well paid job or college

cheepskate_2

hi All
I dont know if this is the right forum to put this, but if not then can someone shift it please.

HERE GOES:
Hubby, who is 40 is in a well paid job £30000 pa. but pretty crap job , job itself is a doddle but at times the work pressure is horrendous.
He has been offered a 2 year place at college to do computing , which he loves.
While doing these 2 years we would drop about £3000 net per year (tax credits take us up a lot and doesnt include the college grant when calculating) but the future is uncertain after that.
We are petrified that we will be in no mans land in regards to income , starting at £16000 for 1st job , thus tax credits would only take us up to about £18000 per year( oldest son will also be over age limit for any ctc) , a nice big £11000 drop.

plus at 42 (when he will be going for 1st new job) is he too old to make acareer and then get the money back up again
Any ideas /views welcome as we just dont know which way to go

thanks

illmonkey

What kind of course is it? Is it a full time course, so he couldn’t go get part time work to help with bills?

I’m only 20 now, but when I left school at 16 (just finished GCSE's), it was fairly easy to find a support role, but the pay was only £13k a year. I hoped a few jobs and now i'm earning £23k.

The problem I can see is someone hiring a 42 year old (by the time he’s finished) for a very basic support role.

Is that £16k job guaranteed after he finishes? If it’s a good course I would hope to walk straight out of that course and earn more than that.

[Deleted User]

What business is your hubby in? Maybe he can go towards IT project management rather than the technical bits.

hobo28

I'm in the IT industry myself. Getting that first job is VERY difficult. Plus IT is a very ageist industry. Traditionally people new to IT will start on helpdesks etc, all of which are low (relatively speaking) paid and seen as young people's jobs. Plus there's always the risk of your job being offshored to India etc.

Plus IT is an industry where academic qualifications don't mean much. We value industry qualifications much more and of course experience. So I would look at completing qualifications such as MCSE or CCNA. Even with those, your hubby will still find it hard to get a job without experience.

Your hubby's job sounds similar to mine. Job is usually a doddle but when the doo dah hits the fan, its a nightmare. Well paid jobs are usually such for a reason. Being blunt for a moment, if its a less stressful job your hubby is after then the pay will match.

In short, your hubby will struggle at his age and at 42 be competing against 18 yr old kids for jobs. I would say with about 5-6 years experience in the right areas, he could expect to earn £30k but he would struggle to get that all important first job which will give him the correct experience. I'd avoid the computing course. I did an IT degree and not one employer has ever bothered to ask about it. Instead look into MCSE type courses which he can study from home (I did). When I look at CV's, I look for two things. Experience and industry recognised qualifications.

Good luck with whatever you both decide.

illmonkey

hobo28 wrote:

I'm in the IT industry myself. Getting that first job is VERY difficult. Plus IT is a very ageist industry. Traditionally people new to IT will start on helpdesks etc, all of which are low (relatively speaking) paid and seen as young people's jobs. Plus there's always the risk of your job being offshored to India etc.

Plus IT is an industry where academic qualifications don't mean much. We value industry qualifications much more and of course experience. So I would look at completing qualifications such as MCSE or CCNA. Even with those, your hubby will still find it hard to get a job without experience.

Your hubby's job sounds similar to mine. Job is usually a doddle but when the doo dah hits the fan, its a nightmare. Well paid jobs are usually such for a reason. Being blunt for a moment, if its a less stressful job your hubby is after then the pay will match.

In short, your hubby will struggle at his age and at 42 be competing against 18 yr old kids for jobs. I would say with about 5-6 years experience in the right areas, he could expect to earn £30k but he would struggle to get that all important first job which will give him the correct experience. I'd avoid the computing course. I did an IT degree and not one employer has ever bothered to ask about it. Instead look into MCSE type courses which he can study from home (I did). When I look at CV's, I look for two things. Experience and industry recognised qualifications.

Good luck with whatever you both decide.

While it’s true to go for a higher level of qualification, I don’t think a MCSE is a good option. Firstly it costs a huge amount of money to complete if you do it in any worth while area, secondly it isn’t highly regarded in the higher paid IT jobs.

It would be more worth while to go on a Cisco course or a programming course, looking for jobs there seems to be no end to these types of jobs available.

You are correct with IT being "ageist", you can also expect to pay someone younger less money too.

misty

You could also enquire how many hours the college is on timetable for. Full time doesn't necessarily mean in college 9-5 Mon to Fri and can be worked around. It depends on how much money you could afford to drop and then how much you can cut back. Apart from the apparent drawbacks of the type of business your husband wants to get into - there is the satisfaction factor - how will he feel in afew years time if he doesn't go for it? If it will be a big regret then he should go for it. Is there any possibility of ding the same course or a similar one on a part time basis?

nej

Agreed about MCSE's - they're a waste of time really.

IT is a bit ageist. Unfair, but the way it goes. BUT, it depends on the type of role. I'm 28 and work as a software engineer. I am by far the youngest one in my office. Several of them are over 50. However, they have many many years of experience and are highly valued for this. For me it's great, as I have a huge pool of experience to draw on when I need to.

As a newcomer though... I think the point someone made about maybe IT project management is a good one. Also a typical "starter" IT salary is not very high, and IT salaries in general are not as high as they were once upon a time. There is a myth that IT guys get paid tons. Sure, some do but this is the same as in any industry.

hobo28

MCSE's I think are a good baseline to learn from. It gives you a good grounding in networking, clients and servers. Certainly not a waste of time for someone new in my opinion.

Where people go wrong and I've seen this myself is where they think once they get an MCSE the gates will open to the top jobs and top pay. Once upon a time maybe but the industry has wised up now.

I completed my MCSE through self study and practice. So it didn't really cost that much. If you go on a boot camp then yes and I don't think its worth it.

Problem with Cisco etc. is that its a niche product and not something I think someone new to the industry should start with.

IT Project management is an option if the current job has elements of project management and your lucky enough to find a company willing to take a gamble.

nej

hobo28 wrote:

MCSE's I think are a good baseline to learn from. It gives you a good grounding in networking, clients and servers. Certainly not a waste of time for someone new in my opinion.

Where people go wrong and I've seen this myself is where they think once they get an MCSE the gates will open to the top jobs and top pay. Once upon a time maybe but the industry has wised up now.

I completed my MCSE through self study and practice. So it didn't really cost that much. If you go on a boot camp then yes and I don't think its worth it.

Problem with Cisco etc. is that its a niche product and not something I think someone new to the industry should start with.

IT Project management is an option if the current job has elements of project management and your lucky enough to find a company willing to take a gamble.

Good points about people thinking as soon as they've got it they'll earn loads.

I'd recommend an A+ course as a starting point though.

troll35

On a different tack to most of the replies I think you need to consider as a couple whether to help your husband follow his dreams. We only get one shot at life and it's very easy to take the route of less hassle/more money, but it can leave people feeling very unfulfilled with their lives.

How important is the change in career to your husband? Consider the Old Style board for ideas on how you can decrease your household expenditure without affecting your standard of living. It's amazing! I personally have saved several thousand pounds this year alone by becoming more old style and I think our standard of living has gone up.

What ever your decision....... make it together and it will be the right one
Good luck

hobo28

I think troll35 has a very good point. If its the career of your husband's dreams then maybe he should do it.

BUT, be warned it isn't all roses in IT. I've been in IT all my working life. There are days when I wish I had ignored my mum, dossed around and become a street cleaner! It can be a very stressful job.

nej wrote:

I'd recommend an A+ course as a starting point though

Actually I'd forgotten about that one. Depending on your DH's skills already then A+ is indeed a good place to start.