AIBU to even contemplate this at 38?

[fourandahalfkids]

I am in a job that I love but it pays peanuts I mean literally peanuts. I work 40 hours a week for around 12 grand a year. I have 4 children and chose to put my life on hold to raise them. I don't regret this in any way. But they are now almost 17, 16, 13 and 10. I never went to uni but got a job straight out of college to start building a home with my then fiance (now dh for 18 years), and then was at home with my children for 12 years (from when the oldest was born to when the youngest started school).
As much as I love my job (been doing it for 6 years), the progression is pretty dead end unless I undertake a degree anyway. Too be honest i have seen too much from the inside, mine is a supporting role in a profession where people are leaving in there droves because of the stress and work load involved. So it is not something that i myself would like to go into.
I am thinking of embarking on a degree to enable me to gain better prospects. I love English and was very good at it way back when and had desires to have a career in a writing capacity.
But dh doesn't have an amazingly well paid job, better than me but we couldn't survive on his salary alone. I have done some research and found out that I can study part time (around 16 hours per week) and I could work at the same time. I should get student loan assistance. Alongside my work hours I currently do a few hours voluntary work a week connected to a group I am part of. Is this too much? I can do this right?

Do it! I did an Access course at 38, went in to uni and graduated at 41. Never in my life have I ever felt such a sense of achievement (aside from giving birth). Got a 1st too and am now in a job that pays far more than my previous crappy part-time role.

My DC were 12 and 10 when I started. I can't lie and say it wasn't tough, but with support from DH, it was fine. I went to my nearest brick uni, about 40 miles away 3 days a week, then worked the other 2 days.

Ah just seen updates you are a TA.

Are you considering a complete change of career and going into an office environment?

There are lots of public sector comms and marketing jobs. Local government, the NHS, the civil service would all be a good fit with an English degree.

Don’t write off an English Degree. I know someone well who went back to university as a mature student to study BA English Language and Literature and she is currently studying for her MA whilst teaching in an FE college on two different courses, Literacy for Adults and Creative Writing. I know another person who did an English BA in her late 40s followed by a PGCE and she also teaches adults in colleges and universities.

I did an MA at 30 and went into lecturing 3 years later.

I could give up my job tomorrow and earn more at Tescos you are right. But I would have no job satisfaction at all. At least where I am I feel like i am making a difference. I work with 4 and 5 year olds and they make me smile everyday but do I want to be their teacher?...No...not in the current climate with all the hoops teachers have to jump through. I have seen first hand great teachers giving up because they can't cope with the stress anymore..
I don't want that to be me.

BasinHaircut...please don't apologise, this is what I came on here for. I need some perspective.

To those saying I am being drastically underpaid just to point out again that I only work term time and my salary is split equally over the 12 months.

Studying is a joy at any age but unless your doing a vocational degree or can afford to just study for pleasure then a generic degree is a big risk. As sad as that is plus I see your geographical location I’m assuming quite rural. Would you consider teaching?

Sorry cross post just saw you won’t consider teaching.

I did an OU degree as a single parent of two with a full time job. It was doable and great fun but has been of no practical use in finding a better job ( current job was OK just below higher tax limit at the time)

Go for it! My mum worked in call centres while raising us and went back to study midwifery when she was 36, she says it was a struggle of course but was worth it in the end. And you deserve to focus on yourself now!

Right so doing something you love is important. So you need to research what it is you want to do and then work out how to get there.

Is there any other school support staff jobs that you could progress to? Could get there with a bit of vocational training that your current employer may possibly fund?

I started an OU degree at 38. I was reasonably well paid but hated the job (loved the people) and I decided I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in that sector.

Didn't finish the qualification until I was 44. (MBA). It gave me a huge boost to my career. The actual qualification was probably secondary to the knowledge I gained and the confidence it gave me. It was expensive but offset by continuing to earn.

I more than doubled my salary by the time I'd finished and now run my own business (earning enough to pay another three people quite well!) . More importantly - I absolutely love what I do.

I'd say go for it. It does mean putting your life on hold for a few years but - sad as it may sound - studying became my hobby and my social life for the duration of the course.

I loved English too! Always wanted to be a writer, but it wasn’t to be.

