To worry I'm going to be stuck in a dead end minimum wage job forever

[jemenfiche]

Retraining is definitely not an option.

I have a degree but for a myriad of reasons can't really use it for anything purposeful.

Am in a minimum wage job. I never used to mind but recently things have changed at the company I work for and now it's just awful and I've been in tears most days this week

I really need inspiration for something else I can do before I go crazy

I wish I was choosing my coffin!

Have you spoken to your GP about this? Thats not a healthy state of mind talking.

you're right, I have nowhere to go.

Nope, not what I said at all. Try again.

No. I know it wasn't what you said, sorry. It was my own conclusion which was pretty much where my mind was on starting the thread. I did actually see my GP a couple of weeks ago but to be honest I hate medication at the best of times, I am hopeless at remembering to take it and bizarrely was prescribed something for heart attacks which isn't quite what I had in mind!

Ok so medication is not how you're going to pull yourself out of this depression. Are you getting enough exercise/sleep/healthy diet? Would you see a counsellor? Do you do any hobbies? Something you find fulfilling outside of work? Volunteering? There is never only one way to fix a problem. But you need to be willing to look for and try alternatives and not write them all off. Otherwise, youre choosing to stay as you are.

I'm with you OP. Only managed a 2:2 (partly due to ill health in final year, partly due to my own staggering ineptitude during my second year) and I've been stuck in retail for years. Now I'm going on maternity leave soon, I don't plan on ever going back: even if I'm only temping afterwards, it's got to be less soul-destroying and will hopefully lead to something permanent eventually. Maybe you could do something similar?

I hope it all works out for you, I definitely get how you're feeling. That sneaking feeling that your life has been wasted can be crushing at times but it needn't be permanent!

Yes, it is that sense of a wasted life.

I'm hardly a career woman, but don't have a family to immerse myself in (not saying that's what you have done, by the way - just that I have nothing really to be pleased with and proud of, I suppose.)

I am choosing to stay as I am, but only because I am a bit useless really. Sorry - didn't mean to waste anyone's time, just sounding off a bit and wondered if there was anything obvious I'd overlooked. Weird, really, how you can do the right things and still end up with nothing, I guess that's life though.

Weird, really, how you can do the right things and still end up with nothing, I guess that's life though

There are millions who wish they had your idea of nothing. A 2:1 and a full time paying job. I hope you find the kick up the arse you need OP.

Yeah well the 2:1 is useless and believe me, if you turned up to the interview and didn't have a criminal record, you could have my job. I don't really need a kick up the arse. Gun to the head might be of more use.

Why did you post? You dont want any suggestions or inspiration as stated in your OP.

No, I thought I might have missed something. It's not a personal insult to you that I'm rubbish. Don't take it as such.

Rant, moan and offload as much as you like.

When you've got it out of your system, it will be replaced by a small feeling of hope. There's always hope.

And when you feel that, you can reread this thread and there may be something you can take from it that might be worth trying.

But I get it, I understand that when you're down in the absolute depths of it all, other people's positivity, however right or well meaning, can actually be quite grating!!

If you have been a teacher and can't go back to it I'm guessing you burnt out a bit and that has hit your confidence? And being in a NMW job where the clients treat you badly will not have helped. So maybe to start just try and get into a job that isn't going to reinforce all those bad feelings - office work in a decent office for example, maybe use a temp agency to get broad exposure to different places and don't let them keep you too long in an office that isn't nice (I admit I'm not sure if temp agencies work this way anymore though).

Then, once you're not in a position where your self esteem isn't being knocked into the ground every day think about what you're good at (if I'm wrong about the lack of confidence, skip straight to this step!). Are you organized? Good at talking to a crowd? Writing? Building relationships? Handling figures?

If you really want to get out of what you're doing now, and the new Masters funding won't help you at all, think about the bits of your current or previous roles that you enjoyed and felt like you were really competent at and then look to doing some of that on the side as a consultant while you're working full time. You should be able to frame your teaching experience as providing you with a good background in public speaking, relationship building, meeting people's expectations etc.

It may be that you need to start by volunteering - project manage an event for example or become a volunteer fund raiser. Ask around your friends, family, ex-colleagues, alumni network etc. to see whether they know of people who might need whatever it is you want to do. Once you have a bit of experience start applying for jobs (unless you like the consulting - in which case build that up and resign from the NMW job). It will probably take a bit of time, but it will be moving forward instead of treading water.

It's not a personal insult to you that I'm rubbish

Stop with the 'woe is me' 'im a useless person' shit. It wont solve your problems. It just keeps you right there in them. Like I said, plenty would love to be in your position. You have a brain in your head and a body you can move. Use them. If you waste them then thats down to nothing other than you making the decision to do that.

