Twice a week we publish problems that will feature in a forthcoming Dear Jeremy advice column in the Saturday Guardian so that readers can offer their own advice and suggestions. We then print the best of your comments alongside Jeremy’s own insights. Here is the latest dilemma – what are your thoughts?
After home educating my child for 16 years I am now in a position to work full-time again. I would like to build a new career but am struggling over how to begin.
While teaching my child I worked part-time for a large chain and as a magazine researcher (the magazine is no longer published). In September I doubled my hours and took on a leadership role in a retail management programme.
Retail is not well paid and for managers. It’s often very stressful and demands quite a bit of unpaid overtime. Although I am happy to work extra hours and love the team of people that I work with, I don’t want to work as a manager for this company and would really like to move into another sector.
I am in my late 40s and have GCSEs but I struggled during a difficult childhood and let myself down at university and have a poor degree.
I am really unsure as to what would be best to do. A family member has very kindly offered to pay for a postgraduate course, and a friend has suggested that I take an MA in communications but I’m not sure whether, at my age, this would be a benefit.
I have thought about seeing a life coach but the expense is off-putting.
I have experience in social care, research, copywriting, proofreading and bookselling and am interested in publishing and NGOs, as well as teaching and areas of social care. I feel that I would be able to work well in these areas but am concerned about my age and that financially I’m not in a position to try things out.
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or to reply personally.
