I need some advice...

[Kavalree]

OK, first off, I'll tell you a little about me... I'm 28 and live in England, and I failed high-school (Came out with 3 GCSE's above a C Grade). This isn't me, as I was a straight A* student... Due to this, it knocked my confidence massively, although, it was my own fault for constantly messing about in school. I ended up working retail, tried my hand at other lines of work (IT, Phone repair, Warehouse) and nothing has ever "stuck". I'm waiting on an SIA Licence to go into Security work this time, I'm currently unemployed with VERY little income, and ZERO savings.

I've been thinking the past few days, what about a DRASTIC career and life change? I'm interested in potentially becoming a Lawyer, more specifically, either Criminal Defence or Crown Prosecution. I'm also looking at IT/Computing (Networking) with the potential to become a Network Engineer.

I don't really know what to do, as the courses are expensive, and with zero savings and an incredibly poor credit history, I don't know if I can fund them other than Student Loans. And, am I too "old" or too late in life to be thinking of something this drastic? Is there somewhere I could "try" and maybe find out if this potential line of work is "for me" or not?

I just want some really good advice right now, as I'm stuck in a rut of dead-end jobs, nothing to stimulate my brain, and ultimately, boredom... I REALLY don't want to be bored at work, and my work needs to be challenging to a point of making me actually think...

I'm ideally after people in the same line of work to tell me what their average day involves, or someone who knows what they are talking about... I just don't know what to do...

The things drawing me to both roles are the fact I'm interested in law, and also interested in PC's. In an idealistic world, I'd be doing a job where I can constantly improve and better myself and also learn something new every day...

 

[jsmoke]

Do you have any credit defaults?

 

[sideways14a]

You sound like my brother lol.
One thing i have always said, plety others will disagree but regardless, you start at the bottom. If you constantly keep moving from job to job because your bored or you dont know what you want to do, or you just dont like being told what to do... then you will be going precisely nowhere... ever...
See your second line has quite an interesting read, you say you want to be a lawyer or you were looking at IT and networking. Now look, these two jobs and careers are very very very far apart, they have nothing what so ever in common, this is your problem.

Your blowing about between different career paths, entirely different skills sets and entirely different worlds. For gods sake pick one thing and stick to it, even if you find it rough down the line STICK TO IT.
If you dont know what you want to do then you need to go away and have a talk with yourself about it before coming to a forum like this for advice, mainly because we cant really tell you whats best if you dont know yourself.

Like i said just like my brother, been through a dozen plus jobs, as varied as the clouds in the sky - never sticking them longer than a year, all very low paid and none contributing to his career path. He has no money, no savings, no future and has to live in my ma's spare bedroom.

Anyway, moan over. ohh and as for boring, well i can tell you now there are few jobs where some degree of boredom doesnt come into it.

 

[Kavalree]

Do you have any credit defaults?

Sadly, yes, when I was 20 I got into the stupid thing of taking out payday loans... I've not got a CCJ against me and 2 catalogues with debt collection agencies that are being paid off via a Debt Management Company.

You sound like my brother lol.
One thing i have always said, plety others will disagree but regardless, you start at the bottom. If you constantly keep moving from job to job because your bored or you dont know what you want to do, or you just dont like being told what to do... then you will be going precisely nowhere... ever...
See your second line has quite an interesting read, you say you want to be a lawyer or you were looking at IT and networking. Now look, these two jobs and careers are very very very far apart, they have nothing what so ever in common, this is your problem.

Your blowing about between different career paths, entirely different skills sets and entirely different worlds. For gods sake pick one thing and stick to it, even if you find it rough down the line STICK TO IT.
If you dont know what you want to do then you need to go away and have a talk with yourself about it before coming to a forum like this for advice, mainly because we cant really tell you whats best if you dont know yourself.

Like i said just like my brother, been through a dozen plus jobs, as varied as the clouds in the sky - never sticking them longer than a year, all very low paid and none contributing to his career path. He has no money, no savings, no future and has to live in my ma's spare bedroom.

Anyway, moan over. ohh and as for boring, well i can tell you now there are few jobs where some degree of boredom doesnt come into it.

I see where you are coming from there. I like IT, I build PC's for a living until the company screwed me with no hours and only having me in to build 3 or 4 a day (Was less than 2 hours work a day). I like the idea of being a lawyer, zero experience with it.
I've got zero issues with being told what to do, and my past job I was fired as I spend 2 weeks off sick, and 2 weeks looking after my mother in hospital... Past job was due to mental health (Which I'm over now, thankfully).