Sometimes you just need to make a leap into unknown for retraining. I gave up lucrative but dull career to retrain in law. Sadly didn't work out as ended up full time carer for a relative but I was better off as a student (no council tax for one!) than I am as a carer getting £60ish per week. Life is too short to always play it safe. If you're already earning a pittance retraining won't be that hard & something like teacher training or (if in Scotland) nursing can get you a reasonable bursary

Actually on a low wage, with no caring responsibilities, can't you just do what you would like?

That's not really helpful, Jackie. Just because you perceive that there are other who people would consider the OP's position to be fortunate, doesn't mean that her feelings are not valid.

And when someone is trapped in that negative downward thinking, they need time to come out of it. It's a cycle, it will happen, but you can't force the process. All you can do is put the advice there so that when they are ready to receive it, it's already there.

Might be useful:
www.gov.uk/funding-for-postgraduate-study

Where in the UK are you?

Have a look through the entry level or trainee roles on Indeed for some inspiration?: www.indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=entry+level&l= www.indeed.co.uk/jobs?q=trainee&l=
Positions may still be minimum wage, or just slightly over but they'll have some paths for progression.

There's lots of free online courses at the likes of www.edx.org/ and www.coursera.org/ which may help you find something you're interested in.

What about a post graduate diploma in healthcare? So nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, diagnostic imaging, you can even do a masters in therapeutic radiography and treat people with cancer. You would be eligible for student funding despite having a first degree as the HCP degrees are exempt. You could even get a job as a nursing assistant to test it out before? It pays better than NMW too!

Don't despair, I'm 30 and have only just qualified as a nurse, so late to this career game too. The world is your oyster. You have no commitments right now. Look for the opportunities and take them X

Thank you. Fruit I've looked into that but I can't. The student funding is only partly covered by the course fees and there's still the problem of actually living while I do it! It's a possibility for the future but I need to save enough money for 2 years, for the course I'm interested in.

Ava why do you think I can do as I like? :) At the moment I'd LIKE to never leave the house again.

Jackie I get you're trying to be helpful and perhaps I am being woe is me, but there's also truth there and I really can't retrain right now. Maybe in the future yes but not now. So I am stuck. And it's not always easy to get another job, even badly paid ones, without relevant experience and I'm sure despite having relevant experience I was knocked back for a position due to being over qualified. (Not that they bothered to let me know.)

Do you have depression op? Do you think you might? Part of be wants to give your head a big wobble and show you what a good position you are in, but another part of me is worried about your state of mind. (I have had terrible depression in the past)

Anyway, please don't ignore my tip about entry level public sector jobs. We are not put off by "over qualified" and are keen to train up willing and able staff

For what it's worth - I had a career break due to illness. I'm a qualified solicitor with 2 first class degrees but had no trouble finding entry level jobs. It's about how you present yourself. Think about the layout of your cv, for instance. Give the degree less emphasis and instead focus on all your transferable skills - customer service, communication etc etc.

You sound like you need some further help with your mental health.

You state that all minimum wage employers in your current field are as bad as this one: that seems unlikely to be true.

You have a degree, teaching experience and no DC (to limit travel, hours etc) so could do lots of things once your MH is better.

My mental health is fine, but it really isn't as straightforward or as easy as you make it sound. I may have qualifications but they count for very little without recent and relevant experience.

Op I've been in a similar place feeling trapped, too afraid to retrain or apply for anything else. I did go to my GP and she was really supportive. I had been putting my feelings purely down to having a crap job, but that was masking my anxiety and crippling low self esteem which has held me back for years. The GP signed me off for two weeks, prescribed ADs (which I was skeptical about) and sorted out CBT for me. I cannot tell you how valuable that support was. The space from work gave me time to rewrite my CV and start to look at other jobs, the ADs took two weeks to kick in but they helped me regain my resilience and energy and the CBT helped me finally start to believe in myself. I have worked in SEN teaching for 8 years and I'm just about to embark on a new role working in an advisory capacity for a charity. I love my work and I'm so glad I opened up to my doctor. It isn't easy but you have to give yourself a chance. Good luck .

throwing I've been applying for entry level public sector jobs and keep being rejected. Unfortunately it's an employer's market.

part of it is learning how to apply. I would recommend getting current public sector employees to look over your cv/application forms as there can be quite strict filtering of which make it through to interview

Happy to help by looking over any if you would like me to then PM me

I already have my applications looked over by people in the sectors. I'm not even getting to interview stage when I meet all criteria in the person spec. There are just so many people applying for every job. That's very kind of you to offer