To feel like I’ve wasted my life

You are clearly very driven and will do well. This is a bump in the road but not the end. Don’t be too focused on the family end game it will all come when it’s ready for you. For now celebrate your achievements and all that hard work. You may have changed your mind but in 10 years time you might change back too. Good luck x

What about some ethics courses and go into medical ethics? But that is clinical and you deal with very stressful cases where there's not really any correct answer at times.

After studying, I also felt burnout so went and worked at Butlins for a year! Yes, dreadfully paid, no ambition or progression on the table, not the highlight of my CV but MY GOODNESS - I had the most fun, met some incredible people and it changed my life direction in a hugely positive way.

Sometimes you have to 'YOLO' and it sounds like you're long overdue having gone through the motions for what other people have seen as your future.

I really hope you're able to find something to do that makes you happy, even if you know it's a short term thing - you're young, smart and the world genuinely is your oyster!

Medico Legal work is well paid and interesting.

I wouldn't throw it all away, think about the potential safety net of having a professional qualification in a niche area. You are only 26, you have achieved a lot.

I'm sure it is. They're getting a qualified person for less money, what's not to like? @WastedMyPotential Plenty of people want regular hours but not long hours. It's still pretty good money.

You sound very very low on self esteem. You have imposter syndrome, low self confidence and you don't believe in your own worth. You could really do with some therapy to address that, otherwise you will never be able to make the right decisions for yourself.

Hmmmm.
Let me tell it from the other side.
At 27, I had a house, husband, 2 boys ( sorry, no girl)😁 and a Golden Retriever.
I just wanted 'bitty' jobs to bring in money, thinking I had everything I'd ever wanted.
BUT, you are obviously intelligent, and although I had no qualifications, I was too.
I was never content. Always planning this and that, anything to keep my mind active, though I didn't comprehend that at the time.
It was only when the boys were older and I could take on challenging roles that I began to feel...well, me .
I bitterly regretted not building a career before having a family, I was in my late 40s before I was making any impact.

You have a brilliant qualification, but you dont have to follow that path. You're young, do what you really want to do - nothing had to be forever.
Use your law degree to travel, volunteering in 3rd world countries, or teaching abroad, or flying kites in China! Honestly, the world is your oyster - live your life, you have this qualification to fall back on.

I'm dead jealous😆

Would you not fancy being a career paralegal, say, without the long hours and responsibility of being a solicitor? Perhaps in medical law.

Couldn't agree more. Left my country without a plan, travelled Europe, somehow met a Brit and live here now. Chill is the gift skill noone talks about

Positivity and being capable to breathe, drink coffee and look at nature in peace is so underrated

Anyway, just to say nothing is wasted and you are brave to acknowledge it's not what you want to do, well done you. You have plenty of time at 26. I didn't even qualify as a lawyer until I was 28 and often thought I'd go off and do something else. Then I had DD1 at 29 and DD2 at 33. Practising law was fairly hellish while they were little but I have found a way to do it in my 40s that I enjoy and it's pretty good now. Still, I'm planning a second hobby/career as a writer at 50 to take me into retirement I hope, if I can get my arse in gear and get my book(s) written.

Clinical based admin or office admin?

Office based, doable. You don't have the demands of working in the units with patients. You can take a personal call that isn't an emergency. Even unit secretary can be busy and stressful, but more doable than patient care. Something completely away from patient care, that's like typical office work.

If you love kids, why not explore jobs to teaching?
Also, you speak very negatively of yourself, you can add another goal to your life: working on your self-esteem.
As for hating your job, plenty of people change at some point of their lives. I'm 47 and thinking of changing again. By the way, when I was your age, I worked in the pharma industry, which is very regulated and regulation=boring. Well, guess what? Now, when I have a house and kids, I wouldn't mind going back to a boring, well paid job. Who knows, you might do something related to your studies later on.
I suggest to check Dr Phil's book: Self matters.

You are very young and my advice to you is to make the most of the present.

I was once very much in your position. Long story short, but life can change very quickly, for the better or the worse. I went from thinking I'd never meet someone to being married six months later. It really only takes one person suddenly being in the right place at the right time, or one opportunity for quite literally everything to change.

With near certainty, your life will be much different in five years than it is today.

So please, make the most of today and don't beat yourself up too much about the time behind you and how it was used. There may be a reason for it all you will someday discover, just not now. Life experiences are what they are, don't see it as a waste.

You will absolutely reach your goals at some point (well, other than the guaranteed genders of the children you want), but you don't want to look back and wish you'd enjoyed this phase a little more.

OP you sound a bit trapped and a bit fed up and like you need a break.

Firstly you can acknowledge that it’s great that you have a useful professional qualification under your belt, one you can fall back on if you ever need to support those two kids as a single mum!

But there are people two decades older than you just starting their journey of being parents and settling down with a dog. Not to say you should wait that long, just trying to put it in perspective. You have time, go backpacking for a couple of months, see a bit of the world.

Bear in mind whether you enjoy your job won’t be just about the industry - it’ll be your surroundings, the people, the hours, the commute, the holiday allowance, the daily routine. There are legal jobs and legal jobs. You don’t have to do conveyancing for flats in Acton under neon lights all day if you don’t want to.

have a listen to this OP… it’s ok to pivot… this is what really successful people do in their careers.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-diary-of-a-ceo-with-steven-bartlett/id1291423644?i=1000720179742

Truth can be hard. You need to hear from people who won't romanticize it.

Have you worked in health care?

I have. 40 years. It is extremely tough and takes a big physical, mental health, and emotional toll.

All I ever wanted between childhood and age 30 or so was to be famous. Didn’t happen. Life turned out just fine anyway.

Don’t be seduced by the idea that your childhood dreams are your only authentic destiny.

Totally understandable that you want to focus on your personal life after so many years grinding away at degrees and qualifications.

But give yourself a break from planning and visualising the future, or trying to find the singular outcome that would make you feel fulfilled. Things always turn out differently IRL.

Girl, I’m 4 years older than you and a qualified solicitor. Loads of my friends hate it. I hated being in private practice and only liked it when I moved to the public sector but the pay is shite.

If you hate it, leave. Life is too short. It’s not even like the money is keeping you. I know someone who has left law and is a dog walker and loves it. You’ve mentioned you want a golden retriever, why don’t you look into something like dog walking? Even if it’s just a stepping stone to leaving law and having a job sorted. Will do you good mentally. Being a solicitor is mentally rough. You got this

Also… no learning is ever wasted. I know it doesn’t feel like it right now but in the future it will all look clearer just keep going. It’s ok to pivot until you work out what’s right for you, just keep going.

Lol. A copy of me. I'm nearing the 50s and got what I wanted. You shall too

I get just wanting to be a mum and wife, I honestly do. But it's not a life plan, not in this day and age. Partly because you need to be able to support yourself, you never know when a marriage will end. I've seen it hundreds of times on this site, women - married and unmarried - screwed over by divorce and having to start a career from scratch in their 40s just to get by. And partly to be honest because not many men, not the nice ones anyway, are looking for a woman who aspires more than anything to be a homemaker. It's a bit limited. And I know many women do end up as SAHPs but it's rare nowadays for that to be the starting point, most women are working before they have children and go back in some capacity as their children get older.

Have you looked at the third sector? Charities can be a good way to start a career as it's rewarding and the low pay is to be expected at a junior level. It's good for confidence building too.