Can I ask you about your career path?

[Tailypo]

For no reason other than interest (and extreme nosiness ), AIBU to ask you all about your career paths?

Would you mind just providing a bit of info about your first steps into work after secondary school or university, and your career from then on please?

I'm stuck in a bit of a careers rut right now ( :( ) and would love to feel inspired :)

I'd love to keep my options as open as possible, so I'm really interested in my next career move as well as in what I could be (potentially!) involved in later on in a career too.

Thanks!

After uni I worked in the city in a finance role for many years. Took a few years out to be a SAHM. Decided I wanted to try something different and now I lecture finance students. Love it!

I passed all my GCSEs and A Levels, average grades. While I was in college I volunteered one day each week for an advice charity, and then managed to get a temporary admin post there. I applied to university but planned to take a year out, but when I was offered a full time adviser post I decided that was more sensible and never did a degree. I later moved into a specialist adviser post and did that for years. Funding cuts changed my role quite a lot, and I decided to leave.

I didn't know what I wanted to do, so just browsed job websites without any keywords to see what was out there. I saw an advert for a cataloguer in an auction house, thought it sounded interesting and as soon as I walked into the building I knew I had to get the job, and I did. I've worked there ever since, moving from cataloguer to a valuer with a particular specialism and then auctioneer. I picked up everything while working, but have taken a technical qualification and am about to start a relevant MA.

Left school at 18, worked in Superdrug & a cafe till I was 19, started beauty therapy at college, managed to finish my first year whiles pregnant at 20. Then went onto finish 4 more years, worked in a salon from my third year. Finically always been really well off as I have savings from parents/grandparents. Opened my own salon in December never looked back.

Mine is a 10 year story this year. Good GCSE grades but didn't do A Levels as was offered job in call centre that meant I could move in with my then boyfriend at 16 biggest life regret that I pretend never happened for people who've met me since. Inevitably that went tits up. Got admin job in city that meant I could afford a small flat on my own at 18, met new boyfriend and fell pregnant. Had DD at just turned 19. Took local admin job in HR at local hospital a year later, then applied for a higher banded position which I got. Completed CIPD level 3 in evenings at local FE college and left perm job for a promotion but temp contract when I finished. Temp contract ended so I moved to another and started Access to Management course before doing CIPD level 7. Got perm job as HR Manager 2 years ago and currently studying an LLM in employment law. I'm on maternity leave waiting for DD2 to arrive ('new boyfriend' is now my DH who has worked just as hard over the last decade although not an academic route ). It's been bloody hard work and cost about £11k in fees but we're reaping the rewards now as a family.

Bump :)

I did well at school, went to uni to study Physics. Had to leave during my second year due to ex-husband though. 🙄

Then got a job as a medical laboratory assistant in a pathology lab in a hospital. Moved around the country a bit, but always managed to find the same job, just different departments (either clinical chemistry or histology). It was ok - interesting parts, but low-paid and fairly monotonous most of the time. Plus working for the NHS was pretty awful.

Last year, finally got rid of ex-husband, moved, and needed a new job. Somehow landed the job I'm in now - job title is laboratory technician, but I do a lot more than that. I now work for an engineering company, testing and developing new materials and processes for our specific industry, and I absolutely love it. The combination of extensive lab experience (it's a new industry, & a new lab; we're still developing tests and procedures) and a vague Physics background seem to work well here.

Bumping :) thanks again everyone for all of your posts!

I left school after A Levels because my boyfriend at the time didn't want me to go off to uni, and like a twat I turned my place down.

I had a summer job where i met DH for the very first time but didn't really notice him, I was also with my ex so not looking for anyone. I finished work there and started temping, and was sacked from my first temp job for not filing quickly enough . I got another job quite quickly and was only out of work for one day, I started work at the local uni in the library at 18 and stayed there until I was 23, having in that time finished with the ex, met DH again and got together with him, had DS and got married.

At 23 I went for a better paid job as a clerk at the council earning £14k and stayed there for 2 years (the worst 2 years of my life). I had to leave because it was so bitchy so I applied to work as an NVQ centre manager for a charity, got the job and stayed there for 4 years. I was on £12k when I left there, but had seen a great job advertised in a government agency that was relocating out of London and was double the salary I was on at that time. I went for it and got it against all expectations, and went in at the lowest grade as a project support officer.

