u/Similar_Flight_2468

Hi all,

I've applied for a Secondary Science PGCE (Biology). I know it's quite late in the application cycle, but I thought I'd apply and see what happens.

One thing I'm quite worried about is subject knowledge.

For context, I studied Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Psychology at A-level. I didn't do particularly well due to health issues at the time, but I went on to complete a Pharmacology degree.

Since graduating, I've spent a few years working in office-based jobs unrelated to science.

It's been quite a while since I've properly studied the sciences, and I'm finding that I've forgotten a lot of the content.

How much subject knowledge are you expected to have before starting a PGCE? I'm struggling to recall a lot and I'm worried I'll be very behind if I do go for it.

Thanks!

I’m a 26M from the UK, British Indian, and I’ve been trying to understand my family dynamic for a while because honestly it just feels confusing more than anything.

I grew up in a large family with 4 older sisters. My parents were both born in the UK, but their views on a lot of things have never really been consistent. It’s hard to even label them as strictly traditional or modern because it just seems to depend on the moment.

For example, growing up there wasn’t really a strong push for education or career planning. In some cases it was even discouraged. My eldest sister wanted to become an architect from around 15/16, but my parents looked into it and told her not to because the degree would take too long and she might miss her chance to get married.

Fast forward and she didn’t end up getting married until her 30s anyway. I know she probably dodged a bullet with the architect thing in hindsight, but that’s kind of the point — it felt like the advice wasn’t really about the career itself, more like it was used as a reason to push marriage earlier.

At the same time though, my dad will compare us to the kids of his friends who became doctors or businesspeople. So education is both something that’s questioned and something we’re measured against, depending on the situation.

Relationships and marriage are another weird one. I’ve literally heard my dad say things like my sisters should just marry a rich white guy because he doesn't like asian guys lol, but then in the same breath complain that they’re too westernised or not following our culture properly. It just never really adds up.

Social life was also quite restricted growing up. We weren’t really allowed to go out much or socialise freely. But now in our 20s I’ve had comments like “maybe if I’d let you socialise more at school, you’d be married by now.” But obviously that’s not really something you can just recreate later in life.

Hobbies and skills are similar. Things like sports, music, gym etc weren’t really developed properly when we were younger. But now there’s an expectation that we should somehow already be good at those things in our 20s/30s, as if it’s something you can just switch on later.

Even alcohol was like that. We were told growing up that it’s bad, but at social events where other parents were more relaxed, we were actually told to drink it even when we didn’t want to.

Religion and culture is probably the most confusing part. My dad will sometimes say we should be more religious or traditional and tell us to go temple, but other times he’ll say religion doesn’t matter at all and even call it nonsense or say its just crooks making money of people down on luck. So it’s never really clear what the actual expectation is.

Even something small like cooking ended up being weirdly contradictory. I got into cooking early because my dad encouraged it, saying it’s an important skill for a man. I actually ended up becoming pretty good at it and cook regularly for the family now. But recently I’ve also been mocked for it and called “like a woman” for being in the kitchen too much, even though it was something I was actively encouraged to do in the first place.

I don’t think it’s as simple as “strict parents” or “lenient parents” either. It just feels like growing up with a set of rules that kept changing depending on the situation, and sometimes even contradicting each other completely.

Me and my sisters are now in dead-end jobs, and I won’t deny there were probably missed opportunities in terms of education, career guidance, social development, and confidence building. I’m not really trying to just blame my parents for everything, more just trying to understand if anyone else grew up with something similar.

Because at this point it just feels less like clear expectations, and more like shifting goalposts depending on the moment.

Hi all,

Hope all are well.

25M based in London, UK. I’m honestly feeling stuck and trying to figure out a realistic direction forward.

My background is quite messy and I’m not really sure how to position myself career-wise.

I also manage a long-term health condition, which affects my energy and consistency, so I’ve had gaps/unemployment periods.

Background

Did a Biochemistry degree. No real long-term plan behind it — I just found it interesting at the time. Health wasn’t great during school/uni and still isn’t, so the focus was mainly just getting through it and graduating.

Took about a year to find any job after graduating.

First role was shift work as an immigration officer (civil service). Stayed just over a year but burnt out.

Then moved into my current admin role at an FE college (about 1.5 years).

Current situation

My current job feels like a dead-end. It’s low paid and I mostly get given random tasks because I’m “young” and “can handle it” compared to colleagues according to my manager.

I’ve tried asking for more structured work, but it hasn’t really changed much. Even my manager has said there is no real progression path.

