The recession, benefits, the safety net, and the learning curve

LydiaJ

Have Audi got back to you yet, Max?
Lydia

Max_Headroom_3

Not yet Lydia, although I believe a decision is imminent.

Stay tuned, I'm sure it will all be in the blog shortly.

fc123

Max_Headroom wrote: »

That's remarkable! Mind you, that is a good story and he has been going at it for two years.

I'd love to know how he got it to the attention of the Sunday Times mind, that's the clever bit.

Audi interview tale is up!

Could be something similar to what you did to get interview with Audi? Just sent a sample in perhaps?

Max_Headroom_3

Hmmm... there's a thought.

harryhound

StevieJ wrote: »

Yes the basis for world trade, comparative advantage.

Yes but when you do it for yourself you retain 100% of the value you create.
When you do it for someone else or someone else does it for you, the government gets involved and "skims off" as much as 50% as various types of taxes.
Eventually we will all be working for the government being paid to do each others' washing.

PasturesNew

fc123 wrote: »

Built a tree house (inspired by the coppicing guy on Grand Designs) and wrote a blog www.thetreehousediaries.com

My thoughts are: young man, clearly posh, in the summer, having a laugh in his parents' land .... how did he get planning permission for that?

Then: he does seem to have a lot of money to go swanning about doing posh things.

Max_Headroom_3

Ah, that's interesting. The blog starts in April 07 so I assumed he'd been doing it since then but checking his first blog entries it seems he was living in London back then.

So when did he move into the treehouse, do we know?

fc123

Max_Headroom wrote: »

Ah, that's interesting. The blog starts in April 07 so I assumed he'd been doing it since then but checking his first blog entries it seems he was living in London back then.

So when did he move into the treehouse, do we know?

Why don't you ask him via the blog.......nicely?:D

PasturesNew

Why does turning a job interview down feel so wrong?

I just turned down an interview for a job and am racked with guilt... should I be grateful? should I have gone? should I have ...?

I feel I did the right thing for me, but I nearly fell into the trap of "it's a job, any job, do it". It was a 3 month temp job, so not a "proper job" and I had no interest in the company or getting them on my CV. It wasn't even in the area I want to get a job in, so would be yet another thing on my CV proving I haven't done my specialism.

The reality is, it is 30 miles away on a peculiar route so would take an hour to get there/back ... and the pay might have only been £16k. With the cost of petrol going up and my car needing the brakes fixing (and probably a service) to go that far every day for the next 3 months, it wasn't really worth the money I'd get after transport costs and tax. I'd be out of the house from 7.15am to 6.30pm in all weathers, driving to/from the 4rse end of nowhere.

I wasn't even "looking", it was just an agency call yesterday, followed by interview offer today.

Found the job spec online too - and wasn't 100% sure I could do it - and felt only 40% sure I'd want to.

So, too far, too little money, couldn't be 4rsed. Let somebody closer to it take it I thought.

LydiaJ

Max

I was just reading the latest news on your blog (and hoping for the best with those car dealerships) when I noticed that you describe yourself as a "middle aged, middle income, middle manager". It reminded me that a friend and I were discussing the other day what we think "middle aged" means these days. I'm 40 and I while I don't feel "young" any more, I don't feel "middle aged" fits me either. But maybe 20 years ago I would have thought 40 was middle aged.

So I wondered what people on here think. How old do you think "middle aged" is, and have you arrived at it yet? And in your line of work, what age tends to be considered "past it" and less employable than younger people?