u/VitaminsrImportant

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I'm 38 and considering HGV driving — is it worth it for only 5 years? seriously considering getting my HGV licence and moving into trucking.

At the moment I work in back-of-house hospitality, which I honestly hate. I'm looking for a way out and considering HGV driving as a complete change of direction.

I'm a quiet, fairly solitary guy and I don't have much family left. I'm not particularly interested in a very social workplace, so the fact that driving can involve spending a lot of time alone doesn't necessarily bother me.

My question is whether it makes sense to start at 38 if realistically I only plan to do it for around 5 years, from roughly 39/40 to 44/45.

I'm also prepared to work a lot of hours — early starts, long shifts, nights, weekends and overtime if available — because my priority for those five years would be to earn a decent income and save as much as I reasonably can.

I know trucking isn't easy. I'm aware of the traffic, delivery deadlines, loading/unloading, parking, long hours, nights away and general stress. I'm not expecting an easy life.

But compared with staying in a job I genuinely hate in hospitality, I'm wondering whether HGV driving could be a better option.

For those actually working in UK trucking:

Would you say it's worth getting the licence at 38 if you only intended to do it for 5 years or so?

If someone is willing to work 50–60+ hours when available, is it realistic to make decent money and build up meaningful savings?

Would you recommend Class 2 first and then Class 1, or another route?

And honestly, if you were 38, stuck in a job you hated, fairly quiet and didn't mind working long hours, would you make the switch into HGV driving?

I'd really appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who started trucking later in life.

Honestly need to vent about this. Six years of kitchen experience, a stack of certs, I speak a few languages too, and I still cannot get past the "unpaid trial" stage half the time.

It's no just one dodgy place either, it's happening everywhere. Two or three hour trial, unpaid, before they'll even talk about pay or hours. And because I actually know what I'm doing, it's no like I'm standing about watching, I'm putting in a full shift's worth of graft. So they get a free pair of experienced hands for the night and I get nothing for it.

If I said aye to every trial I've been asked to do, I'd be working for free for months before I actually landed a job.

Fair enough, a quick trial makes sense if someone's got zero experience. But as far as I know, if it goes beyond a short skills check and you're basically just working the shift, you're meant to get paid at least minimum wage for it (ACAS has guidance on it if anyone wants a look, not legal advice, just what I've read).

Just watch yourselves with these unpaid trials, and pass the word on to anyone else looking for kitchen work, especially folk who've just moved here. A lot of immigrants don't know their rights yet or feel like they can,t say no, and that's exactly how these places get away with it.

Llevo ya, aproximadamente unos 7 años viviendo fuera de España.

En general me no me ha ido súper bien, he logrado sobrevivir no he prosperado en absoluto, no me arrepiento pues en España me comí la crisis pero bien e irme fuera me permitió reintegrarme en el mundo laboral.

Ahora mismo me he quedado sin trabajo aquí, y llevo un tiempo dándole vueltas a volver a España, ya que donde vivo hay una crisis bastante fuerte y los inmigrantes como yo somos los primeros en caer o ser reemplazados por mano de obra más barata( talentosa y trabajadora eso sí).

Tengo 38 años y no tengo una formación académica muy amplia — toda mi experiencia es en cocina/hostelería, jardinería en el pasado y algo de informática.

Muchas personas me han comentado que a esta edad ya soy mayor para el mercado laboral español, y la verdad es que me da bastante miedo no poder encontrar nada con mi edad.

Buscaría en sectores industriales, y en hostelería por el momento.

Tengo un nivel de inglés decente y nivel intermedio de alemán( y entiendo otros idiomas también).

Zona a la que volvería: zona norte de España (País Vasco, La Rioja, Cantabria o Burgos).

Mis preguntas para quien haya pasado por algo parecido:

¿Es real esa sensación de que a los 38, después de 7 años fuera, cuesta más encontrar trabajo en España, o depende mucho de la zona y del sector (hostelería en este caso)?

Si alguien volvió en una situación parecida, ¿cómo os fue?