On the side I tried learning data analysis, but I didn’t really get traction with it.

I’ve been constantly applying for roles across different sectors — anything that feels like a step up in pay, conditions, or CV value — but nothing is landing.

It feels like there are only two extremes in the job market right now:

Very low-paid care/cleaning roles Or highly competitive careers (finance, specialist healthcare, experienced technical roles) that feel out of reach So I end up stuck in the middle with no obvious next step.

The one path I keep coming back to is becoming a science teacher But I’m unsure if I could cope with it:

I’m quite introverted and low energy

My health can be unpredictable, which makes consistency difficult

I already work in education and even in admin I see a lot of politics, and I imagine teaching would be more intense with no real escape from that

That said, I do feel my health experiences have made me more patient and empathetic

I would’ve also liked to work in IT, but it feels extremely competitive even for experienced candidates, let alone career changers.

TL;DR

25M in London with a biochemistry degree, civil service + FE admin experience, and a long-term health condition affecting consistency. Feeling stuck in low-paid admin work with no clear progression. Unsure whether to pursue teaching but searching for other careers.

Hi all,

I’m a 26 M living in London with my parents.

My take home is around £1800 /month. I live fairly frugally, my main expenses are petrol, car insurance, phone bill, and the occasional meal out or small impulse purchase. I don’t really spend much on socialising, alcohol , or travel abroad.

I have around £80k in savings, split between a Cash ISA, easy-access savings (Coventry BS), and Premium Bonds. Part of this was gifted, and the rest earned.

I previously earned closer to £40k but had to step back due to a serious health condition. My health fluctuates, so I can’t reliably handle high-stress work long-term. Because of that, my focus has shifted more toward stability and managing my health rather than maximising income.

I also expect to remain living with my parents long-term due to both cultural reasons and my health situation, where I receive some care and support from my family.

I’m also in a public sector pension scheme, so that is building in the background.

Long-term, I’d ideally like some independence and the option of owning a home one day with a family of my own, but I’m not sure what is realistic given my health and earning capacity.

That obviously depends on whether my health improves, but at the moment I’m trying to understand what I should focus on financially.

What would you focus on in my situation financially?

Thanks all

Hi all,

Hope everyone’s well.

I’m a mid-20s guy working in admin at an FE college in the UK. I’ve been here about 18 months.

Honestly, the place feels permanently understaffed. Staff turnover is high, and most employees are much older or close to retirement. Apart from a few younger tutors and support staff, hardly anyone seems to stay long-term.

What’s really starting to bother me is how much extra work keeps getting added to my role because I’m “young” and it’s supposedly “good development.” My manager says this all the time.

The problem is that it doesn’t actually feel like meaningful development. It feels more like older colleagues refuse extra work (which, honestly, I understand), management avoid pushing them too hard, and I end up absorbing whatever gaps appear because I’m younger and expected to “step up.”

My actual role is supposed to be senior admin/data support, but I’m now regularly doing things like:

* helping the data analyst with reports * supporting the exams team and liaising with exam boards * front desk/reception cover * basic IT support like password resets * admin for student disciplinary processes * timetable and room booking changes * apprenticeship/careers/employability admin after that whole team was made redundant * processing student course transfers and discussing issues with teachers * training the constant stream of new staff on systems * random secretarial work for managers and teachers * student enrolment * creating new courses on systems * identifying data inconsistencies, chasing unpaid fees, attendance issues, etc.

At the same time, there’s:

* no promotion path * no qualifications or training * no meaningful projects * no pay rise * no recognition * no actual development structure

I’ve tried pushing back or saying no to some things before, but it basically isn’t accepted. The expectation is that I just “step up” and cover whatever gaps exist.

Meanwhile, older staff seem much better at protecting their boundaries, and management don’t pressure them in the same way.

Everything is framed as “good experience,” but increasingly it feels less like career development and more like being used to patch organisational chaos on low pay.

For context: before this, I was made redundant from an operational Civil Service role. I have a chemistry degree and some health issues, so after redundancy I mainly needed something stable and ended up here.

I do apply elsewhere regularly, but the job market feels brutal right now, and every role seems to want highly specialised experience.

Thanks all.

Hi all,

hope everyone’s doing well.

I’m 24M and I think I’ve got a defeatist mindset.

Whenever I see something I want, my first thought is usually just “I’ll never have that.”

Big house?
“Probably not.”

Beautiful girl?
“She wouldn’t really go for me… maybe in another life.”

Good job / top career?
“Not really for people like me.”

I know logically these things are possible.

