Took voluntary redundancy and think I screwed my career :(

[redundancyregrets]

Name changed as possibly a bit outing

I think I might have fucked my career by taking voluntary severance just before a big downturn in the job market :(

I took redundancy just over a year ago, happily (15 years in role, dying sector, burnt out, good payout). I spent the year retraining in something completely different that I've loved (MSc in a tech subject). But now I've finished the Masters I'm feeling properly terrified about getting another job. I'm nearly 50. Jobs related to my Masters subject are becoming increasingly hard to get and pay is dropping. I don't have any experience in that area, although loads of 'soft' skills from my previous career. I was on £70k in my previous job, I'd be very very lucky to get a job paying £40k in the new field. I've put in lots of applications, had a couple of interviews (unsuccessful). There are no jobs doing what I used to do (this is not an exaggeration!), so it's not like I can go back to doing that.

I'm panicking. I've eeked out my redundancy and it will run out in 3 months. DH doesn't earn enough to support the family and anyway his income is unreliable (self-employed/ freelance - already working as many hours as he can). I spend every day trawling LinkedIn getting increasingly depressed about not being qualified for jobs that pay half of what I used to earn that all ask for 3+ years of experience and an unrealistic list of essential criteria.

Can anyone tell me any happy stories about successfully navigating a significant career change at this stage in life? This is not where I thought I would be, career-wise, at 50 and I'm feeling so despondent. I was a bit of a 'high flyer' when I was younger and it feels like my career has just petered out :(

Thanks all for the suggestions and support!

In response to some questions:

My coding is pretty decent (Python, and all relevant DS/ ML libraries), my maths is solid (I did a lot of stats on the MSc). I wouldn't be eligible for a bootcamp because I've got the Masters and it would anyway be redundant. I learnt a shit ton on the MSc and did lots of projects that go beyond the standard Kaggle/ Titanic type stuff!

My tech weakness (from the interview) was not being able to explain how a particular type of machine learning model works (i.e. its structure). It is something I know and understand, but the question threw me and I fumbled my answer.

Previous job wasn't in finance and isn't in a sector that offers a careers returners scheme. No potential for contracting/ interim work in my old field - that just isn't something that exists, unfortunately.

Civil service fast stream - I did look into this (the statistical service would be the relevant one), but I don't think we can survive on that low an income for me for 3.5 years and, I think, you have to be willing to move around the UK (which I can't do - kids in school). Anyway, it's crazy competitive and I don't think I'd get on it.

Data engineering or management - yes. I have thought of this, partly because I'm aware there are more jobs in this area, and the latter I'm actually really interested in. I'm planning on doing some self-learning to support that as it's not something that was covered on my MSc...

This is not a lost situation- you have a masters in a very relevant field. I always recommend on here but can I highly recommend Brave Starts?

It's for 50 something career changers - they have workshops about 'age is your asset', LinkedIn profiles, CVs etc. to align with the algorithms of job hunting. They also have (additional cost) paid for sessions with people working in the field to ask about routes in etc.

Main relevant advice is you need a positive mindset, get a network of career changers as job hunting is hard work, speak to potential employers proactively about upcoming roles, and network and yes most likely do work for free to build a portfolio... I recently saw someone older get a job from over 300 grad applicants because they had been doing stuff off their own back.

Please please please don't think you are over it at 50.

DM had this attitude and now bitterly regrets and looks back! She got into a top university at 50 to study maths and was advised to go into statistics but she thought no one would want her and didn't really try.

There is actual science that show that younger people may be 'quicker' but they make worse decisions than older people who tend to think things through more.

Appreciate fast stream may not be an option but dont be put off applying for lower grades (non- fast stream entry) in the civil service, once you’re in you can climb very quickly with the right skills and gain the necessary experience as you go

Just to say thank you for this, because I hadn't even thought about how no longer paying NI will potentially impact my pension (something else I'm generally fretting about, because my previous role paid in to a really decent pension scheme)

You will qualify for 6 months of Contributions based JSA (if you haven’t already taken while you’ve been off) and even if you’ve exhausted your entitlement for any benefits, you should still qualify for your NI contributions to be covered during your period of unemployment as long as you’re willing to sign on every fortnight.

Agreed I've just taken on a temp and its a learning curve for her, we didn't have any better applicants so I took her on as a gamble, and she's ok ( just about) but I really don't have time to spend on training someone up who'll be gone as soon as the substantive post holder returns from leave.

Temping is great for the candidate wanting experience but not so great for the manager wanting someone experienced to fill a short term gap.

Are there freelance or temp jobs in your sector that you can apply for to start with? You could also try contacting companies directly about possible vacancies even if they haven’t advertised. Also look at vacancies on their websites. Avenues that may not seem fruitful are still worth exploring because you never know, timing is everything. Stop fretting about your age, there are plenty of older people still getting work - I’m one of them. I’ve been through more than one redundancy and all I can say is persistence and perseverance are everything. I thought in terms of, well I’ll contact 100 companies in my field and I’ll just keep going till I run out. I never did. Of course it’s tough and miserable when you’re sitting behind the screen at home but it only takes one offer to change it all. Keep going and good luck.

