u/Ok_News_5959

Hi wise people!

So I am a recently turned 30 year old female living in the UK 🇬🇧 I don't know how I got here, I'm still trying to come to terms with turning 24, which felt like yesterday!

I'm not terribly behind in life. I have a decent job, not that it pays loads but it's very fulfilling. Working as an SEN teaching assistant. I am on the look out for the next thing though. I have no qualifications other than my GCSE's (and I guess 6 years as working as an SEN assistant).

I do want to get qualified and enhance my education and life skills even further than I currently have - but not sure how to go about it.

I am very interested in Health and Social Care and Applied Health care routes such as Speech and language therapy, Rehabilitation ect ect but have no experience in these fields. I just know I'm interested in helping others. I signed up to volunteer with the NHS to give me some experience.

I have looked into the options of uni and I know how to get there with an Access to HE course but I'm not aware of any other level 3 stand alone qualifications I can take as an adult (any advice for this would be welcome, and sort of where I would like to head if that was a possibilty).

I've been going back and forth if I want to commit to 3 years at uni now without the typical "uni" experience that other youngsters get l and I just feel completely lost.

I just wanted to know if anyone had any advice for me. As I don't feel totally happy.

Please be kind in the comments - but I can take some tough love! Thanks ☺️

Hi wise people!

So I am a recently turned 30 year old female living in the UK 🇬🇧 I don't know how I got here, I'm still trying to come to terms that I turned 24 which felt like yesterday!

I'm not terribly behind in life. I have a decent job, not that it pays loads but it's very fulfilling. Working as an SEN teaching assistant. I am on the look out for the next thing though. I have no qualifications other than my GCSE's (and I guess 6 years now as working as an SEN assistant).

I do want to get qualified and enhance my education and life skills even further than I currently have them but not sure how to go about it.

I am very interested in Health and Social Care and applied Health care routes such as Speech and language therapy, rehabilitation, ect ect but had no experience in this field just know I'm interested in helping others. I signed up to volunteer with the NHS to give me some experience.

I've been toying and froing if I want to commit to 3 years at uni now without the typical "uni" experience that other youngsters get l and I just feel completely lost.

I just wanted to know if anything had any advice for me. As I don't feel totally happy. There are some things going great in life and others where I just totally behind in.

Please be kind in the comments and offer any real advice you might have. Thanks ☺️

Hi wise people!

So I am a recently turned 30 year old female living in the UK. I don't know how I got here, I'm still trying to come to terms that I turned 25 which felt like yesterday!

I'm not terribly behind in life. I have a decent job, not that it pays loads but it's very fulfilling. Working as an SEN teaching assistant. I am on the look out for the next thing though. I have no qualifications other than a professional cookery Level 3 that I did at college when I didn't know what I wanted to do and I know that it won't get used. I do want to get qualified and enhance my education and life skills even further than I currently have them but not sure how to go about it.

I still live at home, but I have a lovely nest egg that I could put down for a deposit for a house - I do have plans to make moves out of my family home within the next year.

I have a long distant partner we have been together many years now and there is a age gap between us - I'm not sure about this relationship and have wanted to leave it several times. We met online but we lived close to eachother at the time. My family then moved away and I lived with them, creating the long distance. We meet up every month.

I just wanted to know if anything had any advice for me. As I don't feel totally happy. I have friends that I can count on one hand but they are at different life stages than me so I've felt over the last few years that has created a little wedge between us. There are some things going great in life and others where I just totally behind in.

Please other any advice lovely people!!

I have made a post on here before, but it didn't really get picked up.

So I'll start again and add more details. I am a 30 yr old female from the UK. When I was younger I went into my A levels as you normally would. I did a year and completely failed it. I hated it. Not because I hated studying but the subjects I chose were all wrong and I couldn't choose certain ones for various reasons. I choose both Englishs, Socially and Enviorment studies. I really wanted to choose Biology and pyscholgy but didn't have the Maths grades ( apparantly) I completed my AS level with a fail pretty much.

I then went into professional cookery. I did that for 3 years after a family member suggested it. At 17 I didn't really have any career aspirations and was just doing it as something to do really. I was really depressed during my A levels and this gave me something to focus on, gave me activity and gave me people I could call friends. I stuck on itj it for the 3 years, knowing I didn't want to go into this kind of work but also not knowing what else I wanted to do.

I had always wanted to go to uni. To experience the typical uni life, move out, be independent ect ect and also gain that degree along the way. Nowhere, that never happened for me. After I left the professional cookery course I joined an agency and worked in catering establishments and did bar work at festivals.

At around 23 I managed to bag myself a job as a SEN Teaching assistant. Which I am still currently doing and I thoroughly enjoy. However, as much as I enjoy it, the pay is still very low and I haven't had a pay rise in the 6 years I am have been here ( I know, terrible). But I do understand I am on a minimally paid job.

So my question to everyone out there, older or younger what is your advice. I thoroughly enjoy human anatomy, psychology, therapy type roles but have no relevant qualifications. I do have 6 years experience now working with SEN students which I know I'd highly transferable but I am wanting to educate myself and study more. I feel like that would give me more confidence in taking next steps.

I have looked into Access to HE courses but I know they are a pathway designed for those who wish to go to uni - and although that is not completely off my radar ( and I have always said I would go to uni when I was older and knew what I wanted to do) I don't have a clear path ahead to spend those years doing that.

Please help! Any advice welcome. Any stories or relevant experiences also welcome to help a girl out. Also feel free to ask any questions of anything that I might have missed.

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Thanks everyone!!

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I’ve worked as an SEN Teaching Assistant for the last 6 years with young adults, mainly supporting learners with autism and additional needs. I genuinely love the job and feel like it really suits my personality.

However, as much as I enjoy it, I’m pretty much on minimum wage and would really like a step up, exposure to something new, and realistically a financial upgrade too. I’ve recently turned 30 and feel ready for the next chapter of my life. I only have my GCSEs, so I’ve looked into the traditional route of A Levels/T Levels, then a Level 3 qualification and university afterwards. But honestly, committing to 5+ years of study at this stage is a bit to much for me.

I was wondering if anyone had advice on other routes I could take that could help move me into the next stage of my life within around a year or so. I’m not afraid of hard work at all — I just feel a bit lost about where to go next. I know I don’t want to become a teacher, but I do love people-focused roles where I can be active and on my feet rather than sat at a desk all day. I’ve looked into things like occupational therapy and healthcare roles.

I love Biology and Psychology, and I currently work with young adults on a small zoo campus too, so I also have some hands-on animal experience. If anyone has any advice on careers, qualifications, apprenticeships, or routes worth looking into, I’d genuinely really appreciate it and will look into every suggestion. Thank you 😊