Is it too late to retrain in Accountancy in my mid 40s?

[Coffeebean18]

I have two children 2 and 5. Currently SAHM, single parent, not much financial help from their father.

i had a career in Nursing but left after 20 years. Looking to get back into work next year. Looking at Secretarial/PA, Book keeping but now considering Accountancy.

Has anyone retained in their mid 40s or older and made a career for themselves?
How did you find studying and family life?

thanks

I don’t think it’s too late to retrain but tbh I do think the exam periods could be tough with small children and little help. Plus being a junior accountant can be quite full on and inflexible I believe (depends where you work of course).

It might be worth considering retraining in tech, if you haven’t - there are quite a few programmes aimed at retraining women in your position into tech, no prior knowledge required. Avoids big exam pushes and is very employable.

Do you definitely want to avoid healthcare - even in a private setting or other forms of healthcare?

OP my apologies hijacking!

@minipie I hope you don't mind me asking what programmes you're referring to? I'm considering training into tech myself, but would be helpful if someone in the know could recommend a course

I haven’t done it myself so can’t recommend a specific course sorry! Just seen them online on eg Women Returners website and Women in Tech.

Thanks so much, will have a look!

Coffeebean18, if you browse all the other threads on this board you’ll find countless women in their 40’s retraining and forging new careers. Have a look and see how they’ve found it in general.

More specifically, I’m not an accountant myself but knew lots of accountants in training when I was younger. I agree with a pp - it’s hard work (work plus exams at the same time, as I remember it) while training. And I imagine the early years are comparable to starting out in Law - relentless and competitive if you want to get ahead.

That said I know countless people find it a steady and reliable career.

It’s perhaps a tiny bit concerning that you begin your OP with your children rather than reasons why you think you would be particularly suited to accountancy. What is it that appeals to you about the work?

It’s never too late to retrain for anything op. My mum always wanted to be a nurse, but ended up getting pregnant very young and worked in pubs for the next 30 years. She decided a few years back to go for her dreams and has now just qualified as a nurse in her late 50’s :)

I retrained as an accountant in my 30’s and finished CIMA a few years ago.
Working in industry is much more family friendly than being an auditor and also there are plenty of jobs that pay for your professional training.