Found my ideal job in London, but at nearly 57 years old is it worth trying

[Stressedout65]

I have just found a vacancy in London that would be ideal for me. I could easily do the role and I've previously had a similar role in the same industry. It's remote working with one day a month in the office required. I'm Midlands based but love London so it would be ideal. My issues are:

1. I used to be AAT qualified,(passed in 1986!) but i let the qualification lapse a few years ago as I changed industries and roles. I've still got my membership certificate to prove I was once qualified. The advert states a degree is required, which I do not have.
2. I've let myself go over the years, weight wise and am now obese at 19 stone. I'm working on it as I do not want to spend retirement being ill & immobile.

I therefore do not have the confidence to try & get a London based job, even though I know I can do it. I feel I would perhaps be looked down on by the younger/same age even, city slicker types for being obese. Where I work now I don't feel looked down upon for being obese, but I have felt this in a previous role quite a lot and it's dented my confidence quite a lot work wise. At the moment I'm employed in a basic accounts/admin role paying only £20k. I was semi retired & temping until covid struck and my husband was furloughed. The remote London job is about £30k and I know I can do it. I love London too, so the occasional trip would suit me down to the ground. I have considered just staying as I am as we're OK for money, house paid etc. However, I think it's an unfair burden on my husband to keep being the main breadwinner, doing 10 hour shifts again as he's so busy. He's worked hard all his life so I could be a sahm until the children were teenagers, its my turn to help out now. I also would like to help them & their families out if this current cost of living crisis gets too much for them. I just don't know if I can take another 10 years until I reach retirement age of the relentless slog into an office doing the same basic routine job. Wfh, with the occasional day in an London would be so much better for me. Just after I started my current job my dad died from covid & then I was very ill in hospital with it too. I still get depressed over my dad 15 months on. I feel like I need a fresh start away from a workplace I associate with death, depression and covid.

1. So as it's a candidate's market at the moment do I take a risk and try to better myself job wise, risking the fact I could well be looked down upon again?
2. Is it worth going for a job where it states you need a degree when you don't have one.
3. Is it worth trying to get my AAt qualification again at almost 57 years old.
4. Should I wait until I've got a qualification again & have lost weight, by which time the candidates market might have died down

5 Or just drift into retirement, feeling totally bored, unmotivated & unexcited for the next 10 years. Accept the inevitable that it's too late for me work wise now. Sorry for the long post, I just needed to get all my thoughts down & thank you if you read it until the end

Go for it! Your reasons to apply hopefully outweigh your reasons you have given not to. Is there a contact given on the advert whom you can ring to ask if you would be considered without a degree.
Please don't think that interviewers look down on people they don't recruit.
If you do an application / have an interview it is good experience. Lots of people to give great advice on here about interview technique.

I'm ACCA rather than AAT, and do have an MSc now, but always applied for any job that stated a degree was required regardless.
If I was recruiting, I wouldn't specify that a degree was needed for a finance officer type role (and TBH, don't hold a lot of store in AAT) - I'd be looking more for solid experience.
The only thing going against you is that more and more organisations are going for AI recruitment software - to de-personalise applications and reduce unintentional bias in shortlisting. If the organisation is using something like that it could well chuck out any applications without a degree.
If you don't apply, you'll never know. Good luck with it.

Why not apply and see what happens?

I have just applied for a pretty unique job that would be a big step up from my current role but actually fits my skillset from previous jobs perfectly. I realise they might not even consider me but then again, I don't know who else will apply and I do meet all their criteria so I could get it. If you don't apply then you definitely won't get it so give it a try.

Unless it's in the fashion industry or something then I doubt anyone cares about your clothes size.

the other way to get around the lack of degree is to get on board with a recruitment agencey - some are very target driven, but if you find a smaller agency and a consultant that you click with, they will put you forward for stuff and 'sell you' to their client.

Yes go for it. Even if you don't get an interview it's an opportunity to work on your CV and get back into the swing of job applications. Have a plan to renew your qualifications.
I do think weight is a factor unfortunately as there is a lot of prejudice - but much less important for remote working jobs which are non-client facing. Don't wait to apply to lose weight, you'll lose it much faster when you're happy and engaged in a new role.
Seize the day! You sound so enthusiastic and that is catnip to employers.

Apply.
I'm 54 and have started looking for a new job. I'm actually pleasantly supplied at the reaction I've had. It seems some firms are acknowledging a lack of middle aged women in their diversity!!!!

Apply for the job. If you don't get it you should get feedback about the reasons you didn't. This won't include your weight.

Hello
Be prepared for a' computer' assed online interview..
I saw a BBC iplayer documentary recently about this. Recruitment companies use it to sort the wheat from the chaff saving them time and money . It does not favour people of colour because it cant read their facial expressions very well.
Someone on here in recruitment will explain it all better than I.
But good luck

I think it would do you the world of good. Go for it … best of luck 🤞

I have a city job. When we recruit, we ask for grads, but fully understand that a 57 year old applicant wouldn’t be a grad. Most people just went straight into work at 18 at that time. We have a 55 year old non-grad and she’s fab. Good luck!

