It’s July the 9th, the day after the business world was rocked by the news of Deutsche Bank restructuring the business and relieving 18000 people of their jobs worldwide. In the UK , this meant the loss of almost 8000 jobs. I watched the TV screens as they showed dozens of Deutsche Bank staff leaving their offices in tears , having just heard the news they were now unemployed. I felt for them. I know how that news feels. As I watched them I wondered whether they would receive any help on what to do next.
I certainly didn’t and it made me realise that there isn’t alot of help out there for people in my position. What are the next steps after redundancy? I know that there are ‘returnships‘ for people going back to the workforce but that isn’t quite right for me.
I’m a 40 something working mother, working in the same field for over 10 years. I now suddenly find myself unemployed. At somewhat of a career cross roads. And to be honest…. I have absolutely no idea what to do.
Of course I’ve updated my CV , registered on some job sites. The usual things. However I can’t help but feel that I’m box ticking. I’m doing what I’m ‘supposed’ to do.
But what if I don’t want to continue on this career path? How can I work out the next steps?
I’ve thought about careers coaching and it’s something I may look at later but for now, I just feel a little lost. I don’t think there is any kind of help for older professionals at a career crossroads. Perhaps it’s assumed that we have sorted ourselves out but it’s not true… tell that to those 8000 Deutsche Bank employees.
My options are either to stay in this field and look for another role in it – this is absolutely the last resort for me, I DO NOT like this industry. I could retrain in something else …no idea what. Or I could use my transferable skillset in another sector but obviously that will not be easy. I really have no idea. My family are no help either! My partner wants me to do ‘whatever makes you happy’ but I don’t know at this point what that is ( although Obviously option 1 would make me miserable!)
I think there are plenty of resources for school leavers and graduates but not enough for people in my position- mid to late 30s, early 40s, same profession for many years.Perhaps not as social media savvy as we should be.
Anyway.. till the next time, I hear my daughter calling and she can’t wait for me to make my mind up!
It would be great to hear from others in the same predicament.. drop a comment below.
