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Hi, I am having a real dilemma over my career decision. I am in my early 40's and through family circumstances have not had the chance to retrain until now. I have been planning since last year to undertake the BSc Podiatry but in the past had also considered OT. However, I have become increasingly worried that I will spend 4 years on my podiatry degree and the employment situation is not good and I will be back to square one financially. Whereas OT as a postgrad is only 2 years but a lot of money in tuition fees but the employment opportunities are much healthier. Anyone else had a dilemma before going into podiatry because of the worry about job prospects, especially in the NHS?

 

Both OT and Podiatry should be NHS funded (I think?) courses so the tuition fees shouldn't be the deciding factor.

I'm not sure that the reported job shortages are as bad as people would make out- though it seems to vary regionally. I know about half of my year have found jobs now, and we graduate officially next week. Some of them have band NHS posts, some are due to start as associates in Private Practices, though a few people are setting up on their own.

Maybe try and gain some work experience in both areas to help with your decision (especially if you can build links with local trusts or private practitioners- making yourself known to them early can only help you in a few years when you start looking for jobs).

 

Thank you for your reply. Can I ask what part of the country you are in as those sound like good employment numbers from your course. Could you also tell me if many of the students who found jobs were mature students. The reason I have the difference in funding is that the OT course is postgrad and you can become qualified in 2 years but there is no funding at postgrad level.

 

Ah that makes sense. I'm in the South of England. Over half of the students on the course are mature students, and of the students that have found jobs already its pretty even between the mature students and those that started at 18.

 

These two professions require different aptitudes, without knowing you it`s impossible to advise what you`d be comfortable doing.

Hopefully you`ll get a chance to observe both and then, after a few days, it should be clear to you which you want; if it`s not I`d look for something else !

Regards