Career change mid forties, need security and increased earning potential and not sure which way to go

[whatodowhattodo]

Hi, I’ve been in circles about my career for a decade, since my first dc, and really hoping to get some considered views from the hive mind that is mumsnet 😀.

Mainly due to a lack of direction and confidence, I earn £20k less than I did 10 years ago. I’m on a temporary contract and looking for something permanent, and I’d like the flex to not have to work in London. I should add that I feel pretty ground down these days too (rel with oh and professionally).

Happy to spend time retraining (evenings or could take a year out, potentially). I’ve looked into HR, organisational change, teaching, digital roles and continuing doing what I’ve been doing for 20 years (helping charities with evidence gathering/use, really don’t feel I’m going to increase my salary here).

The question I have struggled to answer over the last 10 years (hence not making a decision) is which path holds the greatest potential (getting a job and having one that is respectable for the ages I will continue to work (ie another 20 years), income (£40k+) and flexible working/location) and least risk (not getting a job, taking a while to earn a reasonable amount).

If possible, I’m really looking for views/ideas from those experienced in the paths I’ve been looking into.

First time posting something like this and feeling a bit nervous/worried I’m missing a whole bunch of useful information out!?

Thank you!

Thanks for reading, if you’ve got this far.

There are business analyst roles in companies. I’m not a BA, but in IT there are quite a few people who do this. They talk to stakeholders in a project and get requirements from them. They sometimes also double up as non technical scrum master (kind of project manager of small team). There is a modular qualification from BCS (British computing society) which can be done alongside working. You may need to take a slight pay cut on starting, but it might also suit some of your skill set. I guess some people move into Product Owner or manager roles.

Thank you @Namenic. A path I’ve skirted around. I REALLY appreciate you taking the time and setting out steps to take. So helpful.

Agree with Namenic there are loads of roles available for Business Analysts across Financial Services, tech firms etc.
What do you want to be doing, eg analytical roles, number crunching, preparing reports, project management, sales, digital marketing, people management, training for example?
I saw a good thread a month or two back with advice for career-changers interested in tech roles, I'll see if I can find that as there were some really useful posts.

Thank you @KeyErro and sorry for the delay in replying, been away then back to work. I’m definitely not keen on number crunching or complicated stats. Happy with all the other roles you mention. In my day to day job I’m keen to be speaking to people, have a senior manager who knows how to do my job and have daily milestones/markers of progression. Yes, that thread you mention would be good to see, thank you!

I've just segued from HR ops to more of a project management role (but still in HR) and am really enjoying it.

Could you look at project management if you enjoy problem solving and planning?