To think I can get an enjoyable wfh job that pays 100k without working evenings and weekends?

[2kidsnewstart]

I am currently a civil servant earning 80k pro rata'd to my 4 day a week part-time hours. Lots of benefits (pension etc) but due to the kind of role I am in I am expected to return to the office more.

That is difficult for me as last year me and the kids' dad split up (6dd and 2dd) meaning I can't afford additional £65 daily train fares to London on top of nursery fees plus all the other bills. We are 50:50 which I have realised is a very expensive way of splitting up!

Plus I leave before 7am and get home around 8pm so would have to find someone to look after the kids on my days in the office (my ex and I coparent very well but he can't always do childcare around my work all the time and we have no family nearby).

The civil service is great but I am 38 and feel like I could have a whole other career ahead of me and I wonder if there's an absolutely dreamy role that would be challenging but satisfying, well-paid, allow me to wfh and not require evenings and weekends?

AIBNU: No there's definitely that kind of role out there if you open your eyes/ retrain! (and please specify what kind of role!)

AIBU: That unicorn does not exist you should stay where you are!

@Oblomov24 people probably previously preferred a pilot manually flying a plane versus autopilot or a surgeon doing their operation rather than a surgical robot, but as technology advances it becomes better than humans. Most of the work of an accountant is rules based so could easily be done by a sophisticated AI. There are few jobs that won't be able to be done by AI.

Sorry OP bit of a derail but hopefully useful in considering which fields to avoid in future.

🤣 you’re either G6 or SCS1 on that salary, unless you can look at jobs in a different department, outside of London and in an office closer to you, then you won’t find what you’re looking for in the civil service. It needs people back in the office, it doesn’t function properly with high levels of WFH and senior leaders should be in offices.
If you’re looking outside the civil service then I’m sure you’re aware that there’s a massive offset with losing a hefty chunk of your salary average pension, flexible working hours and leave allowance - it’s hard when kids are young but it gets easier. If you can suck it up and carry on as you are now, I’d stick with it.

That screams for being replaced with AI pretty soon to be honest

Can I ask how you got into Cyber Security? What qualifications do you need?

It'd be too outing for me to give too many details. Suffice to say, I had a career in IT before making a switch to Cyber Security.

In terms of experience, I have over 10 years in IT. Which encompasses a mix of strong technical skills and management/policy and process experience.

Cyber isn't just tech, there's GRC for those who have management and governance experience.

Going against the grain, I wouldn't leave CS. I am NHS and a big part of why I stay is the pension, annual leave and flexibility. And the fact it's very unlikely I'll ever lose my job. As a single parent those are massive benefits.

Can you do a 9 day fortnight to up your £? I work 0.9WTE in four days.

Whilst things are amicable with your ex now they might not always be. I always have in the back of my head that mine might fuck off or stop paying maintenance etc making me chase him for it. I've been separated over a year and worked really hard in that time to sever every string possible eg. Reliance on childcare for office days and such like.

It's bloody hard being a single parent. I hope you can work things out to keep the house.

Thanks, to give a bit of background I've got 15+ years in tech currently, with a degree in IT. Although I do a bit of programming in my current role its not a mainstream language (CRM specific), is there much need for that particular skill in the role as I'd certainly need to brush up!

I am in the civil service too and am being funded to do a MSc in data analysis, which I'm hoping will one day be my ticket to a better paid job. If you're interested in upskilling it's worth looking at the QA courses.

I agree with @LoveSkaMusic . Tech is the place to be. I’m a contracting software developer, full remote, made about £90k last year working just 9.30-2.30 (school hours) with the odd evening here and there after my DS has gone to bed. During the school holidays I worked for a few hours in the evenings instead of during the day.

I did a IT degree originally, but there are loads of places to learn to code online now. I have been a developer for about 12 years so it does take a few years to build up to this, but I was earning more than £50k within 3yrs.

Consider a Career as a Software Developer.

Software development is not only a fulfilling career but also one of the most lucrative fields today.

Contract Rate: £600 per day
Salary: Over £100k annually (PAYE)

@2kidsnewstart

Totally agreed with this Poster.

If you must - try and move within the system.

I'm sorry to those who are shocked by my post - it didn't go into detail about my situation or the complexities.

And I feel very lucky with my lot post split.

The reason I posted was because I will lose the house without a cash injection which I could achieve through higher salary and no travel fares. But not by tweaking my current set up which I should have been clearer on.

I have come to terms with that and me and the kids will be fine whatever happens.

But I sometimes dream that there might be a world in which we could stay living here, which is why I asked the question.

And there's been a whole load of useful takes I've found really interesting.

Would a lodger be out of the question? I'm so sorry that you're living with this uncertainty. It's hard.

When you find this job, please do share what it is. Sounds idyllic.

What you are looking for is an immediate solution which - although entirely possible - is unlikely to fit into your timeline. As per PP these dreamy roles do exist but would most likely require some serious networking, commitment to job hunting, potentially some reskilling, a lot of patience and a lot of fighting off competition! Probably many months if not years of commitment.

Whatever you decide - good luck to you and your family xx

I'd love to hear more about this area of work - did you need any particular qualifications to do it? Humanities based poster here needing extra WFH income

Following, as in a similar position and at a similar age. About to make a career change from teaching. I've chosen accounting, simply because a large company close to me is always looking for entry level staff with european language skills that I have, but not overly convinced of the long-term job prospects or earning potential in this route, so open to other ideas.

To those recommending software engineering or cyber security, how realistic do you think it is for employers to take a chance on a career-changer close to 40?

@generella Thanks for that - I am exploring the idea, think with the right person it could work out well! And lodgers are tax free I've learnt

@MarvellousMonsters I shall share where you can find the unicorn if I find it! Currently it seems at the end of 10 years retraining in tech so not sure it's one for me!

So many civil servants seem to leave to work for ex civil servants who have set up companies

I don’t know anyone who has done this. What companies are you thinking ok?

You can get into tech from any background and salary jumps are huge from here to year. It is doable and joba are in demand for project management in tech which required zero or little code knowledge. I would say 3 to 5 years in you can be earning 70 to 80k and then up to 200k after 8 to 10 years with a little luck is also very doable.

I'm always surprised when ppl say this sort of thing.

A few years back An IT friend of mine suggested I could get a job as a tester which I assume is requiring no coding ability, but I didn't pursue it.

Don’t know about all sectors but my DH is civil service and has all sorts of qualifications for his role and been in ongoing training 8 years. He could easily go onto consultancy with his qualifications and experience but loss of pension would be a biggie