More moaning
As everyone else seems to be doing it...

I've been graduated for nearly a year, and in that time I've gone from living as a lodger with a pretty crappy job to recently moving back in with my parents.
I'm gonna be working for them as of Monday, doing the same thing I do now, for 50p more an hour.

The disappointment is that I didn't see myself being back in exactly the same situation I was in the Summer before I started my degree, 4 years ago.

*frowns*
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:10, 83 replies)

But
you're not really in the same situation now, Kaol.

You've probably got more debt now.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:12, closed)

Haha!
That's a very good point.
And I'm not earning enough to start paying it off.
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:13, closed)

Oh no!
Morning Kaol! Don't say that, I've just finished uni and am moving towards jobness.
aaarg!
How are you anyway?
(Lucy Van Pelt embracing ginlovers, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:13, closed)

Mornin' Lucy
I think university gates should bear the inscription "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here".
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:14, closed)

Gah
University = The institution equivalent of a Panda.
i.e bloody useless.
(Lucy Van Pelt embracing ginlovers, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:15, closed)

I wish someone had warned me
Before I wasted my time!

Anyone got any career advice for a direction-less Zoology graduate who doesn't want to work as a lab tech?
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:19, closed)

.
What career did you immagine yourself in when you set out to do your degree?
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:21, closed)

Or...
A languages student looking for work?
Zoology? Ace! i wish I'd done something like that. It always sounds so interesting.
And I doubt you ever had to conjugate a verb which is basically what I did for 4 years.
*frowns in a Kaol style*
(Lucy Van Pelt embracing ginlovers, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:21, closed)

@Kaol
move to a country where there are animules in need of your services?
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:22, closed)

I should mention,
I don't like animals much...
And if anyone says "work in a zoo" I'll twist their head off at the neck...

Spakka, I really didn't have any aspirations as to what I wanted to do. I figured "I'll do a degree, then that'll set me on the right path".
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:24, closed)

hmm
Thats tricky then I guess. Zoology but not liking animals.
Nope I'm stumped. can't you train your bees to do something useful?
(Lucy Van Pelt embracing ginlovers, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:26, closed)

Bookshops hire graduates
You like books, right? With their words and papery goodness? How do you cope with 'teh public'? Think of the fun you can have moulding them..
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:27, closed)

Hello all
@Lucy - I know a girl who took a languages degree. As part of her studies she lived in Spain for a bit.

She met a bloke there, subsequently married him and they now live on the Costa del Sol, where she's a full time mum, last I heard.

So her degree ended up in happiness and the ability to live in a foreign country, but was pretty useless for her career!

That's not really helping, is it...?
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:28, closed)

Nah,
They're stuck in Canada, clinging to the wreckage of a truck.
Poor bees!
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:29, closed)

.
"I'll do a degree, then that'll set me on the right path"

I had that philosophy as well before I graduated. I learned the hard way that a Bachelor's degree in computer science isn't a passport to any job you want.

I too did the post-university "move back with parents and take ages to find a job" thing, but found a good'un in the end.

You're lucky enough to have parents that will let you move back in with them. Make use of this time and prepare yourself for your dream-job.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:30, closed)

k2k6
I lived in Spain for a while too. Didn't get married though.
Then I lived in Sicily. didn't get married though.
I did however develop an encyclopaedic knowledge of pizza toppings and ice cream flavours. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
But I'm still not employed. crazy eh?
Ah well, the bookshop beckons.
(Lucy Van Pelt embracing ginlovers, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:30, closed)

Bookshop?
I don't really like people...

I found a pretty cool job working for a biological image library, I'd get to play around with pictures all day, which I love.

Downside is it's in Bristol.
That's a long way away from Essex, especially when all my friends are here.

