Feeling very sad, lost and left behind- anyone had a career change into a well paid job?

[Londoner89]

A bit of background, I spent six years working as a personal assistant, not being treated particularly well and trying to work on pre-existing low self-esteem and anxiety.
I left that role to start my own e-commerce website selling products while I decided what I wanted to do as a career long term. During covid my website didn’t really make any profit or get much traffic, and it was more a hobby to keep my brain ticking over anyway.

I decided on a law conversion course but had a baby before I could save the full amount for it.

I am now 34 with a baby about to turn one.
Feeling as if I have no real talent and a bit left behind.
my baby is almost one and I’m itching to get a job i will enjoy, but realising I’ll need to train in something in order to get a good job!
I happen to have close friends who are now doing very well financially, which has made me fe quite glum and anxious, if I am honest.

question, has anyone here had a late career change which pays well too?

I would like a well paid job that makes a difference to people , and one I enjoy (we all do) does a job like that even exist?😄

Well, my job is probably all of those things, but that doesn't mean it would be the right job for you.

I think you should think about what you really want to do - are you still keen on law? What previous qualifications and experience do you have?

34 is definitely not a late career change - I appreciate you might have wanted to get going a bit earlier, but you have lots of time.

Focus on figuring out what would work for you - do some assessments and get a couple of coaching sessions if you can

I changed career a few years ago after doing a master's, although it was related to what I was doing before. It's crap money which is no use for your request, but it's definitely not too late to retrain if you want to!

Echo a PP though - no point retraining in something that you're not going to enjoy, just because it pays well. Also how hard do your well-paid friends work? My well-paid friends all have very busy jobs that require them to work long hours with frequent travel and overnights and they don't see their kids much (they have nannies/au pairs or the kids are in wraparound care).

Would you consider a degree apprenticeship?

What do you consider well paid, because it varies depending on your expectations. Looking at a job paying £40/50k is very different to looking for one paying £100k plus.

If you are interested in law, have you looked at Apprentice Solicitor roles as an alternative to law conversion courses?

https://www.sra.org.uk/become-solicitor/sqe/solicitor-apprenticeships/

I retrained as an accountant at a similar age, now fully qualified and earning a decent salary, the higher salaries usually come with management responsibilities which I’ve been avoiding, or long hours.

I dipped my toe with AAT textbooks and some volunteer work while home with young kids, then slowly qualified (ACCA) while working in industry. A supportive partner was key to juggling study with work and kids. It’s a slog so you have to, kinda, enjoy it.

Thank you for your replies ladies, I’m going to start brain storming.

@Trisolaris i had no idea about that, it’s definitely food for thought- thank you!

What do your friends do that you are envious of? I find envy/jealousy a really useful emotion to show me what i really want and value in life that I don't yet have.

bear in mind PA skills are really valuable and transferrable. I have a friend who went back to work after Dc started school. She began as a PA, became office Manager/Project Manager for a bigger company and now earns close to 100k pa.

What would you consider a good wage? The nhs band 2 admin roles are an excellent start. Most, if not all, trusts have training opportunities to earn qualifications. Nvqs, which could lead to a degree.

If you're serious about a job that makes an impact, what about sustainability/ esg roles? Would require some training but this is a developing skill set and uk businesses are in desperate need of these skills. Experience as a PA I think would be a useful skill (essentially adept stakeholder management).

Making a difference to people jobs don’t earn much - you need to prioritize!

If you are interested in law I always recommend two areas, either look at becoming a notary (pay can be really good and it’s flexible) or look at risk and compliance - less good pay but booming area and lots of types of roles.

also agree with the pp re ESG.

Good luck!