Failed Uni-what is my next step/what would you do?

Hi,

So I was recommended break from TSR to sort out myself, and I intend to do it. Pff, there is a lot to sort out. But before I do that, I wish to know for inner peace, what would you do if you were in my place...?

In 30s, no official qualification of any sorts except equivalent to some A Levels and IELTS. Uni results...diseaster.

I am considering CIPD Human Resources, I am just wondering if I will have chance to get employment in competition with fresh, Uni HR graduates. What route/career would you recommend? Ideally, job behind desk due to disability and with growth opportunities(not straight away, not expecting miracles).

Any sensible ideas will be appreciated. Also, if you know someone having success in given job/field you will be telling about, please elaborate when they started and what starting salary is.

I do not expect myself to go thru uni again. Not now. Maybe never.

What are you building on? What have you been doing for the last 10 years? You will need to leverage what experience you've got to get in somewhere.

Then you need to frame your boundaries realistically. You can neither cut out vast swathes of the job market for reasons that can be overcome, but neither can you be so 'open to everything' that you never narrow things down. Realistically there are jobs you can get and jobs you can't get and you have to identify that sector.

Then, be clever about where you look for jobs. Employers like universities, local council, the NHS have a wide variety of jobs, a high young/female workforce, and a strong internal recruitment policy. They are ideal for getting in at a junior level or in a maternity cover, and then leveraging that opportunity into moves within the organisation - ideal for building a career.

I spent 10years working in chain coffee shop. From basic team member, to Barista, to supervisor level.

I have experience:
-making coffees
-cleaning(hot to clean industrial equipment and conduct h&s checks)
-running shop floor and team of 5-6ppl
-reading financial reports(limited scope), productivity measure, daily till reports, as well as doing cash up(counting tills, banking, following financial/deposit procedures)
-training new ppl
Plus much more. I may add later although busy now. The issue is, much of the above, is not official/provable. I mean, I know the job, have skills but I do not have paperwork. Bcuz I was 'raised' internally&formally, I got it up to nvq lvl 3 only(in something). If I made it to Assistant, could be different story.

It will be hard to translate this experience, into something, as natural step would be to carry on in this direction. The fact is, physically I do not see myself running floor/business again in a way 90% of companies want employees to run.

Official/provable is what the application and interview process are for. No-one's day to day activities in a job are 'provable' in a certified way, so that isn't an issue.

You need to reframe that experience then, You've got 10 years with one company, you understand retail and a fast paced service environment. You've managed teams of people, you've managed all the daily managerial aspects such as finance, compliance, KPI monitoring etc. You've also been responsible for training. You just need to strip out the association with the coffee shop and see it in terms of more general skills.

So you are in a fine position for any local office managers role (accountants, solicitors, doctors surgery etc), or any sort of office admin in the NHS, university, local council etc.

hi man..
should i drop out of uni and pursue an apprenticeship?
people at my uni are so unserious...
my friends call my uni **** all the time as well
I have been self studying, doing personal projects and leetcode..
and self studying curriculums of other much more rigorous unis..
Will my unserious cohort hold me back?
like i made no friends at uni.., societies are very limited, we literally had no cs society, this uni doesnt offer low income people bursaries as well
most of the cohort is international as well making it harder to make friends.
the ta's and lectures are low quality as well
Studying cs

No future employer is going to know or care about your colleagues on the course and how serious they are, or where they come from. They also don't care how much you are enjoying yourself or how many friends you have made, or how you paid your way through.

However, they do care about the skills you come out with, and if you aren't self-directed enough to make your degree of value, then you've got a decision to make. If you are in your first year - yes, apply for apprenticeships and jobs and see if you get any offers.

If you are in your second or third year, then the money is already committed and you need to make a return on it. Take control of your own destiny and get what value you can out of the degree. If you get yourself the skills, then you can get the jobs.

No future employer is going to know or care about your colleagues on the course and how serious they are, or where they come from. They also don't care how much you are enjoying yourself or how many friends you have made, or how you paid your way through.

However, they do care about the skills you come out with, and if you aren't self-directed enough to make your degree of value, then you've got a decision to make. If you are in your first year - yes, apply for apprenticeships and jobs and see if you get any offers.

If you are in your second or third year, then the money is already committed and you need to make a return on it. Take control of your own destiny and get what value you can out of the degree. If you get yourself the skills, then you can get the jobs.

I was thinking of just applying to loughborough's it course as it means I could get like 5200 pounds of extra funding(no loans)

It's not my job to get a grip of your life and sort out the details, but I presume you are too late. About 6 months ago you should have applied to Loughborough if you want to go there, but even clearing is about done now. Ring them in the next hour and see if they have any spaces on the right course - then you will have your answer.