Advice on upskilling

LegacyUser · 18-01-2019 10:00pm #1

I am in a minimum wage job with no prospect of advancement. This is not ideal for someone in their 30s.

Because of my age, I just cannot get up and do a full time four year course. So how do people upskill on a part time basis and come out with a good wage. I read advice here on boards telling people to upskill as if it's an easy achievable task. But in reality, what type of courses would I be looking at to achieve a better salary.

whiskeyman · 19-01-2019 9:58am

I know a lot of IT lads who are self taught.
Guess it depends on the industry.

You mightn't want to commit to a four year course, but there's plenty of shorter course out there.
What area are you in or wish to go into?

Kidchameleon · 19-01-2019 10:35am

What kind of area would you fancy being in?

pablopicasso1 · 19-01-2019 10:52am

part-time upskilling wrote: »

I am in a minimum wage job with no prospect of advancement. This is not ideal for someone in their 30s.

Because of my age, I just cannot get up and do a full time four year course. So how do people upskill on a part time basis and come out with a good wage. I read advice here on boards telling people to upskill as if it's an easy achievable task. But in reality, what type of courses would I be looking at to achieve a better salary.

Have you done a college qualification? If not you can start now for free and get the mature student grant I think?

LessOutragePlz · 19-01-2019 11:46am

part-time upskilling wrote: »

I am in a minimum wage job with no prospect of advancement. This is not ideal for someone in their 30s.

Because of my age, I just cannot get up and do a full time four year course. So how do people upskill on a part time basis and come out with a good wage. I read advice here on boards telling people to upskill as if it's an easy achievable task. But in reality, what type of courses would I be looking at to achieve a better salary.

It's never too late to go back to college and a as a previous poster said you could avail of a susi grant and go to college without having to pay any fees. You may also be able you get the back to education allowance which will give you €198 a week while you're in college.

yosser hughes · 19-01-2019 11:51am

LessOutragePlz wrote: »

It's never too late to go back to college and a as a previous poster said you could avail of a susi grant and go to college without having to pay any fees. You may also be able you get the back to education allowance which will give you €198 a week while you're in college.

You could check those Springboard courses. Many are just a year and are targeted at those who wish to retrain.

TheDalioLama · 19-01-2019 1:38pm

Hi OP. Agree with looking at the various Springboard courses. There's a website dedicated to them. There are some decent courses that can be done part time in the evenings around work that last for 1/2 years.

music lover 2 · 19-01-2019 2:21pm

There are so many courses available now from certificate to masters level and funded as previous poster mentioned through Springboard and also skillsnet. I am currently doing a second masters 50% funded through skillsnet. Its a great time to be up-skilling and you are never too old to go back and study. With the retirement age continuously rising we will be all working for a long time , probably longer than our parents so important to have some job satisfaction .Go for it and best of luck!

MartyMcFly84 · 20-01-2019 12:52pm

I was in a similar position. I worked in a bar long time, failed sporting career, and did low pay admin and entry level finance jobs I was 30 years old living in Dublin in a mouldy box room.

I was abroad for much of my 20s but when I came back to Ireland it was a real eye opener how far behind I was compared to others. I started on the route to become an ACCA accountant, I didn't like maths in school but thought if I actually applied myself I could give it a good shout, turns out its as much theory as calculation and the maths themselves are not that bad with practice. Because I had no previous qualification I received no exceptions from any of the exams I needed to do the foundation level exams making 13 exams in total to get qualified along with 3 years work experience.

It's been about 2.5/3 years of after work evening and weekend courses and lots of study and I have 9 exams done. With things coming up it will prob take another 1.5 year to get last 4 exams done.

It is a long haul, and definitely challenging. Progress is slow and salary increments before qualification while they do go up as you progress, it really doesn't feel like much for the amount of extra work you have put in the short term. But salary jumps post qualification and then incremental with experience.

You have to think of the long game, 4/5 years of struggle can change the next 50 years.

What made the major difference for me was getting 9-5.30pm type job if you can get one. It might not be exactly when you want to do, but it will free up your evening and weekends for up skilling. If I was still working in the bar I really doubt I would have made any progress over the last few years.

pablopicasso1 · 20-01-2019 12:57pm

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

I was in a similar position. I worked in a bar long time, failed sporting career, and did low pay admin and entry level finance jobs I was 30 years old living in Dublin in a mouldy box room.

I was abroad for much of my 20s but when I came back to Ireland it was a real eye opener how far behind I was compared to others. I started on the route to become an ACCA accountant, I didn't like maths in school but thought if I actually applied myself I could give it a good shout, turns out its as much theory as calculation and the maths themselves are not that bad with practice. Because I had no previous qualification I received no exceptions from any of the exams I needed to do the foundation level exams making 13 exams in total to get qualified along with 3 years work experience.

