To ask you all to suggest career ideas to me?

[suggestacareer]

I know not really AIBU, but I could do with some help! I don't have a large RL circle of people to go to. I have also NC'd so I can give a bit more information.

I am early 30's, lone parent to as DS who is 14 with additional needs. DS has no contact with paternal family due to abuse and I only have one parent nearby to support me with childcare (still needed due to DS's needs, but he can be alone for a short time.) I have had to be a carer for DS the past 5 years or so, but the older he gets the more aware I am of needing/wanting a career when he will hopefully be more independent in a few short years.

I have experience of around 6 years childminding, and have a Level 3 accounting qualification. I love learning, so happy too retrain completely towards a new career. I would also like to do something that has the option to go anywhere location wise, as we aren't tied to our current area and would like to move eventually. I am learning Spanish at the moment as I have lots of friends out there.

Areas I've thought about are health/social care - especially to do with mental health and learning disabilities (although assume I'd need access course and degree), some form of teaching/teaching assistant.

I still have a long time to work hopefully, and would like to do something that helps people as well as enjoying it myself! I'm not great at sitting at a desk all day, I like doing things and being on my feet.

Please throw some ideas my way! I know there are probably so many careers I hadn't thought of/heard of before, and am happy to work and train at the same time or just retrain before working.

Thank you and sorry for the long post!

Speech therapist?

You could choose to work with children, intellectual disability, adults or all kinds of caseloads! It's a mixture of communication, voice and swallowing work. One degree will qualify you to work with kids or adults so you could be fully flexible and move to any area regardless if they're looking for an adult salt or pediatric salt.

In my area, salts work Mon to Friday 8-4. You can be part time or full time and some jobs are term time only.

Very family friendly career. Not much progression though. Most people only get to band 6 which is, i think, about 37000 a year max. You'd be looking at managerial roles and not clinical beyond this.

Thank you! I hadn't thought about speech and language therapist, I'll look into that a bit more. Family friendly would be a really good plus point too.

Occupational therapy! Rates very highly for job satisfaction

If you are interested in mental health, would counselling appeal as a career? You could specialise in children/family counselling.

Thank you both! I'm not sure about counselling, I need to think longer on that, but I really like the sound of Occupational therapy. I'll have a look what I'd need to do for that.