Starting Again At 27-Work Related

[daveco]

Right chaps, the company I'm with, and to a large extent the trade as well, are winding down (printing). I may be out of a job in as little as a month's time but the problem is I'm not academic AT ALL so college is out of the question. I want to get out of this trade too as it won't exist in 5 years time; everything is going digital.
I'd be interested to hear people's stories if they've done the same; or if they thought they weren't academic but stumbled upon something they liked/loved doing for a living.

[Mazdarese]

daveco said:

Right chaps, the company I'm with, and to a large extent the trade as well, are winding down (printing). I may be out of a job in as little as a month's time but the problem is I'm not academic AT ALL so college is out of the question. I want to get out of this trade too as it won't exist in 5 years time; everything is going digital.
I'd be interested to hear people's stories if they've done the same; or if they thought they weren't academic but stumbled upon something they liked/loved doing for a living.

If everything is going digital, can't you re-train and use your vast industry experience to hopefully get a role somewhere?

If you're getting a big wodge of redundancy cash I'd take a month or so to get your head together too.

[Jgtv]

My brother retrained to be a sign language interpreter at about your age, Not exactly going to make him a millionaire in the next few years but its good money if your good and in the right area, plus one day you might get to be the guy dancing along to hollyoaks on a Sunday morning.

[daveco]

Mazdarese said:

If everything is going digital, can't you re-train and use your vast industry experience to hopefully get a role somewhere?

If you're getting a big wodge of redundancy cash I'd take a month or so to get your head together too.

No training needed digital alternatives, anyone can do it.

[Blown2CV]

daveco said:

Right chaps, the company I'm with, and to a large extent the trade as well, are winding down (printing). I may be out of a job in as little as a month's time but the problem is I'm not academic AT ALL so college is out of the question. I want to get out of this trade too as it won't exist in 5 years time; everything is going digital.
I'd be interested to hear people's stories if they've done the same; or if they thought they weren't academic but stumbled upon something they liked/loved doing for a living.

There are plenty of vocational courses you can do at college. No-one knows what you like better than you.

[Eric Mc]

And what ARE you interested in?

[Jonboy_t]

daveco said:

No training needed digital alternatives, anyone can do it.

I certainly couldn't - wouldn't have a clue where to start. It's often the case in situations like this that you can feel like you're no better than anyone else at what you do - you've had (or may have) a big knock and everyone else is fine..... The thing to remember is that you ARE better at what you do than most people, otherwise you wouldn't have been doing it for so long.

Just use that to your advantage and improve upon what you have already got rather than jumping into another world where you will start at the bottom of the pile all over again!

[GeraldSmith]

Mazdarese said:

If you're getting a big wodge of redundancy cash I'd take a month or so to get your head together too.

Redundancy in the private sector is rarely a 'big wodge of cash', it's a week's pay for every year of employment up to a maximum of £400 a week and half that when under 22. So being 27 the most he is looking at is likely to be about £3k and that's if he's been with the same employer since leaving school

[working class]

Stonemason? I would love to do this, no idea how you get into it though.

[SimonV8ster]

Eric Mc said:

And what ARE you interested in?

Don't you mean 'And what are YOU interested in?' ?

[Blown2CV]

you'd get on a lot better if you had the attitude of "how do i get into X" rather than "how to get out of this and into erm whatever"

[BlackVanDyke]

Look at the Open University. It's so different from classroom learning that you might find it really suits you even though you're ‘not academic’.

[louiebaby]

Blown2CV said:

you'd get on a lot better if you had the attitude of "how do i get into X" rather than "how to get out of this and into erm whatever"

This is true. I got out of Pharmacy and into The City, starting over at 27. It took me 2 years to get into a new job, which included doing a Masters at Uni and finding the job in the trading world.

I did it by working out where I wanted to go, then working out the steps needed to get there. Lots of us will help with the steps, but only you can really work out the ultimate destination...

[daveco]

Eric Mc said:

And what ARE you interested in?

Quite hard to put a finger on that. As I get older I am veering towards literature and architecture, though I still enjoy physical labour. I find I feel infinitely better if I have a productive, busy day at work where I am constantly on the move.

Jonboy_t said:

I certainly couldn't - wouldn't have a clue where to start. It's often the case in situations like this that you can feel like you're no better than anyone else at what you do - you've had (or may have) a big knock and everyone else is fine..... The thing to remember is that you ARE better at what you do than most people, otherwise you wouldn't have been doing it for so long.

Just use that to your advantage and improve upon what you have already got rather than jumping into another world where you will start at the bottom of the pile all over again!

I get what you are saying Jon, it's just not a very good industry to be in. Quality is no longer a deciding factor in the awarding of contracts and I don't really want to be involved in a business where that isn't important. It's all about who is cheapest and profit margins no longer exist.

Blown2CV said:

you'd get on a lot better if you had the attitude of "how do i get into X" rather than "how to get out of this and into erm whatever"

That's the point; I'm not sure what I want to get into. I have no issue dealing with pressure and high workloads; print is all about this. I look at some of the houses and the cars in my area and I think to myself, 'these people can afford 200k cars and 2 million quid houses, and they leave for work at 9am and arrive home at 5pm; they never work weekends and can go on holidays; what the hell do they do to earn so much, and what can I do to get into it??'

louiebaby said:

This is true. I got out of Pharmacy and into The City, starting over at 27. It took me 2 years to get into a new job, which included doing a Masters at Uni and finding the job in the trading world.