Over the course of the following 3 years I was promoted twice and the coalition government closed down the agency I worked for, and I transferred into the core department. I have been promoted again and am now a manager in a civil service department, responsible for a small team and some very complex project work. I am seeking promotion again and am quite likely to get it in the next 6 months.

I'm an inveterate lifelong learner and since leaving school have gained qualifications at night school and at work in teaching adults, stewarding, business and administration, team leading, a Level 5 Management Diploma, employment law and loads of soft skills. I don't feel that I have been hampered by not having a degree, but do sort of regret passing up the chance of going for free when I had the opportunity.

I was quite academic at school, and my parents always made it clear that they expected me to go to university. In the end, I applied to Oxford partly because my maths teacher told me I wouldn't get in and got a place to read chemistry. After finals, I did my Part II project in molecular biology and went on to do a PhD in biochemistry at Imperial College followed useless boyfriend to London.

My first real job was as a PostDoc in Cambridge. In a brand new lab - so I spent the first 6 months buying equipment rather than actually getting on with lab work. I had DD at this point in time I'd got rid of useless boyfriend and acquired DH during my PhD. I went back to work afterwards, but realised that academia wasn't really for me.

I didn't go back after my second maternity leave. Instead I got a temporary job as a lab tech doing cell biology something I had no experience in. My contract was extended twice, then after 18m I was given a permanent job.

I quite enjoyed R&D in industry. However, I wasn't very happy where I ended up after a reorganisation. So I applied for an internal vacancy. I was offered the job, and my company paid for me to re-train as a patent attorney.

It turns out that I'm a much better patent attorney than research scientist. This is fortunate, as being a patent attorney pays much more too. So I think I'm finally following the career I'm supposed to have. I really love my job.

Thanks everyone! :) This is so interesting.

Tailypo, thanks for the translation re accountancy (big 4 / ACA etc...) ... :)

FWIW: 'career path' - I spent several years as a live in nanny to a rich banker lady's 2 children to finance my studies - A levels, then HNC, then degree and lastly Masters, have just finished my Part 3 RIBA to qualify as an architect (after 11 years slogging).

Just gotten my MA in Eng Lit - I've been a manager at a bar for 3 years ( got a 1st in UG and PG at a top 10) and now am currently unemployed ... rejected for everything I've tried for ( if needed to I would go Min Wage again but am aiming higher rn and not claiming any benefits) One interview at Penguin Random House , rejected from CV at everything else. Honestly my confidence is crushed.

Oh and I've worked since 13 - 13 GCSEs, 3 A levels, level 5 diploma in nutrition, level 2 in BSL, 3 culinary quals, accounts assistant experience... nada

Politician

PPE degree

I despise it now I'm in it

16- worked in cafe
17 - worked in kitchen off learning disabilities home and quickly moved to care side, loved it.
18 - mental health nurse training
21- worked in acute mental health ward
23- worked in Canada for 4 years in addiction, eating disorders
27 - present. Service manager for one of top eating disorder in-patient unit. Lecture at uni and work for the cqc

Love every minute. Doesn't feel like a job an absolute passion

Hi Tailypo , you asked how I got started working for a charity. I applied for a job with a particular organisation and didn't get it, but I liked them and they liked me, so they called me back about a semi-volunteering position (ie. there was some money for part-time hours, but I did more hours for free). They liked the fact that I had a law degree. I obviously met people working in the area through that (I could pretend I was deliberately "networking" but frankly I hadn't a clue) so I was invited to interview for another position at the end of that, and it carried on from there.

Because charities have a long history of working with volunteers, there are often ways to get a foot in the door (although my experience is quite dated now). It doesn't need to be a full-time internship - a few hours a week over a longer period to a cause you care about is a good way to demonstrate commitment.

Thanks Biblio! :)

yourerubber Have PMed you

roar oh wow! Congratulations! :) Would you mind telling us some more about it please? (I completely understand that you would want to keep things as anonymous as possible on here though). How come you mention you despise it (if you don't mind me asking!) :( Is the work and job completely different on the inside how it looks from the outside?

University
One year in placeholder job (chef)
PGCE
Three years full-time teaching
Two years part-time/supply teaching while retraining
One year apprentice kind of job
Ten years being a student again/working part time in all kinds of jobs
Two years working in a proper grown up job
Just started a new, part-time job that I absolutely love.

Not saying what. Suspect that detail is possibly already outing...

