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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be considering drastically changing careers?

27 replies

Lozenge12 · 25/02/2022 16:04

I'm currently in business consulting and I'm very bored. I want to do a job that's exciting and gets me out of the house every day.

I've been thinking about a range of areas that interest me. Does anyone have any insight into changing to these careers? Or does anyone else have any other suggestions?

Paramedic
Nurse
Environmental conservation
Emergency and Disaster Management
Crime investigation
Forensic archaeology

Or AIBU to consider moving to something so different? I'm also completely undecided on which of these I'd like to do which doesn't help.

For context, I'm 24 and studied an original BA in history.
Investigative journalism

OP posts:
Original poster
Lozenge12 · 25/02/2022 16:05

Investigative journalism should be listed as one of the potential options. Not sure what happened to the formatting!

OP posts:
Cuddlemuffin · 25/02/2022 16:07

You are 24 of course you are not being unreasonable. It's great that you are able to see you are not happy and want to do something about it. Look into all the the above, consider the time, education and funding you will need and what your day to day role will look like and future salary. Good luck xx

Creeeper · 25/02/2022 16:07

It depends on how much money you want to make and what industries are booming

I’d say from your list that ESG stuff and disaster recovery are really relevant topics to today and likely to be paid better than some of the other stuff on your list

The last 2 I think you’ll need a new degree for

Loopytiles · 25/02/2022 16:08

You’re young so trying things out is good!

Do you already have a degree? If so, a job requiring another one would mean lots of time and money (debt for most people).

In some of the areas you mention there are very few well paid opportunities, so you might want to pick one of the areas you like where there’re plentiful opportunities, and investigate!

D0lphine · 25/02/2022 16:09

You're 24, of course you can (and should!) change now.

Good luck!

DSGR · 25/02/2022 16:09

I’m in the media and there is hardly any money for investigative journalism unless you happen to score an amazing training opportunity somewhere like the BBC. The NHS is crying out for paramedics and nurses, you can train for both on the job (look up NHS careers). I think being a a paramedic would be amazing but both that and nursing look incredibly hard work. So worthwhile though and gets you out of an office.

thesandwich · 25/02/2022 16:10

Does your uni offer careers advice post graduation? Some do for a finite time. Access to free career questionnaires, advice?

Hunderland · 25/02/2022 16:14

You can train to be a first responder at weekends to give you a taste of what a paramedic does.

Friend's DH does it and loves it.

Namenic · 25/02/2022 16:18

Do you want a family? If yes, then think about how much time you would want to spend with the kids. Shift work like nurse or paramedic can be tough - although lots do have kids! It is easier if your partner has 9-5. Maybe you could do some work as hca or phlebotomist to see if you like it - before committing.

C8H10N4O2 · 25/02/2022 16:18

I'm currently in business consulting and I'm very bored. I want to do a job that's exciting and gets me out of the house every day

What sort of business consulting and do you mean you lack sufficient work or that you just don't find your business area interesting?

If you are in a first tier consulting org you will find it hard to match the money so be very honest with yourself about the importance of this (not just for now but for your non work ambitions in the future).

Finding a volunteer area which gives you exposure to one of your areas of interest is a good way to find out if its really what you want.

givemushypeasachance · 25/02/2022 16:21

Blimey that's quite a range! Nursing and paramedic, anything medical pretty much, is stressful, bloody hard shift work. Getting a place on training course to allow you to work towards the paramedic degree is difficult.

I'm pretty sure actual jobs in forensic archaeology are like hens teeth. Being a scenes of crime officer is not highly paid work, again it's shift work, and it's not like on CSI. There's a lot of admin around correctly labelling samples, ensuring chains of custody, and working in the shittiest of conditions - drug dens, places where horrible attacks have taken place, outside in all weather.

You've barely started your current career and there's nothing wrong with making a change. This just seems like quite a scattershot list of interests. What is it about these fields that appeal? So you want to get out and about, and make a difference? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Do you want to work directly with people, providing a service to them? What are your aptitudes in terms of science/maths, being practical and hands-on building things, providing personal care?

I'd definitely recommending finding a way to try volunteering in fields that interest you to get a real idea of what it's like day-to-day. I used to idly wonder about re-training in medicine. I volunteered at a local hospice, and that was quite an eye-opener. Came to realise it wouldn't have been for me as a profession.

BigYellowTaxiT · 25/02/2022 16:31

To become a Paramedic you would need to complete a Paramedic Science BSc that is approved by the HCPC. You would then be eligible to apply for HCPC registration. You can’t work as a Paramedic without it.

A degree can be completed via two mechanisms.

  1. Go to university full time for 3 years and pay for it yourself/get a loan.
  2. Join an ambulance service and work your way up to be able to apply for a place on the Paramedic Apprenticeship BSc.

Option 1 is quicker, but more expensive.
Option 2 will take much longer as you need frontline experience before being allowed to apply.

For both options there are limited places and it’s very competitive to get a place. Happy to answer any questions you have.

CourtRand · 25/02/2022 16:35

I'm a journalist and can tell you that while it's very possible to become a journalist with a history degree (just spend 3 months getting an NCTJ) becoming an investigative journalist specifically could take you a decade or longer from your first job.

