Career change just need advice!

[Erlouise]

Hi ladies

just in need of some advice.

I became a single mum whilst on maternity leave. I have just returned to work doing admin however I am really keen to start a career and really driven to make something of myself for my LO.

I don’t have any qualifications other than GCSE and I have been with my current company since I left school - there’s minimal progression there but I’ve plodded along as it was fine whilst I was young, then I bought a house so wanted something stable, and then I ended up on mat leave!

I have been going back and forth with HR or accounts.

HR - I have management experience as I had done this for a couple of years prior to having LO. So I have the experience in handling HR related issues so felt this might be a good route.

accounts - I have very little experience but I had just thought about how this seems quite a good skill set to have.

my concern is dropping salary - most HR and account entry roles mean I would need to drop at least 10k which really concerns me. It’s also quite difficult as I’m currently part time and unable to increase my days especially if I am dropping salary in the future as I wouldn’t be able to afford more nursery days for LO (even with the free hours) and LO is only one years old so not even close to school age etc.

my company won’t pay for any courses and I have looked but it’s pretty hard to find a role in other companies where they’ll take you on with limited experience and pay for your course too.

for those who have been there and done this before - am I making the wrong move by re starting my career with a little one?

and also, are there suggestions for any other courses which may be worth while as I’m pretty open to anything as a career!

thank you x

How big is your employer? If large, they have to set aside budget for apprenticeships so that could be an option, or generally working for a large employer could give you more options for progression, even if you enter at the level you currently are.

Alternatively, have you considered project management? The courses for that aren’t as expensive as others and give you a recognised qualification for a sector where pay is decent.

@LimePombear thanks for replying. I work for a large organisation but they are non profit so they don’t help to progress in that way - everything is self funded if you wish to do a course.

I haven’t thought about project management before I can definitely have a look into that.

thanks x

Also consider procurement, a lot of procurement people have got there via very circuitous routes and it does pay well. In the meantime see if your current employer does secondment or projects that you can volunteer for. Even if they aren't exactly want you want to do, anything different will build skills, help you network, and get people to think of you differently.