Making career decisions

Helen1010

Hi I'm fairly new to the forum but wanted to reply to this as life really is too short and I know what its like to hate your career.


I am mid 30's now and after I left School I fell into an office job and now work as an accountant - I applied to college to do animal care at 16 which is where my passion still lies but I had health issues at the time relating to animals so had to pull out and got the office job.


I have had different accounts jobs over the years - got made redundant a few times and other times just genuinely hated the job so I would leave and hope the next job would be better, sometimes the pay would be more and the title more impressive but the career for me still sucked!


So here I am about to become a mature student and start college in September in Conservation & Ecology in which after I qualify I hope to do animal conservation as that's where I want to be - but its taken 16+ years of regret to get here so please follow your heart early on and don't let family and salary get in your way of your dreams

millysg1

You want to do the PGCE and you think it will make you happy! So do it! a no brainer to me. Happiness is more important that money.

Want it think is your main problem is fear of it not working and disappointing your parents. But you will always have a degree and the experience you've gained since finishing university to fall back on. And all your parents and family should care about is you happiness and pursuing what your passionate about.

DO IT!!!!!

[Deleted User]

Several of the people I know that have done PGCEs, then gone to become newly qualified teachers quit after their first year.

Unless you're in a nice school, it can be pretty tough. Don't get me wrong; my brother's best mate is now the head of maths at an inner London secondary and he loves it (he's ~30)

I work in IT myself, but since i work in the healthcare side of it, I at least feel like the work I do goes on to help people. I'm not sure i'd feel the same way if i was in finance or something else.

Maybe you could get into IT training? The money is pretty good AND you'd get to teach

Person_one

Go for it.

If you do a PGCE and then decide within a year or two on your first teaching job that its not for you after all, then so what? You'll know because you did it, rather than always wondering.

It sounds like you're a talented enough person that you could find work easily enough if you did ever decide to leave teaching and go back to IT.

I went back to uni at 26 to train for a new career, I qualify as a nurse in a few weeks and I don't regret a second of it, even the 3 years of poverty and no social life!

clw1

If your heart is in teaching then go for it ! But do check that there are jobs out there for NQT's in your subject as I know that near me there are lots of NQT's who struggle to get a teaching role.:(

Also do you have enough savings or can you get loans to cover the cost of living while you do your PGCE ?? and do you have a car to get to placements ?? If not then it might be worth considering taking the well paid job for a year and saving like mad to give you a financial buffer while also applying for the PGCE to start in Sept 2015.

sacha28

People spend a lifetime looking for a job that satisfies/makes them happy. Some get there and some just plod along in an unhappy life because it pays the bills.

I would wholeheartedly say go for it! My OH finally started the job of his dreams 3 years ago in healthcare (he spent years doing 'manly' jobs after being medically discharged from the royal marines) and he hasn't looked back. We're moving to Cornwall, finally, in 4 weeks and he's chosen to commute the 100 miles to work because he loves it that much.

Sometimes you have to do what makes you happy, not what you feel you should do. It doesn't matter what your parents think either, they aren't the ones living your life YOU ARE.

FWIW I think it's an amazing career choice but I think you're nuts...I was a right a-hole in school as a teen, as were most of my peers, so wouldn't do that job for all the money in the world lol (yet I chose to be an A&E nurse, go figure )

LondonTop

Thanks for the replies. Well today has been interesting.

I went to the interview which went well; I should hear back soon. However, I don't think I can give them what they're looking for. They want someone who is 100% willing and committed. The team I'd be working with seemed hugely passionate and enthusiastic about their work. The money is good, and I feel I could 'coast by' there, but my heart's just not in it, and I feel they'd soon work that out.

I told my parents I was thinking of leaving my career path (they've heard this nearly every year from me). They advised I had a great job, great opportunities, how they've worked their entire life just to pay the mortgage and have nothing left etc, and that teaching would just be a fad, but really, I don't think they believed that I was genuinely considering it this time. My parents are definitely the proud type, and I know it would hurt them, but it's not their life!

I've just started the application for a PGCE. Hopefully I can hit that submit button.

ringo_24601 wrote: »

Several of the people I know that have done PGCEs, then gone to become newly qualified teachers quit after their first year.

Unless you're in a nice school, it can be pretty tough. Don't get me wrong; my brother's best mate is now the head of maths at an inner London secondary and he loves it (he's ~30)

I work in IT myself, but since i work in the healthcare side of it, I at least feel like the work I do goes on to help people. I'm not sure i'd feel the same way if i was in finance or something else.

Maybe you could get into IT training? The money is pretty good AND you'd get to teach

I have a few friends who are teachers, and they all advise against it. I also have two friends who started a PGCE, and dropped out.

Maybe I'll be the odd one out?

clw1 wrote: »

If your heart is in teaching then go for it ! But do check that there are jobs out there for NQT's in your subject as I know that near me there are lots of NQT's who struggle to get a teaching role.:(

Also do you have enough savings or can you get loans to cover the cost of living while you do your PGCE ?? and do you have a car to get to placements ?? If not then it might be worth considering taking the well paid job for a year and saving like mad to give you a financial buffer while also applying for the PGCE to start in Sept 2015.

Computer Science is a shortage subject, and it replaces ICT from September. From what I hear at the moment, there's not enough CS/IT teachers to fill the jobs available.

I don't drive either, and am not allowed to due to a medical condition (which shouldn't affect me teaching). From conversations with universities in the past, they seem understanding and will likely place me as close to where I live as possible, but with London transport, I can't imagine it'll be a huge problem.

As for a financial buffer, the PGCE pays a £20,000 tax free bursary, so that should be fine to see me through the year.

Jenny484

Hey,

I am 30 and like you have wanted to be a secondary school teacher ever since I was a child.

I studied humanities and ended up in marketing. My job is definitely ok and if I left it right now, I would feel as though I had wasted all those years moving up on the career ladder.

I feel that now I am too old as I want a family at some point. You are 24, don't make the same mistake, you should absolutely go for it.

Starrystarrynight

I really admire the OP for identifying something they have a real interest in, and I think you should do all you can to achieve it.
When I left school, I had no idea what I wanted to do, and so was pushed onto a YTS scheme doing the one job I didn't want, office work. Nearly 30 years later, I'm still stuck in the same kind of job, and I hate it. My health is now deteriorating, so I guess it's too late to try anything new.
You're young, OP. Maybe you could work another year, and save up to pay living & tuition expenses for your PGCE.
Good luck!

Worry_Wart

Hello, I had a change of career aged 30, and will probably have another one in another five years. There's no such thing as a job for life anymore, so it is fairly common for professionals to retrain and refocus periodically. I say do your PGCE, as lots of people teach for a few years, then move on to the next role with the new skills they've gained. It's not like you're going to lose your IT skills either, so with a bit of effort you could go back to your current line of work in the future should you need to. Yes, it wouldn't be at the same company and you'd probably have to do a bit of justification and legwork to get that kind of role again, but this is the modern way of working now.

Be brave!