What to do? What do you do for a living?

[beth_terri]

I recieved my unsuccesful result on ucas today. This is the second year applying for midwifery and im not in. I can only apply to one uni for it and they only have 20 places with 1100 applicants. So in reality I could be applying for the next ten years or so and still getting no closer. It is my dream but I need something reachable.

I HATE working where I do and it really is just a waste of my life if i continue there. Ive got so much more to give than just working on a till and I need to feel fulfilled. Id hate to look back on my life and think I never had a career.

But im so stuck now. I just think midwifery is a dream im never going to reach. But I have no idea what else I want to do :/

I want a degree but isit worth getting into debt for?

I just dont know what direction I want to go in!

What do you do for a living?

Thanks
xx

 

[XcupcakeX]

I'm starting a nursing degree next month I'm interested in midwifery too but i'm going to see where nursing takes me first, although it might be something i chose to do later on in my career. I used to work as Cabin Crew before having LO and i didn't enjoy it.

If midwifery is your dream career, could you qualify as a nurse first and then do the conversion course? Or are you not interested in nursing at all? (definitely not worth committing at least three years of your life to something your not going to enjoy!!) but i know the nursing intakes at university tend to be alot bigger than midwifery and they often do two intakes a year - like mine, one in september and one in march.

 

[mumoffive]

You could try nursing. I am a primary teacher. I think the debt is worth it. Here, in Scotland you only pay back a small amount a month from your pay to pay off the loan.

 

[stephx]

I'm sorry you didn't get in

Im in my 3rd year of a psychology degree, hoping to get into to primary school teaching but it's very competitive aswell.

Like PP said, what about nursing? x

 

[RachA]

I wouldn't get into debt just to get a degree unless the degree was in something you really wanted to do.

I don't know if it's still the case because it was a number of years ago but a friend of mine trained to be a nanny and her two year course was a stepping stone to midwifery. If she'd wanted to be a midwife she would of just had to of completed another year. I don't know if that's something that can be done now though.

Currently I'm not working but when I do go back to work I want to be a teaching assistant. Trouble is that's very sort after and I honestly don't know if I'll end up getting a job or not.

 

[Redhead84]

Sorry you didn't get onto the course you want. I agree with others, maybe nursing?

As you ask, I am a corporate lawyer, working in the buying an selling of companies along with share and stock options and buy outs/ins. It's hard work and long hours but well rewarded - just the 6 years study and training to get there though!

Good luck with your future career plans

 

[beth_terri]

No I dont want to be a nurse. There's something unappealing about having to change men's bed pans etc. And at the end of the day its a million miles away from midwifery. Some unis are stopping doing the shortened route for qualified nurses because people do go into nursing as an easy route to midwifery.
Xx

 

[XcupcakeX]

Not all aspects of nursing involve changing men's bedpans, there's definitely more to it that than that! You could be a neonatal nurse, gynae nurse, fertility nurse, the list goes on! There's so many different types of nursing that are actually not a million miles away from midwifery at all

Like a pp said, maybe nannying or something similar? But if midwifery is your dream, don't give in in the mean time, just try and get as much experience as you can.

 

[beth_terri]

Not all aspects of nursing involve changing men's bedpans, there's definitely more to it that than that! You could be a neonatal nurse, gynae nurse, fertility nurse, the list goes on! There's so many different types of nursing that are actually not a million miles away from midwifery at all

Like a pp said, maybe nannying or something similar? But if midwifery is your dream, don't give in in the mean time, just try and get as much experience as you can.

Haha I know its just the training process. I would actually like to be a gyne nurse but I think it would be difficult to actually get a job in that area. Its so hard to decide what to do! Xx

 

[lindseymw]

I work within Mental Health. I have a very varied role:-

Admin
Group Facilitator
Telephone Assessor
IAPTus Lead (computer system)

I will be shortly an Assistant Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner.

I don't have a degree but will be looking at getting a psychology degree in the future.

I think, as others have said Nursing would be a good route to switch to midwifery. The way I would look at it is it's 3-4 years studying, that it's nothing in the grand scheme of things (you could be applying for the midwifery course for the next 3 years and achieve nothing).

