To ask for career advice- calling corporate employees!

[UserMe18]

I don't want to say too much about what I do as it's quite outing, but I am qualified to postgraduate level in quite a specific field that I'm bored of, humanities based degree. I find myself enjoying the "corporate" side of my job: line management, project management, budget & business planning etc and particularly like compliance. If I had my time again I'd retrain into law, which I may do one day as I'm only 30 but isn't very feasible right now for various reasons. I like the idea of HR but really don't want to take a step down right now so that's off the books for now. Anyone got any ideas for jobs that could tick some of the boxes above, I've wanted to do my job since uni so quite ignorant, I'm interested in things like compliance or auditing...? Any experience?

Sorry I know this is abusing AIBU but I didn't get any responses in the work section. Thanks.

I would suggest you take a role relevant to your degree in a large corporation - that will give you the option to move into other functions such as HR etc. My business will even find retraining in certain fields as part of certain roles

What are you currently paid and do you want to maintain that salary? Do you have DC? How many hours can you work and what sort of work life balance do you want?

Company secretary? Have a look at icsa courses too. I'm doing it.

I’m a business development manager in a city law firm. Decent money, I work with lawyers and have to understand their practices well, but my main focus is on planning, helping them achieve their commercial goals, guiding them to produce thought leadership projects and essentially make sure they don’t forget their practices have to be profitable

@KatnissMellark I'm only on £35k currently (one reason I want a change, public sector but a lot of responsibility) ideally I can't go under £30k due to mortgage. I work full time but have a pretty good work like balance utilising flexible working. 2 school aged children, only want to do M-F 9-5 kind of hours. Happy to train/study outside of that.

@DollyWilde that sounds interesting, how did you get into a roll like that?

I mean to say I can't go under £30k when changing, I want to ultimately earn more, £40k + I could do that on my career path but its dad man's shoes kind of work (and I'm a bit fed up of my sector, it's not all about money of course!)

*it's dead man's shoes!

Can you spend a year expanding your experience in whatever specialism it is you especially enjoy...eg volunteer to run a compliance project/do prince II in your spare time and then try for a 'sideways' move into a more corporate role in that field? That way you could maintain your salary (possibly even increase), and keep some kind of work life balance-beats going back to graduate scheme level and competing with people with no kids/willing to work 7-11.

In terms of recruitment I look for people who are able (which obviously you are!) but most importantly willing- if you'd gone out of your way to get experience in my specific field, come up with a plan to work at that for 12 months then move I'd be really impressed and willing to consider you. £35k is a pre-management salary sonit shouldn't be THAT hard to get someone to take a punt on you if you show willing. There are lots of capable people out there but there aren't many with real vision and drive to determine what they want and get it.

@userme18 I graduated without a clue what I wanted to do. Wound up doing 5 years as a PA in a law firm and doing my law conversion at evening school. Realised I didn’t want to be a lawyer! Asked around to pick up some marketing and BD projects at my existing firm and eventually made the move from PA to BD executive. I took a pay cut (£35k as a PA to £30k as a BD executive) but now earning £50k as a manager 5 years later. Check out PMForum and LegalSupportNetwork websites for some insights into working in professional services marketing of it sound of interest

@KatnissMellark thank you, yes that's potentially something I could try to second to this year if the salary is ok. I looked at a HR graduate traineeship and quickly realised it wasn't for someone with kids! I'm extremely ambitious and just feel I have potential for more but a bit trapped where I am currently.

@DollyWilde thanks I will have a look, and well done that's brilliant, love hearing about people's career paths!