EDIT: Spakka: "You're lucky enough to have parents that will let you move back in with them."
That's a long story, for another day...
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:35, closed)

South West
Bristols not too bad really. I know it'd be rubbish being away from your friends but there might be plenty of other bee owning, reptile loving people in Brizzle too.
You'd be near the West Country b3tans. Who are ace.
I should know, I am one!
*goes back to moonraking*
(Lucy Van Pelt embracing ginlovers, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:37, closed)

You've always got
us, your virtual (and in some cases physical) b3ta friends, Kaol!

*manhugs*
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:39, closed)

Haha!
That's a good point, Mr. K.
"and in some cases physical" - I don't think Burt would like you talking about what happened in those terms...

*hugs you all my wonderful b3ta friends*
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:42, closed)

* hugs back *

( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:46, closed)

Gid Moaning!
I was just pissing by the door, thought I'd drip in and say ho!

It's not so much the lack of direction, it's the insistence of people from an older generation that 'a degree will open all sorts of doors for you.

Mine didn't, although thankfully after 4 years of very hard work I seem to be carving a niche for myself. OK, so it's online marketing, but it does mean I get to piss about on teh intarwebs all day.

Still, maybe if I'd done a 'proper' degree, I might have found the road a bit easier... BA (Hons) Theatre (Acting) isn't the best thing to put on your CV!

EDIT: *hugs in a manly way*
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:48, closed)

Morning DiT!
To be fair, a BSc (Hons) Zoology doensn't seem much more helpful :p
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:50, closed)

DIT you kill me, man!
You're qualified to do what you most want to do and you're not doing it. *scoobied*
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:50, closed)

Morning folks
I have BA (Hons) Cultural Studies.

Somewhat vague.
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:51, closed)

I know!
It's like the world's worst joke. Especially with some of the dross that call themselves 'Actors'.

But then waht do I know? I might have lost the touch!

Scoobies?
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:52, closed)

ooh
Cultural studies? What exactly did that entail?
I think I'm too easily swayed by an interesting sounding name. In my head, cultural studies meant you looked at tribes and different ways of life and travelled the globe etc. I doubt it was that.
I wish things were how I imagined them. I spend a large percentage of my life being disappointed by how mundane some things are.
God that sounds depressing doesnt it?! It's not, I just have a bit of a loose grip on reality sometimes.
(Lucy Van Pelt embracing ginlovers, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:54, closed)

Isn't the problem nowadays
that people are going to university because they are told it's the best thing to do?

Whereas in days of yore, only the brightest few percent went to university. Their degrees qualified them to do more academic type jobs.

Meanwhile, the rest were learning a trade, or went straight into office jobs, and trained on the job. They were earning from day one.

Now, we have graduates in every subject under the sun. But surely some jobs (acting being a good example) are far better learned by vocational means than being taught in an academic institution.

I'm not knocking acting as a career (or criticising DiT, for that matter), I just don't think there's really a need to study for a degree in it.

Apologies for sweeping generalisation.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:56, closed)

Morning!
Doesn't CHCB live in Brizzel?

Degrees can be useful at times. Mine has been to an extent, except I did mine for 'fun' when I was already in a job. Figuring I'd been a public sector employee for over 10 years but was finding it twatful to crawl up the greasy ladder, I figured I'd ask my my then organisation if they would sponsor me to to do a 4 year BA Hons in Public Sector Management. At the time I was earning just over £15k. With a bit of luck, if this job I'm about to apply for internally comes off, I'll be on practically double that.

WSo my advice - get into a job you think you might be interested in, then get the company to sponsor you...

Of course, it's not as easy as that in real life...
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:56, closed)

@Lucy
You doubt correctly.
It's got a bit of philosophy, politics, sociology, literature and film studies to begin with, then I headed into the more philosophy and literary side of it in the second and third year. Interesting, but a bit Mickey Mouse really.
It was all the extra-curricular stuff like student politics and various societies that have caught employers' eye.
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 9:57, closed)

BA Hons French and Italian
is good for fuck all too. The difference between me and Kaol is that I have no intention of moving back in with my parents because they live on the other side of the country where there are no jobs and Mr Maladicta and I would have to split. That, and my parents, while I love them individually, drive me fucking insane together so after a week I'd be desperate to get out again.

