To jack in my ‘good graduate job’ and change direction at 24?

Gone are the days when people had one job for life, long gone. In fact I'm surprised at your DF's experience of 25 yrs in one job.

It sounds like you've gone from school to uni to job without taking breath in-between and without the experience of some big city lights. No one ever died wishing they'd spent more time in the office ! Please don't live the life your parents want - make it your own.

So at 24 with no responsibilities is the time to spread your wings and see what's in the rest of the world.
So some ideas -
draw up a bucket list of the places you would like to visit, things you would like to do, then start ticking some of them off that list - go whale watching off Alaska, swim with dolphins, whatever.

You can stay in the job, use it as a way to fund the experiences, or with a few under your bucket, plan a longer trip away. Take all your annual leave in one go, add on some unpaid leave and drive route 66, walk the Pennine way, whatever .

sign up for overseas work with an NGO

make an appointment with the national Careers service - https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/

You don't have to get a job in London - there's Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow, you get my drift

Decide to do something - anything to get you out of your rut by your next birthday. Even if it's next week. In fact definitely if it's next week. Take an action today - it doesn't have to be a massive change, but oh please live a little.

At 24, I had a career, a car, a commute - and I just felt smothered. Also a graduate job that I'd landed well before graduation without much conscious planning. Father equally horrified that I would leave it. I was already in London! But it felt so anonymous, expensive, dirty, depressing.

I jacked it in and got on a plane. Travelled some time with friends and on my own, took time to think what I wanted. I moved to a totally different city which I had always liked, and where I had good friends. Having a few years' work experience helped to get another job and I built up from there. I never lived another day in London and I never regretted leaving my secure graduate job. You are only young once, don't live someone else's idea of a "good life". Figure out what you want.

A rut may be fur lined but it still can be a rut. The idea of defined paths is very outdated- jobs for life are pretty much a thing of the past. Multiple careers in a lifetime, portfolio careers etc are the way things happen.
There is a whole world out there. Go and have some adventures- spend weekends in london, get out of your comfort zone.
”but what if I fall? But what if you fly?”

Your stage/age of life is EXACTLY the right time to make a change! It all gets rather more complicated once you settle, especially if/when husband and kids.

Dont quit without something to go to, but spend the next few months thinking and planning what you’d really like to do. You aren’t expecting too much to want to be happy and fulfilled in what you do.

Definitely my biggest priority though is being able to have a family

You're 24. Why are you so fixed on this to the extent that you're making decisions about some decision you may make in 6 years time? It doesn't really take any level of skill to have a family - in the sense that you could jack in the job, have a one night stand, spend your life on benefits - you'd be a family.

Sort out your life, career, relationship strategies etc. Get those right and happy families will follow. Don't fixate on the other way round.

...It's served It's purpose, and now things have changed.

Good luck 😊💐

It's your life.
Start planning your escape.

If you want to go travelling, does your organisation offer sabbaticals? If so why not consider applying for one. That way you can go travelling whilst making your parents happy in that you return to the same job. Meanwhile the travelling may give you time to think about what you actually want to do and you can get that sorted out when you return. Even if it's another year in the job, you'll have a plan in mind.

And just as an aside, my DH (albeit 35 years ago) saw a job overseas advertised. He was feeling similar to you - nice, steady job working locally to his home town, nice set of friends but he was bored.

So he applied and ended up living in the Far East for 4 years. It completely changed his career path, he's lived all over the world for 6 months to a year at a time on the back of that job and was on four times his other company's salary by the time he returned. He's still in touch with the people he met in that first assignment and is so confident travelling - nothing fazes him.

A few years ago our DNephew got in contact to say he'd been offered the chance of going overseas to start up a new office for the company he worked for and he wanted his uncle's thoughts as he'd lived overseas. He was torn between a fantastic opportunity and 'what if it goes wrong'.

DH's first words were 'do it, you can always come home'. So DNephew did. He's lived in three countries so far, works for the same company but is now in charge of a huge section and is now married! Loves his job and living overseas has opened his eyes to so many cultures and ideas.

Sometimes an itch needs to be scratched. What's the worst that can happen? You end up coming back or moving back with your tail between your legs. Does it matter?

OP it is clear your main goal is to have kids. Just be careful. Establish yourself first in a good career. Find good friends. Don’t focus everything on finding a man to support you so you can have children. That will probably happen for you but it’s a risky goal to pursue at the expense of your career and social life.

Relationships can be difficult, children can have all sorts of needs. Be realistic about the future. At your age you need to think about your job and friends and personal growth. Not settling down with kids just yet. Once you are happier in your job and plans then the rest should come more easily.

