list your job and wage

CharllieSays

I'm 27 and have worked in a variety of low level finance/admin roles since highschool. Currently on £17k. I went back to evening college to get a few A Levels and next year I will finish a BA English degree from the OU, so currently looking at careers and very confused!

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For anyone who's feeling charitable/bored and willing to give me career advice...

I write books in my free time (hence the English degree) and it'll be great if I can sell a few on the side to supplement my income, but other than teaching there aren't many obvious careers for English graduates. I'm really not fussed about teaching (worked as an evening tutor to pay for uni and wouldn't want to take on 30+ students at once).

I'm fairly good with numbers from all the low-level finance/accounts jobs I've done and love my Excel spreadsheets (yes, I'm sad), but have no finance qualifications (B in GCSE Maths is it) and think accountancy would be too dry for me to stick at (I like charts, graphs, and actually using the data). I can paint to a pretty good standard (old-school and digital painting), but again it's all self-taught so on paper it's not worth anything to an employer. I'm ok with computers (very good in comparison to most people wherever I've worked, but I'd need training in order to do any actual programming).

I'm considering moving back to London and studying an HR graduate degree to work in the city (assuming I can get a job with my background), but really have no idea what to do! I'm seriously bored with the work I do now. I'm lucky that the department has gone through big structural changes recently, so a lot of the day to day tasks are problem solving/fire-fighting and a bit more interesting. But I know as soon as things calm down again, I'll be climbing the walls!

I want a job that pays more than I'm on now (£20k+) and uses my brain. I like project work. Other than that, I'm stuck. I can't go back to uni full-time as I really don't get on with normal classroom-based learning. I know my biggest issue is lack of confidence. I assume everyone is far more intelligent than me and I can only realistically apply for admin roles and would have no chance succeeding at anything higher up on the ladder. I know that's illogical, but it's a big hurdle to get over. I need to work on my ego! But in the meantime, how the hell do you pick one career over the hundreds of others out there?

Jamez735

It's upsetting to see that so many people have to slave away at jobs they hate for very little pay.

Start listening to mixergy, smart passive income, Dane Maxwell, start reading The 4 hour Workweek, The Lean startup, etc, etc...

Immerse yourself the entrepreneurial communities & cultures.

There's a whole world waiting for those of you willing to break from the 9 to 5 routine, you just have to know where to look.

motorguy

Jamez735 wrote: »

It's upsetting to see that so many people have to slave away at jobs they hate for very little pay.

Start listening to mixergy, smart passive income, Dane Maxwell, start reading The 4 hour Workweek, The Lean startup, etc, etc...

Immerse yourself the entrepreneurial communities & cultures.

There's a whole world waiting for those of you willing to break from the 9 to 5 routine, you just have to know where to look.

Or try getting a better job?

Easier said than done of course, but a thousand times easier than starting and running your own business from scratch.

Jamez735

motorguy wrote: »

Or try getting a better job?

Easier said than done of course, but a thousand times easier than starting and running your own business from scratch.

Sure, if you're willing to settle.

sulphate

2009 - graduated with a 2.2 degree in English from an ex-poly and had 2 part time jobs - receptionist and assistant in shoe shop. £10k per year
2010 - lab assistant in NHS, band 2, £13k at the time plus shifts
2011 - promoted in my department, band 3, £16k plus shifts
2012 to now - course administrator at a university, just over £21k (slightly more than when I started). Pension, sick pay, great boss, some free meals, lots of unpaid overtime required at busy times, now rumours of job cuts.

I really miss my previous job I was good at it but no progression as I didn't have the right degree. I'm not very good at admin and don't really enjoy it which makes getting better at it quite difficult.

But soldiering on and grateful I have a job. Been there nearly a year, must be almost time to look for another...

motorguy

Jamez735 wrote: »

Sure, if you're willing to settle.

For the bulk of people running your own business means long hours, financial insecurity and a high risk of failure.

Therefore it may not suit a lot of people.

I'm earning far more now as a 'wage slave' than i ever was when self employed and i come home and forget about it every evening.

My wife started off on the phones 20 years ago as a 'wage slave' for BT but is now Operational Head of a Call Centre with 600 staff under her and a salary package to match.

Just because there are some motivational books out there designed to make you feel good doesnt make it 'the answer'.

motorguy

Jamez735 wrote: »

Sure, if you're willing to settle.

I'm a bit confused here. You seem to be implying some sort of knowledgeable superiority here, like a 'hey i've done it', yet that seems at odds with this thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4444987

where you seem keen to try and get an extra few quid in doing internet surveys? Not something i'd be expecting from a high flying entrepreneur?

Or have you just read the odd book but not actually done anything?

Jamez735

motorguy wrote: »

I'm a bit confused here. You seem to be implying some sort of knowledgeable superiority here, like a 'hey i've done it', yet that seems at odds with this thread


where you seem keen to try and get an extra few quid in doing internet surveys? Not something i'd be expecting from a high flying entrepreneur?

Or have you just read the odd book but not actually done anything?

Maybe I'm just posting generalised crap to get enough posts to post links?

motorguy

Jamez735 wrote: »

Maybe I'm just posting generalised crap to get enough posts to post links?

Or maybe you've been caught out and are back tracking?

Funny because Jamez735 is quite a unique name, yet every other occurence of it through google are from a games playing geek, who still lives at home and has written the odd half arsed blog... but i'm sure thats just coincidence.

spock007

Look on any job site (e.g. reed, £50k+) and you see just what jobs are really paying. Health, dentistry, consultancies, finance, accountancy, some civil service (http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/recruitment/entry/experienced-professionals), contracts for oil & gas for £500 a day. Compared to many on here I'm more than thankful, but looking at what one could earn........ I need to make some sort of plan as general engineering will never pay the sort of money above.