AIBU to consider a degree instead of full time work while struggling to find a job?

[Karma1387]

I'm hoping the hive mind of mumsnet may have some suggestions on what I should do to improve my life.

I am looking to return to full time work (if I can afford to) after my maternity leave ends but the job market just seems super super tough. I need a 9-5 Monday-Friday job but everything I find online wants people with years of experience.

I want to improve my kids lives but it is looking impossible at the moment. Am I better off going and doing a degree and praying the job market is better in 3 years?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I feel a bit stuck but the world is crazy expensive and I have a lot of debt and I know the longer I'm not in a proper job the harder it is going to be to get into one.

I have only seen a few come up they are very rare. I'm not sure they would accept an access course and it would have to be the right access course. For example they would want a business access course for a admin or accounting role or a science one for any medical roles so I would be guessing which one would come up.

But could be something to explore if I could find a distance learning one as the local college does them all in the evening.

Honestly, in your situation, my number one priority would be not adding to your debt. I wouldn’t do a degree.

I did some free courses (in my own time and I hammered them to get them done quickly, literally gave up all my spare time) and now have 2 jobs, 1 in a school at min wage and another that pays £17.33ph and they fit round achool
pickups. My school job is very small but I’m getting the experience and exposure I need to get where I want to be. The courses cost me zero so I haven’t run up any debt.

Or a job where they put you through training, there must be something but I wouldn’t get in any debt.

I went to a Russell Group uni as a mature student and thought I'd walk into a job - I did not, they still wanted experience.

I'm not saying my degree doesn't help my cv, but I'm in a load of debt for something that didn't help the way I thought it would.

Volunteering helped me more. Maybe you could think about doing a year at college instead, and trying to gain some relevant work experience through voluntary work on the days you're not in?

Yeah I am just going to have to keep applying for stuff and hope that someone is willing to take me on without any experience.

I am already level 3 qualified so not sure I could really do anything at college without paying. I also have to keep my 2 shifts a week at a minimum otherwise we can't pay our bills.

Voluntering is something I could do in 5 years once kids are at school but really hoping I find something full time before then.

If you're on maternity leave - can you not go back to your previous job?

You've presumably got very small children - how is that going to work around study or work.

What did you and your husband/partner decide before you had this recent child about finances?

Doing a degree just to get the student loan cash is a terrible idea.

Can’t you get experience? I am starting a volunteer role this week in a role I want to eventually be paid for. I’ve had to do it unpaid as I have no experience so I am v grateful. I would do a free courses England course in something you want to progress in and volunteer somewhere. No one will take you on without a plan, some training and some experience.

Can you be more specific about your current qualifications and previous work experience and what part of the country you are in?
It could help us to give more specific advice on potential options

Yes but my previous job is only 2 days a week and I am looking for full time work.

The kids would go to nursery using the free hours and a little bit of my student loan. But honestly I don't know how we would juggle it.

Our financial situation has changed greatly due to a very complicated situation over the last 2 months so our house cost outgoings have gone from around £600 to £1700 which is why it wasn't an issue with finances prior to having ds2.

How would you manage with uni if you need to wait until they're at school for childcare?

How are you paying for childcare with just a volunteering role? We have £100 (ish) spare each month once I am back at work so we couldn't afford childcare or transport costs for me to go and volunteer.

Working my 2 days a week I get free childcare plus my maintenance loan helps cover any extra hours I might need ontop.

I couldn't afford the childcare costs for when I would be voluntering.

What about a degree apprenticeship?
You'd get experience and a degree.

Degrees are very expensive (unless you're talking about a free one, like nursing was, not sure if any are now?) plus you obviously won't be earning, so in 3 years you'll be more in debt.
Unless you're sure it will definitely lead to a much better paid job? I'd discuss it with someone up to date in what can realistically be expected. As in, not that long ago, doing a nursing degree would have been free and you'd more or less have been guaranteed a job with progression, but it's not the case now (says a nurse I know-obviously get advice for your field and area).

Current qualifications are A levels C,C,D in Law, English Literature and Psychology. I currently just work a stack shelf job part time but prior to this I was a coop store manager, night retail shift leader and prior to my retail career I help my dad with running his roofing company but that was 5ish years ago.

Not criticising you but I'm volunteering in a local charity shop and I don't think it will go anywhere but I guess it would give me experience if I wanted to work in retail. Also I have just finished a free england course and thought it was so boring and time consuming. Thankfully the last question was answered today and I passed!

OP I think you need to think a bit more than 9-5. There are areas that you can get more funding for in uni or have a more certain career path. I was told the other day I could get a huge bursary for training as a teacher due to my computer science degree - really don't think it's me but I can't discount it. But also other sectors that are crying out for more people.

And I say this as someone whose daughter has just started a degree at Durham uni in Business & Management. Your degree subject is such a popular choice already, you would need to think how you would stand out.

They are so so competitive and I am going up against new school leavers with decent A levels. A lot of them also only pay £8 an hour which just isnt affordable.

But I do apply for any that come up that pay a proper wage but they are very rare.

You said “maternity leave” - does that mean you have a job currently that you could return to? In the current market I would do that. Any job is a huge bonus at the moment, it is brutal out there.

You mentioned career change - that is always hard because you usually begin on the starting salary again. Realistically it can be hard to do until later in life when you have already bought your house/saved into your pension and have a bit more flexibility,

But what are you looking to do? Is study currently a possibility?

I wouldn't do anything like nursin. If I did it it would be accounting but graduate jobs for that are also super rare and the uni I would go to isnt a good uni so I would still be going up against others more likely to get the role.

But I am just trying to find a way to get money in.

How good are you with IT? There are data degree apprenticeships? I work for a company that does them. New cohort in January. Pm me and I can send you a link its a UK wide scheme.

Unfortunately due to kids and partners career I need a 9-5 monday to friday. I have the kids I have to juggle around but i really appreciate the response. I know accounting is very popular which makes it harder.

Could you look for part time work to replace your current shifts but somewhere that would support career progression, like NHS on the admin side?

Edit to add - My partner had no qualifications, and after a couple of years being keen they were offering to pay for him to do courses or to support him onto an apprenticeship into a clinical job. There are also apprenticeship routes to AHP roles now which are more AI proof than accounting!

I agree with this. Degrees are pretty worthless these days. It's post grads and specialist qualifications that get jobs. A BA or BSc is just 3 years of a jolly, getting into debt, then joining the 100,000 graduates churned out every year who are working at Starbucks or unemployed 3 months after graduating...

People think a degree is a golden ticket like it was in 1954. Not today... Everyone's got one. You can get an open university one in prison...

Don't get in debt for a degree hoping it'll chance your life.

The debt will.

The degree won't.

So a healthcare degree wouldn’t come up on the nhs site, you’d need to look to see what courses the local uni offers.

Yes I have a 2 day week job I will be returning to unless I find a full time job. I cant pay my bills without it.

I dont mind starting on minimum wage but even minimum wage jobs want experience (which seems a bit of a pee take when paying minimum wage)

I can probably fit in doing a degree around my 2 day a week job but as others have pointed out possibly not the smartest way to get extra money monthly.