AIBU to ask what high-paying job DH should retrain for?

[curiosercurioser]

Just that really. DH is 43, has spent 15 years working in marketing/public relations/advertising. He wants a change and is happy to retrain, but we need the job to be high-paying, over £40k+ in London. Looking for ideas!

Thanks @Clownfish123 it's kinda how it is. I don't worry about it. Lots of dinner party talk like that.

I agree with a PP, in that he’s simply too old to get a City job without any experience (I’m speaking as an investment banker with 20yrs experience). Yes it’s wrong, yes it’s ageist, but there have been so many redundancies across the sector that the place is awash with out of work, senior, experienced people willing to work for much less than their previous roles.

Your DH will be competing with them.

What about it project manager? That is all about people and communication. I wouldnt fancy it myself, mind. Thing is, experience.

The sensible thing to do would be to work out what industry/ role he wants, get a pr type job based on his existing skill set and experience, look to move sideways or train while there.

I mean if he wants an office job.

There's things like teaching that are maybe more open to career change people. Or of course going it alone / working for a consultancy / training etc

Thing is. I've done a lot of jobs and they all come with similar shit. If he's not passionate about a fab idea or change of direction, i honestly don't think it will work. It's normal to be bored and seek change. But, without a solid idea, desire, ambition, it's a bit random. Not trying to piss on anyone's chips too much. Just being honest.

I don't think it's sexist @edwinbear it's good to hear the facts. He's not going to have the energy of a 24 grad. Are you saying there's no way into the City now, even if he takes an inhouse role in related field?

He specifically wants to work in the city?

What does he enjoy doing?
What does he dislike about his current role?

Chips unpissed upon @Fraggling. Need to hear it. Are you saying if he's just looking for well-paid job, it's a bad way to go about it. Better maybe to find an area he's more passionate about? We do need the money though.

The problem in London is that it’s so competitive . Any role has so much demand that employers can be super picky .

So I think he needs to do some soul searching about what he wants

We can’t help !!

He should be earning way more than that in that field if he has that much experience

He could try contract roles which he would find more varied and could earn £300-£500 a day

fraggling I thought a project manager had to be a details and organised person. The best project manager I worked with went down a list of items at every meeting and followed up religiously.

Thanks for explaining about actuarial sciences.

Yes they have to know what's going on and have a plan etc but most of it actually boils down to managing people, relationships. A good it pm gets everyone on board, keen. Listens to them. Keeps them engaged and delivering. Manages client expectations. It's a people role, contrary to what you might imagine.

If he does not want to work on projects but stick with a team, then business development at least in law firms, which is my sector, will require him to work closely with his practice area.

In bigger law firms, at the senior level, it will be strategic. Otherwise it is organising events and campaigns. I should think that £70K for a senior manager is not difficult to achieve. He will be on more for Head/Director of Marketing.

Which sector is he in. If he is interested in working for law firms, then could he find a law firm which has a big clientele in his sector, which he could use as a selling point to get in.

Sorry blueshoes reread my last post, i sounded rather patronising.

Agree totally re op dh. Find industry that is interesting or has role he's interested in, move with current role, move sideways. I think this is achievable in either a smaller org where you can get stuck in to things outside your area and shine, or v large companies who have frameworks for training, secondments, etc.

What does he actually want? He doesn't know, right? He just knows he's not satisfied where he is now.

How about working for a startup? Seat of the pants, exciting..

Would changing companies work? Has he moved around much? Maybe a change of scene will help, rather than chucking it all in and starting again from the bottom.

Quantity surveyor or Commercial Manager

They are some of the highest paid jobs in construction

Closely followed by Estimators

Air Traffic Controller.

Could you look ar increasing your salary too to take the pressure off?

The suggestions of highly skilled roles like actuary or lawyer won't work, forget them. Too much learning, will take too long and they aren't anything like his current skills. Likewise switching industry at this stage is a bit silly, unemployment is low but there isn't that urgency in marketing. He might fall into something on financial services, but he'll struggle to deliberately get it, if that makes sense.

Is there anything he actually enjoys doing and if so what is that? Can he specialise in event management / training / presenting or something else that uses his communication skills without the "someone else talking" issue he has? Would he enjoy sales? What about design work, has he done the artistic side of advertising?

Regarding recruiters, yes of course call them up. Check who his peers are connected with on linkedin and contact them first, if he can get an intro from a senior colleague then even better. A move side-stepping into something similar but for whatever reason fresher might be all he needs. He needs to be clear about what he's saying though and call a less prominent one first so that if he fucks up the chat with silly comments about his last role he hasn't blown his best option.

40-60 is fairly average in banking. I would start there.

One possibility for the city might be investor relations, assuming he goes to a company that has a team rather than just one IR person so he can learn on the job. You do need to be reasonably numerate though and thick skinned.

Has he thought about Internal Comms? I also fell out of love with working in comms generally and found staff communications much more interesting. Well paid and increasingly sought after too.

Don't join The NHS, I spent 3 years at University to get 26K a year, then find bus drivers get paid more than Paramedics!

Investment banking. Top law firm (a few pay well above that to trainees).

OP 60k is a good salary he'd be a fool to give up at his age. Unless you're going to tell us you're a high flyer earning much more (unlikely given you've said your family needs money) why don't you muck in?

It's all very well asking about a a well paid job, but you have to really like it yo be good at it. Only your husband will know that.
Most 150k + jobs are specialised, so he would have to make his mark in whatever he chooses.

£40k would be low for London PR jobs if he has 15 years experience.

What a load of cobblers. PR jobs cross a vast range of industries, with corporate comms roles paying quite a bit more than PR roles in the creative sphere for example.

Also, these threads always attract cringeworthy comments like “40k is nothing in London”. Do any of you making these silly claims actually live in London? I highly doubt it because what you are saying is so wide of the mark.