Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I’m 28 and have no career

13 replies

PomPom95 · 31/10/2023 07:06

I feel completely lost.

I didn’t go to uni, I did an apprenticeship in accountancy. I worked as an accountant for 5 years and ended up hating every minute of it. Long hours, impossible deadlines, I couldn’t cope with it anymore. Unfortunately I didn’t fully complete my exams but do have some credits.

I went to find a new job but then covid hit. I found myself jobless for a few months and then got a job as a Supermarket assistant, and sometimes shopping delivery driver, just to get me through.

It was fine to get me through, but I feel done with it now. But, I have no idea what I want to do. I really don’t want to do anything involved with accountancy or finance as I hated it. But I have no other qualifications or skills. I have applied for some administration jobs but no luck. I guess something like project management would appeal to me - I am very organised, I work well under pressure etc but I don’t think they’d hire me. I’ve been told I am a very smart person with my head screwed on, just haven’t had good luck with timing and things haven’t fallen into place for me.

So… what on earth do I do? I’m stuck in limbo…

OP posts:
JennyForeigner · 31/10/2023 07:17

My husband is a project manager. They are desperately short of good people and would be more open to a smart candidate with transferable skills than you think.

Skills network offer free project management training on a government contract, which is remote and comes with a guaranteed interview to get your foot in the door.

Gunpowder · 31/10/2023 07:20

^^ what Jenny said sounds amazing. The other thing worth doing is to contact your local authority and ask about career coaching. I had several calls with an amazing career coach who talked to me about what I wanted to do and then helped me tailor my cv, read covering letters for me etc.

jeaux90 · 31/10/2023 07:25

OP there are government boot camps if you look on the government website. They are free and usually about 12 weeks long.

Some of these are sponsored by tech firms and line you up with an interview after.

See if there is anything you like, don't shy away from the tech ones too, getting a baseline then shifting into project management is really feasible.

There is a thread in here called government boot camps and another in Chat on women in tech.

mindutopia · 31/10/2023 07:29

It sounds like you need to find what you enjoy. You're still so young (I know it may not feel like it). While I did go to uni, at 28, I was living in a house share working for not much above NMW. I then decided I was fed up and found a volunteer role in Asia and went off travelling that year.

I came back when I was 29.5 and started a PhD programme, which I finished mid-30s and now I have a career I really enjoy (most days) in my 40s.

You spend so much of your life at work. Find something you actually like doing because it sucks to be miserable most of the week.

Trainstrike · 31/10/2023 07:40

Civil Service is always worth looking at. You could start in a finance role based on your qualifications to get a bit of experience in there, then move around quickly and easily if you're quite smart.

You can also then apply to the Fast Stream (very competitive) as an existing civil servant without the need for a degree.

Climbingthehillfast · 31/10/2023 07:53

What about being a PA?

Crayfishforyou · 31/10/2023 07:55

I’m sending you hugs.
I am 43 and have had no career. I have had a variety of jobs. I love my current job, but it isn’t a career and I will never earn more than minimum wage at it.

EBearhug · 31/10/2023 08:03

Although you hated the long hours and impossible deadlines in accountancy, how was the rest of it? How did you find working in an office, with other people? Because that can help shape what you do next. e.g. if you hated being in an office, then maybe an outdoor job would be better?

Think about what you want from a job - money, hours (some areas of IT involve working at unsocial hours and on-call, for example,) flexibility, location (I don't want more than an hour commute- but at 28, I'd have been more likely to relocate,) physical work, holidays, people, dealing directly with the public or clients or children... and so on.

Some things, you might think, that'd be fab, others you might think, absolutely! And various other things you might not be bothered about either way. This way, you build up an idea of how your job would look, and then you can work out what jobs would fit that.

Zanatdy · 31/10/2023 08:08

How about joining the civil service? I think it’s a good career for people not sure what to do, that’s how most of my colleagues fall into it

most people come in an Admin Officer (AO) or Executive Officer (EO) but plenty of opportunity for progression and so many different departments. Once you’re in lots of internal vacancies and so many different roles. Great pension too. See link below for vacancies. You can sign up for alert if you set criteria too. If you do spot a job you’re interested in do lots of research into how to fill out the application as might be very different to what you’re used to. Lots of info online and a really good guy on YouTube who explains it all.

https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi

Civil Service job search - Civil Service Jobs - GOV.UK

Search and apply for jobs in the UK Civil Service

https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi

StopStartStop · 31/10/2023 08:11

What Does a Delivery Manager Do? (With Duties and Salary) | Indeed.com Australia
Not just in Australia.

Mimikyuu · 31/10/2023 08:11

I quit nursing last year and got a job as a junior account manager for a small company. Best thing I ever did. I’ve had 2 promotions already and I love my job and I love my colleagues. I’m 29.

Having a good boss is the best thing to look for in my opinion. I’ve much higher paying jobs but with shitty management. Now I’m still on good money but not as much, my CEO is brilliant. Buys us lunch once a week, genuinely loves us all, takes us on days out etc. I’d have that over and extra few grand any day.

Ollifer · 31/10/2023 08:18

Go for an entry level administrator job, preferably in a project or programme team. Once you're in it's so much easier to then progress to project support, then management etc. I started as an administrator and then somehow ended up working in a department I would have never worked in, got into project support, then got a promotion and now I'm leading projects and on a much better wage and have a fulfilling career. I had no qualifications, didn't go to uni etc. It can be done the hardest bit is getting your foot in the door but it's normally because people don't want to start at the bottom and go up - you seem like you're willing to do that so just put loads of applications in and see what happens. It's worth also trying to do some learning even free courses just to show willingness and up to date knowledge.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page