Career advice anyone?

[23andbroke]

I’m 24 and work as a Work Coach for £27.5k. My job entails handling universal credit claims and encouraging claimants to job hunt. Pros:

• it’s a decent salary and important work,

The downside is the role is complicated as our training was cut short. I’m terrified about negatively impacting someone’s benefits as I do want to help as much as I can. But I have 200 claimants on my book after minimal training, and we’re encouraged to work through breaks and outside of working hours to get everything done so the balance isn’t there.

It’s also ironic that I’m helping others find jobs, as I have a psychology degree and would prefer to work within my field in a clinical MH role.

The problem with getting a NHS clinical role (aside from actually being successful!) is that I would take a pay cut, whilst i rent in London and would leave me worse off. My salary would essentially cover rent/bills only.

What would you advise in my situation?

Qualify as a mental health nurse with a 2 year course, work for a few years as a band 5, then do a masters in cognitive behavioral therapy and find a band 7 job as a cognitive behavioural therapist.

...Though the problem with this plan is the 3 years of not earning anything, and the fact that a band 5 nurse starts on less than 27.5k (though not in London).

I'd keep an eye out for other jobs in the civil service. The ministry of justice or the prison and probation service have jobs related to psychology, something like this one?

www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi?SID=cGFnZWNsYXNzPUpvYnMmb3duZXI9NTA3MDAwMCZjc291cmNlPWNzcXNlYXJjaCZ1c2Vyc2VhcmNoY29udGV4dD0xMjg1MTczNjYmcGFnZWFjdGlvbj12aWV3dmFjYnlqb2JsaXN0JmpvYmxpc3Rfdmlld192YWM9MTcyMjgyNCZvd25lcnR5cGU9ZmFpciZzZWFyY2hfc2xpY2VfY3VycmVudD0yJnJlcXNpZz0xNjIxOTYyMzQyLTBhYjRiYWIwNzhhOTlkOGRkNDAyZWRlZTI2OTcwZWFlMmZlYTliOGI=

Do what you really want to do....the money will sort itself out....

I didn't want to read and run as your post made me think of my daughter and the conversations we are having as she's just finishing a psychology degree. It sounds like you have a demanding job that brings you some reward. Not least financial. However, it appears that it's not what you really want to do and is not using your degree in the way you want. My advice would be to think about what you really want to do and what steps would you need to take to achieve that? At your age, you have all your working life ahead of you and you deserve to give yourself the opportunity to do what will fulfill you. Maybe write down your goals and a plan of how to get there. If it means further training, study or just a pay cut think about ways in which you could make shorter term sacrifices for the longer term. Do you have to live in London? Could you house share? Are your parents supportive for example?
I wish you luck but please go for what you really want as before you know it ten years will have passed and you may regret it.

My friend works in IAPT, could that be an option?