AIBU to retrain at 30?

[goldpendant]

I posted in "work" but there not much action there I don't think!

My original post is below.... WIBU to retrain at 35?

Hi all,

I have dilly dallied over the years, wishing I had stuck to my guns at school and applied for medicine, but chickened out last minute. Sciences weren't my strongest point but I got decent grades and studied earth science instead.

I'm now 35, two young kids at school, and deeply unsatisfied with my career. I have wound up in research, albeit in science comms and engagement specifically, but I just can't shake the dream (it feels like a calling now, cliche as it sounds) of working in a health care setting. I was offered a job in a GP surgery two years ago but DH talked me down. I earn a pretty good wage in my rather niche field, I've done well and have an MSc in my area of expertise but I desperately want to fulfil this long held ambition.

It could be nursing, midwifery, paramedic science, but if they take 3 years, should I just bite the bullet and do medicine? I could do nursing part time (6 years), keep my current job (and pension), graduating to a nursing career when the kids are a bit older?

I know there will be a lot of study regardless, and shift work, and stress. I feel like I'm ready for that but DH will push back. He always says I've made my decisions and should stick, we earn well, have good pension plans, work flexibly etc etc. He's a good bit older than me, is highly skilled, and I think he thinks I'm too old to retrain. He's generally very supportive but this has been a sticking point over the years. But I've got at least 25 years of work left in me!

Any advice from anyone who has done similar would be greatly received.

I knew MN could sway me! Thanks to you all for your positive words and advice, I'll look at that grad course @CrabAppleTreeBlossom it sounds interesting but I think you ultimately yes, I want to be 'front line' so to speak.

I wouldn’t advise medicine, I have been a doctor for 10 years and am your age and the shift work and especially nights get harder and harder - I am a senior registrar but I cannot imagine being a new doctor again at this age and going through everything I have. Plus the postgraduate exams - I have just finished my final set but it is exhausting fitting everything in and I am single with no children.

I would strongly advise doing a load of research to determine what you actually want to do and the good, the bad and the ugly of each job. I am a doctor interested in management and have briefly looked at the management training scheme as it does offer so many opportunities and career paths. It is still frontline - just in a different way!

Nothing wrong with retraining!
I'm 42 and almost finished the first year of my second degree. Will be 44 when I (hopefully) qualify and then need to complete a year in practice so 45 starting my new career.

Thanks for the tips on the GMTS - that looks like something I would definitely be interested in (and qualify for). Can I ask about the amount of data/stats involved in the course and assessments, @CrabAppleTreeBlossom ? It says there's a lot and I'll be honest not my strongest point.

To those saying I need to narrow it down, I do agree, but at this stage I'd truly be over the moon to work in most of the roles that have been mentioned. Nursing and midwifery particularly appeal.

Definitely retrain if you want to but I'd also advise against medicine. I started the 4 year graduate course at 25 with no responsibilities and it was bloody hard. The amount of work needed to keep on top of it, especially in the first year and a half, was ridiculous. I ended up falling pregnant half way through and dropping out because I just couldn't see any way of doing the work and being a parent. All the women on the course with me who had children also dropped out for the same reason. The men on the course all graduated fine though because they all had wives at home being SAHMs and never had to lift a finger to do anything other than study. Sadly that's still the world we live in. So unless you have a husband who is willing to take on that role for 4 years I would think again. And med school is just the start tbh, the work doesn't get less intense once you graduate. Sorry to be a downer! It's easy to romantisize the idea of being a doctor I think, but the reality leaves a lot of people quite miserable in my experience. But definitely look into something that will bring you fulfilment at work, retraining could be a wonderful step for you :)

When I trained to be a nurse there were people of all different ages training. The oldest in my class qualified when she was 53.
As an nurse I would agree and say the roles you have described are VERY different. Even different routes of nurses ie adult and children's nursing.

My advice is to research into these further, maybe try and gain experience by applying to work bank as a health care assistant in different areas as you will be exposed to a lot peoples different roles.
Nursing courses are unlike other university courses when you don't get long holidays etc you work full time on placement and then go to uni in between.

I think if you are keen please work as hca first. It takes a certain type of personality to work in an underfunded health service where everyone is too busy to supervise you and do your assessments. Decisiveness, ability to cope with rotas and long days is quite important, especially for a couple of the early years. This is on top of Managing the academic side. I guess it depends on your personality And skills, - but good luck, whatever you choose.

Study medicine. It will take years but you will be on a good salary and you have decades of working life ahead of you. If you can afford to retrain, do it now.

Ok so I definitely think I've been talked down from medicine! Our kids are in school but still quite exhausting so I think I'd be stretched too thin. DH has a stressful job already.

I'll get in touch with NHS careers and also the local hospital trust to find out about some work experience or volunteering- it sounds like I should try to narrow down which field of nursing. Children appeals because I have my own, and I think I'd be great in a role where I can support the doctors and hopefully be a support to parents too.

I don't know, @goldpendant. Nursing is extremely hard work - you need to learn so much, you work very long hours, front line, unsociable shifts for far less money. If you can, I'd go for medicine and GP work. Better pay and more family-friendly hours.

You are certainly not too old! You're in a fortunate position that you've had a successful career and are able (I'm presuming) to take the financial hit as a family for you to retrain. That's the biggest obstacle for most people! Why is your husband so resistent? Does he have plans for early retirement, do you think? You've obviously thought through your options and know what's involved, so it's not just a whim. You're at a point in your career where, if for some reason things didn't work out the way you thought, you could always return. You are never, ever too old!

I'd go for it, lots of nurses on my course 6 years ago were parents, it is hard as placements are half of the year and full time, you have no choice of shifts (so weekends nights etc) alongside assignments, but when in uni the days are shorter and life is easier. You have endless opportunities when you graduate, nursing is not just being on a ward, there is all sorts of weird and wonderful things out there (I'm sure you know nursing is not all roses having looked into it, I would still choose to do it again if I had my life over though)

I would probably not go for medicine, having considered it myself I just don't think with a family that the training is manageable (although not to say impossible) and I think many doctors would agree with that.

I know a physiologist and her work seems really interesting. She works closely with doctors and has patient contact as well. Job prospects are good as it's specialised and there aren't many physiologists around.

Do consider physiology, ultrasonography, radiographer, ODP (operating department practitioner), physio, dietician, pharmacist. I think there are lots of allied health professions and it would be good to investigate them.