Aibu to feel worried that I'm 26 and have never had a proper job?

[user1480954406]

I fell pregnant with ds during my second year of university, took a year out and then went back and graduated. Before falling pregnant I had intended to go straight on and do a masters in speech and language therapy, but oh and I decided that it would be easier in the long run (and we wanted two together) to do babies now
And start my career once the kids are at
School. I love being a stay at
Home mum but all my friends from school are really getting on with their careers and I'm starting to panic a bit that when they go to school too much time will have passed between graduating and getting a job. Oh says I'm overreacting but I'm really worried... aibu?

I saw something pop up on my twitter feed saying that if you put down PTA experience in your cv, you are 75% less likely to be hired! I don't know if that's true, or whether it's a by product of not having much else on your cv, but it seems to be the case that volunteering at playgroups /PTA is detrimental rather than positive.

PTA involvement didn't seem to affect me

Would there be an opportunity to use your youngest child's 15 hours nursery in the year before they start school to build experience? If they attend a pre-school the primary might already have a slt linked with the school who you could speak to about gaining experience.

I think an interview panel might be impressed that you've tried to gain as much experience as possible during the limited free time you had.

I also second the advice as about keeping up to date by reading academic journals etc related to the slt. During interviews (teaching) I've often been asked what I've read recently.

Fair enough purpleminion. I was just struck by it when I saw it because people are always told to do the Pta for something to put on their cv. Idid PTA but don't put it down as experience because it's an experience I'd like to forget .

Nine Accelerated courses are for graduates with a relevant degree. All require relevant SALT related experience

Don't know where you are, but presumably you'll not want a big commute

sheffield
MMedSci Clinical Communication Studies
Sheffield, University of
Yorkshire and The Humber
2 years
Accelerated
Full time

[email protected]

0114 222 2405

31 Claremont Crescent
Sheffield
S10 2TA
.....….

london
MSc Speech and Language Sciences
London, University College London
London

2 years
Accelerated
Full time

[email protected]

0207 679 4201

Chandler House
2 Wakefield Street
London
WC1N

reading
MSc Speech and Language Therapy
Reading University
South East

2 years
Accelerated
Full time

[email protected]
0118 378 5289
Earley Gate
Reading
Berkshire
RG6 6AL

newcastle
MSc Language Pathology
Newcastle University
North East
24 months
Accelerated
Full time
0191 208 3333
King George VI Building
Queen Victoria Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU

london Greenwich
PgDip Speech and Language Therapy (pre-registration)
London, University of Greenwich
South East

2 years
Accelerated
Full time
[email protected]

020 8331 9000
Medway Campus
Central Avenue
Chatham Maritime

essex
MSc Speech and Language Therapy (pre-registration)
Essex, University of
East of England

2 years
Accelerated
Full time
[email protected]

01206 872719
Wivenhoe Park
Colchester
Essex

kent
PGDip Speech and Language Therapy
Canterbury Christ Church University
South East

2 years
Accelerated
Full time

[email protected]

01227 782900

Faculty Information Office
Erasmus Building
North Holmes Road
Canterbury
Kent
CT1 1QU

london
PgDip/MSc Speech and Language Therapy
London, City University
London

2+ years
Accelerated
Full time
[email protected]

020 7040 5790

LCS Admissions
20 Bartholomew Close
London
EC1A 7QN

Manchester
MSc Speech and Language Therapy (pre-registration)
Manchester Metropolitan University
North West
2 years
Accelerated
Full time
0161 247 6969
Department of Health Professions
Brooks Building
53 Bonsall Street
Manchester
M15 6GX

PTA Experience?really...?
Running the stalls, hectoring emails to other parents, and NO NUTS in cakes directives
How is that relevant to world of work

There are changes in NHS Bursary funding,from 2107 you'll need to take out a student loan. Repay loan when you work

From 1 August 2017, new nursing, midwifery and most allied health students will no longer receive NHS bursaries. Instead, they will have access to the same student loans system as other students. This applies to new students on pre-registration courses (those which lead to registration with one of the health professional regulators).

Students who already have a degree and are planning to undertake a nursing, midwifery or allied health profession subject as a second degree will now also have access to student loans through the student loans system.

Courses affected:

Nursing (adult, child, mental health, learning and disability)
Midwifery
Dietetics
Occupational therapy
Orthoptics
Orthotics and prosthetics
Physiotherapy
Podiatry/chiropody
Radiography (diagnostic and therapeutic)
Speech and language therapy
Operating department practitioner
This change applies only to new students.

New students are defined as starting a course
for the first time on 1 August 2017 or later

Oh bless you gimmee Moore that's so sweet of you to look up! Already have looked at them a few years back before I lost my brain to paw patrol and peppa pig and my options are london city, ucl or reading as I'm on the Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire border. I think the reading one is notoriously difficult to get onto.

Love the idea of ucl- there's a neuroscience and communication course that I've been drouling over and would take if I were childless and financial commitment free and could just throw caution to the wind and put all bets on an academic no h Career

I think the pgdips are easier to get onto though.