Investigative journalists are either freelance generally or they've spent many, many years as news or feature reporters before being given the freedom to.. well investigate things long term.

It's a hard, hard role to get into. But, journalism itself could suit you! We have lots of history grads and if you get the NCTJ and manage to get a foot in the door then it's a lot of fun.

Just be warned - the pay is awful!

Sandinmyknickers · 25/02/2022 16:58

Don't really know about those particular jobs but at 24 (or any age, but particularly 24!) you definitely can!
I retrained at 28 and absolutely love my job whereas I would have continued on being miserable otherwise. You spend too much time at work to waste it being miserable and although I work long hard hours sometimes, it's not that same as working long hours in a job you hate

Ozanj · 25/02/2022 17:04

What kind of business consulting do you do? Moving into a more interesting role in the same industry might help. For example if you work in finance / banking it is possible to move into criminal investigations by going directly into fraud investigations teams where you can either work at the blunt end or in analytics where you can use predictive analysis to help predict typologies.

Lastqueenofscotland · 25/02/2022 17:05

As a heads up on forensic archeology, there are very few jobs and the pay is awful. I’ve a family member that did it for a while and the vast majority of her colleagues were married to significantly higher earners and they did their job for the love not the money. Said family member did not have a high earning other half and left the profession as they could not live off the salary.

topcat2014 · 25/02/2022 17:12

The public sector ones will mean a cap on ultimate earnings.

Doesn't mean they are poor choices though

Original poster
Lozenge12 · 25/02/2022 17:18

@C8H10N4O2

I'm currently in business consulting and I'm very bored. I want to do a job that's exciting and gets me out of the house every day

What sort of business consulting and do you mean you lack sufficient work or that you just don't find your business area interesting?

If you are in a first tier consulting org you will find it hard to match the money so be very honest with yourself about the importance of this (not just for now but for your non work ambitions in the future).

Finding a volunteer area which gives you exposure to one of your areas of interest is a good way to find out if its really what you want.

I'm currently in primarily technology transformation consulting but I've done operating models and project management too. To be quite frank, I find it all very boring. It is a high paying firm which I'm grateful for, but I always knew from the start that this would just be a temporary career move whilst I figured out what I really wanted to do.

I still don't know exactly what I want to do, but the boredom is really starting to get me down so I think I need to think more seriously now about new career.

OP posts:
Original poster
Lozenge12 · 25/02/2022 17:19

@Sandinmyknickers

Don't really know about those particular jobs but at 24 (or any age, but particularly 24!) you definitely can! I retrained at 28 and absolutely love my job whereas I would have continued on being miserable otherwise. You spend too much time at work to waste it being miserable and although I work long hard hours sometimes, it's not that same as working long hours in a job you hate
Could I ask what you did before and what you moved into please?
OP posts:
OfstedOffred · 25/02/2022 17:22

Anything related to archaeology is likely to be competitive to get a decent job in, and shit shit pay

InvisibleDragon · 25/02/2022 17:26

Not unreasonable at all!

I made a drastic career change from a computer programming/data career into working as an AHP in the NHS. Midway through the paid training now and I couldn't be happier. I was so bored being in front of a computer all day.

If you are considering nursing and paramedic, you might also be interested in being a Speech and Language therapist or Occupational Therapist.

Both SaLT and OT as well as nursing have graduate entry programs, so you can retrain without taking too long out of the workforce.

In terms of career progression, I'd say nursing has the lowest paid start (band 5) but good career progression if you ambitious, whilst OT and SaLT have an easier progression to Band 6 and are 9-5 hours but have fewer jobs at higher bands.

I'd recommend applying for a "bank" role as a healthcare assistant or support worker at a local hospital or care home. They are often desperate for people so it should be easy to find something. Then sign up for some weekend shifts and see how it goes.

Foreverlexicon · 25/02/2022 17:35

I entirely changed careers aged 24. Used to work with horses and I was sick of not enjoying my own; I didn’t have a degree but I joined police as civilian staff and now an officer.

I chopped and changed various ideas before then but finally found an industry I love which gives me many options going forward. 24 is so young, you can virtually do anything!

TiddleTaddleTat · 25/02/2022 17:39

I changed careers at 24 and again at 33. Can definitely be done.
If you are well paid now, are you saving up for the career change? It is likely you would have a dip in salary for at least a couple of years while retraining.
If you don’t mind posting. Your current salary people in those fields might be able to give you a steer?
Good pay is not something I personally would give up lightly.

ThinWomansBrain · 25/02/2022 17:50

A friends son works in the environmental sector, after doing a related degree - it took about ten years of volunteering and working on minimum wage with lots of competition for those jobs - and being subsidised by his mum - before he was earning enough to live on.
I'm not suggesting you don't change, but do have a look at what opportunities are out there.

Auntycorruption · 25/02/2022 17:59

I am nearly 40 and would love to be a paramedic. However I cannot handle a massive pay cut & shift work. So boring yet flexible office job it is because it suits the family, not my hopes & dreams of an exciting life 🤷‍♀️

So basically I say if you want to do it you need to seize the moment & do the fun stuff now while you can! Night shifts as a mum are a horrific prospect, in your 20s probably not so bad. Do 8-10 years now and then you can step out of the shift work again later. Business consulting might not look so bad to go back to in your 40s.