To think this is still a respectable job?

[Lostatlife]

So I’m 26 years old, I’m a bit lost with my career. I used to be an accountant but hated every second of it by the end. I have myself a temporary job to do with covid, but it pays peanuts and it’ll probably come to an end soon.

I’ve been applying for various administration roles but need something with a decent salary. There’s not many things I’m overly passionate about that are coming up. And then problem is I didn’t go to uni, which I regret now as a lot of jobs need a degree.
I wouldn’t mind teaching but can’t afford to get a degree and not work as I’m paying rent.

I quite like the idea of trade work, something like being an electrician. However my girlfriend said she’d wholly support me however she mentioned that I have great a levels and accountancy certificates, and basically said it’d be a shame if I didn’t use my skills with numbers and basically insinuated that I’m too clever for a trade job - it’s often what people with no GCSEs go into.

Is she right? Should I be using my skills more?

Trades is a great idea and they can make a lot of ££££. People underestimate the admin, quoting, invoicing and business skills in being a tradesman so having the accountancy qualifications will be a great asset to that side of the business

Could you look into apprenticeships? Being paid while you retrain?

You are still young, don't get trapped doing a job you don't like, you still have your life ahead of you now is the time to find who you want to be.

There is no such thing as passion, do something that you can tolerate and do reasonably well that pays your bills and leave passion for hobbies and days off. It's a huge myth chasing something wonderful that is your calling blah blah.

If op was motivated by money they wouldn't have left accountancy, they would have gone after a degree and they wouldn't have accepted a peanuts job.
The girlfriend is a snob as others have said. Tradies can make loads or no money it's all relative and it's very hard.
I think you need to toughen up and go back to accounting and be realistic about life. But if you don't want to do this don't jump in balls deep at an apprenticeship or whatever without shadowing or working with an experienced trades person or whatever career. Get job experiences in the roles you think you'd like and speak to people in the job and specially people who have left the job not just the ones doing well in it, cause everything is rosy and wonderful when it's going well!

What route did you take to becoming ACA qualified so early, if you are only 26 now? How long have you been qualified for? Which bits of your accountancy job did you like, and which bits hate.

If you can be more descriptive we could advise more. Maybe you could use some of the skills to divert, go into something else slightly linked? Did you ever have a good mentor, or careers advisor, who you discussed things with prior to quitting?

its a very respectable job, she sounds quite snobby. You can earn a lot!

All trades are fabulous. Very sought after. Practically no one can find a builder, electrician, plasterer or plumber, round here, who isn't already booked up for the next 6 months.

But it's very physically demanding. My bil and all/most of our friends who are trade at 50 or 60 have terrible physical problems now. Plus it's very demanding mentally. Many are SE. No sick pay. You run your own business, on call 24/7, thinking about jobs always, phoning people, rearranging, struggling to source cement and supplies which is even worse post covid and Brexit. No 9-5 doing accounts and then going home for the weekend. There is very good money to be made. Most of them are well off. But go into it with your eyes open. It's not easy.

What is it you don't like about accountancy? I work with lots of accountants who have all left practice and now work in industry and say they'd never go back. There's lots of choice in industry for qualified accountants, and much of it has nothing to do with actual accounting.

That said, if it's not for you then it's not for you. Trades are so much in demand. I was on the waiting list for a shed for months last year, and it's impossible to get a tiler round here.

I know someone who worked in the City, made a lot of money and bought a big beautiful house. He got fed up of the relentless pace of life and retrained as a plumber - he’s very happy now.

Tradesmen round our way are turning down work as they’re that busy! Also, if you changed your mind about being an electrician, you’d be surprised about the sorts of other things you can get a trade in. Look on NHS or Civil service jobs. Or your local council.

I currently have two family members working in a trade, they're very smart and they do well and i have two friends who are tradesmen, also smart, also doing well. Of course it's respectable.

I think working in trades is a good option but just want to counter some of the stuff here and say there are some negatives. You don't always make loads of money unless you own your own business and you need to build a reputation first, second it's a bit tough at the moment with cost of living and materials being double what they were a year ago in some cases. My friend is really struggling to find work at the mo and had no issues ever a year ago. They also found it hard to get a mortgage/ rent due to irregular earnings.

None of that should stop you, just trying to give you the cons as everyone else has already given you the pros.

There is a stigma attached to people who learn a trade and it really irks me. You need to be clever to do well in a trade, particularly things like electrician, gas engineer, and security installations, especially if you are planning on going self employed in the future. You only have to look on Mumsnet to read the posts complaining about trades people with zero customer service and organisational skills to see how well you can do if you are capable of these things.
Go for it. My DH went from desk job to trade after redundancy. As we thought, he's really good at it, it pays very well, and he really enjoys being out in different places doing different things every day. He found his calling and is happier than he's ever been at work. He is also good with numbers and problem solving which is linked to his old job. I would say he's a lot more intelligent than me, yet he doesn't even have any GCSEs. He does have some financial qualifications but he did those well into adulthood.

The accountancy skills will be very useful to launch into being self employed in work that you get more out of.

Entirely respectable. It also opens up opportunities within the film industry which is crying out for electricians. Day rates for lighting technicians are high. Have a look at film studio suppliers as they often post training opportunities on their websites.

All trades I know who are good are very clever people. It's just school was not an ideal learning environment for them, the practical environment was.
On that, you can get degree apprenticeships these days, have a look at that. With a finance background you might do well in that situation.

In my view having any job is respectable!!

Some jobs will allow you to earn reasonable, good and excellent money. The key thing is to enjoy the job you are doing.

Your girlfriend does sound like a snob.

The government are crying our for maths teachers and will actually give some grants for it now as they're getting desperate but don't do it, it's honestly one of the worst careers out there. It shouldn't be but it is.

Any job is a respectable job. An electrian is a very well paid job and you will always have work. Life is to short to do a job you hate

OP
Do you WANT to be an electrician? Sometimes people think of a trade as a fallback, but don’t think about whether or not they really like it.

You may also be interested in Quantity Surveying , or regular Surveying as well

She’s wrong; you need GCSEs to be an electrician. Your earning potential would probably be more too. She doesn’t seem to be very clued up.

Well, she might be a snob, but vocational FE courses at college often offer maths GCSEs alongside as lots of people start the courses having not achieved it in school.

Another thing to consider. It is infinitely easier to offshore an accountancy role than an electrician.

Rubbish. Do what makes you happy. One of my biggest regrets is being pushed into a professional career which never suited me. Three breakdowns on, I walked away and it was the best thing I’ve ever done. You do you. Nothing else matters. And as a good tradesperson, you’ll earn plenty. My professional work was in the construction industry and I’ve always had most fun when working with the trades. Don’t let anyone else tell you what’s right for you - especially if there’s a whiff of snobbery.

So you do need it to be an electrician then? Bit if a fail there… if you didn’t need it to qualify; they wouldn’t run it alongside.