What is your job and how did you get there ?

[Coffeewithtwosugars]

I have just started a new job and it’s been quite a journey to get here ! Thought I would share mine and I’m interested in others !

I qualified as a teacher 4 years ago. It took me 5 years ( Access , degree in education and a PGCE) . I did it later in life - started training when I 29. I worked before , in an office , as well as bringing up my children . I thought this was the career for me but once I started - I absolutely hated it and left after I had worked less than a year. I then worked as a supply teacher for a few years . I enjoyed that, but I wanted something consistent and wanted to build a career .

I then began to look at other jobs . I wanted term time only but I wanted the pay of a teacher which felt unrealistic and I thought the only way to get that was to stay in teaching . I applied for a role in the NHS - which would have been a pay cut for a year then back to similar pay to teaching , it wasn’t term time only but was hybrid . I was quite set on wanting this . It was a long process and in the meantime I saw a role advertised for a SEN further education tutor. I applied ( actually thinking I was over qualified as it asked for a level 4 teaching qualification and I had QTS - I emailed them before I applied saying this , I thought that was a good selling point then I realised level 4 wasn’t the level of the qualification ( I was thinking of my qts as level 7 as it was post grad 🤣 ) but it meant to teach students at level 4 .

Anyway, I wasn’t overly interested in this job . The salary range was only suitable if I was offered the highest in the range and I thought that was unlikely . It wasn’t remote or hybrid advertised . I only applied as it was term time only. I was waiting on the other job . I went to the interview and then realised what it was and I just felt like “ this is me . This is where I can make a difference” I have a child with autism who is now in college and these are the same kind of students I would be working with. I felt so passionate . All of a sudden I wanted this more than anything . My passion clearly showed as I was offered the job - but a different title of an autism specialist tutor - at the highest end of the salary range . I was also offered the other job I had applied for previously and turned it down to accept the tutor role .

So , I now work as an autism specialist tutor with adults with autism / severe learning disability . Alongside that , in the same role , I’m also an assessor . It’s a dream job , I go to work happy every day. Start and finish times are flexible within certain hours , I have total freedom and autonomy , I’m working with the most amazing students and there is a real route for progression. I have never been happier in my work life , it was quite a journey and I was so down at times during that journey but I feel like it was all meant to lead me here ☺️

I'm a novelist who lectures in an English and Creative Writing university department. I used to to be a 'pure' academic who taught Eng Lit, but once I started to publish, I moved sideways within the department.

That sounds lovely ! You get paid for your passion ☺️

Not exactly! Basically, I'm an academic like any other, but who produces novels instead of research. I mean, I do like my job, but I have exactly the same admin, teaching and supervision responsibilities as anyone else.

I'm a product designer. I always describe it as when you use Netflix someone (or rather a team of someones) has decided what that looks like and how it works for the person sat with the remote. I don't quite work for Netflix, but we'd be well known within our industry. It's nice to think we're making (or at least trying to make) other people's jobs a bit easier.

When I left school I wanted to be a graphic designer, so went to college to study art and design. DM couldn't afford to 'keep' me though, benefits ended when I left school (I'm not sure that's the case anymore?) and it was before the EMA (which a lot of my friends qualified for the year after), so when I saw an advert for a National Traineeship to be a Mac operator, working in print shops, I went for that. Luckily I got the job and dropped out of college.

I was trained in printing processes and setting work for print, and I'd have to complete work towards an NVQ and the traineeship, but it wasn't an actual print shop, it was the media arm of a local training provider. The idea was that I'd be sent out on placement. A couple of others I was there with, they were a bit older and were on the New Deal scheme if you remember that, went out to print shops, but I'm glad I didn't.

A local web design company needed a bit of help and I went there on placement doing much more interesting web and graphic design work. At the end of the three months I had another placement lined up working on a magazine. Then the first placement came back and offered me a job.

I spent about 20 years doing graphic design and web design work at agencies. Basically designing and building stuff for other people. I got pretty burned out on it in the end and the demand for that kind of work was waning.

Since then I've worked in-house for companies who maintain their own products, rather than at an agency where you're building things for other people. I like it, there's a lot more learning about our customers and strategy behind what we're doing. It's a bit different to graphic or web design, which I found to be a bit of a beauty contest in the end.

I used to do freelance work and more creative things in my spare time but I rarely do it now. I think if I wasn't sat at my desk eight hours a day I might pick it up as more of a hobby again but pretty much since DS came along I like time away from it all.

I work in publishing for an amazing publishing house! Absolute dream job and took a lot of time and energy to get here. Recently promoted to senior management! Work from home full time (occasional office trips, but not often), flexible hours, amazing colleagues and staff. Started with internships, lots of work with smaller companies, all the while doing a PhD.

I'm also a writer! One day I'll throw myself into that fully, but for now enjoying publishing my own bits and bobs when I fancy it (not myself, obviously 😂).

Staff Nurse in ICU. Did my GCSEs and scraped enough passes for A Levels, failed all but one of my A Levels, then started an art course but then dropped out pretty much straight away. Worked in retail for a while. Then did an access foundation degree in biology. Passed that then topped it up to a BSc(Hons). Worked various jobs but nothing really grabbed me so retrained as a nurse. Three year degree and I was qualified. Did a stint in A&E before switching to ICU and been there since!