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AIBU?

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Original poster

To change career at 31?

80 replies

Anonnnnnnm · 28/05/2022 14:06

Let me start by saying I've naturally dropped into my current career. It's 100% corporate. The money is good, £60/70k with more achievable. BUT....

I don't enjoy it, at all. It's boring. Soul destroyingly so. I do it purely for the money, but the more time goes on, that simply isn't enough.

I want a fulfilling job. I want to go to University and do either Diagnostic Radiology or Primary Education with QTS. This gives me fulfilment of helping others, whilst allowing me to continue with a mixture of some office work and an element of practical work (which I really, really want)

I can't see myself staring at Microsoft excel for the next 30 years.

Am I totally crazy to give up my job for 3 years and go back to Uni? I have support from DP and with their salary and my student maintenance we would be "comfortable" - obviously a big adjustment but we have very affordable bills. We have a baby due soon and I think it's probably now or never.

Should I just bloody go for it?!

OP posts:
Penners99 · 29/05/2022 15:31

I changed careers at 40. Aircraft engineer to IT. Huge culture shock but so worth it.

getoutofheree · 29/05/2022 15:31

No, you should live miserably OF Course you should go for it.

31 is no age at all.

And here is what I would do in that wonderful situation: I would do another 6 months and go on a really frugal "diet" and try and save as much as I humanly could of that relatively HUGE amount of salary.

I'd use that lump sum upon my retirement from that role to invest and start thinking about creating wealth instead of being dependent on a wage.

Then I'd go for whatever my passion was, be it low paid and work up, or low paid and staying low paid.

Happiness is everything.

MsMcGonagall · 29/05/2022 15:46

Your wife might be on £30K but she won't be on that total while on maternity leave. The first year of the baby's life can be really tough financially. Then even with childcare from relatives your wife might go back part-time. Then you have another child and the low maternal income continues.

You're certainly young enough to retrain but really really think about the financial plan ahead for some years. Your salary is a brilliantly lucky one that does/will enable so much.

Y1 of DDs life, I was on statutory maternity pay and also went through £13K of savings. Next year or so, part time with relatives child care, pretty hand to mouth financially. Then 2nd child, only on maternity allowance, financially struggling. Took us years to rebalance and still don't have as many savings as £13K again!

I'm sorry that you're mentally struggling with it. Maybe you could ask to go 4 days a week... Maybe you could decide to make the retraining shift once the kid(s) are no longer babies. Maybe you should go for the new career but I hope you've got 10s of thousands of savings to get you through for a bit.

Original poster
Anonnnnnnm · 29/05/2022 16:05

MsMcGonagall · 29/05/2022 15:46

Your wife might be on £30K but she won't be on that total while on maternity leave. The first year of the baby's life can be really tough financially. Then even with childcare from relatives your wife might go back part-time. Then you have another child and the low maternal income continues.

You're certainly young enough to retrain but really really think about the financial plan ahead for some years. Your salary is a brilliantly lucky one that does/will enable so much.

Y1 of DDs life, I was on statutory maternity pay and also went through £13K of savings. Next year or so, part time with relatives child care, pretty hand to mouth financially. Then 2nd child, only on maternity allowance, financially struggling. Took us years to rebalance and still don't have as many savings as £13K again!

I'm sorry that you're mentally struggling with it. Maybe you could ask to go 4 days a week... Maybe you could decide to make the retraining shift once the kid(s) are no longer babies. Maybe you should go for the new career but I hope you've got 10s of thousands of savings to get you through for a bit.

Thanks! I know her salary and my student loan would cover bills and leave spare, plus I'd pick up side work. Definitely will be an adjustment though. No doubt about that.

OP posts:
Original poster
Anonnnnnnm · 29/05/2022 16:06

spotcheck · 29/05/2022 15:20

Thanks so much for your in depth response. I'm not sure how to go about doing any voluntary work for the Diagnostic Radiography degree, I was going to do a specific Access To HE Radiography if I went down this route which I would do alongside my current job for sure. The Uni I have selected ideally (if I'm offered a place of course), gives you a placement at the hospital which is where you build up your clinical practice and experience

OP
You typically need experience in a caring capacity to get ON the degree. This is evidenced in the personal statement.

I would go to open days and asked them what experience they want to see on your UCAS application ( the personal statement part).

Also, working full time and doing an access course may be very tough. Take advice from the course leaders. Radiography is competitive, so please don't underestimate how intense the course is.
Does your course offer a foundation year?

Yes there's one with a foundation year. Thanks I shall check out my local hospitals volunteering pages now!

OP posts:
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