It's been about 2.5/3 years of after work evening and weekend courses and lots of study and I have 9 exams done. With things coming up it will prob take another 1.5 year to get last 4 exams done.

It is a long haul, and definitely challenging. Progress is slow and salary increments before qualification while they do go up as you progress, it really doesn't feel like much for the amount of extra work you have put in the short term. But salary jumps post qualification and then incremental with experience.

You have to think of the long game, 4/5 years of struggle can change the next 50 years.

What made the major difference for me was getting 9-5.30pm type job if you can get one. It might not be exactly when you want to do, but it will free up your evening and weekends for up skilling. If I was still working in the bar I really doubt I would have made any progress over the last few years.

Man you have a 9.00-5.30 in accounting??? I'm 16 years looking for that. How the hell?

MartyMcFly84 · 20-01-2019 1:22pm

Man you have a 9.00-5.30 in accounting??? I'm 16 years looking for that. How the hell?

. My first 9-5.30 (on paper) doing cash application and that was my first job and foot in the door in to the finance/accountancy world after working in a bar. Obviously with business needs there will always be calls for different hours.

But my point was really, having those kind of "normal office hours" gives you more of a chance to up skill. Most evening courses are structured for people working those kind of hours. It can be more difficult if you work nights, weekend or have a rotating shift pattern which make it hard to develop a structure or pattern to work, attend class, study and keep all of life's other plates spinning also.

If you are qualifying in an field or area you are working in, employers can be more understanding if you have to leave at a certain hour to get to class or even provide paid study time or days off for exams. It is can be more difficult to do so if you are trying to up skill in an area or industry totally different from one you are working in, where employers want flexibility of time and dont want to hear I can't work because X or Y.

pablopicasso1 · 20-01-2019 1:36pm

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

. My first 9-5.30 (on paper) doing cash application and that was my first job and foot in the door in to the finance/accountancy world after working in a bar. Obviously with business needs there will always be calls for different hours.

But my point was really, having those kind of "normal office hours" gives you more of a chance to up skill. Most evening courses are structured for people working those kind of hours. It can be more difficult if you work nights, weekend or have a rotating shift pattern which make it hard to develop a structure or pattern to work, attend class, study and keep all of life's other plates spinning also.

If you are qualifying in an field or area you are working in, employers can be more understanding if you have to leave at a certain hour to get to class or even provide paid study time or days off for exams. It is can be more difficult to do so if you are trying to up skill in an area or industry totally different from one you are working in, where employers want flexibility of time and dont want to hear I can't work because X or Y.

Well I work from 8.00 every morning till about 7.00 and 6 hours on a Saturday. None of the hours over 9-5 are paid. All of that time is spent looking at intensive mathematical scenarios. I'm approaching 40 and have achieved very little else because the job takes so much of my effort and time. I have various health issues that leave me in awful pain a lot of the time but due to the company's attitude to sick leave I push through it which makes the health issues worse.

Ironically I would love to do the opposite of what you're planning and go work in a bar. The idea of not feeling the fear from the moment I wake on Sunday morning dreading the week ahead and not finishing work every weekday like a zombie from the work **** floating around my head seems like pure bliss.

MartyMcFly84 · 20-01-2019 1:59pm

Well I work from 8.00 every morning till about 7.00 and 6 hours on a Saturday. None of the hours over 9-5 are paid. All of that time is spent looking at intensive mathematical scenarios. I'm approaching 40 and have achieved very little else because the job takes so much of my effort and time. I have various health issues that leave me in awful pain a lot of the time but due to the company's attitude to sick leave I push through it which makes the health issues worse.

Ironically I would love to do the opposite of what you're planning and go work in a bar. The idea of not feeling the fear from the moment I wake on Sunday morning dreading the week ahead and not finishing work every weekday like a zombie from the work **** floating around my head seems like pure bliss.

Well that doesn't sound great, perhaps you should consider changing roles. Work life balance is key, many good employers provide paid sick leave and medical insurance. I certainly have not had that experience what you are describing so far working in industry. I see work as a tool to provide me the freedom to do things I want to in life.

This thread is about advice on up skilling, and how to go about it. So thought I would share my experience thus far.

However if you do want to work in the service industry there is generally a low barrier to entry and pays minimum wage, it is certainly not easy, working on your feet for 10/12 hours plus with a restaurant full of tables, working every weekend and public holiday and looking for more hours just so you can pay rent. There are no benefits or sick pay, and if you cannot physically keep up dont work.

Any job or industry can be rewarding or hellish depending on the people and company you are working in.

Advice on upskilling

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