*glares at her inbox* come on Eurostar... tell me what I want to hear tomorrow...
( Maladicta, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:01, closed)

I actually agree with K2k6...
While my degree was *very* hard going (40 hours a week), it was also the culmination of many years working and training in several different areas. However, and this is belied by the degree title, there was a lot of theatre history involved - which has ultimately given me an in-depth understanding of the theatre over the last 400 or so years.

My disseration was focused around theatre versus film as an educational assistant (I had, at one time, lofty ideas of being a teacher if the acting but didn't work out), so although I see K2k6's point, it is a little wide of the mark in my case.

However - I do believe that having a University degree doesn't, in many cases, carry the weight and/or respect that it used to, and think K2k6 hit the nail on the head as to why that is.

/message ends.
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:06, closed)

I find the biggest problem is
"You need 2-3 years experience".
Er... Ok...
Don't advertise it as a graduate position then, for fucks sake!

Also, Maladicta "The difference between me and Kaol is" mostly a Y-chromosome, a couple of feet in height and oral (language) skills :p

Regards my parents, that's a long story for another day. The short version is I've only been talking to them for a couple of weeks, after two years of no contact at all. Because they thought I was "faking" a whole range of mental health issues. For attention, apparantly.
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:08, closed)

*Scoobied*
as in, I havent a Scooby (Doo = clue). Or the noise Tim Allen makes when his missus confuses him = the same one Scooby Doo makes. Paddies and Scots use it a lot. You English tend to be scoobied by the expression.
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:11, closed)

@ Kaol
*hug* I hadn't realised that was the situation :(

The graduate job thing pisses me off too, they all want so much experience of this or that that you wonder how you're ever meant to get a job anywhere with no experience...
( Maladicta, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:12, closed)

@DG
I do, and Kaol can rent my spare room for an extortionate amount if he promises to stay away from my really cool magnetic knife rack and my supersharp sashimi blade.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:12, closed)

Scoobied
It's not usually used as a verb here, just a noun. As in "I haven't a Scooby".

That said, I did understand it.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:12, closed)

@CHCB
A magnetic knife rack? I could see Kaol being attracted to that in more ways than one.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:13, closed)

@K2k6
Aye, its pull is strong
*envisions Kaol being invisibly dragged across the kitchen before sticking to the wall*
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:14, closed)

@k2k6
'Scoobied' is a common and brilliant term round here - I urge you to assimilate it. And do the noise too. Then everyone will think you're *REALLY* sound!
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:15, closed)

Maladicta
*hugs back*
Yeah, things were a bit crap, but they're ok no. A bit awkward, but I can deal with that.

CHCB: I have no interest in your rack.
*ahem*

I have plenty of my own knives!
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:17, closed)

I am actually
due to start my degree in economics shortly.

Is it really not worth it...?
(ShitBitch, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:22, closed)

@Shitbitch
'Course it's worth it! I wouldn't change the experience for the world.

I hope you have a great time at Uni!
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:23, closed)

.
"You need 2-3 years experience".
Er... Ok...
Don't advertise it as a graduate position then, for fucks sake!

THIS!

"they all want so much experience of this or that that you wonder how you're ever meant to get a job anywhere with no experience..."

AND THAT!

But even so, send an application off anyway. Your initiative may make up for lack of experience. Sometimes, they put things in job-adverts to scare people off, or to make it look to their investors that they only hire top-quality staff. Be persistent when applying for jobs. Remember that famous line from that Chumbawamba song!

