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...

 

[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...

 

[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?

 

[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...

 

[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.

 

[Kavalree]

To be fair, when I was 16, I wanted to be a vet, a forensic scientist, a pilot and a train driver...

 

[Kavalree]

Why not just put 2 or 3 options into a hat and pick one. See it as an experiment. Whatever you get just go for it 100%.

I'm not interested in the things I was when I was 16.

Someone mentioned about building PC's, I did that as a job, money isn't great and competition is far too intense... In my experience doing it, it left no scope for progression, which I want to progress in my chosen field.

 

[Kavalree]

Thanks guys, seriously, thank you.

Giving it a few days mulling over, I've settled on the Computing and IT degree, as I have more of an interest and a chunk of previous experience.

Heres to the next 3 years of hard study!