Are you strugglling financially?

[SuperMikey]

I'm only 21 now but things are tough financially. Still working in the job that I took a year and a half ago when I was at Uni for some pocket money, with a few more hours. I've been applying for "proper" jobs for about 4 or 5 months now and haven't got a sniff at anything. The job market is so crowded right now that it's very tough for people like me (uni dropout, no real trade) to get a look-in when there are people who have been made redundant/looking for more money who have several years experience and are applying for the same jobs that I am. It seems that even £12k office jobs are getting snapped up so quickly now.

 

Hopefully with this TEFL course that i'm doing I should be able to get a bit of work abroad or at a language school in the South and come back into the job market in a few years time with a bit of experience and some savings, but I don't hold out too much hope tbh. It may be a case of having to go back to Uni in my mid-20s to qualify in something else.

 

Still, there are people a lot worse off than me out there who don't have jobs so I guess i'm lucky in that respect. It's just so frustrating that I can't seem to progress in my career at the moment.

[Turkish]

/\ I believe some of us warned you not drop out Mikey.

[SuperMikey]

/\ I believe some of us warned you not drop out Mikey.

 

True, but I would be f*cking miserable and worse off financially in the long run had I stayed on. I would have a degree in a few months time, but most graduates that I know have had to move back in with their parents and are working in the same kind of sh!tty job that I do. I can live with the decision to drop out really, and i'm not ruling out going back later on.

[Selexus]

Earnings are down by 75% for me.

That coupled with the increase in living costs means i can still cover the bills and pay for holidays and stuff, but i don't have anything like the disposable income that i used to do.

As far as i can see i won't see that amount of spare cash in my bank account for some considerable time.

On the plus side i'm putting £750 a month into a pension now so........

[suewhistle]

Hopefully with this TEFL course that i'm doing I should be able to get a bit of work abroad

 

Be careful. Not only will you be competing mainly with people who have a degree but in many countries (e.g. Korea/Thailand) having one is a prerequisite for getting a visa. In the Middle East you'd need a specialist post-grad qualification and in Europe you'll earn subsistence level.

[The Kraken]

True, but I would be f*cking miserable and worse off financially in the long run had I stayed on. I would have a degree in a few months time, but most graduates that I know have had to move back in with their parents and are working in the same kind of sh!tty job that I do. I can live with the decision to drop out really, and i'm not ruling out going back later on.

 

Nothing wrong with moving back in with your parents after uni. Granted, its not the easiest thing to live at home after being away for 3 or 4 years, but a sensible thing to save cash and find your feet. I moved back in with my mum and dad for 2 years after I graduated, worked abroad for a couple of years, and came back to the parents for another 6 months after that before buying my first place. Short term loss for long term gain, its all too easy with a struggling job market for youngsters te get in a spiral of renting and debt.

 

Get yourself back to uni, lad.

[Turkish]

True, but I would be f*cking miserable and worse off financially in the long run had I stayed on. I would have a degree in a few months time, but most graduates that I know have had to move back in with their parents and are working in the same kind of sh!tty job that I do. I can live with the decision to drop out really, and i'm not ruling out going back later on.

 

Listen to uncle Turkish, he has your best interests at heart. Get back to Uni, by the time you've come out the economy will be back on the up. Whilst a degree isn't the be all and end all it ppens up a lot of doors for you.

[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

Listen to uncle Turkish, he has your best interests at heart. Get back to Uni, by the time you've come out the economy will be back on the up. Whilst a degree isn't the be all and end all it ppens up a lot of doors for you.

 

I certainly couldn't have got my job without having a degree; I wouldn't even have got an interview.

 

Mikey, don't kid yourself that degrees don't matter. If you want a good job you need one.

[suewhistle]

Bloomin 'eck Turkish, just seen you quoted above and I agree with you! You're not always a negative, sarcastic and snide b****r!:-)

[Turkish]

Speaking from personal experience, I don't have a degree myself, at the time when I left sixth form I just wanted to earn money. On reflection this was a mistake. Although I've done well in my career despite several knock backs along the way and worked hard I could have got to where I am and higher a lot quicker by having a degree. The two best companies in my industry who are ultimately the next step career wise for me take on a lot of grads and there are people 5 or 6 years younger, who arent ad good doing my job for a lot more money. Ultimately in my job having a degree is irrelevant and I'll end up working for them sooner or later but I could have got there much quicker if I'd had a longer term view at 18.

 

I don't have a lot of time for many of the graduate trainees at my company, arrogant, lazy and think their degree is their gold ticket to a great career. However a good education, a good work ethic and a bit of humility and be willing to learn when you get into the workplace and you can achieve anything you want too.

[scotty]

I tend to do quite well during recessions. My chosen profession is rather obscure, but I sell at the lower end of the market. In the boom times, customers deciding they want one just head for the nearest massive showroom with a load of new ones in stock, and fork out four or five grand. When times are tight, the same type of client will look around a bit more, realise they can buy a secondhand one from someone like me for £500 - £1000, and go that route. The private maintenance work goes down the toilet in the slow times, but the sales make up for it. I've been run off my feet with sales, over the last few months in particular, in fact we're just off out to deliver one I sold half an hour ago.

[buctootim]

Speaking from personal experience, I don't have a degree myself, at the time when I left sixth form I just wanted to earn money. On reflection this was a mistake. Although I've done well in my career despite several knock backs along the way and worked hard I could have got to where I am and higher a lot quicker by having a degree. The two best companies in my industry who are ultimately the next step career wise for me take on a lot of grads and there are people 5 or 6 years younger, who arent ad good doing my job for a lot more money. Ultimately in my job having a degree is irrelevant and I'll end up working for them sooner or later but I could have got there much quicker if I'd had a longer term view at 18.

 

I don't have a lot of time for many of the graduate trainees at my company, arrogant, lazy and think their degree is their gold ticket to a great career. However a good education, a good work ethic and a bit of humility and be willing to learn when you get into the workplace and you can achieve anything you want too.

 

Good post Turkish, and exactly right. I left school at 16 thinking I could earn money, get experience, get promoted and have five years jump start on those who stayed on for A levels and degree. Some false starts and lots of crappy jobs at TAV (agency ) proved that wrong. I was lucky enough to find a University which would take me as a mature student at 24 without A levels. Although the subject of my degree is irrelevant for the large majority of jobs, it was nonetheless an easy indicator to recruiters that you are reasonably bright and can stick at something for three years.

 

I actually think most employers attach far too much importance to a degree and would be far better off using psychometric testing for mental agility and practical problem solving tests to assess ability in the kinds of issues found in the job on offer. There are loads of very able and experienced people who didnt go to University for a variety of reasons. That approach is pretty uncommon though and looking for a degree is usually HR's first filter when shortlisting.