New career in 40's

You mentioned IT; there's lots of demand for people of all ages with skills in office documents, and the world's you oyster if you're good with spreadsheets and databases.

Bogalot wrote: »

Level 2 ECDL is pretty basic and not going to make the OP stand out from thousands of other candidates, nor is being good with spreadsheets.

batg, what would you like to do? You're never too old to start again, but you need to be realistic in your ambitions. I'd focus more on getting experience than doing Level 2 qualifications, you may be able to get some voluntary work or possibly working in a call centre. Develop your skills (in practice, not just in theory) and you'll find more opportunities opening up to you.

I was meaning that it's worth continuing into level 3 courses and further, as level 2 quals are, as you say, a bit basic.

I don't think "too old" is relevant - you're ~25 years from retirement (and won't yet have your full State pension entitlement) and most benefits that make low-paid part time work worthwhile are contingent on having a dependent child. You don't need me to tell you that unless you have somebody willing to support you you're going to have to find something proper before too long.

You have something that an eighteen-year-old doesn't have, and that's contacts. Ask around family, friends and acquaintances. Where do they work, and what skills does it need? Can they get you anything, or do they know anybody who might be able to? Stick something on Facebook! You might get some new ideas that you hadn't thought about. If people can even just tell you what skills you need to develop (which you could then be working on while you are waiting), that would be useful.

Most places have some sort of an office/back room, so don't restrict yourself to the usual round of insurance firms and accountants. Are you set on literally an office, or do you just mean "not manual or shop floor work"? Warehouses and supermarkets and suchlike all have admin functions, and many blue-collar businesses have a reception desk and/or someone to answer the phone.

Larger offices will need you to be useful from Day One i.e. they'll want previous specific experience with e.g. billing systems, reports, Powerpoint, diary management etc, and may not value the generic "raising kids has made me a great organiser and problem-solver!" stuff. You might do better in a smaller place where you can get away with a lower level of skill in a wider number of tasks, and then build on that.

Jobs for life are long gone so don't get hung up on making your first job your ideal one. So what if it's a taxi firm or a garage? Get yourself in there - and applications really are a percentage game, so don't get disheartened if you don't get snapped up right away - and learn as much as you can. Expect to stay there for 2-3 years, making contacts and building up a good reputation so you get a great reference, and then move on when you see something more suitable.

Good luck!