EDIT: @ShitBitch: What Devil_In_Tights said.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:24, closed)

Maladicta
I totally agree with the experience thing! The only thing I'm getting offers for are in Recruitment and Sales which I have no interest in at all and would be terrible at!
Have you tried reed.com/multilingual? I keep an eye out on them all the time, in fact I got an email today about a Graduate Translation Reader which I'm trying not to get too excited about.
It's so bloomin difficult!
(Lucy Van Pelt embracing ginlovers, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:28, closed)

I did a BA in Fine art.
Nuff said really.




And I didn't finish it.
( girlinthehole, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:31, closed)

Recession
Another factor in the jobsearch game at the moment is all the talk of recession. Employers are shitting a brick about budgets and wont take any chances - they want guaranteed employees who have a proven track record. Even in Ireland they're talking about the Celtic Tiger going down the pan but there are still heaps of jobs in finance if you're prepared to sell your soul. I sold mine and I hate myself but I can afford to stay drunk most of the time now so fuck it.
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:35, closed)

@ Lucy
Right now, I'm willing to take any job if it means I don't have to move back in with my parents! I had an assessment day for sales at Eurostar yesterday which would involve languages if I can pass their French test, but I'm not bothered either way about doing anything with languages at all...

Hope you have some luck :)
( Maladicta, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:41, closed)

Marketing (BA) Hons
Thought I'd throw my two pence in here.

I've got a Degree in Marketing and had a hard time finding jobs in Scottish cities considering they all asked for at least a years experience. Vicious circle etc..

Luckily a job turned up on my doorstep. Unluckily people above me on the payscale are mostly complete cunts. As in I get paid to ruin your life kind of cunt and I have absolutely no level of human compassion kind of cunt. And theres nothing you can do about it as you're merely a graduate - kind of cunt.
And a I know contractually you finish at 1730 but if you really want to make something of yourself you should be working every night past 8pm just like I do - kind of cunt.

As someone has mentioned - no amount of money is enough for too much stress.


Of my mates in High School, we were seperated into 2 brackets - Tradesmen and Students. All the tradesmen I know in the 5 years since High School, despite most of the time being severely academically lower than the students, have now gone onto trade apprenticeships and eventually 30k a year jobs.

They have mortgages, are onto their 3rd or 4th car, go on holidays, wear flash clothes, have the latest phones, flatscreen TV's, computers etc etc.

Of the students some have dropped out (one stacks shelves in Tescos, ones in a minimum wage call-centre), some are still there after repeating years / semi-dropping out, and some (like me) have gone onto low paying high stress jobs (although admittedly future prospects are quite good).

At the moment it looks like I'll never equal the lofty heights of these superstar tradesmen and their many many moneys and I'm sick of getting shat on from above.

I recommend to high school leavers - get a trade ffs, become an electrician or plumber or something.

Mind you my student years were filled with constant partying, eating crap and having a laugh.
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:54, closed)

Mistaspakkaman's right
Keep trying. Despite what the job description says, if you can impress the prospective employer enough by blowing your own trumpet (truthfully, mind) on your application form, and manage to get an interview, at that point it depends on how you come across to them.

Employers are humans too*, and whether you have experience or not, you may be able to convince them you're the person for the job by being willing to learn and showing initiative.

*with some possible exceptions in the financial sector
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 10:58, closed)

?sdrawkcaB
Hey at least you did a zoology degree. Could be worse, what about psychology?

As for me I did a "professional degree" in engineering and am now living and working in HK with my g/f and I love my job. Albeit the pay is rather paltry but all in all I don't think I've done too bad for myself.

Look for the job you want and THEN prepare for it. Not the other way around. :
(British Steel was participating in awesomeness on, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:00, closed)

I graduated 10 years ago with a 2:2 in Biology
If you got a 2:1 or higher you could do a PhD, but there's no guarantee that will land you a Zoology/academic related job. OR, you could sign on for a graduate management recruitment scheme with a bank/financial institution.