La verdad es que esa crisis me afectó tanto, que veo a España como un país en el que nunca volvería a ser aceptado.

PD: Me gustaría también compatibilizar esto con estudios en electrónica, que es algo que me encanta.

Gracias de antemano a quien se anime a compartir su experiencia, cualquier perspectiva ayuda y mucho.

Hi everyone,

I’m 38 and come from a care-experienced background. I’ve lived in different EU countries, but higher education has never really been an accessible path for me — the doors have always been closed. In Spain, for example, only around 1% of care leavers make it to university.

At this point, I’m wondering whether I can realistically study electrical and electronic engineering, advanced physics, and the underlying mathematics entirely on my own, and take it to a genuinely high level.

I already have the books, lectures, and resources I need. My question isn’t really what to study, but whether self-study can actually take someone to the point of deep, rigorous mastery — and how I can make sure I’m not fooling myself about the level I’ve reached.

For anyone who’s gone deep into technical subjects on their own, I’d really like to understand a few things:

How do you actually test yourself so it feels close to real university exam standards when you’re studying alone? I’m thinking things like using past MIT or other top university exams, marking your own work honestly, and spotting gaps you might otherwise miss.

How do you tell the difference between just remembering formulas and really understanding things from first principles — the kind of understanding where you can derive results and solve problems you’ve never seen before?

And in areas like electronics, microcircuits, or semiconductor physics, what kinds of projects or benchmarks show that you’ve moved beyond hobby level and actually have a solid, deep grasp of the subject?

If you’ve spent years teaching yourself something this complex, I’d really be interested in how you kept yourself honest and measured your progress.

I’m trying to get a realistic sense of how far self-study can really go, and how you know when you genuinely understand what you think you understand.

So far, I’ve passed a number of aptitude tests for university admission, but due to my personal circumstances, I’ve never been able to afford to attend university.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hey all, 38M here. I've been living in the UK for years already( Liverpool for a very long time already), but considering settling in Warrington specifically and want to get a feel for the place first.

Looking for warehouse jobs around the area that don't require a driving license — I don't drive, so I need something reachable by bus/walking or on a decent route.

My background is actually in kitchens (chef/kitchen work) and factories, so I'm open to hearing about kitchen/factory roles too if anyone's hiring, but mainly looking to get into warehouse work for now.

Also — as someone originally from another country, how welcoming would you say Warrington is specifically? Any honest thoughts appreciated, good or bad.

Thanks all!

Me fui en 2012 por la crisis, que me dejó bastante tocado. Ahora estoy pensando en volver, pero esta vez quiero dejar la hostelería y probar suerte en industria o logística.

Un poco de contexto:

38 años. Toda mi experiencia es en hostelería, nada más. Inglés decente. Del norte. Vamos, que empezaría de cero en esto.

Cosas que me gustaría saber si alguien está metido en el tema:

¿Cómo está el curro de industria/logística por el norte ahora mismo? ¿Se mueve algo o está todo saturado?

Viniendo de hostelería y sin experiencia en el sector, ¿es realista entrar con 38 años o prefieren gente más joven?

¿Hace falta sacarse algo antes (carnet de carretillero, PRL...) o se puede entrar sin nada y aprender allí?

¿El inglés sirve de algo en logística o ahí da un poco igual?

Si alguien ha dado el salto de hostelería a esto, que cuente cómo le fue, please.

No quiero que me digan lo que quiero oír, solo la verdad tal cual.

Quiero volver ha por salud mental y porque donde vivo, no queda trabajo y si lo hay, no permite ya ahorrar nada.

Gracias.

Hey everyone,

​Looking for some advice on a nightmare deposit situation in Edinburgh. My landlord/agency is trying to rinse me for money using "joint and several liability" as an excuse, and I'm stressed out of my mind.

​Basically, I was on a joint tenancy agreement in a shared house. One of the flatmates had lived in the property for 8 years. Way before I ever moved into the flat, this flatmate broke the door to their own bedroom. It's not a communal door, it's completely inside their room. I had absolutely nothing to do with it and didn't even live there when it happened.

