To think I've completely ruined my career

[itsoverat29]

I think I may have ruined my career before it's even started, and I feel like it's going to be impossible to get it back on track. I don't know if I'm catastrophising or just being realistic.

I did an undergraduate degree followed by a master's and graduated in 2019. Then COVID kicked off and I couldn't find a job, I finally got a job but had to wait a few months to start so ended up having a year between finishing my master's and starting my new job. I worked there for 6 months and really enjoyed it and had good mental health and no issues, but it was a fixed-term contract so I needed something more stable. I got a job, where I worked for 18 months. I hated it, it destroyed my mental health and I ended up taking 2 months off sick (signed off by my GP), as well as lots of sporadic absences due to anxiety and depression. My attendance was awful. I finally decided to quit, have a few months off over the summer and then go back to university to retrain which I started last September. I really dislike the course and want to leave. I've been trying my absolute best and getting good grades, but I know it's not the right path for me.

I'm really worried as I feel like I'll never be able to get a job due to having so many gaps in my CV and my last job having poor attendance records. I have really struggled with my mental health the last few years, and seem to burn out quickly. I have been considering whether I'm neurodivergent.

Is there any hope for me? Any way of redeeming myself? I want to go back to the field I graduated in, as I feel like I've kind of lost my way since then and I was a lot happier in that field. I'm just worried no one will give me a chance.

I'm still job hunting. I've applied to around 30 jobs, had 2 rejections and have 1 'informal chat' for a pharma sales job next week. I've never struggled this much with getting interviews, before when I job hunted I'd get interviews for over half the jobs I'd apply to. I'm not sure if it's the job market or because I'm unemployed with an employment gap.

I've not been successful with any lab jobs and I'm not surprised as I think a recent graduate probably looks more appealing to hire than someone who hasn't stepped foot in a lab for 3 years. At the moment I'm planning on going back to the field I was in before (pharma sales) and staying as long as I can and saving for a master's. Not sure if that's the right move but at least I have a get out plan.

Does anyone have any advice for how to explain my employment gap for the last 9 months? I had 4 months off, then started a university course which I left this month. Do I just be honest about it, or not mention the university course? I did care for an elderly family member and help in a family member's business (albeit not full time) so I could mention those points

Just say you were caring for someone for the last 9 months, but no longer have those caring responsibilities.

OR

Better, if you can get away with it (with what it says on your p45), and / or the work you did with family was in a relevant field, say you were doing that for 9 months. If the family member has a different family name to you, make sure you have a good "reason" why you left after 9 months, for example you were there to complete one task which is now finished, and it was only ever supposed to be short term. Relative can then give a glowing reference, seeming like they're unbiased.

If family member has same name as you, you were (heroically) supporting a family member whilst they sorted out some issue with a set task / employing someone, which is all now resolved. Did you resolve it for them? Why, yes you did. But they're totally sorted now, so you won't be called back to help and are free as a bird to start your new role.

If you don't like Sales then I wouldn't apply for those kind of roles. You'd do better applying for production or other lab adjacent jobs.
I would suggest you get on employment agency books. Look at local employers who do work in an area you are interested in and genuinely contact for careers advice. Similarly get in contact to old lecturers and try to get advice.

Is it wise to go back to a sales job when the last one destroyed your mental health? (To use your words.) Even as an interim measure that seems high stakes. What else have you applied for?

If you're just looking for a temporary job to save up for a degree course, then why not retail or warehouse or admin? Just something stable with low barriers to entry.

I think you need to take a breath and think about what you want and what's realistic for you. Obviously you have options based on your intelligence and academic success, but you also have limitations based on your aptitude for certain types of work. To put it bluntly, there are very few careers that won't require you to stretch yourself out of your comfort zone and work at pace at least part of the time. So if these things don't work with your mental health limitations, then you're going to need to adjust your expectations and look for something at a lower level and slower pace. If you find you can cope with that, then you can build up from there.

Oh no op, don't go for the pharma sales job, that sounds soul sucking. As for your gap, just put caring responsibilities, or traveling, or self-employment/freelancing, just anything except leaving it empty.

It's really wild to me that you might not be getting interviews just because you have a 4 month gap, I mean that's nothing, I've had that long of a gap before just because I didn't feel like working lol. God forbid you want to live a few months instead of just slaving away rolls eyes

The vast majority of people who have chosen not to work in sales understand completely that sales is the type of job that doesn’t suit everyone. I’d go so far as to say that sales type jobs are somewhat looked down upon and you would be respected for getting out of sales. So don’t worry about that bit.

Have you looked at clinical research roles? I think you'd find it a far better fit than sales (IME drug sales are a quite separate breed!)