42 yo, re-entering workplace, looking for good money and work/life balance!!

[WoolyMammoth55]

...Am I kidding myself? :)

Seriously, I'd appreciate any supportive advice about where to start.

Nutshell: I was a very academic youngster, went from grammar to Cambridge and got a first in English Lit.
Then went to film school for a 2-year diploma, wanted to change the world with creativity (oh so naive).
Mum died soon after I graduated film school, so took on caring responsibility for younger siblings - did temping and childcare instead of anything exciting.
Once younger sibling was independent I re-booted film stuff, lots of unpaid fun projects, got an agent, went hard after a career in film for 5 years.
It was going well until I suffered appalling maternity discrimination when pregnant and after birth of DS1. Absolutely wrecked me and contributed to PND. Feel like I am done with trying to work in film, due to this experience.
Now have DS1 and DS2, 5yo and 2yo. Have returned to the kind of PA/admin work I did in my 20s to pay bills during this time (part-time, wfh).

So:
We live rurally in the South West so local jobs are limited, I need something that is WFH/hybrid - I could commute to Bristol but would like that to be max 1 day per week.
I will be working for next 25 years so want to find something fulfilling but also compatible with smallish kids - hence work/life balance.
I would like to enjoy what I do.
My CV is gappy as hell due to caring for siblings and now my own kids.
The film industry work isn't very "transferable" to anything else.
The admin/PA stuff is boring and I feel demoralised thinking this is it for me, career-wise.
After Uni I had a bunch of management consultancy/law firms make straight offers due to exam results, but those are 2 decades old now. Is there a route into this sort of work?

I've been considering:
2 years masters to train as a Speech and Language Therapist - we went private for DS1 and they are all hugely busy round here, it's nice work and helps people. But it means starting off with a financial outlay - bit scary.

Trying to work out if an English grad could work in tech/coding type stuff - it seems mega-lucrative and flexible - but I'm a long way off being qualified to apply for anything, don't really know where to start, and although clever am not sure I have the maths/science chops for this.

Wild card option would be re-purpose some of my film scripts as YA novels and see if I can earn a living as a creative person - I would love to model this for my kids! But also really want to contribute some financial security to our family and don't think this is the way.

Any thoughts? Very grateful for those who've read this far :)

If the OP really does want to return to the film world, wouldn’t acquiring a fresh qualification be an excellent way of plugging in to new contacts and connections and contemporary thought specific to that culture? (Extemporising from my knowledge of a related creative area.)

Although … I’m slightly worried that, contrary to what I said above, your diploma might mean you couldn’t apply for a Gov Postgraduate Loan. It would depend on whether the earlier qualification is considered to be on the same level as an MA.

Teaching does not have good work/life balance in term time! Bemused at the suggestions to go into teaching.

Have you checked out Local Authority jobs near you? They generally offer flexi working options. It really depends what you actually want to do which only you can decide.

Most job applications you have to omit the school you graduated from so this is to going to help you get through the first stage application sift

I think Civil Service but note that a lot of departments say you need to do 2 days in the office. Defra have a Strategic Comms Manager at the moment which can be Bristol based.

I also think the whole hype around getting into coding at the moment is misleading. Personally I don’t think you can walk into a well paid job unless you have seen evidence elsewhere

You don't need to be good at maths to write computer code. You need to have a logical mind and be able to grasp abstract ideas.

However, there is a lot more to 'coding' today than writing code, nearly everything is framework based and it's not easy to build up sufficient expertise to even get a foot in the door.

As a programmer with 15 years experience, I took a year off to be a stay at home parent and when I tried to get back into the industry that year 'gap' was viewed with utmost suspicion. I did manage it but it was by taking a non-technical role based on secondary skills I'd gained in my time as a programmer.

What about getting an HR qualification? Learning and Development might be right up your alley, or Recruitment .

Bit different to your background OP but I retrained as a solicitor aged 30 after 5 years as a SAHM and only 2 years' work experience in an unrelated field before that. I was worried I wouldn't get a training contract with my gappy CV but I did. Also went to Cambridge, which I'm sure helped the CV a bit. I was 34 when I qualified and was by no means the oldest person at law school. I'm now a partner (13 years later).

