Career change in 40s- any advice?

beckmary

Hi all,
I was in a routine admin council job for about 20 years until I got made redundant. I went onto a teacher training course mainly out of desperation to get a job and career quickly before turning 50. However, even though I passed the academic side of it, I hated the classroom experience.
I want to be more careful this time, but I don't care what anyone says, ageism is alive and well.
I did think about IT but people have said it can be difficult for older people.
Any advice appreciated

yksi

Yes, look at the skills and quals you already have, and use them in a related way. What attracts you to IT? What was it about the classroom that you hated? Which aspects of admin could you use in a different kind of career? Think about all the soft skills that you have, too, like being familiar with office norms and a reliable work history. You're probably pretty good at organising things and prioritising your tasks.

Have you considered tutoring? Or what about a support network for parents who are struggling to homeschool their darlings during lockdown? Admin work in a school? What about as a trainer in a corporate environment - you know how to teach people, and adults don't throw things or have farting competitions in class. You could run private IT courses for adults wanting to update their computer skills.

Starting a new career isn't something I say "don't do", but why reinvent the wheel when you have so many useful skills that might easily lend themselves to a related field?

Marcon

beckmary said:

Hi all,
I was in a routine admin council job for about 20 years until I got made redundant. I went onto a teacher training course mainly out of desperation to get a job and career quickly before turning 50. However, even though I passed the academic side of it, I hated the classroom experience.

Did you enjoy any aspect of teaching? If so, could you capitalise on that - private tutoring, working as a teacher (or teaching assistant if you prefer) in a private school with much smaller classes than you may have encountered so far, marking exams, online tutoring, teaching EFL...?

IT is difficult for any age, especially if you don't have both skills and experience. Being in routine admin for 20 years doesn't qualify you on either count, so probably better to forget that.

Savvy_Sue

Marcon said:

beckmary said:

Hi all,
I was in a routine admin council job for about 20 years until I got made redundant. I went onto a teacher training course mainly out of desperation to get a job and career quickly before turning 50. However, even though I passed the academic side of it, I hated the classroom experience.

Did you enjoy any aspect of teaching? If so, could you capitalise on that - private tutoring, working as a teacher (or teaching assistant if you prefer) in a private school with much smaller classes than you may have encountered so far, marking exams, online tutoring, teaching EFL...?

IT is difficult for any age, especially if you don't have both skills and experience. Being in routine admin for 20 years doesn't qualify you on either count, so probably better to forget that.

One of my colleagues was a teacher, now doing finance and admin for our charity, they're brilliant. You describe the admin job as 'routine', but perhaps in a different sphere you'd find it more appealing. 

IMO 20 years in admin probably gives you valuable skills and experience, if you just know how to present them! 

AskAsk

unless you already have an IT background, forget about IT.

if i were you, i would look for another admin job if you enjoyed doing that.  what is it that you didn't like about the classroom?  the kids?

[Deleted User]

If IT is something you'd really like to do, I'd say go for it. I would start with part-time/weekend courses for beginners whilst working in your current role.
You never know, maybe in the future you could move into the IT department in your workplace or anywhere else - and showing that you have been willing to study part-time to move into this area, might make them see that you're ready to learn and determined.
I believe it's never too late to do anything new, if it's something you're really interested in pursuing.

Dakta

"If IT is something you'd really like to do, I'd say go for it. I would start with part-time/weekend courses for beginners whilst working in your current role."

This ^ - IT absolutely can be tough to get into but I ruled it out far too long on the basis of not having the background and that was a mistake.

Plenty of courses around to give one the edge too as well if you don't mind self-investing a bit. Do need some drive though. My favourite atm are Comptia as they get reasonable recognition (though some employees do scoff) however they aren't particularly intrusive to study for and are covering a few different aspects from general IT to more specialised fields. A number of them are good for beginners too. 

beckmary

Thanks a lot for the replies everyone
Many mentioned going into a teaching related profession. For me that is an absolute NO. 
It's probably partly my fault letting myself get into a velvet lined rut. I was used to regular breaks, having Adult conversations, leaving on time etc., so all teaching hasn't got. But the worst was trying to control the kids, many of whom had some underlying special need, that the school struggled to support. There are other reasons, but I realise why teachers are leaving in droves.
Yes IT is one aspect I'm looking at, maybe counselling another......it's hard to find something to do where you have less chance of ageism and also offers good job prospects. And I prefer not to take a job at B & Q or become a delivery driver!

LongWindingRoad

Some good free training here from Microsoft including the free exam
Try Azure Fundamentals to start with

Microsoft Virtual Training Days

t0rt0ise

Not all employers are ageist. I got jobs with the NHS late on, and a job with TfL at age 60. Just keep applying for jobs you like the look of. If you can afford to retrain then do so. Radiographers are always needed.