But I still feel like I’m starting behind, or like certain “levels” of life aren’t really meant for me. I had health issues during my teens which held me back quite a bit development-wise. While other people were building confidence, relationships, and momentum, I was mostly just trying to get through things.

So even though life now is okay on paper, I don’t think my internal sense of where I “fit” has fully caught up.

I still have some ongoing (but more stable) health issues, I’m in a basic job that isn’t really skilled, but I do have things going for me too — I’m tall, decent looking, and I keep myself in shape. I’ve also got hobbies like cooking, baking, reading, and I do try to improve myself day to day.

Even with that, I often feel behind people my age, like everyone else got a head start and I’m still catching up. I also get this pressure that one mistake could really set me back again, which makes me overthink things a lot.

And I guess underneath it all there’s this thought of… why even go for things fully if I’m already behind and everyone else seems so far ahead? I know we only get one life so I should just go for it, but sometimes it still feels like once you’re behind it’s hard to catch up, or maybe I’m just making excuses.

It doesn’t even feel like normal insecurity. It’s more like my brain automatically puts success, money, status, attractive people, good opportunities etc into the “not for me” category.

Has anyone else felt like this? And did anything actually help change it?

thanks

I don’t even know what this feeling falls under. nostalgia, FOMO, or maybe just guilt for missing something I was lucky enough to experience in the first place.

I grew up in a big working class family in the UK, and both my parents worked manual labour jobs for airlines back when travel benefits were really good. Because of that, travelling was just a normal part of life for us. We’d go away multiple times a year, and by my teens I’d probably travelled more than a lot of people ever will.

I’m not saying that to brag honestly, it’s part of what makes this feeling so strange.

Now I’m in my late 20s and I barely travel at all. The last decade has been rough with health issues, family problems, finances, and life generally becoming a lot heavier. That whole version of my life feels really distant now, almost like it happened to someone else.

Social media definitely makes it worse too. Everywhere you look, people seem to be constantly travelling and treating it like a normal part of adulthood, while I’m over here just trying to rebuild my health, stability, and finances. Sometimes it genuinely feels like I’ve gone backwards somehow.

My mum always tells me I should just be grateful because I got to experience more than most people ever will, and she’s right. I am grateful. But I still miss that life deeply.

What feels weird is that when people talk about travelling as their hobby or lifestyle now, I almost feel disconnected from it instead of excited by it. Like I already lived that chapter very young, and now everyone else is arriving there while I’m stuck trying to rebuild everything else.

And honestly, sometimes I worry people see me as boring now because I’m not constantly going anywhere or posting exciting things.

I think the hardest part is that it feels wrong to miss something you were lucky enough to have in the first place.

Hi all,

Hope all are well.

Was wondering if anyone had recommendations for a good ICL clinic in London,UK?

Appreciate it.

Thanks

Hi all, hope you’re well.

I’m a 24M in the UK with generalised epilepsy. I’ve been seizure-free since 2018 and take Keppra and zonisamide. Overall, things have been stable and I’ve just been getting on with life.

I rarely see my NHS neurologist—usually just a phone review every couple of years. In all honesty my communication with him is not very good and he can be quite dismissive.

In my last appointment, he asked (as usual) about medication side effects, and I mentioned occasional headaches and feeling lightheaded. That’s all I reported.

From that, he said these could be absence seizures and advised me to stop driving.

That really caught me off guard. I haven’t had any seizures in years. I live with family and no one has noticed any staring spells or zoning out, and I feel like I’d notice if I were actually losing awareness. I feel stable and that my medication is working.

For context, I only had a couple of absence seizures when I was around 14–15, alongside tonic-clonic seizures—nothing like that since.

I spoke to my GP straight after, who I trust, and he said it doesn’t sound like seizures. He suggested either waiting for an NHS second opinion (which could take a long time) or seeing someone privately. I chose to see a private neurologist, and they also felt it was unlikely to be seizures. Their view was that the NHS consultant may just be being cautious.

So now I’m stuck with conflicting opinions:

NHS neurologist: likely absence seizures, stop driving GP: doesn’t sound like seizures Private neurologist: probably not seizures

I’ve been stable for 7–8 years and built my life around that, so having this suddenly questioned has really knocked my confidence and affected my day-to-day life.

What also confuses me is that I’ve had this same consultant since I was 18 and have mentioned these symptoms before, and they were never suggested to be seizures until now.

I don’t want to ignore medical advice, but there doesn’t seem to be any clear evidence that I’m actually having seizures. I mainly just needed to get this off my chest and see what others think I guess?