I shall write again in six months time with an update

Andte
I also wish you good luck with your career aspirations but also urge you to not let these be the focus of your life to the exclusion of all else. You need a good work/life balance and, in my opinion, the 'life' should take priority. There is nothing to be ashamed of remaining as an administrator.
Oh, and I am another who did not commence my HR career until my 40's but found that my previous experiences and general life skills (i.e. practical application) were more important to companies than qualifications which are theory based. If you do not have the relevant skills to transfer the theory into practice (and it is not always or even often a 'black and white' scenario) then you may as well not have the qualifications.
Sue

What the real issue is and was to summarise this to everyone here, is not really the neureodiversity or age, as we are all neureodiverse to a lesser or greater extent.

I do not really have the experience, the right type of, length and level of experience. The experience factor (or age old catch 22 and chicken and egg scenario) is always the ultimate and final determining factor over who is getting the jobs or not.

I also cannot get that type of experience either, so that is where the problem lies.

Formal education gets you the interview but practical experience is the key that unlocks the door to the job. Always has been, always will be and it’s exactly the same case in all 195 countries of the world. 

Hi Andre

Best of luck in your job search.

Maybe consider voluntary positions, or CIPD Steps Ahead Mentoring, or other ways to broaden your practical experience.

As you have identified, this might help you more than continuing theoretical/academic learning.

One doesn't also want a too difficult nor a demanding job that they are going to constantly struggle at and go home each evening and weekend with performance management and capability issues on the mind. Perhaps in my case at least it is best to stay on the more junior levels of HR. Otherwise, you tend to be always thinking about work outside of work and worrying that you are going to lose your job if you can't meet the standard as the role is too difficult for you. That is not healthy either.

If you have found a balance that keeps you satisfied and happy and that works emotionally and financially for well then I wish you all the best. Good luck.

Realistically and living in the real world now with my head firmly on the ground, its both the best and all that I can get. Joining the profession at a later than average stage and now at 45, even if I have another four decades and can take it into my mid 80s, I am still far more unlikely than likely to become an HR Advisor, HRBP or an HRD. I joined too late, don't have the experience, cannot get the experience, so have found that the key to contentment in life is making the most of what you do have and not comparing yourself to other people. Once one accepts that its not going to happen in practice, that then also opens up new possibilities. Drop it, let it go and move on.  

Otherwise, it can turn into a lifelong obsession that is not conductive to one's mental health and general state of mind.   

With the benefit of hindsight, although one can't clearly force a job or an organisation to take them on if they do not wish to, if one constantly struggles and finds it impossible to progress, but their peers don't, it that a possible indicator that they are in the wrong profession and / or have chosen the wrong field or work?

Naturally one can do many different types of jobs, but some jobs can be more suitable and a better match than others.

With the benefit of hindsight, although one can't clearly force a job or an organisation to take them on if they do not wish to, if one constantly struggles and finds it impossible to progress, but their peers don't, it that a possible indicator that they are in the wrong profession and / or have chosen the wrong field or work?

Naturally one can do many different types of jobs, but some jobs can be more suitable and a better match than others.

With the benefit of hindsight, although one can't clearly force a job or an organisation to take them on if they do not wish to, if one constantly struggles and finds it impossible to progress, but their peers don't, it that a possible indicator that they are in the wrong profession and / or have chosen the wrong field or work?

Naturally one can do many different types of jobs, but some jobs can be more suitable and a better match than others.

Andre said:

if one constantly struggles and finds it impossible to progress, but their peers don't, it that a possible indicator that they are in the wrong profession and / or have chosen the wrong field or work?

That is certainly one of the conclusions that could reasonably be drawn from that situation.

The problem is however that no other profession is suddenly going to take me at 45 with no prior experience or on a graduate entry programme. That is living in the real world.

I also can’t give up work or risk spending thousands of pounds and several years on now doing new and more professional qualifications in a different profession to end up at 50 and subsequently find out that I can’t break into that either as they either don’t hire people without experience or at entry leave at that stage of a career.

HR it therefore is.

Marketing, Journalism, Media, Advertising etc are not options and may be even more difficult.

Andre - Its never been about spending thousands of pounds and getting higher and higher professional qualifications. Its always been about finding something you are good at and excelling at that. Job first - qualifications second for me.