I went to college after school and did a BTEC in performing arts. Loved it but didn't know what I wanted to do with it, couldn't really commit to spending my whole life auditioning and searching for a lucky break.

Spent a season as cabin crew, again I loved it but was tough to get a permanent contract.

Then I worked for travelex, boring but paid the bills. At this point I was engaged and quite happy working in a "mundane" job, no career as such.

Broke up with my fiancé and had a new lease of life so went to university (at 22) to study a FDA in musical theatre. Loved this but made me realise for definite it wasent what I wanted to do as a career. Began a top up year to top it up to a BA hons but hated it and dropped out after 1 term.

Had been working part time at Laura Ashley whilst at uni so gained a full time supervisors position there which was great and I was quite happy working my way up there, living in a nice city with my boyfriend (now dh) but then I fell pregnant with dd and this made me realise I wanted to move back home to be near family and that I didn't want to spend my life working for very little money as a store manager.

4 years later and I have 1 year left training as a midwife, finally I have felt that "click" that this is the career for me!

Left school with good grades, did a major in Accounting at University.

Worked for a charted accountants for a couple of years in the 80s after I graduated. Then moved into private sectors for about 15 years as an accountant.

Took a year out to concentrate on my DD (after I split with her dad) but I did some part time temping.

Went back to work full time when she started school (14 years ago), had brief spell working for chartered accountants again but hated it (so stuck up and boring) so I went back to the private sector and have stayed ever since.

I went to college and studied theatre production then went on to study hairdressing and aimed to combine the 2 and go to university and do a hair for film and theatres course.... then I got pregnant and couldn't go. Now I'm a compliance officer in the food industry and have all sorts of qualifications and am even contemplating putting myself through uni to open up options even more. Hoping to move aside into the environmental side and do some kind of environmental science degree

Hi everyone :)

Thank you so much for all of your replies so far. It's so interesting how everyone who's posted on here have had varied careers, and really inspiring to read how you can start in one career or line of work and still change several times before you find the line of work that really suits you :)

This is a bit of a thread derail - and quite outing as well!

I was just wondering if anyone has any ideas or suggestions about my particular situation please? Graduated from RG uni with Languages degree and tutored for a year before starting a teacher training course.

I started a teacher training course in summer last year, and resigned last winter. I think that a lot of how I felt was perhaps due to the management of the school that I was based in. It sounds weird to put it into words (especially considering that I wasn't at the school for very long!), but I did wonder for a while if I had something like post-traumatic stress disorder or something similar.

When I resigned, the relief of no longer working at the school was absolutely enormous, but I just couldn't bring myself to actually do anything or go anywhere for around four months or so after I resigned from the course - it was like a really deep depression.

The training scheme that I did before resigning wasn't Teach First, but was very similar and I've actually applied to the TF training scheme in the past as well. I absolutely agree 100% with the aims and ethos of TF and the place that I trained with, and think that the work that they do is fantastic. However, it can also come across as a bit culty - and it is, of course, very, very intense.

Last night, I actually wondered if it was worth reapplying to TF or the place where I originally did my training scheme (in a moment of madness!!!)

I've since realised (after quite a lot of thought) that I would really love to be involved in the policy side of education rather than the school side (being involved in making decisions and initiatives that have a positive impact on children rather than being on the 'frontline' and delivering these initiatives as a teacher, if that makes sense).

I've been looking into roles at educational charities or social enterprises connected to education (e.g. charities set up by former Teach First participants), and the organisations Year Here and City Year, which both sound really interesting.

Does anyone have any experience of either of these please, or ideas about how I might be able to get involved in the policy side of education please?

Thanks so much again!

Unlike all these high flyers I left school with cs and d's in all subjects so no chance of 6th form. Got talked into doing a secretarial course which was dull (wanted to be a welder) but got top marks in everything. Ended up working at Tesco for a few years before leaving to become a receptionist. Found out I was pregnant so left that job and became a cleaning supervisor when dd was 2months old. Met boys dad was out of work for a while and then did nights in a care home for a few years before switching to nights in a supermarket. Now I'm a part time audiotypist. So as you can see my career has never really started the highest I've ever earned is £15000 a year.

Bump :)

Look for jobs at the Department for Education. Currently recruiting for apprenticeship policy staff which is a good way in to the Department if you have an interest in that. Go onto civil service jobs and search by Department.