Career Change - Study what you love, or what leads to security?

genuinegal21

I'm 35, no kids, not married and as it stands, recently unemployed.

My job history to date has been a multitude of sectors and roles, but mostly within an administrative capacity. I worked at HMRC for 10 years, then quit to do a degree at 30 in Business. I chose this field because it genuinely interested me and thought it would do my cv some good lol. Since I graduated, most of my jobs have been temp gigs, assigned by recruitment agencies. From real estate (as a negotiator), to not-for-profit (as a benefits manager, worked for a large trade union), i'm now back on the unemployment ladder. The latter job was very well paid for what it was, yet i was covering a lady on very long maternity leave (15 months), and she came back. I've mostly earned circa £20k all my life, until I got a stint at the union where I earned close to £30k. It was a rare gold nugget of a job, which I was very lucky to get through the agency.

I've always fully committed to the roles i've done, being massively ambitious and keen to progress, but nothing ever comes from the roles sadly (HMRC had a massive cull on staff and their estate, so difficult to get a promotion).

Most of my jobs were mostly financial in capacity, even though I was rubbish at maths at school. I'm very tech savvy, artistic, love project work and any role which involves responsibility and getting my teeth stuck into something.

Now that i'm unemployed again (3rd time in 17 years), I really need to think long and hard about my career. It's a tough job market out there, saturated by thousands of other applicants with the same skills as mine. I'm having to apply to jobs in retail as it's quiet on the office administration front, minimum wage, to pay the bills - but that's ok, I understand that's the nature of life unfortunately.

I have the opportunity to return to university and do a masters degree, part time. I've already been accepted onto the MBA programme at the same uni I did my undergrad at, for 2017 start, but i'm not sure rationally whether that is a wise decision.

I know i'd thoroughly enjoy doing it, but equally I know it will not improve my chances of job security. Ok, if I were under the age of 28 maybe, then I could say it would help marginally, but by the time i will have completed it at 37, i doubt this will make a difference in how demand i would be for certain roles.

The other option, is a Masters in Quantity Surveying. Firstly, there is a shortage of QS's in the UK. Secondly, You can become Chartered, thus 'qualified' in something - i am most definitely not qualified in anything at the moment. Thirdly, such a masters demonstrates strong numerical skills. I know i would enjoy doing this course, as there are elements in it i'm definitely interested in (contracts, for example). I've always loved architecture, and when I worked in real estate, it was the commercial sales and lettings side, so I worked with building surveyors and found the reports they wrote genuinely fascinating. I'd rather do Building Surveying, but I think it would be harder to become a BS as a woman of 37, compared to becoming a QS to be honest.

If you were in my shoes, and you were out of work, and had a chance to pursue a career change, would you study something you love, have a natural tendency for (mine is business, plus the arts, design), or look to study a subject you know which will help increase your chances of employment in the long run?....

In an ideal world, i'd love to do something relating to graphic design and business combined, but I definitely think i've missed that boat, so i'm trying to be logical about the situation.

I'd really appreciate any input from someone who has been in my boat!

Thanks so much,
Emma

sangie595

I've done three postgraduate degrees that I loved! Did they help with a career - possibly, but not necessarily directly. Would I have finished one that I didn't love - probably not.

Personally, I think you are too hung up on your age. You haven't dipped a toe in old age yet!!! You still have plenty of time to be whatever you want to be. People much older than you change careers successfully. But it is certain that if you play things safe, you won't ever get what you want. You need to decide what that is.

genuinegal21

sangie595 wrote: »

I've done three postgraduate degrees that I loved! Did they help with a career - possibly, but not necessarily directly. Would I have finished one that I didn't love - probably not.

Personally, I think you are too hung up on your age. You haven't dipped a toe in old age yet!!! You still have plenty of time to be whatever you want to be. People much older than you change careers successfully. But it is certain that if you play things safe, you won't ever get what you want. You need to decide what that is.

Wow - 3 PG degrees?! May i ask what in? I'm just worried that's all. I don't want to be in this position again (unemployed) - it's soul destroying. Therefore, I do think i'm at the right age to make a successful career move, than say if I were in my mid 40's. I am pretty hung up on my age because sadly, we live in an ageist society in terms of the job market. Now, if i were considering a career in teaching - happy days, because the education sector is not ageist, they actually welcome mature graduates. Nonetheless, teaching doesn't appeal to me at all. The longer i leave my plan to make the change, the harder it will be competing with the younger job market, so i'm trying to be logical and realistic about the situation..

sangie595

1 Masters in Race Relations & Community Studies; 1 Masters in Urban Regeneration and Regional Policy; and a PhD. Thinking about it, I also have a Higher Diploma in Trade Union Studies, which probably was useful since I am a semi-retired trade union officer (long story, actually retired and then brought back for "a bit")! But I did that a long time before I moved into the work as a paid official. And I have just completed qualifications in dog behaviourism for my retirement hobby - when I actually retire and when they replace my dodgy hip next week!


I just like knowledge. You can't get enough of it. And that is a quality that really does help in employment. And I think you may find that actually a lot of employers are now quite happy to take on more mature new entrants to careers. If you have seen the quality of some of the new graduates etc., then you wouldn't be surprised by the idea that maturity can be a very appealing quality.