 

[Blah11]

What job do you have now? If you want into midwifery you really should get a carer job ina hospital so yyouhave experience within the nhs. Midwifery is really hard to get into if you're young and inexperienced professionally x

 

[Toms Mummy]

I am a Freelance outdoor instructor. It's been hard work since having LO as I have to keep up my technical skills outside of work + having days dotted all over the place it's difficult to sort out childcare, so I became a SAHM when Tom was about 13 months old. I'm now looking back in to it but only if a contract comes up.

Before Tom was born I had just completed my degree iin the hope of becoming a Primary school teacher. I still want to do this but struggling to know when to do it as it's a year of unpaid work so will have to wait until Tom is in school fulltime, and I've just founf out we're expecting another baby!

I looked in to midwifery or nursing too if the teaching route was too difficult but I didn't like the idea of shift work, the other thing I've thought of too is vetinary nursing.... it's still all about the care but without having to work nights very often! Have you thought of becoming a doula?

I hope it works out for you x

 

[MrsPear]

Nursing is hard work and if it's not what you want to do then that's fair enough as it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but don't let bedpans put you off. That sort of thing is really no big deal- I suppose it's like nappies i.e. not your fave part of the day but nothing you can't handle. When you get very old patients on a very understaffed ward, you feel almost motherly towards some people and it can in fact be quite special to wash people and interact with them and make them feel that they aren't 'untouchable' (because that's how a lot of compos mentis elderly people feel especially if they are incontinent they can be incredibly embarrassed).

The placements are quite varied so you might get 8 weeks on elderly/general medical and have a lot of 'manual' work like bedpans, but then another placement on something completely different like dialysis, various outpatients, community, practice nursing, endoscopy, neuro rehab and so on and so on, and you might not even see a bed pan every day!!

Mind you I think it would be daft if you enter into university knowing that is not what you want as I have experience of that and have a degree I don't use.

 

[Tasha]

Dont do nursing as a way into midwifery, most places are phasing out the 18 month course, so you could be 'stuck' with a degree that your heart really isnt in.

How did you make your application stronger from the last time? Is there anything you can do make it stronger for next year? Could you apply through clearing?

I hope one day to do radiography in order to become an sonographer.

 

[Rainbow82]

Have you thought about an access course? Some universities offer a health and life sciences one year course and some say that if you get eg over 70% in that course you will be offered a place on the degree course in that department. I know a couple people who kept applying like you and were successful by doing the access even though they already had the ucas points they needed. Nit sure if something like that us in your area/uni.

 

[MrsPear]

PS I am in the same boat as you Beth as I have no idea what I want to do with my life and I find it so depressing So I hope it works out for you soon xx

 

[ThreeDays]

Can you work on other schoolwork while you continue to apply? As long as you like what you're doing, the debt is worth it and will be paid off eventually!

I went to school to be an elementary teacher and now I'm a SAHM and have my own business. I think once my kids are a bit older I want to relocate and go to vet school!

I'm a bit of a lifetime student over here

 

[skc22]

I'm a nurse but haven't gone back to work since having LO. I don't have a job in Aus as I was working in the UK and moved back here at 35 weeks pregnant. I have always wanted to be a midwife, but became a nurse first as I think it gives a really good foundation. But now, I don't want to go back to nursing. After having worked in the UK, it has totally put me off nursing for good, even though I know it is completely different here and it's a job I loved before. So I have wasted a 3 year degree and have no idea what to do either.

 

[wishuwerehere]

Could you look for a job as an hca or a carer to get some experience more related to a job in a caring position? My friend was a carer whilst doing her physiotherapy degree and she said it was really useful experience. I think she got the job with an agency - worth a look? You could probably also find voluntary caring work if you were having trouble finding paid work?
Just my 2 cents - i know a lot of people who've done degrees in medical or caring professions and my general experience is they really value practical experience as they often have a high drop out rate of people who don't really understand what the job/course entails.

 

[6lilpigs]

Have you thought about being a doula? That would strengthen your applicayion for midwifery surely?