To ask you for careers advice instead of paying for a life coach?

[Careerchanger2017]

Hi everyone I am a name changer.

I have been thinking about paying to see a life coach as I am at a career crossroads but not sure if I would be wasting my money.

Before dc I gained a business studies degree and then worked as a hr administrator for 2 years with the intention of one day working in either HR, recruitment or careers advice (oh the irony!)

Then came along dc, the youngest of which starts school next September. So I have been career planning. Three ideas I have come up with are 1) get back into HR admin and work my way up from there like I had previously intended 2) study make up/beauty which has always been a passion of mine 3) find something to do working from home to fit around dc.

I am having problems with each of these choices though. Choice 1 will cost us £600 out of the family pot in childcare 😮 We will still be £500 better off a month but dc will be in childcare before school after school and most of the school holidays. I'm not sure if that is worth it for £500 a month when we can manage fine on DH salary. Although I would enjoy the work. Choice 2 is expensive I think to study make up/beauty and buy all the kit and would it be possible to use the qualification to fit around the dc as childcare would probably eat up any money earnt from this. Although it would be amazing to find work from a hobby/passion if it's possible. Option 3 do something from home. I have been doing bits off of people per hour (admin) from home since I gave up work but I find it so boring! I could carry on with this and maybe set up as a virtual assistant but my heart is not in it. What else could I do from home? I've thought of book keeping but that would bore me to tears too!

I'm so confused I am thinking of seeing a life coach but not sure if I would be wasting my money as I'm not sure how they could help me?

Thank you if you have read this far! Does anyone have any careers advice for me? Or advice about seeing a life coach? Thank you

[Birdsgottafly]

What I will say is that now, at 48, I regret not choosing what I loved, which was beauty. I'm also sorry that I didn't do my BA in Nursing, so I could have gone into cosmetic procedures.

I was also put off, History and Politics, because of Sexism.

I'd always say to think long term, your children are only needing Child Care for a short space of time.

[JamieLannistersFuckButler]

I'd agree with Birdsgottafly about the childcare costs issue - It will change in the next few years. In which time you can be some way along your new career path.

Two examples I have known in recent years of mums who worked despite childcare eating up much of their salary:

a part-time IT worker, who ended up just £35 a week better off after working 3 days. But it kept her sane - she didn't feel cut out be a full-time mother, and she needed the social interaction and intellectual challenge of her job.

A very competetive healthcare-related job. To become a SAHP for a few years would have made it extremely difficult, perhaps impossible, to ever get back into the job she loved.

[Haffdonga]

Agree that it's easier to think longer term. Ask yourself what sort of life you'd like to be living in 5 or 10 years time, working from home or out of the home?

The jobs you mention that you're interested in (beauty and HR) are very people focused which home admin or bookkeeping wouldn't bring you and from what you write, your heart doesn't really lie with option 3 (home working) so I'd cross that off your list.

As for option 1 and 2, you're considering quite short term costs instead of longer term at career potential. You would probably have much better earning potential doing the HR route rather than the beauty route and possibly more flexibility and self-employment options with beauty over HR. You say you can manage on your dh's salary alone, so you may have the option of choosing heart over head.

What's stopping you working towards both and seeing what happens? e.g. get a part time admin/HR role and work towards HR AND take your beauty quals in an evening course. After a couple of years it will be much clearer to you which feels right for you.

Good luck

[Careerchanger2017]

Thank you so much for the replies! I think your right I would prefer HR or makeup/beauty. The childcare issue worries me though I'm not sure my dc would cope with 10 hour days at school! I'm going crazy at home though I don't feel like "me" anymore and regret the time I've wasted from age 16-33 not really doing what I have wanted to do.

[fiorentina]

Longer term HR definitely more lucrative and who says that has to be full time? Once qualified you could work or set up your own freelance HR consultancy for example, adding a degree of flexibility? Just a thought?

