Dream Jobs

Arbitrax

If you love animals, don't do zoology as a degree subject.

Had a few people in the first year drop out when they realised that you spend far more time looking inside dead/dying animals than helping them.

However, if working with animals in a husbandry/zookeeping context is something you want to try out, write a letter to your local zoo asking for a week's unpaid work experience. That way you can see if it really is for you.

My top tip: Get used to the smell of poo - you will smell of it for a week afterwards! The elephants, while majestic beasts, are a shovel and wheelbarrow job when it comes to 'mucking out.'

If you do decide you like it, there are animal care/animal husbandry qualifications available at FE colleges, with a vocational component. However, more likely than not you will be expected to find a zoo/workplace to sign off your portfolio. Which is why the work experience will come in handy.

Happy hunting!

CFC

As Kirwell says, you need to focus. You don't actually sound as if you know what you want to do, it also sounds as if possibly your dream jobs are just that - jobs of which you have a dream rather than actually knowing something about them.

If you want to know more about working in the mental health field, try volunteering for a homeless charity or similar.
More about being a librarian - research in books what the job is actually like on a daily basis.
Dog trainer? Get your own amateur dog training skills up to a high level.

skattykatty

hmmm...as others have said, it doesn't really sound like you really know what you want to do. I would imagine a dream job is one you focus on, even in times when it feels unreachable as a goal.

Counselling/Therapist training usually require trainees to be, at least, 24 as you need 'life' experience. Also, I imagine that doing some kind of paid/voluntary work in a related area would help. As things stand at the moment, it is recommended that you study for a Batchelor degree in order to qualify as a Counsellor and a Masters degree to qualify as a Therapist. In order to get into the specified area, i imagine you will need to train as a counsellor/therapist and then specialise. This will take some time. SO, if you're not on the road in ANY way at the moment, e.g. reading some books, looking into voluntary work etc. I'm not sure if you're quite ready for it!

scooby088

My dream job would have to be bed tester..

Nixer

My friend became a counsellor with a degree and then did a masters, but I'm pretty sure you don't need a degree at all - her degree was in drama and she changed career from being a stage manager. She actually got into counselling by doing a diploma at tech in the evenings.

But skattycatty is right in that you do need some "life experience" before you do it as your main career, my friend was about 27 when she started the diploma and she was the youngest in her class by at least 5 years. I'd imagine doing something like volunteering would be a way to get into it, although the only thing that springs to mind is Samaritans but that's probably a bit full on for someone without any experience. Whoever accredits counsellors (is it still BAC?) would be able to advise.

bristol_pilot

Like many posters on these boards, it seems you want the 'dream job' but can't be bothered with spending 3-7 years at university followed by 2-5 years of professional training that it actually takes to get a professional level job. THAT is how the hell people get these type of jobs.

Annisele

I'm currently doing a job that I really enjoy. It's not quite my dream job, but I'm getting there!

When I was 19 I didn't even know my current job existed. I fell into the industry at random (I was temping; left the jobs I didn't like in other industries, and stayed and got promoted in the one job that was more to me than food on the table).

It sounds as though the OP really doesn't know what they want to do, so I'd strongly recommend lots of different things - even if they think they'll hate them - until they find something that makes them want to get up and go to work. Dream job might be something they haven't even heard of yet!

Beautifulmess

downshifter wrote: »

There are always roads to get there - if you want to be a librarian you need to get really good at researching things so researching your dream jobs would be a good start. Public libraries might be closing (in some places) but there are zillion other libraries, in colleges, charities, government bodies such as civil service, lots in private organisations such as law firms etc. and more and more and more. Also with librarianship skills you can do masses of other jobs such as information officers, various IT things and well, the world's your oyster. Have a read through CILIP's website (www.cilip.org.uk) for more info. Why don't you apply to your local library to volunteer? I do that now. It will work wonders for your stress levels, will get you out meeting people and give you a flavour of the varied world of libraries and information. By the way, I qualified by going back to university when my children were at school, first full time then continued part time while working. Check the training section of the Cilip website to find out more.

There are also professional bodies for counselling and probably dog training too, do some research to really find out if this is what you want.

Good luck

DS

Already tried the volunteering through the library, they pay people so aren't allowed to have people doing the same jobs for no money (as they put it) I've even tried to volunteer on the moving library but again they employ people for it... no luck.

Beautifulmess

Shelley84 wrote: »

If I read your post right, you are 19? If so you still have so much time to get into these fields. Try out as assistants to those jobs, you can then learn as you go and also find out how to do the actual job you want.

I want to be a Forensic Scientist. Its my dream job! But at 26, a single mother still living with my own mother and stupid amount of debt I dont see it happening, plus I have no A-Levels or a degree!!

Stick with it if its what you really want to do :-)

I REALLY want to be a psycho sexual therapist, the reason I have other choices is coz every time I get even a step closer to the goal the education system revalue everything and then I'm one step behind.

I'm 21, turning 22 in a few weeks, I am past education level I'm afraid, 19 is your MAX age for college unless you pay. £600 a course? Don't think so...

I have a level 2 in counselling skills, I need level 3 or a certificate in counselling to get onto the diploma, then from that I can take the degree,then masters and then I can specalise in relationships and sex. I will do this but like most people I've noticed, I'll probs be doing it when I'm married and have kids lol. I mean my boyfriend is trying to make it easier for me, to take the course and pay for it all (obviously owing him) but I'm not getting into that sort of situation.

So all in all, the only reason I seem like I don't know what I want to do, is once I've settled on something, the idiots who run our country mess it up for me so they can make it better for themselves. £600 for a 14 week course is terrible. It's all part time so I can't even get university funding.

Beautifulmess

bristol_pilot wrote: »

Like many posters on these boards, it seems you want the 'dream job' but can't be bothered with spending 3-7 years at university followed by 2-5 years of professional training that it actually takes to get a professional level job. THAT is how the hell people get these type of jobs.

I can be bothered, but find me the funding and I'll get there and study my !!!! off... Thank you for judging me so quickly. I have been in education pretty much since I left high school and yet it's getting me no-where because the government keeps changing the 'grade' on which you qualifire, when I started my counselling the grade for becoming professional was dipolma, then degree and NOW it's a masters, £6500 all together, if I had it? I'd go and do it... simple as. But who has £6500 right now and once I've gotta a dead end job and saved that amount, I'm sure it'll of doubled, never the less, I will do it.