince ha ha I m just so scared I m going to fail and will b a laughing stock ,, is it normal to feel this scared ?

I am 47 and currently a sonographer in NHS - very worn out and physically exhausted.!. going back to Uni in October to start part time MSC in sports science which always was my passion. My first degree was sports science and just ended up in hospitals as its where the jobs were , with pressure from.my parents to get a job. really hoping I can find a career in health education/disease prevention / nutrition research hoping my age will not make it difficult to get a job at the end,

I'm in my 60s and want to train as a counsellor. This is an area where life experience counts and my troubled family has given me a lot of experience.

First step has to be an Access course as I've not got A levels - as they were in my day. Got O Levels and a City and Guilds but the papers to prove this went long long ago. I'm readying myself for next year when the grandbabies I look after will be starting school.

Something for me to think about at my age, is that the loan seems to die with me, and my daughter would not have to pay my tuition fees out of whatever she gets for my home. That needs double checking.

Hi OP - the new board specifically addressing Mature Study and Retraining has now been set up! It’s under Education.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mature_students/4362811-NEW-BOARD

Feel free to ask MNHQ to move your thread if you think it might be helpful.