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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Mid 30s and career over?

24 replies

jellyandchocicecream · 17/02/2021 22:15

Another one about women in a male dominated industry....

I work in a typical male dominated area - finance - and since I turned 35 a lot of people have been suggesting that I go into management. I have a DC who is 2 and like to make sure my colleagues are taken care of but does this mean I should give up my finance background and start doing management?

A lot of people have kindly recommended management as a next step but I want to stick with my finance background. A lot of people seem to like anyone over 35 to go into the management side of things and stop doing practical finance.

AIBU that a lot of people think women over 35 are done career wise but men can still carry on as normal?

OP posts:
coffeeisyum · 17/02/2021 22:27

Your post doesn't make any sense, speaking as someone who has worked in a male dominated role & sectors throughout my career.

You seem to think that stepping into a management role isn't a step up, and that developing your technical skillset in hands on roles is where you have career progression.

That simply isn't true in 99% of cases. I can only think of a handful of examples where that might be true. Say if you're a lead algorithm engineer working on a specific technical component in the AI investment market, that sort of really niche specialist knowledge where you hone your craft but get rewarded for it because the rare, niche knowledge is recognised.

Can you tell us more about why you believe what you do?

If you were in a specialist finance role where developing your craft was a legitimate route to career progression, I'm pretty sure you'd know how to navigate that.

mynameiscalypso · 17/02/2021 22:32

I'm not really sure what it has to do with being a man or a woman in the way that you describe? As your career progresses, you're (generally) expected to step away from the detail and take more of a supervisory role to more junior employees and/or deal with the really difficult stuff. I would say that it's often the reverse in that women can find that their careers stagnate because they take time out for children and so whilst male peers are promoted, they are not and end up doing exactly the same role for years and years. If you don't want to move to a management role, then don't. I know plenty of men and women who have made that decision.

slashlover · 17/02/2021 22:34

If you don't want to go into management then don't.

How can your career be over when people are urging to apply for a promotion?

Doyoumind · 17/02/2021 22:37

I think women are faced with challenges in their careers that men don't face in the same way, but I don't understand your particular point at all.

combatbarbie · 17/02/2021 22:37

I am so confused. Management is more responsibility so how can that be seen as career over?

WhoStoleMyCheese · 17/02/2021 22:53

Do you mean being asked to manage the business side of things in a more operational role as opposed to a more senior finance role like portfolio manager?

Merryoldgoat · 17/02/2021 23:02

I have literally zero idea what you’re talking about.

Iamthewombat · 17/02/2021 23:31

I work in finance. I manage people. I still solve difficult finance problems. I’m a finance director.

Do you really work in finance? Or, as someone suggested upthread, are you coding finance software? If so, management can be seen as a softer option but it doesn’t mean that your career is over.

chipsandgin · 17/02/2021 23:35

How is management not career progression & how is your situation specific to women - what career progression do men get that you aren’t, it’s not clear at all?

Obbydoo · 17/02/2021 23:59

Is Finance male dominated? I am a headhunter and think finance is one of the areas that is considerably more balanced than others.

Original poster
jellyandchocicecream · 18/02/2021 02:13

I work in financial sales and marketing and get a buzz out of working with customers but some of my colleagues have suggested the management side would be better for me....
I did not say that all management is a soft option....but a hands on role was suggested to two of my male colleagues but not me
Pretty recently there were big layoffs in the area I work and the people layed off were the managers and the general sales and marketing lot kept their jobs so that does not help with reputation...Coronavirus hasn't helped either...

OP posts:
Aprilx · 18/02/2021 04:56

Do you don’t work in finance, you work is sales and marketing. Working in finance means working in the finance department, doing the accounts and reporting and so on.

Regardless, whether you are in sales or finance, your post makes zero sense. Why would moving into a management role mean your career is over. Confused. What has being a man or woman got to do with it? This is a normal progression, if you don’t want the extra responsibility then stay where you are, you don’t seem to understand the difference workplace very well.

Aprilx · 18/02/2021 04:57

*So

Namenic · 18/02/2021 05:26

Is the ‘management’ more of an admin/analytics type role than the ‘hands-on’ role?

Is there clear progression in the hands-on type role? Fair enough to think about job security.

Iamthewombat · 18/02/2021 05:58

What is ‘financial sales and marketing’? I am genuinely intrigued. Are you selling insurance or something?

coffeeisyum · 18/02/2021 09:29

I still have no idea what you mean, sorry op.

And if you do sales and marketing, in the financial services sector, I wouldn't consider you as purely working in finance. And your role is much more balanced gender wise, in fact most marketing people I work with are female.

I thought you worked in a hands on finance role from your op... E.g. Finance director, accounting, statistical modelling, actuarial etc.. or maybe the sector, like pensions or investment or retail banking, insurance, assurance.. in analysis of risk advisory or cyber security or engineering...

Sales and marketing is not the same thing at all. That's like me claiming to work in healthcare because I'm a cleaner in a gp surgery. Hmm

Lotuu · 18/02/2021 10:18

Don’t be ridiculous you still have 30 years of your career left. You’re barely even started.

Mumoftwoinprimary · 18/02/2021 10:25

I have it the other way around. I work in “true” Finance (I’m an actuary) and I enjoy technical work. The next step up for me is very much a managerial job and I don’t want that. So I will stay at my current level where I get to do the interesting work and work part time.

Works for me.

doadeer · 18/02/2021 10:26

Don't understand your post.

It's normal progression if you do well that you move in a management role. I'm in tech marketing and yes obviously as you get more senior your role changes and you do lore strategy and less operational. If you want the operational then just stay where you are!

doadeer · 18/02/2021 10:26

More*

mynameiscalypso · 18/02/2021 10:27

Presumably you'd earn more money if you were promoted to management?

RedBrickChimney · 18/02/2021 10:29

Your post is very confusing. It seems that you’re being encouraged to go for a more responsible role but think this means your career is over? I’m really unclear why you view it in that way.

If they just left you doing finance work and never suggested management, would that be OK?

goochface · 18/02/2021 10:33

Odd post

All women in the finance dept at my company

SilverRoe · 18/02/2021 10:58

If people are suggesting you go into management isn’t that them being encouraging?

Why would suggesting a role I assume brings more money and responsibility be somehow a career-ending suggestion? Confused

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