@redundancyregrets i’ve no experience in your field of work so I can’t offer any advice on that aspect, but I wanted to check that you did claim back tax you may have overpaid in the last financial year from your last working year in your last role? You can also check your state pension contributions are up to date online so you can see if you are missing any years to put your mind at rest.

Job hunting wise, it’s a numbers game and you’ve had some good advice above. A lot of CV screening is AI so double check that yours contains the correct terms for the role you are applying for. As a thought, my local area FB page often contains offers to do work for no/low cost from people trying to build their portfolios. Is this something that could apply for your field of work? Obviously it’s not a long term strategy but might keep your skills up whilst you look for a paid role. I do wish you all the luck moving forward.

Got a friend working in Defra and arms length bodies like EA struggle to hold onto Data sciences because they earn more else where worth a look?

On the tax thing - I was out of work for three months and I when I did start work I didn't pay much tax for a couple of months. The tax free allowance accrues monthly. So £12,570 (think that's the allowance) / 12 = £1,047.

So I did not get taxed at all on my first £3,141 (1047 x 3) of pay, which for me (based on the new salary was no tax in the first month and only a little tax in the second month.
So basically got paid more than I though when I started work.

Don’t underestimate the potential stability you and older workers will bring. I’ve recently taken on a bright young thing and it’s really hit home that I could invest thousands of hours training her and then she will
leave! I would assume that someone older is more likely to be looking for stability and could be a long term hire - double bonus if I can pay them entry level salary!! All the older people I’ve spoken to are very very experienced in my industry so cost a fortune which is beyond us at the moment.

Yes, I got my overpaid tax refunded to me, which was a great help in the year I stopped working! I will check my pension payments, but I've worked full time my whole (adult) life so I hope I'm ok on that front.

@FusionChefGeoff that's great to hear you have that attitude! I think the sector I'm moving into is both ageist and very male-dominated, so that's not helping. But yes, I'd ideally love to find an organisation I could join and stay at indefinitely, working my way (back) up and improving my skills and knowledge. The fact that I worked in my previous role at the same place for 15 years hopefully shows that I'm not a flitter.

I'd say data is less sexist than other tech sectors (e.g. software engineering), in my teams about half or more of us have been female. Try not to go into it with a negative mindset!

Good to know. I was definitely the oldest on my MSc (by some stretch), but to be expected I guess!

Also look out for the public sector and data roles it's a skills gap area for the civil service aswell as many local or combined mayoral authorities.
also download the app welcome to the jungle it has a lot of data jobs etc

Thanks - I've been looking at civil service jobs but most of them also require relevant experience (which I don't have - my extensive experience is in a different area). But I will keep looking. I'd actually love a civil service job and do well in that setting, I think.

Can you get into the civil service via one role then pivot when in? Once “in” you see the internal roles and can move quickly if you show self driven maturity rather than waiting to be spoon fed like some of the younger ones. Data science is a skills gap so don’t be afraid to show side-related experience & a willingness to learn don’t just assume someone else has more experience I’ve taken people on who are keen to learn instead of a more experienced person as I could see they would fit the team dynamic better. It’s a tough jobs market though & recruitment is being hammered by AI generated applications. Having been on the other side of it getting 300 applications when we’d previously get 10-20, utterly bonkers trying to sift when some literally have cut & pasted answers straight from ChatGpt. Good luck with your search.

I agree, she's best off looking for a junior data role and working her way up.

Op, a friend recruits data scientists and it is a standard interview question to ask candidates to explain a mathematical concept such as standard deviation, or how they would go about calculating a particular thing such as foxes in the uk…. The6 are looking at thinking skills, problem solving and communication.
AI means there are hundreds of applicants with tailored CVs.
Have a look at “ what color is your parachute” for structured advice how to find non advertised posts.
Also look or in person events- I just found a session in London 17th September- data science festival?
Look out for women in tech events etc. Does your uni have careers events/ lectures? As others have said, networking and relationships are key.

https://datasciencefestival.com/mentorship-programme/ also talks about a mentorship programme?

Yup, already registered to attend that @thesandwich !

Uni careers events are very general/ geared at UGs getting their first job. Lots of stuff on soft skills, etc. Nothing specific to my area, unfortunately.

I hadn't thought about the What Colour is your Parachute book. My immediate response was 'surely that's not still relevant in today's job market', but reading the blurb and reviews, it seems like it's still rated as a useful resource. So I'll dive into that too, thanks.

If you are on linked in you need to appeal to your network. People you know will help get you in front of the right people. A lot of recruitment is not advertised at all.

@redundancyregretsglad to see you’ve registered. Sign up for the mentorship programme. Friend in DS says data idols are well regarded.
The parachute book is updated every year so always relevant.
You do have business cards with LinkedIn links etc? If not get some. Old tech but v handy at events.
Uni events with employers present are worth your time.