AIBU to retrain in my thirties - although I don’t know what to do!

[Aberforthsgoat]

Short story - my entire career has been based in an industry that is now dying.
I went freelance five years ago when it was still quite profitable but the work just isn’t there anymore and when it is, it’s not well paid.
I can pick up odd jobs and bits and pieces here and there and have supplemented it with other similar types of work but I don’t feel like it’s a long term prospect for earning a decent wage.

Only now I’m kind of stuck as I feel like I should refrain and do something more profitable... but I have no idea where to start!

To give you an idea my career is in a niche part of publishing (that’s quite loose but will give you an idea of my skill set).

I’m wondering if I should stick with what I’m doing and just try and be more creative at finding work and clients - is retraining now a silly idea?!

@slackermum1 I could and it’s kind of what I’ve been doing but although it seems like there should be a wealth of work, there actually hasn’t been unfortunately. A lot of companies now do this kind of work in-house or are increasingly moving that way - I’ve lost a fair few clients due to this.
I also don’t particularly enjoy that kind of work which sounds Brattish but if I do overhaul what I’m doing I’d like to at least hope it could be doing something I’d enjoy. Thanks for the suggestion though - it may be an avenue I look further into in an office based role if I can’t work out what else to do!

Would you consider applying for lecturing jobs in Creative Writing at Universities? You could work on a PhD part-time perhaps?

If you are going to retrain, then engineering or qualitative analyst type specialisms are in demand. Anything in media or publishing, including writing is grtting watered down and highly competitive. Although there are great ops in marketing. What about digital PR? If you are tenacious, fast at writing and link building there is demand there and you wouldnt need to formally train. Just work hard to build up experience.

I'm hoping to do something in construction but I haven't got a clue what or where to start!

Could you not go into copywriting/content writing in advertising?

I moved into fundraising to use my writing skills more.

I would look up Ikagai.

Aberforthsgoat: yes, if you’re interested 😊

If a lot of the work has moved inhouse, would you consider becoming an employee again?

You mention experience in social media management and marketing - building on this is more likely to be profitable than something writing-based. There are some good digital courses online for you to try before diving in fully - this one has been developed with Google and the Open University and is free.
learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalgarage/course/digital-marketing

It's also possible to get lots of good (though sadly unpaid) experience as many charities are always looking for digital marketing support, so you have a chance to try your hand and potentially get some material out there for if and when you want to try for a new job.

If you want a total change then there are lots of other options too - but if you fancy more of what you're doing, this could be a gentle first step!

Just be careful of social media marketing. It is likely to decline in the future leaving OP in the same boat. There is likely to be a big push on strategists or project managers who are able to manage the entire marketing suite. Better to be a generalist in this climate of rapid change.

Thanks so much for all the good advise on here, it’s really appreciated.

I actually worked in-house in a social media role so I do have experience just not so much the analytical side so perhaps that’s something I could look into fleshing out more. I don’t love SM I find it quite soul destroying but I also think I have quite limited options if I want to do something based on my current skill set so it’s not to be laughed at.

I’m going to have a good think and have a look at some of the links/ suggestions here. It’s giving me inspiration to actually start looking into it rather than just idly musing about it.

I retrained in my 30s (I had 2 small children at the time). I used to be a research scientist and now I’m a patent attorney. Best decision I ever made. I tripled my salary in the space of 9 years. Plus I’m much better at my current career than I was at my former one.

@bohbell it’s a good point, the landscape of digital media and media in general actually is constantly changing. The blogger phenomenon and rise of influencers for example has changed the face of writing, social media marketing and journalism quite a lot and I imagine that’s only going to continue as well as roles evolving as you mentioned.

Wow @hainaultvianewburypark that’s amazing. What made you decide to go into that line of work?

There was an R&D reorganisation, and I wasn’t happy with where I ended up. An internal vacancy came up in the patent group. I applied, got offered the position and never looked back. The professional exams are brutal, but they are all behind me now. I consider myself very lucky. I earn a great salary, mostly only work office hours and I really enjoy the work.

I am in my 30s and would like to retrain! But have to be working at the same time as I don’t think i’d Want to take out another loan to study...

I could have written your post, OP! I was working as a journalist in a company with shit management, told them to stick it 5 years ago and accidentally went freelance. I was busy and travelled all over the world, but realised I just couldn't make it work after I got pregnant. That and the fact I was completely out of love with the job made me rethink.

Last year I realised I had another 30 years of work ahead of me before retirement, and decided to give myself the chance to find a job that I enjoy. I've ended up retraining in another field, which shares a lot of the same skillset and I'm really enjoying it. I'm now in my late 30s and doing an internship, which is a massive headfuck in many ways, but it's a means to an end. I can't wait to get cracking in a proper job.

It's never too late to change!

Firstly - course you're not too old to retrain for anything in your 30's.

Secondly it doesn't matter what you want to do or if it's seen as a step down or "silly" idea to decide on doing what you love.
We spend too much time working for it to be doing something we neither love nor want to do. It's crucial to do what you love and wherever possible make it happen.

I'm hoping my husband will give up his full time job which pays incredibly well but is slowly making him losing the will to live. His ideal job is working the front desk at night for Premier Inn / Travel lodge or the night shifts at McDonald's drive thru. Anything that doesn't tax his brain or leave him exhausted from mental stress he would love to do and I hope he does sooner rather than later.

We're fortunate than most in not having the same financial worries or commitments and could live comfortably if he just worked two or three nights checking in guests or serving Bic Mac's.

I'm working on trying to convince him but to answer your question - no you're not too old and no it's not a daft idea and yes - do what you love

Have you looked at content design OP? Seems to be the new ‘thing’ for big corporates looking to get better at digital, so money to be made.

That said, I’m looking to retrain out of it as I’ve had 15 years of corporate life that never felt right to me! I’m mid 30s I’m trying a couple of small, short courses to find the sort of things I’d like to do.

How about corporate communication? Internal or external comms for a large organisation?

Would you comsider something cpmpletely different, and keep writing as an earner on the side? Is your degree in English/Journalism?

Now also blushing that I typed advise instead of advice. Sigh. Multitasking is not my friend today. Going to read through the new replies now, thank you.

@Likethewind321 yes I would consider something completely different. My degree is in multimedia journalism.

@dangerrabbit good suggestion thanks

@littenkitten no I haven’t thank you I will do a bit of research, sounds interesting as I’ve managed and created content in many forms

@parly lovely post, I hope your DH gives up soon too!

@mamansnet Do you mind if I ask what you retrained as?

Technical writer? In my last two jobs they've been desperate for people to write the documentation, however I have no idea how you would get trained for that.

@Aberforthsgoat I just realised an earlier post of mine has "practice" instead of "practise" which I would pick up on and possibly judge someone else for doing.

I'm a touch typist and my fingers work almost by themselves so when it's a grammatical error I've learned to just let it go. Suck it up and let it go...

Once typed up care plans and notes for a panel application hearing and realised during the hearing I typed "Tyres easily" and nearly died. Every last fibre of my being wanted to scramble over and grab the paperwork back so I could correct it but alas we had no time.