Help me work out what I want to do with my life!

[TheJoxter]

Having a child very young and being in an abusive relationship for years that left me with no motivation or self esteem meant that I haven’t got any qualifications beyond AS levels. Then met my (wonderful) partner and have been a SAHM to our toddler. I now feel like I’m in a place where I want to do something more with my life.

I am quite creative and intelligent but would like work that is physically challenging as well as mentally stimulating so I don’t get bored!

Would have to be something I can either do on a self employed basis or flexible enough that I can fit it around the kids and take time off in emergencies or work from home if I need to.

Ideally something I can easily do a course or two in over the next few years rather than something that requires going to uni and getting degrees etc!

But I have no idea what it is that I actually want to do, my mind goes entirely blank when I try to think about what career options there actually are! Any suggestions?

[TheJoxter]

To add to that, I’ve been a self employed seamstress for years and have run market stalls for people but haven’t had a ‘real’ job so no references or proper ‘experience’ that could be put in a CV, but I’m in my mid 20s and my kids are still very young so plenty of time to build up a career for myself.

[XXcstatic]

A craft related to your seamstress work - upholstery? curtain maker?

TBH my mind also goes blank when I try to think of a creative, stimulating job that requires no/few qualifications and that gives you the level of flexibility you want. It might be more realistic to have a Plan A for something to do until your youngest is in nursery/school, and a longer-term Plan B of what you want to do afterwards. As you say, you are young and have plenty of time.

[Yeahsurewhatever]

Personal trainer
Photographer (weddings, new borns, engagements etc - it's something you can start small on with family and friends)
Work on a business as a seamstress
Some theatre work or volunteering with wardrobes?
Can you do make up?
Dog walking

[TheJoxter]

@XXcstatic I feel like I’ve had enough of sewing, it’s reached a point where I don’t enjoy it enough to even do it as a hobby any more! Plan A is just getting a cleaning job or similar til the kids are a bit older.

@Yeahsurewhatever I’ve considered photography but not sure if I’m good enough to be better than the competition. Also a close relative has plans to set up a photography business and I don’t want to compete with her!

[XXcstatic]

Not photography - it's very hard to make a living as an expert with years of training & experience and it would take years to break even if you have to buy equipment.

Dog walker is a good call (if you like dogs of course!) but you would need to work with someone else who can cover you if you're not able to do a walk. You can't just cancel, because clients rely on dog care to be able to go to work.

You're obviously good with your hands, so longer-term a trade like being an electrician would give you a lot of flexibility and security of income.

[Theresa17]

Hi @TheJoxter
Firstly, good for you for starting think about a new career! Definitely worth doing and you can be a great role model for your kids, showing them work can be enjoyable.
Here are a few resources that can help you get unstuck and find some ideas to start with. If you are open to running your own business you have a lot of flexibility in what you do, but it has the added challenge of really figuring out what you offer (what problem, inconvenience, challenge do you solve for people) and who your ideal customer / client is (don’t try to be everything to everyone, sooooo tempting, but usually doesn’t work too well). It is likely to be a process figuring out what you want, but you’ve already taken the first step.
ccskills.org.uk/careers
www.16personalities.com/
www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree ignore that it says degree!!! It is written for uni students, but it is really useful to get some ideas by general subject / interest areas and give useful links. Many of the options would not necessarily require a degree. And should you eventually decide you want one, there are plenty of part time / distance learning options, including with the OU, if you wanted to. But there are only a few careers that really require a degree, in most cases you could develop the knowledge and skill over time with short courses and lots of research and reading.
Another good technique is to start writing a list of all your interests, hobbies, things you care about or that really annoy you (often the flip side of what you really care about). You can do this over a few days and keep adding to it. The go through it and choose a maximum of three to five ideas to explore further. Even a basic google search of “what careers link with xyz” can be a starting point. As you think more about things your brain will start to use this as a new “filter” and you start to notice more things like businesses that do things that could be interesting. Bit like when you buy a new car and suddenly you see it everywhere.
I run a little facebook page with tips and inspiration around career change, if you would like to have a look, it’s at www.facebook.com/cheerfulcareers
Good luck!