I know it's "late" to decide on what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I also feel like it's a start...

 

[sideways14a]

Career advisors really do seem to let a lot of folk down, i remember being at secondary school in the late 80s and having the Careers meeting with a wummin that clearly didnt have a clue.
She told me going into IT and computers was a bad idea, its a fad and wont last... i saw through it then fortunately but how many others did she give apaling advice to ?

You need to focus on one thing, dont go bouncing around. Once you do that you will quickly find things stabilize and the all important money bit becomes more readily available.

 

[Kavalree]

Career advisors really do seem to let a lot of folk down, i remember being at secondary school in the late 80s and having the Careers meeting with a wummin that clearly didnt have a clue.
She told me going into IT and computers was a bad idea, its a fad and wont last... i saw through it then fortunately but how many others did she give apaling advice to ?

You need to focus on one thing, dont go bouncing around. Once you do that you will quickly find things stabilize and the all important money bit becomes more readily available.

My careers advisor was useless also, how am I expected to know 110% what I want to do at 16, for the rest of my life?

I also understand the sticking to 1 thing, but that's the tough choice, do I go with the potential Lawyer route, or play it "safe" and go with Networking?

 

[jsmoke]

Sadly, yes, when I was 20 I got into the stupid thing of taking out payday loans... I've not got a CCJ against me and 2 catalogues with debt collection agencies that are being paid off via a Debt Management Company.



I see where you are coming from there. I like IT, I build PC's for a living until the company screwed me with no hours and only having me in to build 3 or 4 a day (Was less than 2 hours work a day). I like the idea of being a lawyer, zero experience with it.
I've got zero issues with being told what to do, and my past job I was fired as I spend 2 weeks off sick, and 2 weeks looking after my mother in hospital... Past job was due to mental health (Which I'm over now, thankfully).

I know it's "late" to decide on what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I also feel like it's a start...

They clear after 6 years whether you've paid them or not same as CJJ's.

Have a look at the the training room regarding advice in IT, they're one of these organisations that promise you a job if you complete their certs, I think they may even loan you the money for the certs.

The networking certs such as CCNA/CCNP get pretty though also, it's no walk in the park.

 

[Kavalree]

They clear after 6 years whether you've paid them or not same as CJJ's.

Have a look at the the training room regarding advice in IT, they're one of these organisations that promise you a job if you complete their certs, I think they may even loan you the money for the certs.

The networking certs such as CCNA/CCNP get pretty though also, it's no walk in the park.

I had previously contacted them, they quoted me an absurd ammount for a CompTIA A+ Cert... Somewhere around £1700...

 

[malachi]

If you want to be a lawyer then you have to go the uni, which you also need money for over the years it will take to get that degree.

£1700 for a CompTIA A+ Cert!!! Buy the books, self study and book the exam yourself. Should cost no more than £300. If you at least get £300 together then you be good to go.

Finally, you are never too old to change career paths. We have people in their late 40's early 50's coming police officers at my organization. When they spent most of the life working in factories.

 

[Danny091]

Pluralsight is pretty good for CCNA and most likely has CompTIA and others on it too if videos are more your thing.

 

[dowie]

I believe the OU offers law degrees (probably some other part time or distance learning options out there too) so you don't necessarily need to give up the day job and get into super amounts of debt other than perhaps govt loans to cover the fees. It could also have some utility for you even if you don't manage to get to become a solicitor or barrister - for example if you were pursing some IT career during the day then perhaps a combination of the law degree + tech experience could lead to some compliance type role etc..

 

[Maccy]

Would the forces be an option you'd consider?

 

[Kol]

I'm pressed for time so can't feed back as much as these guys have been doing but, you are 28. No, you are definitely not too old to change career or study something which could take between 3-7 years. Look at it like this, you'll be working (if you stick with what you are doing) until 65/70.

So you have potentially 42 years of your working life to go. If you change career and do well, all that happens is you'll retire earlier because you'll have put yourself in a position to do so, positively.

Do it, don't look back in 5 or 10 years time thinking, 'oh if only I'd done it at 28, I was so young.' 28 is young, it's definitely not too late to be changing career path.