[Careerchanger2017]

I'm still thinking about all this since I woke up this morning! I've been thinking about option 3 again as even though I find the work boring I would love the flexibility of dropping the dc at school, come home do some work, then pick them up after school. No worries about sickness or school holidays. But how do I cope with the boredom of the work? Is it worth being bored for the convenience of working from home? I'm so confused

[reynoldsnumber]

I think you are over thinking, and also seeing things as quite back and white. You need to get out there and start seeing what's actually possible. For example, you might get a job that allows you to work from home a few days a week and do drop off and pick up. Quite a few jobs these days are flexible like that, especially in the civil service or wider public sector where they are trying to get more people working from home so save on desk space. It might be something that becomes more viable as you get more senior and you would have the social side of being in work some days and the convenience of being at home on others.

You've been out of the workplace for a while and things are changing in some places at least to make work more appealing for this with caring responsibilities.

My advice - get out and apply for a few jobs, speak to some potential employers, think about how and where you want to work and what you would compromise on. And then build a career from that if you can.

[Milkand2sugarsplease]

You can't live your life solely on what works for the kids while they're little. Don't get me wrong I know all parents, myself included, make adjustments for young children but what I mean is don't live 'just' for that as inevitably the kids get bigger and you don't want to be left wth grown up children and still unfulfilled.

I'd say think about where you'd like to see yourself when the kids are less reliant on you and see how you can get there in a way that fits around family life now.

[Careerchanger2017]

Mmmm, that's interesting. I will be nearly 50 when the youngest reaches 18, and where would I like to see myself then?

Well in the HR role I would like to be a manager of some sort.

In beauty maybe management in a spa? Or running a salon?

In the working from home role doing interesting work maybe in HR admin or supervising a team of virtual assistants giving me free time to do other things as well.

So I guess they all have options for the future looking at it like that.

In the short term option 1 would mean taking a part time HR admin position and just working my way up. Probably the easiest and best paying option in the short term and I already have the relevant qualifications and experience.

Option 2 I could build up each treatment studying one at a time, I could offer the treatments to family and friends and it would be loads of fun! Not sure if they would pay me though and the courses are quiet expensive! I guess I could carry on with my people per hour admin work around it though to make it financial viable.

Option 3 would just mean carrying on with my people per hour work, maybe bid for more projects and add new skills.

I'm really not sure how to come to any kind of decision though

[Careerchanger2017]

Reading all that back I think in the short term HR looks the best as I can go straight into it and earn some money. But in the long term the other two roles would provide more flexibility and opportunities for self employment, and i like the idea of being self employed being my own boss.

[mya83]

You could be me- I have literally been having these same career thoughts myself these last couple of months and still no decision!

I too am thinking of beauty or HR (current experience HR, zero experience of beauty) so have all these similar worries! Do I stick with what I already have knowledge and experience of working for someone else with the security of employment and the benefits that go with that (pension, life assurance, paid holidays etc) or do I start from the bottom with beauty, which will cost a lot to train up, I have zero experience so far, it's a risk and I may never get any clients or may even not be very good at it once I get started! But it feels like something i would enjoy and brings the exciting opportunities to work For myself, flexible hours to suit me, fun and varied work running my own business (if it worked out that way)

I was thinking maybe study beauty alongside my current job so eventually I'll reach a point where I can smoothly transition from one to other but I'm so indecisive and such a chronic worrier that I change my mind every other day.

So sorry not really any advice for you OP but thought I'd share that we're in the same boat!

[mya83]

Sorry for how long that post is! Didn't realise until I'd posted!

[Hadalifeonce]

Could you do the beauty thing from home?

[PippiLongstromp]

I am also at a cross roads where I'm stuck in a job which pays well but I can't see myself in for the rest of my career (I'm 44 so have another 20+ years to go!). I have a couple of ideas but they seem both risky and expensive, e.g: Becoming a counsellor/therapist - getting the qualification is many 1000s of pounds and it doesn't really pay well as a job. or design and make children's clothes, however have no experience or equipment, just some good ideas!

Has anyone tried a life coach? Was it worth the investment? Good or bad experiences?

[Munstermonchgirl]

Just a point on the childcare issue... if you don't think your children would cope with 10 hour days in school, have you considered a cm, at least for part of the week? That would be a home environment which might balance out their week better. Having said that, kids are pretty adaptable and resilient and it's important to develop those qualities. If I'm being totally honest, one of my 3 children would have preferred to come straight home every day rather than have after school care, but if I'd based my life around that, I would have had to sacrifice my career. Also my other 2 children loved after school club so I'd have been depriving them of something they enjoyed. It's important for children to gradually learn that life involves being adaptable and resilient. (Of course it's totally different if you're talking about a child who is really stressed and unhappy in childcare- if that had been the case then dh and I would have had to rethink things)

Also £500 a month profit after childcare is fine- and remember the profit will increase as childcare costs reduce. Anyone who's worked while their children are pre school will probably be used to spending the equivalent of one income on childcare and would feel relatively rich to have that sort of profit.