I did it by working out where I wanted to go, then working out the steps needed to get there. Lots of us will help with the steps, but only you can really work out the ultimate destination...

Could you expand on what you do LB?

[louiebaby]

daveco said:

Could you expand on what you do LB?

When I first joined The City I wanted to be a trader. I joined a company specialising in being Market Makers of Options as a Trainee. I learnt the skills related to it, but found myself not truly suited to trading. (I hated "taking a position home" in my head. I couldn't relax.)

I made a switch to the Back Office / Operations Department, and have recently moved to a similar role for a new start up company. The knowledge I gained from Trading is invaluable in what I now do day to day, which is a kind of a Project Management Role, mixed in with some procedural Back Office stuff.

If you're thinking about becoming a City Trader, remember the rock star analogy:

For every Rock Star, there are a hundred guys trying to make it, still living with their parents and spending everything they have trying to crack the big time. For every trader earning 6, 7 or 8 figure bonuses, there are a hundred guys just managing to pay their rent and Tube fares.

I'm not saying it can't be you, I'm just saying go in with your eyes open.

[Munter]

louiebaby said:

daveco said:

Could you expand on what you do LB?

When I first joined The City I wanted to be a trader. I joined a company specialising in being Market Makers of Options as a Trainee. I learnt the skills related to it, but found myself not truly suited to trading. (I hated "taking a position home" in my head. I couldn't relax.)

I made a switch to the Back Office / Operations Department, and have recently moved to a similar role for a new start up company. The knowledge I gained from Trading is invaluable in what I now do day to day, which is a kind of a Project Management Role, mixed in with some procedural Back Office stuff.

If you're thinking about becoming a City Trader, remember the rock star analogy:

For every Rock Star, there are a hundred guys trying to make it, still living with their parents and spending everything they have trying to crack the big time. For every trader earning 6, 7 or 8 figure bonuses, there are a hundred guys just managing to pay their rent and Tube fares.

I'm not saying it can't be you, I'm just saying go in with your eyes open.

Not to mention that you did a Masters, and I presume already had a degree. With Dave feeling he'd not respond well to academia I don't know if he'd be able to go down that path.

Have you thought about Nursing Dave? Course fees are paid by Gov at the moment and you might be able to get student loan, while it has it's academic element (you get a degree now), it's also heavy on placement work and real experience. Moneys not top notch, and it's an honest days or nights hard work for your cash. But I think someone who's focussed on doing a good job over a cheap one might have the correct attitude.

Just a shot in the dark.

What qualifications do you have already?

[louiebaby]

Munter said:

Have you thought about Nursing Dave?

Good shout... A friends husband has worked his way up to an Intensive Care Nurse. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but he finds it incredibly rewarding, and it's not terrible when it comes to financial rewards.

[ben_h100]

louiebaby said:

Good shout... A friends husband has worked his way up to an Intensive Care Nurse. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but he finds it incredibly rewarding, and it's not terrible when it comes to financial rewards.

Couldn't disagree more - my sister is a nurse in the NHS and some of the things she has told me are shocking. And she isn't renewing her contract!

[daveco]

louiebaby said:

When I first joined The City I wanted to be a trader. I joined a company specialising in being Market Makers of Options as a Trainee. I learnt the skills related to it, but found myself not truly suited to trading. (I hated "taking a position home" in my head. I couldn't relax.)

I made a switch to the Back Office / Operations Department, and have recently moved to a similar role for a new start up company. The knowledge I gained from Trading is invaluable in what I now do day to day, which is a kind of a Project Management Role, mixed in with some procedural Back Office stuff.

If you're thinking about becoming a City Trader, remember the rock star analogy:

For every Rock Star, there are a hundred guys trying to make it, still living with their parents and spending everything they have trying to crack the big time. For every trader earning 6, 7 or 8 figure bonuses, there are a hundred guys just managing to pay their rent and Tube fares.

I'm not saying it can't be you, I'm just saying go in with your eyes open.

Cheers for the info, LB this interests me greatly.
What do you have a degree and masters in? I've highlighted a section of your text that I'd be grateful if you could expand on (i.e. I don't understand it!)

Munter said:

Have you thought about Nursing Dave? Course fees are paid by Gov at the moment and you might be able to get student loan, while it has it's academic element (you get a degree now), it's also heavy on placement work and real experience. Moneys not top notch, and it's an honest days or nights hard work for your cash. But I think someone who's focussed on doing a good job over a cheap one might have the correct attitude.

Just a shot in the dark.

What qualifications do you have already?

Nursing wouldn't really interest me at the moment Munter, though the 'honest day's work' is definitely a plus. I might just look into this. I have zero qualifications; I did a year of law and left to work half way through second year, as my interest waned.

[Munter]

daveco said:

I have zero qualifications; I did a year of law and left to work half way through second year, as my interest waned.

I wouldn't say Zero then. You have A-Levels / a GNVQ that was good enough to get you to Uni even if you didn't stay.

You might want to get to a Local Uni open day (rule out Law ), but see what other more practical courses they have, that your current qualifications will get you on to. Even if it just gives you a bit more direction it might be worth 1/2 a day of your time.