What should i do with the next 42 years?

maninthestreet

Sorry OP, but you fell for this Government's 'Education, Education, Education' mantra. As you've discovered, just because you have a degree doesn't guarantee you a job.

DVardysShadow

As already said

• people with degrees are 2 a penny these days
• if you have a degree, you have developed skills to acquire and apply knowledge at that level

I would suggest that the advantage these days is with people who can cross subject boundaries and apply degree level thinking in 2 different subjects.

Off the top of my head, I would put your criminology with accountancy and with IT or software. In either case, the combination could give you a very powerful skillset - I think you could see the potential roles fairly easily. There must be other such combinations. Maybe an afternoon looking at a career site from Accountancy to Zoology, just imagining the jobs for the subject in combination with Criminology, jotting down notes and sleeping on it for a few days.

I would suggest that the way to take this forward is to study part time if there is a nearby university or go via the OU, once you have a spark of inspiration.

hr100

What about going into HR?

Zazen999

hr100 wrote: »

What about going into HR?

Usually_Angry wrote: »

Have you considered becoming a criminal?

Great minds......:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

flutterbyuk25

I only knew what I wanted to do when I was 25 (I'm almost 28 now) and that was by chance really! I met a lady yesterday who was 37 and still didn't know what she wanted to do!

I have a degree in French and Politics, went into civil service straight from uni - again, by chance as they are one of biggest employers where I live, did 5 years in civil service but had 3 secondments where I got to work with a charity. Through this I discovered I want to work in youth work. I've now been in a fantastic youth work role for the past year

So don't feel like you have to choose a career path now! Concentrate on building on your skills. You may end up doing jobs you don't like for a few years but in every job you learn new skills, build up contacts and find that doors can open for you.

I hated my civil service job (call centre work mainly) but without it I wouldn't be doing the job I am doing now. Plus I made good friends etc.

The Prospects website is really useful, talk to a uni careers advisor who can give you help, apply for any job that takes your fancy, maybe do some voluntary work to build skills/networks etc.

HTH and good luck

x

misssarahleigh

again thanks for the comments. it just seems like such a mamouth task. I'm also worried i shall find something, study for it and realise i hate the job i picked lol

As you can tell, university has done it's damage. I am 10 a penny, young 20's with a degree isn't anything special anymore:(

misssarahleigh

flutterbyuk25 wrote: »

I only knew what I wanted to do when I was 25 (I'm almost 28 now) and that was by chance really! I met a lady yesterday who was 37 and still didn't know what she wanted to do!

I have a degree in French and Politics, went into civil service straight from uni - again, by chance as they are one of biggest employers where I live, did 5 years in civil service but had 3 secondments where I got to work with a charity. Through this I discovered I want to work in youth work. I've now been in a fantastic youth work role for the past year

So don't feel like you have to choose a career path now! Concentrate on building on your skills. You may end up doing jobs you don't like for a few years but in every job you learn new skills, build up contacts and find that doors can open for you.

I hated my civil service job (call centre work mainly) but without it I wouldn't be doing the job I am doing now. Plus I made good friends etc.

The Prospects website is really useful, talk to a uni careers advisor who can give you help, apply for any job that takes your fancy, maybe do some voluntary work to build skills/networks etc.

HTH and good luck

x

when i became unemployed i tried finding a role in the youth work sector. My degree is not JNC endorsed so cannot work in youth. tried to get round this by volunteering for all sort of people. charities, applied for school jobs etc only to be told without experience i would not be accepted for anything. I occasionally work for the YOT as an appropriate adult but as i work full tine they normally need people during the day.

Tried very hard to find something in the youth field only to be told every single time, no chance.

I've worked in crappy job, so for i have been:

• Sandwich shop worker
• barmain (3 different pubs)
• waitress
• receptionist
• offic temp
• betting office manage
• transport administrator

I've got a far bit of experince lol

moggylover

misssarahleigh wrote: »

again thanks for the comments. it just seems like such a mamouth task. I'm also worried i shall find something, study for it and realise i hate the job i picked lol


As you can tell, university has done it's damage. I am 10 a penny, young 20's with a degree isn't anything special anymore:(

You know, I find it sad that an intelligent girl would let those with an axe to grind make you feel that you have been damaged by uni! You are not "10 a penny" and you have learnt not only a lot about your subject but a lot about yourself and your own life skills in pushing yourself to finish the degree even though you found you didn't like it!

Many of us never really find a job we are totally happy with! I have two degrees earnt many, many years ago when they WERE something out of the ordinary and were supposed to mean quite a lot! I also found that once I had finished the studying the options open to me were not always what I envisaged, and I have worked in lots of other totally unrelated fields as well:D

Use what you have done to take some confidence that you are a "sticker" and pretty determined. Spend some time looking at the careers sites mentioned earlier and then possibly volunteer in some fields that take your interest and see which light your fire and which do not! You may then find that there is something which you would like to study further - you may just find a way into something you like straight off: only time will tell.

Do not be downhearted now - it is a particularly bad time to be looking for any sort of work anyway but that doesn't mean your time has been wasted.

Well done on your dedication and hard work to date and good luck for the future.:beer:

misssarahleigh

Thats a very kind post and made me smile. Thank you for being slightly more upbeat.

I think my confidence took a bit of a knock when i was unfairley dismissed from my job, i couldn't find work with my degree and the credit crunch hit and i was turned down for tesco lol i'm only in my job now by chance as i was temping for 2 week, 8 month later .....

I suppose i have let my struggle get me down. but hopefully this will be a fresh start. plus, would like a job with a little money so i have a chance of moving out of home beforei'm 40 :rotfl:

wontfallforit

My first degree contained a lot of criminology, and it doesn't bear much relation to joining the police. More often than not, academic works in the criminological field criticise the police and their methods...

It's an interesting subject. I don't think it's "useless", but I think students and graduates in social sciences and 'softer' subjects need to have a firm career plan from the outset, otherwise it's quite easy to fall into the "I don't know what to do" mindset.

The problem is, the social sciences tear you in several directions. It's still possible to join the corporate rat race through getting a place on a graduate scheme, but having spent 3 years studying what are often quite social, lively, and dare I say "caring" subjects, you're also dragged in the working with people direction.

If you're willing to do a bit of voluntary work to build up some experience, you could get into the likes youth work, social work, probation work, mentoring, counselling (i.e. for drug/alcohol addictions), rehabilitation of offenders, adult education, etc.

You could always apply direct - or after you've gained some experience - to housing companies, local councils, prisons, police forces, armed forces.

If you're at all interested in people - or rather, people who have fell on hard times! - there are loads of options that could tie in quite nicely with your degree.

If you're not, then there's always the graduate scheme route (though it can be fiercely competetive) into more corporate roles.

Further study might be an option? The MA in Social Work, for instance, comes with a good funding package, and you have the right kind of degree to gain a place (though voluntary/paid experience helps a great deal).

What about the job you have now? Any scope for advancement in the next few years?

----

EDIT - forgot to add, I graduated in the social sciences 4 years ago, did an MA in something totally different 2 years ago, and am now preparing for a career as a financial adviser, having secured employment in a bank early in 2009, which I quite enjoy. Working for a bank never crossed my mind, I was always dead set on social work (or similar), but I lost interest sharpish.

I don't regret going to uni though - it was as much about the experience as the career prospects for me.