I had a similar thought years ago and thought at 28 I was too old. I gave it a few years and thought, bugger, I'd have finished all that by now if I'd just done it. In the end, after a few years I did it, I just wish I'd spoken to someone about it sooner and they'd told me to just get on with it.

 

[sideways14a]

My careers advisor was useless also, how am I expected to know 110% what I want to do at 16, for the rest of my life?

Actually this is where you come in, you really should have began to take an interest in something by the time you are 16, is it science, engineering, law or medicine...?? by the time your 16 you should at least have an idea into what kind of area your interested in. If you go to a guidance Councillor and they ask what are you interested in and say... nothing then well... how can they put together a decent career plan... Ok some of them you could go in as Bill Gates and the **** would try to get you to be a plumber but hey..

You need to focus on yourself, what is of interest to you. Doing a job that you are not interested in usually ends up in a crap job, crap employee and moving on quickly.

 

[Maccy]

Sorry, but I don't agree @sideways14a

At 16 I was a stupid adolescent who had no idea what I wanted to do!

 

[Kavalree]

Would the forces be an option you'd consider?

Due to my health, that's not an option, I won't pass the physical's.

I've found the courses on Open University, both are 6 year part time courses. I need to phone them to check that the CCNA exams are part of the Computing degree.
With the law degree, after it's passed, I'd need to either sit my bar exams (1 or 2 years) and then do a years pupillage to become a Barrista or work for the CPS.

 

[Semple]

Sorry, but I don't agree @sideways14a

At 16 I was a stupid adolescent who had no idea what I wanted to do!

Yeah i disagree with that as well. No-one at the age of 16 knows what they want to do.

The law route you might struggle with if you don't have many qualifications. You said you got a few GCSE's above C, for which subjects? I'm not in the legal profession, but as far as i know you'll need a law degree to even have some sort of role in the legal profession. Degrees will likely require A-levels/Equivalent, or an access to HA (If they do those for the law route). And for those, they usually have a minimum requirement of GCSE's at grade C for the typical English/Maths/Science.

So going further via any academic route will usually require the standard minimum for GCSE's. I don't think these are too expensive for retakes, and most local colleges will provide the facility to retake these (evening classes etc).

You said you liked building PC's, have you thought about taking up a trade? Trades have apprenticeship schemes available, and will show you the ropes till you become fully qualified.

 

[Semple]

Ah interesting, just looking at the OU entry requirements and it states no formal entry requirements. Which really surprises me, as most going via the OU route will likely have been out of academia for quite some time, or not have many qualifications.

Anyway @Anti-Chav, if you are seriously considering this, then i would take up this offer:

Preparing for study with an Access module
If your study skills are a bit rusty or you want to try out Open University study before committing yourself, don’t worry! The OU offers Access modules designed to introduce the subject area, build your confidence and prepare you for further study, and you may be eligible to study an Access module for free! You'll get:

• a personal tutor providing regular feedback with one to one telephone tutorials
• support from a dedicated team throughout your study
• detailed written feedback.

For this qualification we recommend:

As it's free, it will give you the chance to see the level of commitment and work required before you dive onto an expensive course and realise it's more challenging that you'd expected.

 

[TJM]

Sorry, but I don't agree @sideways14a

At 16 I was a stupid adolescent who had no idea what I wanted to do!

I agree completely. And the OP is interested in a legal career - many of the best join after having done something else for several years. Being good at communicating with other people and managing priorities are a huge part of the job, and you can develop those skills elsewhere.

@Anti-Chav, some pointers:

• The OU is perfectly respectable. The Civil Service (GLD or CPS) or a high street firm would be your best best for employment as larger private firms will filter you out based on your school results regardless of how long ago they were or what you have done since in the absence of genuine extenuating circumstances.
• If you want to do crime and aren't being financially supported by someone else, join the CPS. The junior criminal bar and legal aid defence solicitors are in a terrible shape.
• You shouldn't be daunted by the raw numbers of applications versus available training positions as most applicants haven't a clue, but the competition is fierce. You need to be honest with yourself about whether you have good analytical, decision making and communication skills (oral and written). You can develop the last two through experience but the first is impossible to do without.

 

[sideways14a]

Sorry, but I don't agree @sideways14a

At 16 I was a stupid adolescent who had no idea what I wanted to do!

Surely you must have had interests.. you must have leaned towards something, i dont know many folk who never had a preference towards doing something.

Ok not knowing what career is fine, but come on you must have had an interest in electronics or technology or science or something.