Retraining for better career

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Has any one done this lately and have any advice? Basically some years ago i got a degree in english and have done a manner of odd low paid jobs. I have no confidence and have settled in a shitty zero hour contract in a shop. Now i have time during furlough i want to look into online courses but i dont know what jobs are out there worth going for for a decent salary. By that i mean 20k and over as u currently earn 12k a year on average sometimes less. Im 28 and have seen IT is a good field although i have no real IT knowledge im willing to learn new skills for a good career.

So what jobs does everyone do? Do you enjoy it? And what sort of online courses should i look into?

Not really got any advice as such but just wanted to say that my dh retrained in IT when he was 29 after having done an English degree previously and is now paid much better than any role he’d had from his English degree! A lot of IT jobs are also have a lot more concrete hours (dh works Mon-Fri 9-5). Definitely go for it! It’s a good field that will always be needed and is well paid!

Thank you! Thats great to hear about your dh. Thats what i thought i had heard a few people go into IT and make a lot more money. I am veering between that and graphic design.

I'm early fifties now but I took a couple of years out to retrain for a new career when roughly the same age as you are now. Best move I've ever made. You've got 30 or 40 years of working life in front of you. Make the most of it and invest in yourself to get to where you want to be.

If you are interested in IT that would be a great choice. There is a massive and diverse range of jobs in the industry with something to suit everyone no matter what your strengths or personality. It's also probably the best catered for field in terms of availability and quality of online learning materials. Probably the best place to start would be to do a bit of research into all the different roles and what they entail to get a feel for the direction you might want to go in.

Thank you Tootrue thats great advice. I dont know why i felt people would berate me for being stupid in even thinking about it. But this is totally something i need to do.

I'm going to start retraining to become an accountant. I have an undergraduate and postgraduate degree in social sciences which I've completely fallen out of love with and frankly I want a high salary which is unlikely in my field.

If I were you I'd definitely look into beginner jobs in IT if that's what you're interesting in. Many firms will also support you if you need further qualifications which is definitely something to look into. I'm 28 and I still remember my mum thinking she was too old to retrain in her 30's so never did it. She likes her job but I think she would also like the field she was thinking of retraining and I don't want to think "what if" when I'm older.

Just bear in mind, some careers place equal importance on experience as well as qualifications, so online courses may not guarantee a decent - job - you'll still need to get low/entry jobs and work up, building experience, even with qualifications.

Accountancy is one such career - I've heard of many people who've "qualified" as a chartered accountant but can't actually get a "qualified level job" as they had no practical experience,

I moved to IT from healthcare - suits my personality better, less stressful. I was lucky as DH was already in the field - which made it a lot easier. Start by looking at jobs websites to see what is out there. A few places like bbc do a trainee scheme.

It is quite hard to get a first job. I don’t know whether IT desk support or manual testing may be routes in? I don’t know the prospects for progression. If you like graphic design then maybe front-end web development or UX design?

I have seen ads for firms that will give you a training course and say that they will try and organise a work placement for you afterwards. I don’t know how good those are. I was reluctant to spend money on a uni course as I have 2 kids and it is expensive - but I suppose it is an option.

Start by doing some training yourself. See if you can volunteer. Just try and get a foot in the door somewhere.

Don't assume that a company will train you (as a PP suggested). DH is in IT in a senior technical role. He is continually learning. A lot of it he has paid for himself, some of it free, a little of it paid for by his employer.

You can't stand still with IT. You need to be constantly learning. Proving you can do that would be a good starting point.

IT can be a good way to gain experience and £££ if you go the contractor route.

I'm in HR but thinking of retraining as a social worker!

I've enjoyed my time in HR but found my career stagnated after I had kids, and I've lost my passion for it.

Most social workers lose their passion for that pretty quickly too! Short staffed departments mean workload is huge and it’s grim. Be careful about what you jump into.

HR is not that much better @Bubbles. If I have one more 'my managers been horrible to me' grievance (when the employee has been behaving badly and manager just trying to do their job) I'll scream!

@CloudsCanLookLikeSheep Don't expect social work to be any easier! Not necessarily better management, lots of pressure and vulnerable people. When things go wrong, you're not just talking about dealing with a stroppy manager trying to get rid of a member of staff..... It's vulnerable people, safeguarding, difficult and dysfunctional families, no budget, not enough staff for caseload. You won't be a person people will necessarily want to engage with either.

Occupational therapy is a better option IMO.

Either way, do your homework and get a job as a social work assistant before you take the leap. That will give you a much better idea of the work than shadowing for a few days.