[Humour] Why is it so hard to get a job?

[KZNSeagull]

Don't you mean 110100?

Forgot to mention, and completely off topic, I am off to see Chameleons Vox in June! Can't wait.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I was giving a careers talk last night and advising parents and kids in relation to the merits of university. It's not for everyone, apprenticeships are a viable option where you can get an income and qualifications in something vocational from the age of 18, and there's no graduate tax to pay (which is what uni loans are effectively).

The downside is that if you are uncertain of what you want to do at 18 then an apprenticeship might not be for you. You will still however have the benefit of being able to show a future employer than you have work experience though.

The plus side of university is that even if you are not choosing a vocational degree (architecture, medicine, engineering, dentistry, vet science etc.) you will learn a toolkit of skills that will be beneficial in a variety of workplaces. Don't go to uni for knowledge, all the knowledge you ever require is already there on Google, go there to learn how to use that knowledge, to focus on the causes and consequences of decision making, and to collaborate, disaggregate, problem solve, present and communicate.

I went to uni in Manchester in 1980 to learn economics, instead I learnt how to think. It was the best three years of my life without a doubt, but there are alternatives, so take time making a decision.

Thread still going after this post...not sure why it needs to...

 

[Commander]

If you're young and aren't keen on going to Uni (or have just come out of Uni and don't know what to do) then getting in to recruitment is a great option. You don't need any experience, it's not that hard to get into, and you should earn £50K in your second year. It means a year of seriously hard work (usually 10-12 hour days in an office), but after that it gets easier, and even an average recruiter in a good market will earn £50K ish once they're established. A good one will earn a hell of a lot more. I've worked with loads of guys in the past who were earning 50, 60, 70, 80 grand a year while their mates at Uni struggled through and came out the other side with a degree that they were never going to use. The problem is that loads of people think they want to earn that kind of money, but actually aren't prepared to put the work in to get it.

I hired someone through an ad I placed on NSC for my last company a few years ago. He had no relevant experience when I hired him, and he earned around £120,000 last year and just bought his first property in Hove. He's only 28.

 

[Goldstone1976]

What’s most depressing about this thread is the complete dismissal of the idea you can go to university purely to learn about a specific topic and, in general, better yourself.

Of course that's still a valid reason to go - if you're happy having £50k of debt afterwards. It seems a very expensive way to learn about a topic (do short courses for way less money) and to better yourself.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

leaflet drops , keeps you fit
regards
DR

 

[pearl]

Forgot to mention, and completely off topic, I am off to see Chameleons Vox in June! Can't wait.

They are coming to Brighton in May

 

[Blackadder]

not sure where you are, but when I was your age I always found work at Gatwick, Manor Royal or the Paymasters Office

I have the opposite problem .... dreaming up ways too retire

At the height of unemployment under Thatcher, I started a job at Paymaster. I thought I would be there a couple of years later. Things went well. I left 30 years later. Were you in Pensions or the Banking side Pearl?

 

[Blackadder]

I'm not having any kind of dig but in my own experience I've never found it hard to get a job and longest I was unemployed was about a month, my son dropped out and got a job at Gatwick within a couple of months, good money airside he loads planes

And the job I had before Paymaster was a 4 month contract at British Caledonian as a loader/driver. I loved that job. Unfortunately 1981 was the first year that they didn't keep the temps on. I say unfortunately but it all worked out OK as BCAL later went to the wall.

 

[Normski1989]

Why not choose a middle ground, such as painting rockets?

Regards
EP

In an office.

Would you need a degree for that or would A-levels in both art and office skills be sufficient?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Of course that's still a valid reason to go - if you're happy having £50k of debt afterwards. It seems a very expensive way to learn about a topic (do short courses for way less money) and to better yourself.

True. Which is why I’m opposed to tuition fees etc.

 

[pearl]

At the height of unemployment under Thatcher, I started a job at Paymaster. I thought I would be there a couple of years later. Things went well. I left 30 years later. Were you in Pensions or the Banking side Pearl?

Teachers Pensions ... 1978ish, left in 1981 to go to Art College

 

[pearl]

And the job I had before Paymaster was a 4 month contract at British Caledonian as a loader/driver. I loved that job. Unfortunately 1981 was the first year that they didn't keep the temps on. I say unfortunately but it all worked out OK as BCAL later went to the wall.

Oh, the BCAL girls looked so smart, I loved their uniforms

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Would you need a degree for that or would A-levels in both art and office skills be sufficient?

Do you remember the space shuttle and the how the big fuel tank was originally painted white? It was decided this paint wasn’t needed and they could save some weight. I reckon the people making these rocket painting decisions had more than A level art and office skills.

 

[Blackadder]

Teachers Pensions ... 1978ish, left in 1981 to go to Art College

Just missed you. I started in Civil Service Pensions in 1982. Moved on to I.T. (Or Computer Branch as it was known in those days )

 

[Normski1989]

Do you remember the space shuttle and the how the big fuel tank was originally painted white? It was decided this paint wasn’t needed and they could save some weight. I reckon the people making these rocket painting decisions had more than A level art and office skills.

I bet they didn't go to uni to study art either.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I bet they didn't go to uni to study art either.

I guess we will never know.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I bet they didn't go to uni to study art either.

I think we might have hit onto something here. Apparently “NASA now has a collection of thousands of artworks across a range of mediums, including sculpture and music, that capture the wonder of space and space travel.”

 

[pearl]

Just missed you. I started in Civil Service Pensions in 1982. Moved on to I.T. (Or Computer Branch as it was known in those days )

I did apply for a programmer job, purely for the money

 

[El Presidente]

Forgot to mention, and completely off topic, I am off to see Chameleons Vox in June! Can't wait.

Brilliant. I'm seeing their homecoming gig in Manchester in December. Reg played on the last one!

 

[El Presidente]

Would you need a degree for that or would A-levels in both art and office skills be sufficient?

If they are German girls nearly all of them have very good A-Levels.