Back to work after retraining

[londonsquirrel]

Hi all,
I am not sure what I am doing with my life...
Before kids (10 years ago) I had a MSc in computer science and had a swiftly developing career in data analysis / data warehouse. I think I burned out at some point (but never realised it back then) and that's why I was not keen on going back to IT after kids.

Two years ago I decided to do an MSc Psychology conversion course, which I am graduating from soon. I really enjoyed it, especially the research part (and the data analysis, haha). I thought about doing a PhD, but need a studentship and my application for PhD projects have not been successful so far. My friends in academia also warn me against PhD as post doc phase is not particularly family friendly, so I am going down that route with caution.

What I've realised is that I love working with meaningful data, so have been applying for data analyst positions at various charities. Again, have not heard back...

I feel old and that the huge career gap is not helpful, constantly ruminating about the awful choice that I made. And then my retraining in psychology looks very weird as well.

I guess my question is... any positive stories that you can share about going back to work after a massive career gap? What helped? How to stop the rumination?

@Diddleflop I mostly need it for my sanity right now. The mortgage rates are going up late next year, so would need to have a job to cover that.

It sounds as if you need some dedicated careers advice. Was there none attached to your institution? If not, it might be a good idea to invest some £ in paying a careers advice service.

I’m absolutely certain that with the right advice you could find and successfully apply for positions that use all your qualifications.