If like me, you got a crappy 2:2 or lower, you really should consider retraining for a trade or profession. I am now an accountant. Take a year or so to think about it, but remember, this time next year there will be a whole new batch of graduates in the job market.
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:01, closed)

BSc (Hons) (Neuro)
I have been a temporary admin monkey for five years now, and will shortly become a full time admin monkey.

As most of the population has increasing access to education, the level required to stand out gets higher - remember how impressed your grandparents were that you got A-levels? Now you really need a PhD to be taken remotely seriously in a specific field.

*bitter*
(wellgroomedwookiee is a filthy-minded hobgoblin, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:03, closed)

* Agrees ith the 'Weeker *
My year at school was one of those freakishly talented ones. Everyone was exected to go onto great things. Very few have.

Some are happy with this situation, but there's a general pervasive feeling of frittered potential. Like TheDirtyWeeker, many of those who were considered lower potential had well paying trade or industrial jobs and are out-earning the high potential graduates (typically with 2 or more degrees). The only high potential ones who are happy are the ones who've ended up doing the stuff they love (usually with no relationship to their degrees).

While I was towards the middle of the range in achievements, my natural guilt at not working hard and trying to do the best i can (don't I make you sick?) mean that I've probably been one of the most (financially) successful of the ones I know of from my year.

However, like (what seems like) most people here, I'm extremely frustrated with my job as it veers between too much boring travel (althought I did get a free holiday in Hong Kong out of Mr Marriott), or utter boredom with no way to influence things.

So, while I've got no right to complain about my lot, I worry that my indifference is starting to show through and what it'll take for me to get the elbow at some stage. Whether that's a good or bad thing, I don't yet know. For the time being, I'll milk the corporate cow, and start planning my escape to... whatever I actually want to do - whenever I figure that out.

*EDIT* Paris is still crap, and it looks like it's going to rain. The gym in the hotel's crap, and I still don't like france. *pouts*

*EDITAGAIN* BCom (Hons) 2:1 (1996), MBA (2005)
( Fireflier La la la la, not listening on, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:18, closed)

I used my degree
to get myself a job teaching in Japan. This did nothing to help further my career, but I did get to spend three years in a land where beer is cheaper than cola and smokes were cheaper than apples.

Edit: Er, and there was lots of culture and stuff.
( thealternativefact, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:26, closed)

Hey clendrix
*hugs*
*resists urge to flex*

My friend did a year teaching English in Japan. She said it was the best thing she ever did.
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:30, closed)

@BK
*hugs*

Never resist those urges!

It was a really, really amazing experience. And I now have friends dotted all over the world, so most of my holidays involve visiting them!
( thealternativefact, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:33, closed)

@clendrix
A FoaF did a year teaching English in Japan.

He loved it, especially as he shagged quite a few of his students!
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:35, closed)

@clendrix
Okay
*flex*

@K2k6

My friend said Japanese women go mad for western blokes.
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:37, closed)

*swoons*
Yes, even if you're a real fugly guy, you'll be beating them off with shitty sticks over there.

Girls on the other hand :(
( thealternativefact, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:39, closed)

K2k6
"A FoaF did a year teaching English in Japan.
He loved it, especially as he shagged quite a few of his students!"

And he was never asked to work in pre-school again...
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:41, closed)

*grins*
Aha.

Watashi-wa Nihonjin go-ga totemo jooshu desu.

I starting learning Japanese but I've let it slide and got well lazy. Should sign up for a class, then I might have a bit discipline.
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:42, closed)

Yes, so I believe (re. western blokes being attractive to Japanese women)
*checks flights to Japan*

*checks bank account*

Bollocks.

My mate was over seeing his mate, who was doing the teaching, and they went to the Onsen, which is the really hot communal bath which you go into i the buff.

He said even the Japanese blokes were looking at them oddly, as they looked like a pair of gorillas compared to the smooth orientals.

Mate's wife was in the female Onsen at the same time (no, it wasn't mixed!) and she commented on how nicely shaped Japanese women's breasts are.