It's your life too, and your children won't Thank you when they're older if you base all your decisions entirely round them.

[Careerchanger2017]

mya83 oh wow we are in the same boat! I'm so indecisive and such a worrier too, I think that's how I've wasted the last 16 years worrying incase I make the wrong decision so instead I've made no decision!! I'm determined to change this though!!

[Careerchanger2017]

Thanks everyone lots of food for thought! I would also be interested to know if anyone has used a life/career coach and was it worth it? Did it help you?

[HandbagCrab]

I saw this guy speak and read his book which helped

www.theschooloflife.com/shop/how-to-find-fulfilling-work-roman-krznaric/

I went part time with ds and then studied for a new career alongside my old one. I'm now qualified to do both but just about to have a baby. I'm going to have a think about what to do when on mat leave. I know someone through my new career who is a life coach so I've had a bit. It helps having an external person help you identify your passions and help you come up with a plan of how to achieve the things you want.

Good luck!

[Careerchanger2017]

Thank you! I'll take a look at the link!

[YelloDraw]

Do you know anyone who knows someone reasonably high up in HR? If so ask them to set you up with the HR person for a coffee.

Most people are happy to meet up and discuss the industry and career.

[maggiethemagpie]

I work in HR - on the employee relations/advice side. The people I support are a team of managers, they come to me with staff problems (most commonly, how do I exit someone... yes really) and I have to guide them through the process, so you can be dealing with some quite 'harsh' situations like dismissing for poor performance/ redundancy etc. It's not for those of a sensitive disposition! And often you are dealing with employees who are seriously hacked off at being put at risk of redundancy/ told they are underperforming/ unable to have the hours they want etc .

But it is quite 'customer service' orientated as I am providing a service to my clients (the managers) so if you like that aspect of helping people you may enjoy it. You do need to have a business focus though - a lot of the time you are making decisions within the context of what is best for the business and not the individual concerned.

This is just one part of HR though, there are many more areas such as learning and development, recruitment, compensation and benefits...

Feel free to PM me if you need any more info!

[Drquin]

Can you plan for two of the options?
Either HR and the admin from home ..... whilst doing the beauty courses? You're then earning money to contribute to the courses.
In that time, school / childcare requirements will also have changed. So you'll know what IS an option for your family & you, not just what MAY work.

Then you could build up the beauty side, whilst retaining some "steady" income. Two part-time jobs may then offer you the flexibility one full-time job may not. You can then scale the beauty one up, as you become trained / proficient and it's a realistic / steady income, and scale back the HR / admin.

But, you will need to decide .... and maybe you'll want to change agin later, which is still OK!

[Careerchanger2017]

That's a really good idea! I could carry on doing the admin from home while studying beauty, why didn't I think of that! I'm a bit of an all of nothing person so find it hard to think outside of the box! If it doesn't work out I could always go back into the HR admin I often see posts come up which I have the requirements for. Nothing ventured nothing gained! I think beauty is where my heart lies.....

[EBearhug]

I had careers coachin. It was useful - focused on my values, looked back at all jobs I've done (including Saturday jobs from school) - thinking about what I really liked and really didn't. Also did a skills profile - not specific technical skills so much, but organisational, planning, communication, leading and so on, which could be relevant to lots of jobs. There were about 75 questions and it ranked it all and so on. It showed me that I am working in an area which suits me, but needed to change the focus a bit - but it could have suggested I needed a more practical job, or one where I would get more interaction with people, or an opportunity to be creative or whatever - and it was only after going through it all and building a profile of what my ideal job would look like did we start looking at what sort of jobs would fit that.

It's worth doing once you have an idea of what you want to achieve from it, as then you'll be able to focus better and use the time (and money) more effectively.

[Careerchanger2017]

Thank you that's really interesting! Can I ask if it was very expensive?