Go travelling. Best thing ever. Never met anyone who regretted it.

I'm afraid it's too late now.

Once you reach the ripe old age of 24, your pathway through life is set and there's nothing you can do about it

Travelling is great, and you don’t have to do a year backpacking to get the benefits.

Even a month or 6 weeks will refresh your mindset.

Honestly travelling was the best thing ever. And it’s not a waste on your cv.

Do some research and find out exactly what you do need to get to where you want to go and push your manager now, for opportunities now. Also funding for courses , being allowed to be involved in other projects. Our firm will send trainees to our accountants for a 1/2 day. Use their contacts to let trainees shadow a client for 1 day. Some love their ego being rubbed by another firm asking them to shadow them for a day or 2. (Not possible in all jobs I appreciate, but if you don't ask, don't push, don't explore, make the mistake of current whilst investigating other jobs).

Plus you asked about 5 year experience. Start now! Make the last year sound better than it was on your cv. Plus some women only apply for a job when they've got 99% of the experience, men often wing it and often don't have a lot of the criteria but it doesn't stop them applying. Take the male attitude!

Go travelling for a year and do temp jobs/ volunteering, get perspective, ideas, meet people and have some fun!

2yrs sounds like a good time to starting looking at what else you could do and where else you could go.

Whilst you have a regular income save, save, save and then start applying for other roles/schemes

Good luck!

You absolutely should change your role. Can you imagine working until you are 65/70 on that job?
Can you travel but try and get some work along the way that interests you in relevant or transferable.
For Civil Service it sounds like you have lots of great experience and you don’t have to been on a grad scheme to get on in the organisation.
Lots of people enter at lower grades and very quickly move up. I would look at where you might want to live outside London and then look at what civil service roles are available in that location.
if your parents aren’t supportive, that’s fine but you are your own person with your own life to lead. Make the change now before it becomes too hard to leave.

As others said, you should explore other opportunities.
Take an online course or an evening class in a career that interests you
I wouldn’t leave the job yet, I would just manage it for now while simultaneously pursuing another career. Then you wouldn’t feel so down as you would be actively searching for something new.
It could just be that you need a bit of a break.
You did a masters at a young age and haven’t had the time to relax
Could you take a sabbatical and work abroad or something?

Best advice.
I went to uni...got into a good job ... Stayed years but wanted to build up experience from that job , looks great on cv and no gaps whilst looking for something else. I applied for jobs whilst still at old job.. got interview, luckily it was my half day off...got the job , packed other job in. Im happier now. And.... better paid...due to experience at last job. Don't leave unless you have some other job in place

You've had loads of really good advice that you don't seem to be taking much on board. It takes drive and determination and a non defeatist attitude.

I know it's rare, but find employers are fab! My new job they are incredibly pro training, paying for youngsters to do all sorts, cima accountancy qualifications, project management qualifications, masters that give you a level 7 HR qualification, for a young 20 year old young lady at my work persuaded my boss who is very pro training to fund. What are your plans?

Are you going to get counselling? For low self esteem. Address the parent relationship wanting to stay. Take career advice, Set goals and work out career options and how to to get to where you want to be?

How else can posters advise you, to help?

You keep mentioning London. Why is that, surely there is something in between, small uni town and the capital?

for what it’s worth I think you should live your life. Don’t just quit your job but get a plan together, if you want to do some travelling then make a plan for where you want to go and when is the best time to visit then save and plan for that in 2025.

Its a regret if mind that I didn’t do similar and stuck on the corporate career ladder that I found myself smugly on straight out of uni.
now i
look back and think, it really wouldn’t have impacted my career to have taken some time out in my early 20s.

there are loads of jobs you can get with a psychology degree or masters. One different option to what you do now is working in brand marketing, I work with agencies who do customer segmentation research and analysis. Which then helps big multi national brands understand their customer demographics, what drives people and motivates them so big brands can better engage and relate to their ideal customers.
look at Red Blue and Gusto.

if you had a husband and kids relying on you then your parents would be right, you put their needs above yours when it comes to earning an income. But you’re young free and single, this is the time to explore the world and do a job that makes you happy

I agree with this. 24 is so so young! You're at the beginning of everything still!

You have so much time to figure out and pursue something that's right for you. Life is too short to spend it being unhappy. I'm not saying make an impulsive change without research but please live your life for you and not your parents. They mean well but they don't live your life.

You are not stuck at all. The world is your oyster!!!

Dont leave this job until you have something else lined up though, be it abroad or local. You are bored , good, life is for living. The people who do the best are the ones that keep moving.

Good luck!!