I subsequently conducted my own research in this area, and can confirm her findings.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:44, closed)

@Kaol
They were high school students, above the age of consent.

He was about 25 at the time.

He's a dirty, filthy lucky bastard.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:48, closed)

My favourite Japanese phrase
was 'zenzen wakarimasen' (I don't understand anything). I used this far too much.

I plan to go back there within the next couple of years for a holiday. Perhaps I'll put it on the B3ta calendar...
( thealternativefact, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:48, closed)

A female friend of mine
spent a year teaching in Japan. When she came back, she was convinced she was a blonde with big tits.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:54, closed)

We used to laugh
at the Japanese girls who paraded their western men around like grand prizes when it was quite clear that, prior to their trip to the Asian continent, said blokes had never even had a sniff of action from any woman.

We weren't bitter, of course.

Not at all.
( thealternativefact, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:57, closed)

@spakka
I had to read that several times before I understood it.

But I've just got it!

*chortles*
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:00, closed)

^^
I still haven't got this!
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:03, closed)

One of my friends
is a big fan of all things Japanese. He's utterly convinved that his next girlfreind has to be Japanese. Has made several trips to the J-shaped island and even convinced a few Japanese lasses to visit him in England, but no luck.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:03, closed)

I am a sterotypical amoeba...
But I know what TF I want to do about it.
To wit: University: check.
Course which if used, very good. Check.
If not used vocationally, useless: double freakig check.

2:2 in English and Journalism. Could be something but halfway through third year I wanted to quit but it wasn't worth it - c'mon, 2+years under the belt?

Now I am going into the trades and training as an electrician.

So there's a thought perhaps, given that Britain is supposedly under-trained in the trades and skilled sectors?
(FightingComet got Boost Power on, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:07, closed)

*clicks for discussion*
Really interesting discussion here covering many of the feelings I've had since choosing my A-Levels when I was 16.

I'm 25 now, and it's ONLY now that I know what I would love to do. I've attempted two degrees - English Literature and Business Studies - and couldn't get through either... mainly because my heart wasn't in them. I'm "bright" as my parents say, but if I don't want to do something then it's almost impossible to motivate myself. I also had a major issue with the university timetable. I think I'd rather do an intensive course rather than being on "holiday" for 6 months of every year - unable to pursue a job and unable to really get stuck into the course. Furthermore, I was completely ambushed by the mammoth gap between the spoon-fed A-level work and the individual slog of the degree, particularly with the English degree.

But when I was 16 I didn't know what I wanted to do, so I chose the three subjects that I liked the most. They were basically the best of an alright bunch and I certainly wasn't confident enough to leave my friends at school.

When you start A-levels you're then almost immediately deciding what degree to study. There was no other option from home or school to look at anything other than an academic degree; and I didn't know of anything else at the time, so it wasn't like I was feeling repressed or anything. With hindsight, if I could go back I would do everything differently.

However - if it wasn't for doing (a bit of) my business degree, I wouldn't be in the job I am in now. I've really enjoyed my last few years in this role and it's through this that I've really discovered myself and what I want to do. I'm also glad that my parents were so insistant on me getting a degree - if they'd left me to my own devices I would probably be pulling pints in the music venues of London (I still do this, but for fun now! And beer money).

So, my advice to any 16/18 year olds out there:

- You can do anything, so pursue what you enjoy. Having watched these young people programs like Skins it is painfully obvious that 16-18 year olds are far more aware of the outside world than I was at that age.

- There's nothing wrong with a degree, but use some of that spare time to do something worthwhile that you really enjoy, and that might help you gain employment after you leave uni. A 2:2 with an extra module in propping up the student bar won't really stand you out from the crowd.