So you can definitely find a fresh start, but you need a clear idea of what you want to do and the narrative to sell it. Wanting to do something because it's lucrative, for example, isn't a sell point for interviews. Identify your strengths and the USPs your experience so far have given you, and work on the story of how those can benefit your future employer.

What about careers adjacent to film? Marketing in that sector?

Maybe a returnship would be useful for you? They're usually aimed at getting women back into the workplace after a career gap, short-term (like apprenticeships but better paid and higher level) but potential for a job at the end of it and useful for re-skilling. Have a google, there are a few different places that do them now.

Hmm I wonder about some sort of role in social media. Lots of demand for it (plenty of companies realising they need to be all over it but no clue where to start). WFH. Less techy than coding. And your English/film/creative background might be a good fit. There are training courses in it.

techpixies.com free social media training here

Why are women who want to learn Tech “pixies” or something else cutesy?
Why is there so much pink?

Well I agree with you Hoppinggreen. However I don’t want to bash a company doing a good thing. I wonder if the stereotyped presentation/name helps them get more media coverage. (Depressing if so but can see it being true)

Have you considered a government skills bootcamp?

www.gov.uk/guidance/find-a-skills-bootcamp

There's quite a few of them, they are free but apparently quite intense so not something to do unless you're able to commit. I guess that's clear by it being called a bootcamp! Lots of digital ones.

I don’t know about the DBS stuff but film and media teaching at sixth form/college might suit. I have some issues with teaching as a career but it’s a great subject to teach, students love it and it’s always varied and interesting, and having industry knowledge is a massive advantage.

Masters courses in SLT are extremely competitive.

You will need demonstrable experience of working with people with speech, language & communication difficulties.

I'd recommend doing some volunteering first which will allow you to work with people with disabilities/ young children/ people who have language difficulties as result of stroke, parkinsons etc.

Basically you will need to have a strong focus on this before you start to pursue it, it's not something you can just fall into.

With your background and the fact that helping others is important to you, what about something like an information officer for a charity or arms length body, or something like a bids/grants writer? Have a look at LinkedIn and Indeed in the first instance.

Lots of jobs in the NHS right now (though I'd not currently recommend it, or teaching - I'm one of those who qualified but didn't stay). The BBC and much of the media are hideously competitive these days, don't pay all that well, and whether they admit it or not, are generally huge fans of bright young things with trust funds...

About a year or so ago there was a fully funded cyber security programme for women in Bristol but I'm not sure if it is still running, would something like that appeal?

Or freelance writing though it's an upward slog right now. There's an excellent free regular newsletter with leads compiled by Sian Meade Jones, plus occasional reasonably paid blogging and other roles on Problogger.

Best of luck, anyway.

@WoolyMammoth55 I posted a similar thread today in the work board and was pointed over here.

I have a similar story to you but in TV not film. Fantastic start but then life did not go my way.

I also beat myself up about it even though none of it was within my control.

I have no answers but am reading these replies with interest.

I work for the civil service and have found it great so far. I can work nearly 100 percent at home if I want and there are loads of opportunities if you put yourself out there and show potential. I also have flexi hours so fits well around children.

Just chipping in to say that if you haven't already, you might think about getting in touch with the Cambridge Careers Service, which has some resources specifically to help people retrain or rethink mid-career: www.careers.cam.ac.uk/careers-support-alumni . Good luck, and I hope you find something that works!

You might find some useful info here:

womenreturners.com/returners/retraining-courses/

womenreturners.com/returners/returner-opportunities-programmes/

Another one who would recommend Civil Service. You can't beat it for flexibility with small children.

Worth bumping for these resources.

Hi all, just thought I'd post an update with good news! I applied for the CodeFirstGirls Degree course and have been accepted with a job offer from a great company who have multiple global offices including Bristol :)

All being well, come January I'll be a 43 year old "Early Talent" Software Engineer, which is fairly hilarious! But the comp package is good, flexible WFH, and I think a decent chance of being on great money in 5 years if all goes well.

I had only dipped my toes into a few free courses (CFG Kickstarter, MOOCs and Odin Project) prior to applying but the interviews went well and I think that helped a lot.

Thanks all for the advice and support - was a very encouraging thread to read at a time I felt very lost. Love MN sometimes!

We’ll done!

do you mind me asking what kind of salary and flexibility you have (I’m also interested in a career change and flexibility is as important as salary to me)?

*well done (bloody autocorrect!)