Lost at 53, what job could I do?

[Puddleduck2013]

I am at a total loss with where I go with my career at 53. I hate what I currently do but can’t see what other options I have and so am stuck.

My qualifications/experience are:

Psychology B.Sc
Access to Nursing Diploma
18 years internal audit followed by 10 years SAHM (but did various volunteering including at a local hospice)
Last 2 years Retail then into business admin at local council, which I loathe.

i can’t believe that I am stuck in admin until I finish my working life but don’t know what else I could do/be good at. I like being around people, helping/caring and I’m open to studying/retraining.
I got divorced last year and financial security is a big factor although I am lucky enough to be mortgage free.

any advice gratefully received

I retrained as a teacher aged 53 and was snapped up because schools are keen to employ people with real life experience. Did the job for 10 years (and the pension built up very quickly). Loved the classroom, tho’ didn’t like the pointless bureacracy and incompetent management which you notice coming from a professional area outside education. Any job around young people is a benefit in keeping your mind open and alert. Wouldn’t recommend the job to a young person but is good as a career change.

That’s a brave move @LupaMoonhowl ! A good friend of mine retrained as RS teacher at 40 and does love working with the kids.

Thinking of doing this!

Would you share the process? Happy for you to PM me so as not to hijack the thread 😊

Finally heard back, took so long as they were waiting for acceptance from successful candidate.
Told I did a good interview just didn’t have the same level of experience

My confidence is rock bottom. I left a well paid corporate job to become a SAHM and support ExH in his business. I feel deskilled, useless and it seems I can’t even get a low band care role on less than half what I was earning 15 years ago.

I know this isn’t necessarily helpful to the OP I just wanted to say I have a friend who did this at 50 and she is genuinely the one person I know who absolutely loves their job. She also says she might feel differently if she was at the end of a long career in that sector but she came from private sector and is so happy she took the leap.
everytime I see her it makes me wish I loved my job and grateful to have people like her ( hopefully!) teaching my kids .

I'm sorry to hear that 😞. Do keep trying. If you are getting interviews, you will definitely get an offer at some point x

Thank you @RuddyLongCovid
I worry that beacuaseni haven’t had any sort of clear career route I come across as flakey and substandard

I know two people in their late sixties who have gone down the counselling route.
One started a part time college course while working in NHS admin, has recently fully qualified as a counsellor. She then worked for a charity I think doing sessions, and has recently started taking private clients. The other had a different NHS job and started the counselling college course alongside their job. It started with evening courses.

I liked having flexible study hours, but the make-or-break part was finding a program that still gave me real hands-on practice. I used some online class info to sort out which schools were accredited and which offered solid lab time, and it made comparing costs and timelines way easier. That mix of online work and in-person labs kept things affordable without feeling like I was cutting corners.