- Don't be afraid to apply for competitive jobs or for jobs that require something that you don't necessarily have. A lot of applications for competitve roles are immediately dismissed for stupid reasons like having poor spelling or a generic covering letter. It it's a cool company then loads of people just send their CVs in aimlessly - it's these people who aren't really considered. If you have a clear and focussed application it's surprising how far you'll go in an interview process. Get help from friends, relatives and recruitment companies to make your CV really effective.

- It's never too late to learn something new!

And so endeth the lesson. :)
(perfectrhys come find me on PS3., Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:08, closed)

perfectrhys
some very good advice there.

And fightingcomet - the amount of times I've wondered about jacking it all in and training as a plumber!
( thealternativefact, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:11, closed)

@K2k6
"I had to read that several times before I understood it."

Erm... have you read something into this that I didn't intend? BTW: "Blonde with big tits" was her exact words.

Also, she realised the old ladies over there did not speak English, so she developed this habit of swearing wildly at them whenever one got in the way. Unfortunately, when she returned to England, she didn't snap out of this habit immediately.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:12, closed)

@spakka
I don't think so. I was just a bit slow at understanding the joke!
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:14, closed)

@spakka
Oh ok, I was attempting to read an implicit message in there as well. Doh!
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:15, closed)

@Clendrix
Thanks buddy - I feel obliged to share my tale whenever this topic arises anywhere in the world ever. I wish someone had done the same for me 9 years ago!!! :)
(perfectrhys come find me on PS3., Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:17, closed)

@perfectrhys
My brother attempted a degree and ducked out after a year and half - he was quite despondent about it because he's quite bright but just not academically motivated.

So he went about things in a different way (training at work, short courses etc.) and now he's a surveyor and doing really well for himself.

So I definitely agree that, as we're all different, we should accept that there are different ways of getting to places!
( thealternativefact, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:22, closed)

Indeed good advice perfectrhys.

In line with the QOTW though, I feel dispointed by my career guidance in High School as they all insisted I went to University. That's what's most disapointing - I can see a young Weeker at that age now all clueless and vulnerable and nobody there to point me in any decent direction at all!

So any youngsters here - with the advent of this interweb there IS help everywhere so do your research and above all make sure your choice of career is something that INTERESTS you (and of course has career prospects!).
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:24, closed)

Good advice perfectrhys
Especially "It's never too late to learn something new!"

Nobody really knows what they want to do aged 16. Back then, I was a science-nerd, but in the next two years, my arts side awoke.

I ended up studying Computer Science. At one point during the course, I considered quitting and doing a different course in another university, but I persisted until the end and got my degree. I'm very glad I didn't quit the course.

Of course, my BSc degree wasn't enough to land me my dream-job, so I taught myself some more skills relevant to the field of work I wanted to get into, and eventually, I got my long sought-after job-offer.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:27, closed)

Random career change
I went to uni twice and finished both my degrees, now earn over 30k and STILL live with my parents...

Wanted to be a music teacher. Went to uni to study music. Realised no longer wanted to do it for various reasons and actually would rather have been doctor or midwife or something like that, looked into medicine, realised parents would kill me if I went home to do more A levels before loooong degree so applied for midwifery thinking it might be 'good enough'. Got onto course, did course, qualified with hideous debt as funding is less than normal degree. Got job. Now qualified three years, have paid off a lot of debt, saving to buy a house (I DO have a good car though) and living with parents. Is it good enough? Mostly. SOmetimes I look at medicine courses and think 'maybe...' but not so much any more.

Clarabelle, BA(Hons) BSc(Hons), a bit of a sad life? yep. But all in all it's ok. And my parents are nice and let me do what I like so... and mum cooks my dinner.
(Clarabelle is reverting to type on, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 13:33, closed)

@Clarabelle
Actually sounds like you've done really well.
And your mum cooks your dinner! *wistfully thinks of my mum's lasagne*
( Boss Keloid Got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 13:45, closed)

.
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Chat continues here (we're now in the new QOTW Offtopic thingy)
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( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 15:32, closed)