​Fast forward to now—I officially moved out and handed my keys back a month ago. The landlord completely ignored the deposit for a full 30 days. Because they were stalling, I went ahead and initiated a repayment request myself today on SafeDeposits Scotland.

​Now the landlord is kicking off and trying to force me to pay for this broken bedroom door out of our collective deposit pot. They're basically saying that because it's a joint lease, it doesn't matter who broke it or when, and they're holding the whole thing hostage. The portal says they have until August 14th to respond to my request.

​I refuse to be bullied into paying for 8 years of someone else's wear and tear, and I'm definitely going to take it to the independent adjudicator if they dispute it. I just have a few questions for anyone who knows Scots rental law:

1. ​Does the fact that I've been moved out for a whole month—and they only brought this up because I forced their hand today—weaken their case or their check-out evidence?
2. ​Can a SafeDeposits Scotland adjudicator throw out a claim if I can prove the damage was already there before my specific move-in date, even on a joint tenancy? Or does joint liability completely screw me over here?
3. ​How should I write out my defense in the portal when they inevitably dispute it? Are there any specific phrases or Scottish tenant rights I should mention to protect my share of the cash?

​Appreciate any help, thank you!

Buenas a todos, Os cuento mi situación a ver si alguien me da un baño de realidad o un poco de luz, porque tengo un dilema enorme. Tengo casi 38 años y me han concedido una beca completa para estudiar en el Reino Unido (UK) que me cubre matrícula y vivienda. Si todo sale bien, terminaría en unos 5 años (me graduaría con 43). La carrera irá por la rama STEM, ya que mis intereses son las matemáticas, la física, la electrónica y la computación. La oportunidad es brutal, pero me aterra el futuro. Mi mayor miedo es cómo entrar en el mercado laboral en España a los 43 años, con un título británico pero con cero experiencia laboral previa en el sector. Siento que por edad puedo estar totalmente descartado para puestos junior. Como puntos a favor (creo), además del inglés que perfeccionaré allí, tengo una base de alemán y de mandarín. Mis dudas son: ¿Es una quimera encontrar el primer empleo técnico en España a los 43? ¿Filtran las empresas directamente por edad para puestos de entrada? ¿Tener esa combinación de idiomas (UK + alemán + mandarín) en un perfil técnico compensa la falta de experiencia y la edad a ojos de las multinacionales en España? ¿Debería asumir desde ya que mi salida natural será quedarme en UK o buscar mercado en Alemania/Asia al terminar? Agradezco cualquier consejo, experiencia similar o bofetada de realidad. ¡Muchas gracias!

PD: Estudiaría ingeniería eléctrica/electrónica ( tengo mucho interés en microcircuitos, procesadores, pero también en electrónica general para satélites), o ingeniería marítima.

Hi everyone,

Looking for some honest perspective from anyone who’s been a mature student or works in engineering.

I’m 38 and honestly pretty stuck. I currently work part-time in hospitality and have had absolutely no luck finding any other decent jobs. I live in a house share, don’t own a home, and don't have any family or parents to fall back on if things go wrong. (I do hold dual UK/EU passports, though).

I’ve got the chance to go to uni to study Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE). I am absolutely in love with the subject—I've always genuinely loved maths, physics, electronics, and languages, so this feels like a perfect fit rather than just a random choice to escape my current job.

Financially, the stars have aligned quite well:

My tuition is fully covered.

I get a bursary that will cover my rent in the house share and basic food. Crucially, I don't have to pay a single penny of this bursary back.

I’ve got enough personal savings tucked away to handle any extra expenses or emergencies while I study.

Because I don't have a mortgage, kids, or a career to lose, it feels like the perfect time to just go for it. But starting completely fresh at nearly 40 with no family safety net is still pretty daunting.

Has anyone here done a major career pivot like this in their late 30s? And what is the UK job market actually like for older EEE grads—will my age hold me back when applying for graduate or entry-level engineering roles in a few years?

Thanks.