I've no qualifications, I'm such a letdown

[whoknowsnotmeanyway]

I'm 45, mother of 3 lovely boys. I've always worked in basic dead end jobs, always been content with life. Partner has a good job but I just feel I am such a complete let down. Nobody else I speak to is like
Me with zero qualifications. My GCSEs were all D's and after school I just worked in a shop so I've no work experience in a particular field that would take me anywhere. None of that mattered at the time except now I feel I'm really stuck with no options. Every course I look at needs GCSES and I'm so scared to even try to pay to resit them incase I can't do it anymore. I'm disgusted at myself.

Tell me your happy endings please...

Maths and English gcse are free via a fe college, adult ed provider or some online courses with government funding. Most students will be people exactly like you.

Go talk to someone at a college. They’ll go through your options.

You know you could do an apprenticeship too.

Build up your confidence first - something you’ll enjoy. What sort of thing would you like to do?

I know someone who just did this. Would be the least likely person I know to do it. More interested in slumping in front of the football with a beer. He passed it fine. He had no enthusiasm for it whatsoever and only did it because he had to. He had ten years on you!

My point being, deep breath and sign up for maths and English GCSE adult ed. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll have them. And then it’s onwards and upwards. You’re 45 not not 75! Crack on !

I didn't even turn up to do my exams so come away with nothing. I never got any fancy job (fast food, a discount shop etc) but have been at the same company for 10 years now and have got 'higher up' it that's what they call it. You don't always need all the qualifications. I'm sure there's something out there.

I never even thought of an apprenticeship, what do they entail? I think I would like to be a classroom assistant in a primary school. I think I would enjoy that

Honestly I wish ni could have a word with my 16 year old self- I'd say don't be such a knob!

OP, please, please take a look through the Mature Study and Retraining board, here

www.mumsnet.com/talk/mature_students

You’ll find people who’ve gone from access course to postgraduate study - years or decades after leaving school. It’s completely do-able.

And I really would suggest you ask for advice from your local college. They should be able to guide you to the right courses.

Most administration support jobs will have a requirement for GCSE Maths and English otherwise you get sifted. If you could do the work and pass these, there are plenty of opportunities for you

I have had staff start at the bottom level and with hard work and enthusiasm have rapidly progressed. One of mine started with some real challenges due to a poor employment record and I gave them a chance as I could see through some of what had occurred. That person has progressed rapidly from a temp to permanent contract and promoted last year including leaping a grade. Next year I think they will be ready to move up again. I have another one starting next month who I hope will progress and develop.

There are opportunities but you need to get over the minimum GCSE threshold

You’re not a let down, you’ve brought up 3 lovely boys! So start with what you think you might fancy doing and start looking up how you get there. Need GCSEs? Find the free courses and go do them! Go do a bit of volunteering to build up your confidence. Look at access courses or apprenticeships. Online courses if needs be but I always find the classroom with others way better. And 45 is nothing! I know someone who’s just got her first office job at 60!

If it’s teaching assistant then you will need maths and English. But how about starting with functional skills? Less content and more achievable.

Try here for info and apprenticeship opportunities

www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/apprentices/browse-apprenticeships

If it requires maths and English then definitely go speak to a college/adult ed provider.

Adult education services with your local council will offer english and maths gcse’s for free if you didn’t achieve them.
There are also funds available to assist with other courses if they are to help you gain employment/ improve your employment potential 🙂

you can do it

I have a degree, post grad stuff and did functional skills maths when older than you! I needed it for job applying for (TA as it happens) and higher stuff not relevant... (failed maths at 16). Free as well. Another TA I know got job but had to do Maths and English in own time. She did through local college and also free. She did gcse.
Good luck. Never too late!

Hi @whoknowsnotmeanyway
Not read the other replies but I started an open universe degree five years ago with no qualifications. I’m on my final level 3 with two years to go when I will have a BSc degree.

All such great advice. I'll start looking into things. I suppose 45 isn't the worst age to start then lol

im 44 by the way.

Definitely isn’t too late. I did my GCSE biology at evening college at 47 because I didn’t have a science. The class was full of people my age doing maths, English and biology. Go for it!

You’ll need to do Maths and English tests if you want to work in a classroom, or do most things, but it’s not always GCSE level. Think about what you want to learn about and go to college. You could start with a level 2 in a child related thing, or anything else that inspires you.

I too would love to go back and tell my young teenage self to stop being a knob, or at least do the school work alongside being a knob, but there are plenty of options out there for you if you want them.

You can do this, the way retirement age is going you have decades left so crack on. Have a look at what is out there. My local RG uni has a mature student department to support older people returning to education. Look at your local colleges and your uni, cast your net wide, see what courses are on offer and where that could lead. You are not a let down, there are lots of reasons people don't have many GCSEs.

I don't have any GCSEs, but in my early 40s did a free Microsoft suite course to update my skills and was hired almost immediately by a small company, this led to me learning a much broader range of skills and I'm looking to join a bigger company with better pay and prospects.

Like you I underestimated myself, but have now pleasantly surprised myself. You've got this!

Iv applied for my PGCE with QTS. I never passed my maths or science GCSE’s however I have a undergrad degree and a masters - however completly pointless now as the industry is far to saturated so can’t even get an interview. Had two children and currently in my second year of mental health nursing . To change to my PGCE which I have been offered a place I need to sit a maths and science equivalency test. The course work to prepare is a few hundred quid - once paid for both will be around £700 however , means I can do my PGCE.

I am 35 and feel like I have waisted 15 years on my degree and still feel like I have no purpose.

its never to late to change careers and find something you love and want to do.

You will be absolutely brilliant! Think of it the other way round-loads of 16 year olds pass maths and English when they have all their boyfriend/girlfriend/cool kids drama going on and they don’t really think about it. You are doing it for you, you will definitely pass. You have a good adult head on your shoulders and a strong work ethic if you have managed to bring up three lovely boys. Don’t be disheartened if some of the course content is tough, it is meant to be, but you can still pass it, even if some bits of the syllabus are tricky.

Level 2 Functional Skills are equivalent to GCSE - some people find FS easier than GCSE. You can start with Level 1 FS and move to L2 when you’re ready. Another option is to study a course in something you’re interested in - maybe related to childcare if you want to be a TA. Your local FE college will have NCFE or similar courses that you can do for free and are distance learning - that might help build your confidence and they’re also equivalent to GCSEs.

Retrained at 50. Now in my dream job.

@Wallywobbles can I ask how you went about rereading? Ie did you have basic qualifications that enabled you to enrol
With a more complex course?

I left school before exams as I hated school from the moment I got there!

I did do evening classes but only managed to get a pass in English Language. Sadly failed biology and physics. Very sad because the physics paper was easy!

I later on did a course in Maths Aimed at people that just could not do maths (a mixture of fear and laziness in me). It did help my confidence.

Maybe try to do something like an access course (preparing you for study). Ask at your local education place.

You are not a let down. You've held what was a keyworker job in lockdown. You'll no doubt in have the skills of good customer service (some of whom can be very difficult and rude), be able to work under pressure, be aware of good presentation in terms of the store, able to support colleagues. Don't know if you have any online training, but ours is really hard to pass as there'sso much to that in, 60% of us have to do again.

Talk to a colleague to double check what your options are.