What job can I do instead? Devastated

[treetea]

I have been working towards a midwifery degree since 2019 and I now cannot continue due to a health issue that doesn't affect me day-to-day, but that they feel makes me unsafe to practice.

It is my dream, I have never wanted to do anything else. I was going to use the degree to set up my own business.

I am now at a loss? I have a 4 year old DS and live alone with him.

I am generally quite intelligent, but not a fan of mathematics.

I'd ideally like something with high (ish) earning potential, but I'd settle for less if I loved it.

I don't want to be in healthcare anymore.

I just can't see myself starting from scratch, I'm absolutely gutted.

I agree with you. Why anyone would recommend a really low paid and unqualified job, not just for the job but as an apprenticeship is beyond me. And actually suggest that as an alternative to a dream job that’s degree qualified

I don’t even understand why you would need an apprenticeship for a job that has no formal entry requirements or special qualification in the first place, for someone who is half way through a degree, you would already meet the minimum requirements of gcses or national 5s.

wild

Infant Welfare Nurse in community, checking babies growth and mothers' welbeing.
Sleep trainer for babies and parents who have troublesome sleep patterns.
Children's Art goup leader or teacher.
A lecturer of nursing at a university.
Selling baby clothes or furniture.
Interior Designer of nurseries.
Swim Teacher for children.
Working for a drug company or a baby food manufacturer.
Cleaner.
Childcare
In home care for disabled mothers.

Indeed it's mind boggling. The pay is so poor that the only people who apply for jobs as TAs now are people with school age children so they don't need holiday childcare. There's no career in it really, unless you eventually train to be a teacher. Even the young people who'd stay as TAs for a year or two because they're interested in teacher training, are getting rarer, as the pay has comparative worsened compared to other jobs, and teacher training is so easy to get into graduates don't really need any experience. It's just not financially a realistic career, there has to be another reason people do it, like the job satisfaction. You may as well tell the OP to get a job in a supermarket, they pay more!

And apprenticeships only exist for TAs because schools get funding from the government for them. Which in many industries is just a ruse as they job could easily be done without being under the apprenticeship program. I was browsing apprenticeship adverts only recently, and there were loads in things like hospitality, i.e. an apprenticeship to be a waitress! But given schools are government funded anyway, and they certainly don't get enough funding, as long as the apprentice is not taking home less than another TA, it's a reasonable use of government money imo!

Private schools often don't employ teachers with teaching qualifications - in fact I know a couple of teachers in that system who don't even have degrees but have industry knowledge. But then if persistent absenteeism was a reason for you being deemed unfit, no school (or its colleagues) would look kindly on that.
It's difficult to advise without knowing what the being deemed unfit was for - but if it was persistent absence through illness/injury/being medically unfit (and therefore "incompetent", although that's a horrible word!) then you might struggle with any application that requires a reference.
Good luck, OP - I hope you find something.

This. I work for a university and there is no way this can have come out of the blue. We bend over backwards to keep people on courses. Unless your condition is new and so sufficiently severe that it fundamentally changes your ability to do the job, the university should have been working with you to decide on reasonable adjustments. How did it come about and was it unexpected?

You must have already done a fair amount of your degree since 2019: get those credits transferred onto a (somewhat) related course, and you'll still be on track to have a tertiary qualification.

For those suggesting teaching, it's long hours and stress for someone with a medical condition, PLUS health and social care courses often attract some of the most colourful characters in school or college ( sometimes in a good way but often just the naughties).

Occupational therapist?

Do a postgrad degree and go into the research side?

OP it is impossible to advise without more information.

What kind of business do you want to set up? Why has this only come to light now if you started in 2019? I assume you took time out? Who decided you were unfit to practice? Were reasonable adjustments in place?

The type of business is important as there may be other ways to go about it depending on what you were wanting to do. Eg if it was to deliver antenatal education, you can go through NCT.

However I don't think midwifery was ever a good choice if you want a high earning potential!

Can you transfer your credits to another course? Then all your studying will still have value and picking another course could help you find a new direction.

Something with some cross over, biological sciences, pharmacy, dental, sports science.

Speak to the university (not just from you course) and find out. There should be a careers office that can help you as well.

Good luck, it sound very hard and you must be gutted.

I'm not sure if it's still the same, but I did an Open degree with the OU in 2014 and they transferred all my credit from my previous 2 years of study at another uni pretty much without question. With the named degrees (e.g. a degree in social sciences) I would have had to have the syllabuses compared and done extra work to cover any gaps, but choosing the Open route I just did the equivalent of the third year in any subject I chose and I was done. Definitely worth giving admissions a call to see what's possible. The flexible nature of the course means you can work too.

What about training as a pharmacist - huge shortage of them in the UK at the moment.

Could you transfer to a nursing degree and become a GP practice nurse and work your way up to an advanced nurse practitioner. They are in short supply!

For those saying to finish the degree - this may not be possible. Nursing and midwifery degrees are run under the NMC and you have to be fit to practice while you undertake the practice hours during them. If the uni have said the OP wouldn't be able to practice she can't finish. You could see if they would transfer the credits but it's still a long haul. I'm so sorry - have you had proper support from uni? Maybe worth ringing the RCN for advice.

For those saying finish the degree… it doesn’t look like the OP actually allowed to! Ie the decision is not hers

and I am deemed unfit

looks like decision wasn’t OP’s

so advice continue is irrelevant

You can be a health visitor

Have you see OP's comment about maths?

You'd still need a nursing or midwifery degree and current registration for this.

Not without a nursing or midwifery qualification you can't.

Medical sales might be a career you haven’t considered. You’d need to do a course or apprenticeship to qualify. If you’re fairly sociable and like talking to people it could be ideal. You already have some medical knowledge and your written English is good.

Not all universities. Outside the fortunate professional middle class world Britain is going dark. Many universities are just interested in getting you into the courses to get the money and really don’t give a shit about your experiences. That’s how a private company operates. Nor does the mere word ‘support’ always help to deal with reality in an unequal country that is falling apart.

Op I have also had my calling taken away from me so you have my sympathy. Get in touch with the Students Union staff and a Union, if you absolutely cannot continue, see about shifting credits to another degree. Maybe speech therapy or occupational therapy?Get hold of the professional body and protest to them. It’s remarkable how some people seem to be given the earth on a plate and others are taken for mugs.

TA is no job unless you are going on to be a teacher, and apprenticeships are just a means even of turning a shit job into slavery on £5 an hour - get the job on £10 an hour if you’re going to do it.

There is no such thing as an infant welfare nurse; the title is Specialist Community Healthcare Practitioner (health visitor), and the training requires a nursing or midwifery degree and registration. I think being in a pool with babies might not be great if the OP isn't medically fit to practise midwifery.

There would be opportunities in writing for people with medical knowledge but it is a case of hustling, and it sounds that like most of us without that magical real support that only birth into wealth can give, you may need a regular job.