Miserable after graduating, please help.

[DizzyDumies]

I'm approaching 30. Decided to go to uni after working minimum wage jobs since leaving school to study to be a teacher.
I enjoyed my training, and have managed to land a job teaching EYFS (reception) to start next week. At first I was really excited, but now I've got this all-consuming feeling of dread that I have chosen the wrong career, and that I'm going to be miserable and trapped because I've got an education degree.

I don't know if it's the fact I'm nervous about starting next week, that I'm almost 30, all of the negativity around teaching I'm seeing or if I'm having real regrets about my choice of degree and future prospects.

Please help me rationalise this, it's really upsetting my DP too because he can see how down I am. It's adding to my pressure also that I will HAVE to enjoy my job, because DP has sacrificed so much to support me going to uni.

What else can I work as with an education degree if this all goes wrong? I feel I need a back up plan to keep me sane.

Please advise. Thanks you lovely lot.

OP, I’m sorry you feel this way. I can tell you, I’m nearing 40 and I’m still waiting to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. In the meantime, I have a rewarding and challenging career that I never quite imagined, but which makes me very happy.

Go and do the job you’ve got and if you hate it, and need to change it, you can. Good luck!

You can use an educational degree to do youth work, pastoral/management in primary and secondary schools, Child First Hubs/safeguarding posts -the list is very long. You really haven't wasted your time and the dread is probably just nerves, but hope the above helps as a back up plan.

What else can I work as with an education degree if this all goes wrong?

I doubt it will, but ‘if it all goes wrong’ it will more than likely be down to being in the wrong school and not because you’re in the wrong job. So if it all goes tits up, find somewhere new. Your teaching career won’t be over.

Really though, I think you’ve just got the jitters about your new job which is perfectly normal. You’ve worked hard for this and you deserve to enjoy it and look forward to it - it’s normal to be nervous but please take the pressure off yourself and move forward with an open mind.

I’m also 30 next year - I’m quite looking forward to it. I think the 20s are overrated

If you enjoyed your training, you'll probably enjoy doing the job. But also, it's a job. It's okay not to enjoy every second of it, even if there were sacrifices to get there. Presumably it's also paying a bit more than minimum wage, and there will be other benefits around holiday time and childcare and so on.

And if you don't want to stay in teaching forever, it could directly lead to work in educational publishing, OFSTED inspecting, and all kinds of other children/youthwork services.

There are various education-related charities which require teaching qualifications, and/or non-educational charities which need teaching expertise (e.g. taking groups of kids around somewhere, leading school sessions at a nature place etc). Seem like quite nice jobs!

I know a couple of ex-teachers working as project managers in different industries. Most skills you learn on the job will be transferable to another role in education or another industry.

Deep breath OP! You've gone from not starting it yet to hating it so much that any related work is a complete waste of your training! You have to give any job 12 months to see what it's really like once you've bedded in usually, so you dont have to make any major decisions straight away

I trained as a teacher, but my main career was in the civil service. Same with DH. Lots of our colleagues were ex teachers. There are plenty of options for you if teaching doesn't work out, but give yourself a chance to make a success of it first. Good luck!

Thank you all so much for the supportive comments. I think my mind is just working overtime because I'm anxious, and I feel pressured starting a career I've worked so hard to get into. I'm going to go into it thinking as positively as I can, and see what happens.
I really needed to hear all of your comments. I'm the only member of my family who has ever been to uni, so it's reassuring to know that my degree will be transferable. I would hate to have to go back to working a minimum wage after studying so hard, and I think part of that fear is also fuellig my worry.