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

scrooge2008

True, but everybody needs a Dopester, somebody who you can prove wrong, who gives you the worst case scenario, so you're inclined to better it .

If anybody tells me I can't do something, or it's doomed to failure, then by hell or high water they are going to get egg on their face.

Dopester has laid down the challenge Max. :beer:

lostinrates

Actually, I hear, when the chips are really down and you're between a rock and a hard place everybody neds Dopester's dog. I hope its a big dog!

I think Dopester has raised some good if unpopular points through out the thread. Many of hich might well have been applicable to some people.

Phirefly

I know we touched on courses earlier in this thread, (and apologies, I've not double checked how that line of discussion panned out) but as I'm currently planning my courses for 09/10 I was prompted to revisit this topic here.

People underestimate the value of adult learning. What on the surface appears to be quaint little activities for the bored can actually prove invaluable.

I like to try and do at least one adult education course a year. I could go on about the multitude of ways this is beneficial, but one of the more relevant benefits is that it can be a way to make excellent contacts. For example, I did a pattern cutting course and there was a real mixed bag of students, from those simply there to tick a box on a local authorities' well-meaning community programme to the fashion professionals among us who have since developed quite a network.

At my local college, I notice you get a 70% discount on course fees if you are on means-tested state benefit, which I guess Max wouldn't qualify for (damn that pesky paid-off mortgage). No doubt every penny is accounted for but if there is any way, I think it could be worthwhile.

Theres a course at my local college called 'writing articles for publication' which might seem quite pedestrian for someone like Max who who has already been published, but I think someting like this would still be well worth considering to hone existing skills. I have a degree in graphic design and 7 years professional experience and yet during my adult ed. web design course I was eavesdropping on the Photoshop one in the same studio and realised just how much I could still learn. I'm doing photography this year as while I've already studied the subject and am a confident photographer, the discipline of a weekly tutorial makes you practise and create work.

scrooge2008

Loved your last post Max, almost made me want to go back to being unemployed.

Can see why Dopester might be a tad concerned. Conventional wisdom would have you in a permanent state of angst, rather than reading you ...

"...potter down to the kitchen for another iced fruit juice and return to the shady spot under the tree in my garden where a deckchair and a book await me".

A thought provoking post Phirefly, thanks. I am going to take a look at what is on offer at my local college. Did some great courses years ago, but got out of the way of it.

lostinrates

Phirefly wrote: »

I know we touched on courses earlier in this thread, (and apologies, I've not double checked how that line of discussion panned out) but as I'm currently planning my courses for 09/10 I was prompted to revisit this topic here.

People underestimate the value of adult learning. What on the surface appears to be quaint little activities for the bored can actually prove invaluable.

I like to try and do at least one adult education course a year. I could go on about the multitude of ways this is beneficial, but one of the more relevant benefits is that it can be a way to make excellent contacts. For example, I did a pattern cutting course and there was a real mixed bag of students, from those simply there to tick a box on a local authorities' well-meaning community programme to the fashion professionals among us who have since developed quite a network.

At my local college, I notice you get a 70% discount on course fees if you are on means-tested state benefit, which I guess Max wouldn't qualify for (damn that pesky paid-off mortgage). No doubt every penny is accounted for but if there is any way, I think it could be worthwhile.

Theres a course at my local college called 'writing articles for publication' which might seem quite pedestrian for someone like Max who who has already been published, but I think someting like this would still be well worth considering to hone existing skills. I have a degree in graphic design and 7 years professional experience and yet during my adult ed. web design course I was eavesdropping on the Photoshop one in the same studio and realised just how much I could still learn. I'm doing photography this year as while I've already studied the subject and am a confident photographer, the discipline of a weekly tutorial makes you practise and create work.

