Retraining later in life - what as? Has it worked out?

[Allinadayswork80]

Hi, I’m curious to find out how many people have retrained later in life and what as? Has it been worth it? Was it for financial reasons or vocational?

I feel like maybe I’m not meeting my potential and could offer much more. I enjoy my job and am good at it but there is no room for progression or better pay, it’s a very static role. I’m 43, is it unrealistic to consider a career change?

Thanks for any comments/advice.

It depends what you mean by 're-training' - are you saying that your current/existing qualifications aren't relevant to be reapplied to new job roles?

I'm always amazed that people with a degree or a Further Education qualification don't see how they can reapply those skills in many other roles and career contexts. Or at least use that as a starting point to top up with additional professional qualifications, rather than starting from scratch.

Age-wise you have at least 25 years of working life left. I've known people 5 years off normal retirement age who try something new. No time like the present!

@Allinadayswork80 considered Nurse training several years ago, looked into it, made inquiries, went for an interview but the fees were just too high so sadly I didn't go any further. I do have regrets and feel my dream has slipped away.

43 is young. Do you have any ideas of what you would want to do?

Yes I did. Went back to university in my 40s to study a masters, started a professional role in the new field at 45. It was hard work (I studied part time whilst working), but definitely worth it.

Do you have any ideas about what you'd like to do?

Thanks for your replies. No I don’t really have any real idea!

I am/was a Qualified Vet Nurse for many years, before that I worked in office/admin/reception and am now back on Reception/admin as more family friendly work hours, but still in practice. I’m smart, a fast learner and good with people. But other than my GCSE’s (9, all good) and my VN qualification I don’t have any further education (A levels or degree). There’s nowhere further to go in my role, which I do really enjoy and am good at, but the pay isn’t great, support staff are undervalued and I sometimes feel like I’m wasting my potential to do something ‘better’ and more financially rewarding.

I was curious as to what other people have pursued career-wise, if a complete change from they may have done previously. General ideas really. Feeling a bit stagnant but don’t know what I could do!

I'm at a bit of a cross roads myself so will be following this

There's a dedicated retraining board you could explore:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mature_students

Whether it's realistic or not depends entirely on the proposed path. If you can narrow that down, it will be easier for people to advise.

Do you have the resources to take time out of work and pay for qualifications? Or is it more of a pivot?

Explore for inspiration, I mean.

I’m thinking of retraining as a speech and language therapist at age 47. Up until four years ago, I had been working in a professional comms role, and then did a horticulture qualification and have been working as a gardener since. But I need another challenge (and my hands are getting arthritic!) and I’ve always wanted to help people / work in healthcare in some way, and love language. Just waiting to hear whether I have been accepted onto a degree…

If you've been working in veterinary nursing you mustn't be squeamish and you must have a caring and empathetic attitude for patients and their owners.

Have you considered neonatal nursing, midwifery or childrens nursing, where the patients would need all the skills you used to understand what your animal patients needed, and you could develop these roles into Nurse Practitioner, Research Nurse, Ward Sister or Modern Matron roles. There are roles in hospitals, the community, and based at GP practices as well as private roles available. You can go really far with human nursing if you've got the right aptitudes/resilience, and you can usually get in on an apprenticeship or by doing an access course!

I know a girl who was an investment banker and is now a journalist. Retrained at 40.

Hi OP,

I'm 43 and i've been working in marketing for about 10 years now and i'm sick of it. I have a backgrond in graphic design and am currently doing an online course in UX/UI design. It's really hard going as i have to fit the course in with a demanding FT role. I've been doing this for about 6 months now, i'm getting there but it's really hard and i think it's going to take me quite a bit longer until i'm ready to start applying for jobs.

The worst part about all this is that it's becoming harder an harder to take a risk in life due to all the rising living costs. If i could afford it i'd drop to PT so i could spend more time on retraining but I need to save all the pennies i can get right now. I also keep seeing jobs which i would absolutely love to do but they're about 10k less than what i'm on now so is a complete no no. If only money wasnt an issue.