Do you hold a Professional qualification but ‘under employed’?

[WhatNowBernadette]

Hi all, I’m a regular but name changed. Might be a bit serious for ‘chat’ but here goes.

Background:
I have two DC aged 17 and 20 who have had significant MH challenges over the past five years, despite having (on paper) a great start in life. Issues have involved (teenage) sexual trauma, earring disorder, self harm and overdoses.

I’m late forties and have not worked for six months since resigning when my DC took an overdose. They are now doing well and on paper I feel I should be ready to apply for new jobs.

However, whether it’s peri menopause or some sort of burn out from the above, I now feel absolutely terrified and overwhelmed by the thought of applying for a job with a high level of responsibility. It’s as if even the idea of work stress is stressing me out! I have three postgraduate qualifications and am professionally qualified within two fields but I just feel that I can’t cope with the stress or the worry of having to abandon a caseload of clients if something went wrong with my DC again.

The only jobs I feel even slightly drawn to are really badly paid jobs in social care. However, I am really struggling with feelings of professional failure and associated low self esteem linked to taking a minimum wage job. I feel simultaneously furious with society for undervaluing these jobs and also annoyed with myself for feeling this way about applying for these roles myself.

Has anyone made their peace with leaving their profession for a much lower paid job or got any advice?

Tia x

Oh and also I’m such a better Mum when I’m not working. Seriously I’m like a different person, can respond to my DC so better.

@WhatNowBernadette just read your final post about financial security. That is also my position.

Though the other big ‘niggle’ I have about giving up my career is that it gives me financial security and independence, which I believe in very strongly.

I forgot to say in my very long post that I do enjoy doing my three part-time jobs (museum - it's interesting; cleaning - exercise and satisfaction of a job well done; farm - interacting with toddlers).

With regard to being overqualified, I did not find that held me back in any of my applications. The museum/library role, all staff are overqualified (that's common with local government jobs I think) so it was not a barrier at all, and for the cleaning and play farm jobs, I already had the museum job, so I think they were judging my CV on that as the 'baseline'. In interviews, when they asked about my previous career, I explained that my previous job had changed post-covid, and that I was fortunate enough to be in a financial position to seek work that I believed would give me the most job satisfaction, and I would enjoy. They seemed to buy that!

@Maverickess

I have never had a professional level job and the responsibility that brings, so I can't really compare in terms of stress, but, social care (especially at the moment) is stressful, though probably in a different way to you're used to. It can of course be very rewarding but for me that's just the 'core' of the job iyswim? The other pressures of the expected free work, to constantly be available, impossible work load (which you're very aware affects the people you look after perhaps more than it affects yourself), poor training (but high level of standards expected) and the almost stigma of the status of the job eat away at your self esteem and undermine confidence, especially if you do really care, and you do take it home with you too, in the form of phonecalls and texts about covering shifts and thinking about incidents/worrying about certain people or things that have happened during the shift. If you're already feeling burned out and like a low paid job in care would be you failing personally, then having it directed at you every day by the lack of respect you're treated with in SC through wages, conditions and attitudes won't help I don't think.

Well that sorted me out!

Good points.

Time for me to put my big girl pants on and crack on.

It took some time to come to peace with it as it was partly driven by DH having an inflexible job with long hours and there being few opportunities he could transfer to.

I'm in the charity sector. I don't earn much and my professional and postgraduate qualifications were not a requirement but they do help me perform well. It's a good job with nice people, I get a lot of satisfaction from it, the commute is 20mins and I don't work weekends.

I don't think you should feel negative about shifting your priorities when you have placed your unwell children at the front! With your background could you move into non-executive roles? Part-time, good remuneration for the hours and still using the grey matter?

As someone also dealing with young adults/teenagers with "issues", I really feel for you. It's incredibly difficult and I feel very much that I simply exist at the moment.

Maybe you could apply for these jobs and see how you feel in 6 months time? You don't need to make one "big" decision right now. Maybe you don't need to have an aim or purpose, but just something to fill your time while you heal mentally? I've had a number of different jobs/careers and they were all right at the time, rather than necessarily being either the end of the line or even stepping stones. And it sounds as though you do have options if you change your mind in the future

I went to Uni as a mature student & got myself the business studies degree then studied further in a specialist area for post grad/professional studies. Then thought haha I had the job of my dreams & all my studies (read loan fees) were worth it.

I underestimated the constant-ness (not a real word I know) of battling budget targets, performance ratings, client work into the office late but needed last week!! & the realisation that this area wasnt a passion of mine but more of just a job. Mind you I did work in this field for about 17 years. :)

I had a significant Big 0 birthday, changed jobs (though this was a frying pan into the fire for me there), quit again, then travelled overseas for a few months & gave myself some time to think.

I now work in a local supermarket, I have little or no stress, other than the hard physical work the job entails. But certainly no sleepless nights or working from home to make up time & achieve the ever moving targets.

I work part time days now too to suit me & my family/interests.
Im fortunate to be able to do this as my husband is still working; Im due to retire mid-year next year & will. I have many things on my to-do list & work is a means to do that rather than it being about my life is to just go to work - IMHO

My first professional qualification was rendered useless: partly damaged by technology but mostly impacted by the trends of our times, in favour of privatisation over public sector, private control over public ownership, making working people work more and more for less and less.

I retrained in primary teaching but it was made very clear to me in training that what I could do was of entirely indifferent importance compared to being of the right social fit. As a female from no background I faced huge disadvantage compared to the rich middle class child of a teacher who has teacher friends rooting for them everywhere, men who get a free pass anyway, and being older with kids is now considered almost a crime in the system dedicated to educating kids. Misogyny is rife in education from the teachers as well as the kids. I have just seen goalposts move again too - you now need to complete 2 years induction instead of 1, for a job that when I was a kid was done by intelligent people with a-levels. That makes the social fit even more important, as mentors who don’t feel that you are flattering them enough can destroy everything on pretexts.

I don’t believe that work leads to rewards any more, and for the huge amounts of work required I want rather more certainty than it offers, so I will just scrape by on what is definitely achievable thanks.