I signed up for a couple of adult ed courses in the last year. All three were cancelled due to lack of popularity. There are a lot of GCSE and a-level options (many in the basic subjects which I have). There are lots of beauty related courses, and pilates/yoga classes (annoyingly the pilates/yoga classes are too far for me to commit to in the winter months or at times I would find hard/impossible which is a shame as I'd love to do them...but I don't know how much direct impact on employbilty they' have). And lots of art related courses -watercolours, oils,mix ed media. There are precious few I'd love to do at another point in time, upholstery, for example (have loads of furniture I could do but it would all go straight back into storage which seems a risk.

The ones I was interested in, FWIW were a conversational french class (I thought I could try and get back a lost skill, especially when six months in Paris was looking likely) and two relating to self employment/business start up.

I think the oppertunity for adult ed is fantastic

Phirefly

lostinrates wrote: »

The ones I was interested in, FWIW were a conversational french class

Yet another similarity! I was almost going to sign up for conversational French this year but thought photography was a better bet from a career development point of view.

I suppose many courses are rather 'hobbyist' I guess I'm lucky that I live between 4 major towns/cities, so there are quite a lot of choices when it comes to what to study.

fc123

Max_Headroom wrote: »

Incidentally, The Blog reached over a thousand hits in one day yesterday, so huge thanks to all who clicked and had a look.

And even bigger thanks if you passed it on to people you thought might like it.

And special thanks for all the encouraging comments of course.

:beer::beer:. And all from an idea....

1000 hits!!....some must have come from random searches...not just HPC/MSE people who happened to see the links.

Would be odd if you had to keep on being 'professionaly unemployed' in order to for it to give you material to write about...........then to keep on writing about the experience as you have a huge following of readers.

One thing feeds off another and then changes the purpose of the blog.

You may have to do a course at the job centre purely for 'research purposes' and another chapter.;)

Shakethedisease

Doesn't the blog detract from employment-seeking, or putting thought/energy into setting up some self-employment business

Well, I guess if you look at it in 'black and white' like that, you do make sense. However, and this is only my opinon/anecdotal.. life's a bit more of the shades of grey variety. There's only so much of the day you can spend looking for work, and if the rest of is spent doing something that you feel is both productive and learning something new ?.. It can give you a REAL confidence boost. Even if it is a few 'extra hits' or a response from someone who likes what you've written. Nothing is long term on the internet.. trying to keep up with it is. But it doesn't have to be a 24/7 thing.

When I started my first site we were in dire straits. I had just gazed in disbelief at a pregnancy test telling me I was pregnant with my 4th child ( 2 from previous marriage )..my husband had just had his wages arrested over a loan (before we were married), we were going over our overdraft every month by about £300, bank charges galore.. and I can remember sharing cup-a-soups with hubby because that's all we had left in the house after the kids were fed..I also remember vainly, but ever hopeful, walking a few times a mile to the cash machine on pay-day at 12.01am to see if the wages were in. Bad times.

That little site I started gave me something positive to focus on each day. That's all. I learned a LOT from building the site that year and I put that knowledge to good use building another one 18 months later.

4 years on ? Well, I still sit on my bum for most of the day ( well as much as you can do with 5 kids...yes 5, had another ), I spend around 2 hours a day if I'm lucky doing 'site stuff'... and a month ago, my accountant registered my yearly income this year with HMRC as just shy of 30k. I've just secured a mortgage based soley on it.*

Internet writing/blogging doesn't have to detract from seeking 'real-life' work etc. But it can be a very positive and confidence affirming thing to do and, in my case, probably saved our marriage. Gave me something good to think about and focus on while drinking my Asda tomato cup-a-soups..

(*note* I do think house prices have still a fair bit to fall, but can't keep moving the kids around/changing schools etc renting*).

Just my experience anyway. Sorry for the ramble !

PasturesNew

Max_Headroom wrote: »

Spot on FC.

And as it happens my JSA is "contributions based", so I could earn up to a certain amount without it being affected.

£5/week as a single person.

lostinrates

£5? Wow, roll out the barrel eh?

And a bit weird: less than minimum wage for an hour, right? So you can't even work one hour for an employer. Surly it should be upped to £5 and however many pence would make it minimum wage, then one could legally do a trial hour for a potential employer without worrying about it removing you from the millions you might earn on the net.