I’m too old to consider a career in law aren’t I?

[zippyswife]

I’m 43. I should have studied law 20 odd years ago but I opted for an easier life at university and did a geography degree.

I’m now a police officer with 3 primary age dcs. I feel entirely underwhelmed in my current career and need a new challenge. I worry that my brain isn’t nearly as sharp as it was years ago but I was previously very academic and found studying breeze. As I say this was years ago now- and sadly may not be the case now.

Is 43 too old to be considering such a career change? And 20 years to long out of studying to get back into it?

And if so does anyone have an other career ideas?

My opinion is you are too old and there are easier ways to make a living and be satisfied with what you do. Law is very much about making money now and you have to be as good as business person as a lawyer to get the work in and so you stand out. It's hard with small children to be completely career focused which is what is required when you are just entering the profession. Is there a chance of promotion or career progression for you in the police force to give you the stimulation you want?

I really appreciate all the responses. And it’s interesting to see so many varied opinions.

I currently work (very) part time in the police and basically ditched my career path (I was in child abuse investigation) in favour of being a SAHM. I’ve kept my hand in by doing minimal hours but ultimately I haven’t been working properly for 10 years now. Going so part time has meant taking what I feel is a bit of a dead end role within the police. To be honest I feel very deskilled.

I think part of my issue is that I now feel I’ve massively underachieved and that I should try to catch up and have a career that I can be proud of. Because I was always interested in law I have been rethinking it as an option.

The reality of 3 young dcs and a dh who’s career has recently really taken off meaning long hours for him, would probably mean that a career in law wouldn’t be easy for me.

There are some great suggestions on here though and it has seriously sparked my interest. I think I need to properly explore them.

I think I also need to separate my own chip on my shoulder regarding my disappointment in my career and my desire to retrain and change careers and work out what I actually want.

As several posters have said, at this age I don’t have time to faff about and make the wrong decisions I need to work out a path and stick to it. If I decide It’s the right move.

I do really appreciate you all taking the time and effort to advise.

@Turboshift there is the potential to move into a role that could be challenging and rewarding within the police. It may be difficult to change as Sadly I am Currently in a lowly position. This makes it hard to evidence skills in an application. But it’s certainly worth me investigating.

I think from what you say it would be even harder then to get a good job.

I used to do corporate tax and specialised in finance so as an older candidate there are more clear niche roles for someone with a relevant background that overcomes the downsides of not wanting to be a junior at 40+
But without much work experience to use, it would just be very hard. And I think you'd need to be back at work full time for a bit before making any decisions so you could show a good work records and that you can hack work and family and long hours.

I believe many working mothers have been where you are (I have) where our career is placed on hold to raise a family which is just as important work. Possible other suggestions to improve your work experience is to explore voluntary positions within the force which might be viewed favourably and show your commitment when applying for promotion. Look at working in citizens advice bureaus, advice clinics and refuges which will give you great experience and a great sense of achievement. It's also an advisory role which is very similar to advising in law which might suit your interest well. Best of luck.

@RumpoleoftheBaileys

Def not a hobby career though! Silk work the usual murders etc. Haven’t seen too much private bits

I think we’re in agreement on income so perhaps I should have been clearer on what I meant by “hobby career”.

My phrasing was intended to invoke the idea of the gentleman barrister, independently wealthy who doesn’t need to work. Terribly posh, house in countryside with wife and four children, flat in SW1 with long term mistress. Doesn’t really understand women in employment and still asks everyone where they went to school and do they hunt/row. Every chambers had one. I think mine had at least seven!

@zippyswife
another idea could be working with victims of crime - women's aid/refuges etc. Less about the money and more about the positive impact the work would have.

I can relate to the notion of putting your career on hold to bring up kids and then feeling like there's a void to fill, work-wise. I'm in the same boat and retraining (finished by age 45 hopefully) but into a closely related field so I'm able to combine the two careers - at least when justifying it my myself anyway!

What sort of police role would you be thinking of? I'd look at that first, purely because it's going to be much harder to retrain in a new profession.

Op what is it you do now on the police exactly? It’s hard to decipher. Because you say it “was in child abuse” in the past tense, but also “to keep your hand in” meaning it could be anything from admin on now.

Is it possible for you to do volunteering, to do study but less onerous/expensive, in areas you’re interested in? To make some small adjustments?

@PrincessConsuelaVaginaHammock I honestly don’t know. I saw a role advertised recently into historic sex offences which looked interesting but something (probably a lack of confidence) stopped me from applying

@Bluntness100 I was a detective in the child abuse unit but they changed the policy on part time shortly after I had my second child, which meant that essentially I was turfed out and had to quickly find somewhere that would accept me on my hours. Since then I’ve been in a unit which does initial reports (Dealing with victim, creating report, assessing initial information and conducting very basic initial enquires). I like it because it’s easy and whilst it’s busy it doesn’t have the level of stress I previously experienced within child protection, I also still feel like I can “make a Positive difference” to people’s lives and I’m very good with people and enjoy dealing with them. However it doesn’t engage my brain, I am not stimulated and it’s the most dead end role in the police and it makes me really sad that I feel I’ve ended up here- when I look back I would have felt I was capable of so much more than this. Unfortunately while I’ve deskilled, I’ve also lost a lot of confidence and am unsure of my capabilities now.... I’m not really selling myself here am I.

@PegasusReturns - whilst we have a lot or pompous arses, I can’t think of any barrister on my circuit doing crime with a London flat! Many have the four children and nice house though. It’s a lot more diverse now with a lot of women. Everyone complains about money though!

Ah, I think I know what you do, it’s likely the same as a friend of mine recently retired from the police does, it’s the small cases they don’t have the time to deal with? Were you a D.C.? (I have family /friends in the police)

Maybe there is a way for you to do something more valuable? Could you start by volunteering? Nspcc?

@Bluntness100 yes similar to that. I was dealing with serious complex cases from the off in child protection. What I do now is initial reporting and assessment then hand over to other units to complete the investigation (If there are leads to investigate). It isn’t what I imagined my career would be! And I would like to think I’m capable of more. Yes volunteering could be an option. I’d really like something that stimulated and Stretched me mentally. On the back of some of these suggestions I have actually just been looking at the probation service and roles as a youth justice worker- although it looks like I would need to do quite a bit of training and it doesn’t pay as well as the police. So I’d really need to weigh it all up. And as a pp correctly pointed out, I don’t have the time to faff- I really need to feel confident I’m taking the right direction at this point.

I started my LLB at 40. Then a Masters (LLM). I'm now almost 49 and a trainee solicitor. I will qualify when I'm 50.

I haven't regretted a moment and would definitely encourage you to take the steps you need to start a new career. You are never too old!