Help me choose a career?

[Bubblebloodypop]

I want to take my life in a better direction and i'd be really grateful for some ideas/advice.

Background, I'm 22 and have one DS 18 months with no intention of anymore so a long time. I have a supportive DP and I'm currently a SAHM. I've got relatively good GCSEs (mostly B-A*) but no A-levels. I dropped out of college and did a childcare apprenticeship which I completed and worked in that field until maternity leave. I don't want to go back into childcare as the scope for progression is minimal.

I am open to university courses, prison service, accounting, health care. Basically anything, I don't expect high wages but something above minimum wage would be the goal.

What's a good career I could get myself into?

The thing is, a degree is going to cost you at least £27k in tuition fees and another £24k in maintenance loans. Where do your interests really lie? IMO it has to be really well worth your while to even contemplate a degree now. I'd suggest that if you do one it's vocational (e.g. A health profession) and doesn't require postgraduate study to get a job as a qualified practitioner. Teaching would cost you another £17k on top due to the additional PGCE year, for example.

I like maths, so I'm thinking of maybe going into accounting, there's a local college that does night classes for about £1,000. It would take two years to qualify but I could just continue to be a SAHM for that time.

Does that sound like a good plan? My true passion is history but I don't really see a future in that for me.

Accountancy is an excellent qualification. The training is flexible so you can start at college and continue in the workplace. And if you are smart it is possible to get on and move into different business and management roles. My sister is an accountant in a very large company and has an interesting time visiting branches and helping them make local business decisions.

I was in a similar situation to you OP. I finished my history degree with the OU last year (best time & money I ever spent) and am half way through a PGCE. Lots of people knock teaching, yes term time is intense but it lets me spend more time with DC than any 9-5 job would & Is a rewarding career with plenty of scope for progression to boot.

Otherwise your accounting plan sounds good, is it a CIMA course you're looking at ? People I know who have retrained since having DC have gone into nursing, midwifery, teaching, speech & language therapy, social work, surveyor, police, adult ed / uni admin & the civil service. If you do decide to go down the degree route I can't recommend the OU highly enough.

Best of luck.

I'm not sure if it's CIMA, is that something I should look for?

I think accounting is my most realistic shot. DP works in the field (sort of) and his workplace would like to put him through the qualification to help him progress. The Monday-Friday 9-5 appeals to me.

I love the idea of being of a midwife but I think the reality would be hard on me.

Need I'm very envious of your history degree, what areas did you study?

You sound career driven and I am guessing you have an A* in Maths at GCSE.

You would be surprised what you can achieve without a degree - careers.icaew.com/school-students-leavers/Entry-routes.

Qualifying in Chartered Accountancy is demanding, but it sounds like you are up for that.

Hi OP just to say I have a few pals who went down an accountancy route in their career and they all have enjoyed the variety of work they do, the pay and the flexibility it has given them. I am a history fan too but I love it as an interest and that it is something I can thoroughly enjoy without the ne to make it pay the bills too.

I did modules on history of medicine, history of Ancient Rome, history of Europe 1400-1900 and a couple on history of religion. Really interesting !! But I think the great thing about history is nowadays there is so much you can study / find out without doing a degree. Even now I've finished I'm sjwats getting geeky history books out of the library Check out the openlearn website if you get a chance lots of free resources on there.

I only mentioned CIMA as that's what the accountants I used to work for all studied but as others have mentioned there are different boards you can qualify with . Definitely could be a good option and lots of opportunity to work for yourself I'd imagine ? PWC/KPMG/Deloitte all have entry level accounting training schemes where they train you up as you work.

As you are so very young, then I'd say train in something you love, rather than something you think 'will be convenient - you've got 50 years of your working life ahead of you, do something you are going to enjoy.