Career change mid 30s - confidence levels zero

[Isit2021yetplease]

Hi,
I’m looking for experience of people who’ve had a career change in their mid 30s. I’m shortly due baby 3 and trying to work out my options and am finding it SO hard and my confidence levels are non existent. I currently earn circa £50k fte (non covid times, currently on pay cut). It’s travel industry for a small specialist company - options for transferring in the industry are limited. I have worked there about 10 years, working my way up and now do website / systems / a bit of everrhhifb. Definitely a jack of all trades master of mine and I get paid ol due to the time I’ve been there.

I am so bored - but after 2 maternity leaves, the. Covid then 2020 - the last 5 years have disappeared. I’m so so nervous about what I’m going to do for the rest of my working life!

I have a careers counselled who is helping me structure my thoughts but I would love to know what careers people moved to in mid-30s. I am definitely logical and problem solving - not creative, and need a job with flexibility to work around kids. I worked out I need to earn about £30k just to cover childcare costs - and I just can’t work out how ill do that as everything needs experience? I have a good degree in business from a good university but that was decades ago.
I am very very open to all industries / options.

I used to be so motivated and hard working but having kids and losing my sense of self has knocked me sideways - I don’t know what I’m good At anymore or where to start and I just can’t work out why anyone would every choose to hire me.

It/software. I switched from healthcare a couple of years ago. DH is in the indistry, so helped me start coding. Look on jobs websites at what is available in the area. Occasionally junior roles suggest you don’t need a degree in it and they would give training. Some big companies do digital apprenticeship - I think Bbc might have done one. Learn something like python (which is commonly used and lots of support online) and a commonly used web framework (look on jobs sites and . Do hackerrank to practice skills and prepare for coding tests. There is a British computing society course on software testing (ISTQB), which you can study for by reading a course book (there are books of practice qs too) - it is not usually essential for jobs, but can help with confidence. Good luck - it sounds like you have good skills - may need to take a pay cut of 15-20k.

Otherwise maybe there is a non technical role within IT - like requirements gathering/business analyst type role, or product owner (represents the voice of the customer to technical teams). I know a business analyst that joined in her 40s after taking time out looking after kids. There is are BCS exams for business analysis.

Career shifters is a good organisation - good group courses so you fire of other people - might be a better use of money than a coach if you are still deciding what to do -

In my mid 40s I switched from being a librarian to being an academic. The structure of my first career had changed so I found my qualifications devalued because I did not have a degree. I went back into education to do a degree, got a first in psychology, then went on to do a masters and doctorate. So had a second career in academia. I now run my own business. Its never too late to change direction.

However I had to make sacrifices such as massively dropping my standard of living, starting at the bottom of the ladder in a new career, and juggling many different priorities.

I did find that many of the skills I developed as a librarian served me well in other roles. Librarians have to be detail oriented, meticulous, disciplined and people-centered. A love of literature and a sense of humour also help. These are excellent and transferable skills.

These are really helpful thank you so much for taking time to reply!