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.

You keep saying you don't have experience, but you do from all your previous roles. Are you maximising this in your applications? I would have thought you would be a good candidate for customer service roles for example, many of those can be done 9-5. Try less competitive industries, or looking for remote or hybrid positions so you're not limited to your local town?

This is a really bad idea.

1. entry level jobs in accounting are disappearing due to AI
2. you do not need an accounting degree to go into accounting, or indeed any degree. Look at an apprenticeship instead.
3. a degree will leave you with about 60k of debt to repay, with dubious prospects of clearing it, so its a 9% extra tax for life.

It really is a terrible idea unless you do a very carefully considered course that leads directly to a job thats undersubscribed.

Do it!
It’s not “hard work” in any real sense.
Financially you are council tax exempt, theres grants, bursaries, perks and discounts.
My friend is now on to a PhD because she hated the tedium of working and loves her more glamours lecturer role and glitzy research subject.

Just chose a degree that qualifies you for something.

Dont do a A and F degree. You only need to do professional exams and practical work after and the most it buys you is some credits towards some exams.

Look for AAT, ACCA, ACA Apprenticeships or study supported opportunities and look into each online to see what they offer. Possibly even CIMA or CIPFA too.

@Karma1387 ive msged you.

Oh I see what you mean. Our local uni only offers clincal roles (I have a huge fear of anything medical like needles etc) and you also have to find the job yourself and then get the apprenticeship.

Vocational degrees like nursing, social work, teaching, occupational therapy would be good options to open up new job opportunities. Some, if not all of them, do come with placements which are great for making connections to gain employment although with nursing you would possibly be expected to do nights. Social work degrees can usually accommodate placements for 9-5 work.

Yeah I have detailed all my experience in my cv and cover letter. I think because my customer service experience is in person based i'm not being considered as I don't have the online/ telephone experience.

A degree isn't hard work?

Pffft...

Lecturing is not glamorous. Half of them are losing their jobs as unis cut costs... It's poor pay, stress to publish articles all the time, dross work with poorer quality undergrads every intake... The ones who can afford to pay, not the brightest... And it's not a career it once was...

A degree with child care responsibilities and no savings, just more and more borrowing is hard work.

Sounds awful.

Highly advise not to. As I said before, everyone has a degree now. Unis have been churning them out, hundreds of thousands every year since Tony Blair shone his teeth in 1997.

You could train a hamster to get a degree now and employers know it...

Unfortunately most accounting appreticeships either pay £8 per hour or require decent A level results 😞 but I have alerts set to notify me when they come up!

Why not try to get a trade or set up a business yourself that everyone needs... Cleaning etc. You'll make more money doing that than being the sprog at the bottom of the pile in a market town accountancy firm... It's only London where the real money is, but with children responsibilities that ship sailed long ago...

But as someone who has a degree and isn't working at the moment, the bar has changed and more jobs I'm applying for are asking for degrees - even jobs that can be done without a degree. Also I wrote further up the thread I could retrain to be a teacher by doing a years course and get a huge bursary - that's only open to people who have a degree.

Oh god if you've got bad a-levels then really don't bother. A degree from the University of bognor Regis isn't worth a dime...

Sorry I should’ve said, my DD is 10 so no childcare costs.

Where I live is inundated with cleaners 🤣 starting anything like that would be too complicated with kids my age. I couldn't put them in chidcare not knowing if I have to income to pay for said childcare.

But if no progress finding a full time job in the next 5 years its something I can look at when they are both at school.

The most obvious one then is teaching.

My A levels are from 10 years ago and I was severely depressed. I am very capable of doing a degree however our university is only ARU so it isntl't exactly known as a good university.

Also, are accounting job not going to be much less due to AI anyway?

Is teacher pay not shockily bad and would it not still require me to do a degree? I assume I would also have to do long placements which wouldn't work around my part time job?

I don't very often see teacher jobs come up but perhaps thats because I don't go looking for them.

I have no idea but I feel like you can say that about so many jobs.

It's just sad that you'd consider taking on huge debt for a qualification that puts you no further ahead than a 21yr old fresh out of this summer's BA cohort... What's the point???

You'll never be as free as that 21yr old. You won't be able to do crazy long hours that starting off in professional roles needs. Your lifestyle can't live like a 21yr old, renting a room etc... Employers know thus. The 21 Yr old is to them, more flexible, less requiring of high wages, dare I say easier to mould and manipulate?

Plus, employers can take their pick...

I'd highly, highly advise not to get in debt for this... At 7% interest per annum.

I think this is the same problem I am having with applying for apprenticeships. Employers would prefer someone fresh out of college then someone who has commitments etc.

Would you look into an accounts and finance apprenticeship? It's a great way to get experience and get the AAT qualification. You can progress to L4 if you get the right employer.

That's assuming you will get in at all! If you haven't got good A levels and you haven't got any experience in the field, they are not just going to welcome you with open arms. You absolutely need to have either one or the other in order to simply get through the door.