Oh who knows.

Okay so I think I need to stop having this dramatic panic attack about how I've thrown my own hopes and dreams down the toilet for my little darlings and resolve to

find some way to gain some work experience.
Join the pta but don't put it on my cv.
Read SLT journals
Contact admissions
Volunteer at some stroke support or ld stuff
Have serious talk with oh about future in which I will pressurise him to claim me as his own and take financial responsibility of me by the holy sacrament of marriage
remember how to spell grown up words

Me either Riversleep. A lot of work, never get to enjoy any actual events as you're having to watch your own kids whilst running something or the other and a bunch of parents who are happy to criticise everything but can't possibly ever help

Job skill 1 - You can effectively listen too and sympathise with arsehole 'customers', whilst calmly ensuring their problems are solved to the best of your abilities

Ah bugger. That's new.

It's all completely achievable
Plan
Get relevant experience in SALT
Do some additional study esp life sciences
Read journals and keep up to date with contemporary SALT issues
Look at student online forums e.g. What are they discussing etc
Look into bank HCA work in NHS or care home,work evening
Your oh must change his no can do stance to support you.you supported him after all. And long term two wages us very stable
He needs to come on board he's not a solo operator you're a team, to an extent I wouldn't be asking him to agree I'd be telling him this is how it has to be

Don't go all mumsy in interviews about toddlers group etc. Instead Focus on recent study you'll have undertaken.

You have a first so outstanding undergrad degree.

Discuss SALT journals etc. If you want to Do acknowledge you have a family but have made adequate provisions that course and placement won't be interrupted

And good luck

Don't join the PTA user! To be fair, you do have to organise and chair meetings, get local businesses to sponsor events, plan and run events, deal with difficult customers
but it's not appreciated or rewarding in any way imo!

Can't see pta adding owt,use your time to prepare for masters
Vetting the cake stand is not a skill oft required in the workplace

I really disagree that establishing your career before kids is the best route.

Time and again I've seen friends discover that they established the wrong career - and that their old job really doesn't gel with their constraints and outlook post kids. They're then in the same boat as Op - starting from scratch - but much older.

Not necessarily,most women go into chosen career and make progress pre-kids. As you have the time,dont have competing family demands
I had all my dc after establishing career,as a result of which im senior and skilled
It's def given me more choice,bigger bargaining chip that I was working and senior when a parent as opposed to new starter

My mum didn't even start her first job till her mid thirties . She had babies straight from university. She trained as a nurse and has had a 25 year career she is still really passionate about. Plenty of time

If you establish the wrong career kids don't come into it, you just stuffed up.
I've completely retrained following kids and then again as a single parent. Luckily it wasn't a giant leap each time and my skills were kind of transferable and I talk a good game but that's certainly not the path of least resistance

Throwingpebbles,your mum would have trained pre-student loan now loan finance training
It's not about time,op is young,it's about getting a place on a competitive masters that op will finance via student loan
Op age isn't the hurdle. no work experience is the challenge not her age

I felt like you OP as I had my kids at 21 and 24 and spent a few years home with them. I thought I was completely unemployable.

I'm 32 now and running my own school kitchen! It fits around school life well and there is plenty of opportunity later on to progress upwards if I want to through the company I work for.

The PTA was a help for me on my CV as the chairman actually gave me a character reference which I needed to get my job now!

Just think, you're 26 and you have possibly 40 years of work life left to go! That's how I look at it! So plenty of time.

Out of the people at my DC school about 50% of mums (and some of the dads) have exited from an accountancy/law/banking/media career within five years of having kids. Ironically one of them went on to retrain as an SaLT -and found it freaking hard .

Admittedly my geographic location (Home Counties) comes into this, but kids change people a lot, and 'job for life' isn't popular any more in any case. Everyone evolves - and your perfect job aged 20 isn't necessarily going to be a happy fit when you are aged 35 with kids - however senior and powerful you are. Nothing wrong with having had a job - but it doesn't insulate you all that much from a tough career ride after kids IME.

And equally plenty folk remain in the original career they trained for.the majority?
It's not a given that having children precipitates a career rethink
Career change isn't op issue,she's not worked.her issue is getting experience and her oh supporting her career

I did a degree, stayed to do a PhD. Had dd1 during my 3rd year of research, had dd2 while writing up. Stayed at home for several years before I got my first job (other than teenage saturday jobs) age 30, and that was only part time, term time only. Then had dd3 and ds and stayed at home some more, before another part time, term time only job aged 38. Both these were fairly low paid and not exactly challenging - didn't need a degree, spent most of my time photocopying or washing up!

I finally got bored and frustrated and started a job in a totally new field as part of a graduate scheme aged 42. I am considerably older than most of my colleagues, but it's good to be thinking again :)

I think the advice above about getting relevant experience is excellent. Good luck :)

Out of the people at my DC school about 50% of mums (and some of the dads) have exited from an accountancy/law/banking/media career within five years of having kids.

A choice which was almost certainly facilitated by the financial security they'd already built up.

MargaretCavendish - or the man they married !