Apply and see what happens. Even if you get rejected, it will get your C.V. up to date and you will be more inclined to apply for other jobs that come along. If you get offered the job, you also don't have to take it if on further consideration you decide it isn't right for you.

@notafraidofthebigbadwolf

I have a city job. When we recruit, we ask for grads, but fully understand that a 57 year old applicant wouldn’t be a grad. Most people just went straight into work at 18 at that time. We have a 55 year old non-grad and she’s fab. Good luck!

Most people went straight to work at that time. Huh? The OP’s 57 not 107!

Please apply, you have nothing to lose. It is a candidate's market.

Don't worry about your degree and your lapsed AAT membership.

I am an accountant and have worked in London for over 30 years.

Most people went straight to work at that time. Huh? The OP’s 57 not 107!

In the 80s, university was still for the privileged few. And far more men went to university than women.

It wasn't until the 90s that the university places were massively opened up, and the polytechnics became universities.

So yes, most women who left school in the 80s didn't go to university.

@Haus1234

Try, the absolute worst that can happen is they say no.

I understand your weight is making you self conscious but you absolutely can’t hold everything off “until you lose weight”. You can try to improve your life no matter how much you weigh!

agree.

I was in a similar position last year aged early 50s, very overweight but wanted a job I could love . I applied for a job that required a degree. I don't have one, what I do have is over 30 years of relevant work experience. They saw and appreciated that and I got the job! Have been there for a year, been promoted and love it.

Don't let it hold you back, for people, particularly women, in our age group it was not the norm to get a degree when you left school unless you were going to be a doctor, teacher, lawyer etc. Certainly not in the way it is now!

What you do have is experience and a drive to do more. The worst that can happen is that they say no.

I was also going to echo Haus1234’s excellent post. Live your life as if you were the perfect weight, don’t put things off until you achieve that!

And also to repeat other posts, please apply but don’t be too disheartened if this isn’t the one (you may well fall foul of computer sifting of candidates). Keep trying. I have just gone back to work in the City after 16 years out (and lapsed ACA membership). I am loving it and it’s pretty obvious that the firm were very keen to recruit me once they saw my experience.

Everything about your post screams that you want to go for this or a a similar role. Keep pushing at the door and I think it will happen.

@altforvarmt

Most people went straight to work at that time. Huh? The OP’s 57 not 107!

In the 80s, university was still for the privileged few. And far more men went to university than women.

It wasn't until the 90s that the university places were massively opened up, and the polytechnics became universities.

So yes, most women who left school in the 80s didn't go to university.

Bullshit, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m 54 and went to university in the 80s and my sister went to a Polytechnic. We both came out with degrees. Degrees were available to all even in those dark ages,

I assume from your post you are not of a similar age. Stop being so ageist and do your homework.

I should add, go for it OP.

You would t be screened out where I work and your experience would be welcomed.

Most people went straight to work at that time. Huh? The OP’s 57 not 107!
I'm a similar age to OP - only about 25% of my school cohort stayed on to sixth year, so 75% started working at 16.
Large school - around 400 in year group. One girl went on to university, two teacher training college, one trained as a nurse. Not sure about the boys - school was a bit more encouraging for them.

but @Lunaballoon

Almost impossible for girls to get out of having typing and office practice as CSE options, and standard career advice was did you want to work in a shop or an office.
In 1970, just over 50k degrees were awarded (adult learners as well as students straight from school) - with just 30% to women.
By 2010, the number of degrees had risen seven fold to 350k, and approaching 60% to women.
So in 1970, 15k degrees to women, by 2010 just short of 200k.

So @lunaballon - what utter twaddle - I suppose you're a younger degree educated woman that knows it all?

Dramaqueen, to quote a BBC news article:

‘In 1980, only 15% stayed in full-time education after the age of 18, in any kind of training or further or higher education, including universities and what were then polytechnics.
By 1990, that had risen to 25% for all forms of post-18 education, according to House of Commons library figures.’

It was Tony Blair that set the target of 50% of young people to go, and they achieved it in 2019.

That article also shows that men outnumbered women 2 to 1 in 1980.

I got my first full time job since 1992 last year, aged 56 and overweight. Having the time of my life.

On the degree point, I think when you have young people entering the job market, a degree is a sign that they have the self discipline and ability to apply themselves to achieving something. Much less, unless in certain vocational jobs, than it is to do with what the degree actually was. A demonstrable track record of work and successfully achieving another qualification should negate the need for that - for most reasonable human readers anyway.

Our company asks for a degree but tbh i gloss over someones schooling if someone has good experience. Just this week im starting to recruit a analyst role and 3 people ive already shortlisted to talk to do not have degrees. One person has a degree in a completely unrelated field. Degrees do not maketh the person.

Go for it. I’m “thin” on a zoom interview, use a beauty filter etc. 😂 I’ve done so well with zoom interviews and have bags of confidence - yet in person I go to pieces.

Start my new job Monday and have to go in to collect my laptop. Too late to tear up my contract when confronted with my gargantuan arse!