That said, I don’t think I’d pursue a degree in your situation that wouldn’t practically guarantee me a better career. Vanity/hobby degrees are great if you can afford them but, from your post, it doesn’t sound like you can.

If you were going to get a degree get a degree that qualifies you in something/as something at the end of it. A generic undergrad English degree won’t open many doors or guarantee you any sort of better paid job. Without stating the obvious you need to find out what exactly you want to do and find out how you get there, it’s lovely saying you really enjoy English, literature and reading etc but what job do you actually need an English degree for? Writing and publishing is vvv hard to get into and usually takes many years to progress (a good friend of mine works in this area, she did undergrad and post grad degrees in English and still struggled to get anywhere for years, 15 years on she’s just got the job she’s been working towards after many many years living in London working for peanuts).

I still think it’s great you want to career change though, just make sure you have a good idea of what it is you want to do rather than just picking something you enjoy, you need it to lead somewhere to be worth your while.

Also if you want to do that sort of career what are the employment opportunities like in your area?
Is there an NHS trust HQ that would had a comms team, is there a decent ad/marketing agency that would be hiring copywriters, and how much do they pay, DP is job hunting at the moment and the amount who offer pay in the teens is remarkable. are there any travel agencies who would hire travel writers etc etc?

I graduated in English in 1995, aged 22. I now work in an office and earn £18k. So no megabucks for me, although I really enjoy my job. More highly paid jobs I've done in the past (40k ish plus car) were not dependent on my being a graduate. If you want to do it due to your passion for learning and love of your subject, then you definitely should but I wouldn't expect it to lead directly to a job.

Think it sounds like it is term time only pay ie 40 hours at approx 43.1 weeks,so pro rata,so not below minimum wage for those that are saying.

Do it! My mum went to university in her thirties when we were in primary school and it was the best thing she ever did. She worked in the holidays to earn some money.

Could you study at night at all? Depending on where you live, more and more universities are offering evening tuition.

I did my nursing degree at 36, you're never too old!

In your shoes, I wouldn’t just do an English degree and see where I end up. As others have said you decide where you want to go and take the course to get you there. Times have changed.

Go for it.I left school at 17, did my degree at 30(year off to have my daughter) grafuated at 34 and did a PGCE at 36 (with another baby) best thing I have ever done. I have just retired after 25 years of teaching and have never, ever regretted my decision. My children are relatively normal!

I started my degree at 36, I’ve done various things but I’m now a senior Lecturer in a university at 50 and midway through my PhD. Go for it, it develops you in so many more ways than just academic!

I’d agree with others and try and do something with a more guaranteed career path. I have an English degree and now 20 years on have a well paid job in marketing but entry level positions will be low paid, and mostly taken up by 20-somethings unfortunately.

Off the top of my head what about something like accountancy, law or company secretary qualifications

First - you are never too old! A degree is a great idea!

But - not a generic English degree. Look at what careers you would like to get into and what degrees would be most applicable. Do not just do English because you liked it at school.

I'm an academic in English and I think you should be cautious.

I know someone well who went back to university as a mature student to study BA English Language and Literature and she is currently studying for her MA whilst teaching in an FE college on two different courses, Literacy for Adults and Creative Writing.

Why is this something to aspire to?! Unless your friend is unusually lucky, this will be badly paid work.

I think English degrees give you a lot of important skills, but OP, the issue is that you need a really clear vision of what you want to do. Yes, someone who graduates with an English degree aged 21 is in a good position to do many other things, and if it's a good degree, they're often in demand. But on the whole, those 21 year olds are not dealing with a mortgage and a family!

I think whatever you end up doing, you need to strategise hard.

I think you need to think about what your new career might be and how to get there, which might not be an English degree. For example if you want to be a writer it is very unlikely to happen via an English degree and even if you did become a writer, the bad news is most writers earn very little from it (the average is less than what you currently earn) so you'd almost certainly have to do other work too.

But, if you trained in journalism, PR, or web content / SEO copywriting, that could lead to a better job, and might not involve a full degree. Or, it might even be possible to get a lower-end job in a field like this, if you have good literacy and writing skills, and work your way up.