To panic about not being able to get a job?

[acraftycorvid]

I'm in my mid thirties and have worked for the family business since I left school. This business is now closing as the person who founded it is retiring and it's not something I could do on my own so I need to find other work.

I don't have any skills or experience as I've always just done as I'm told and I never dealt with customers directly, so I don't have any references either. I don't have a lot of practice talking to other people, I have done some volunteer work but never got to know anyone well enough to be able to ask them for a reference and don't have any friends for character references. I've been to the Jobcentre but I don't qualify for Jobseekers/job clubs because I was self employed before. They helped me make a CV and told me to apply for any jobs available, but I've never been invited to an interview from doing this. I'm only looking for minimum wage work.

I'm worried I'll never be able to find anyone who would employ me, I wouldn't if I were them! I do have a small amount of money I could use for retraining but I don't know where to start, the job I have been doing is manual labour only. I did do a maths degree with the OU a couple of years ago, but this was probably a waste of time without any soft skills to go with it. Does anyone have any advice or ideas please? I'm completely out of my depth with it all. Thank you.

Google 'become a maths tutor'. So much demand.

"....only from the Open University" - imho - these are generally well regarded! Why would you not think well of it?

Relative or not - I see no reason why a reference from them would not be acceptable, if that is your only option and the fact is that you have worked for a family business for a long time - facts are facts. I'm sure you're not the only person that falls into a completely unique set of circumstances - it is what it is - don't think so negatively about yourself. You have a degree in a intellectually challenging subject - that says something very positive about you - something that probably can't be said about the next 50 people you walk past in the supermarket.

For any number of reasons - most people out of work can think of reasons why they are at a disadvantage - too old, too young and inexperienced, too long in the same job, too many jobs due to redundancies/business closures, etc, gaps in employment record, apparent lack of coherence (jumping around between different jobs), time out for motherhood or caring for relatives,... seriously everyone can find a reason to doubt themselves. You don't need to do that - it's not going to help.

What would you like (or not like) to do? Any ideas?

Bloody hell! You've got a first class maths degree. You are very clever. You might not be good with people but ther will be jobs where you can use your maths. Or do a masters in something techy? You sound lovely OP. You just need to believe in yourself.

Also, the OU is highly regarded.

I don't think teaching is suitable. It's brutal. But there are loads of other things you could do.

Your relationship with your Father doesn’t sound very healthy?

Have you got any other family? Partner? Friends? You sound like you could benefit from therapy.

Consider contacting a career coach as they can help you identify what you CAN do rather than focus on what you can't, and will help you work out where to go next. Please don't settle for a minimum wage manual job - if you completed a Maths degree and got a First alongside work, you can do more than that.
Volunteering should help you build your confidence and people skills.

I think you need to do something to build your confidence socially too. Join a library or if you already have, have a look for local ground you can join weekly. Anything that you enjoy doing, walking or outdoorsy stuff so you can do some "sideways" talking. Not feeling that fear or pressure of face to face forces conversation.
There are lots of different people out there. Being an introvert or "not good with words" doesn't mean you have to be socially isolated. And often meeting people and getting some contacts can get you into word of mouth jobs...

Church volunteering? No need to have a religion yourself but church set ups are caring and inclusive.

@acraftycorvid you are very bright and also probably neurodiverse. With the right training, and role, you do have the potential to be successful. Hope you find a mentor or careers coach to help you. Your dad can absolutely give you a reference as he was your employer

Maths tutoring, maybe even over zoom etc.

You've got a first class degree in a really hard subject that will never become obsolete. Please don't settle yet again for manual work. Book keeping, data analytics, coding are all accessible with short term training. But maybe more importantly, is there anything you enjoy that you could see yourself doing as a job?

This. 💯

You have a first class maths degree from the OU? What do you mean 'only from the OU' - that is INCREDIBLE!!! To have the self motivation and talent to do that - it is so impressive. I mean this sincerely.

I second all the others saying you have a really good shot for lots of well paid & often WFH careers - data analysis etc (many don't internships don't have age restrictions. The adverts will all say 'excellent communicator', do not let that put you off. What they mean is can you talk about your subject and you know once you are in your zone of comfort (numbers) that you absolutely can discuss numbers very well.

Go for it & good luck!

'Only from the open university'? OU study was the hardest class work I've ever done. It's equal to every other maths degree out there. You really sound like you have lots of useful skills. ChatGPT can help you polish up your skills list and make a CV. Your local library may also have some useful resources for job hunting. In the short term, what about online order picking in a supermarket? That seems like something that you can just quietly get on with without much interaction. I think you are capable of much more though.

Wait until the employers’ NI increase kicks in in April. It will get a lot more difficult to get a job then as companies will shed jobs and not be able to afford as many staff. I think we are going to see mass job losses later this year unfortunately.

Not sure that's relevant or helpful to the OP.

To echo previous posters, you are underestimating yourself. Why do you say you don't have the ability to deal with people? It sounds as though you have not had the chance to develop yourself. Doing the same thing for 15+ years isn't going to build your confidence. Imagine your CV though: a first class maths degree is impressive. A few suggestions to help you look at options and, if you are feeling courageous, make some explorarory phonecards. 1. Maths teaching (I think your comment about references is a red herring 😊 https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/life-as-a-teacher/explore-subjects/maths 2. Maths tutor - you could try out being a tutor as a way of thinking more about teacher training - two or three GCSE students should be quite easy to find and you'd need to get a DBS check https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-become-private-tutor#:~:text=To%20become%20a%20private%20tutor%2C%20one%20has,complete%20a%20Disclosure%20and%20Barring%20Service%20check.&text=Strong%20knowledge%20of%20your%20subject%20area%20is%20essential%20for%20tutoring%20jobs. 3.National Careers Service - free advice by phone or online, plus skills diagnostics (good for you as you probably have a broader skills set than you think) and profiles of a comprehensive range of jobs https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ 4. If you did a bookkeeping course, could you work freelance, offering your services to small businesses, perhaps starting with businesses that are customers of the family business you are working for? 5. If you're not already on the professional networking site LinkedIn, consider setting up your profile - at the very least, seeing your CV on screen would help your confidence. Once you've identified what you might like to do, you can add an 'Open to work' badge to your photo and say what kind of work you are looking for. 6. If you live near an Amazon warehouse, you could become a warehouse operative - not dissimilar to what you're doing now https://www.jobsatamazon.co.uk/associate-roles/warehouse-operative#/

OP have you ever considered you might be autistic?
It really is no small thing to have a first class maths degree from anywhere. There are jobs that require a maths degree that do not require much communication.

Might it be worth seeking a diagnosis.