Should I pass up this opportunity?

Oldernotwiser

Mistral001 wrote: »

A few months or even a year of doing not very much after graduating is nothing when you are your age and I cannot see any good employer thinking bad of it. In fact it is likely to help your chances of getting a good decent job in the future as when you are ready for going for interviews in something you are really interested in, you will interview well.

Spending a post university year doing valuable work experience or life enhancing travel may not detract from someone's future career. However, no employer's going to be impressed by a candidate who feels that studying for three years needs to be followed by a year's rest or that starting one's working life by "not doing much" is a good plan.

After all, it doesn't speak well for someone's work ethic or motivation, does it?

graduate123

mountainofdebt wrote: »

So hang on a minute - when you say family do you mean partner and child(ren) or do you mean parents? Either way my comment still stands - who do you expect to support you (and your family now) whilst you're on this jolly, putting your feet up? If it me, then you'll be waiting a long time for any sympathy off me.

Well considering you're supposed to be intelligent and I assume you're aware of the economic climiate / graduate unemployment then asking a stupid question is going to receive the answers it deserves. If you perceive them to be nasty, then stop asking questions you don't want to hear the answers to.

When i say family I mean my disabled father and my younger siblings. I lived at home for university so have no debt, and live off my part time earnings. And I don’t want advice from people like you who are seriously arrogant as well as ignorant! If you need to pick on people to make yourself feel big, then you are a very sad person. Please leave me alone and go sort out your mountain of debt.

graduate123

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I think that many of us attended university when standards were higher and end of year (and in some cases, end of course!) exams were more important.

Many of us have earned the right to some space in our lives, rather than needing a holiday after 3 years' study.

And when you study at Oxford, its not exactly easy, and those who say it is are few and far between. And when i say i want time off, i was thinking of volunteering or getting a less stressful job. And I haven’t had a holiday in 7 years. Sorry that is too much to ask. Oh and your advice is seriously pathetic, please find better uses of your time.

graduate123

Blobby8 wrote: »

Some didnt have a chance of going to university for three years, only to feel exhausted and in need of a break.
Some left school at [STRIKE]sixteen[/STRIKE] fifteen and went straight to work, and some of those would have given anything for the start in life you have had.
Times have changed, if I was born in your era I would probably have got a 2:1 from a half decent uni, as it was I was lucky not to go down the pit.
Go for the interview and try and stand on your own two feet, it feels great.

I never had a good start in life so don't know where you got that one from. A bit of youth envy I feel here. Please vent it somewhere else.

suicidebob

I would ignore the people who say you should jump straight into employment. They act as if there's no jobs around. Sure, some people might have problems getting employment, but that's not the majority by any means.

These people aren't giving advice based on reality. They're giving the advice they think they should be giving. Advice they probably don't follow themselves.

You see, most people on MSE have have never taken a day off sick, never turned up late, never resigned, never had a credit card, never bought branded foodstuffs, they ride around on bikes, they haggle with bus drivers, they watch 12" TVs, they use PCs from the 80s, they wear shoes that have no soles, they stitch their own socks, they've never claimed benefits, they moved out at 16 to work down the pits.

Well, that's what they would like you to believe anyway.

Mistral001

Graduate123

The reality is that you probably can pick and choose your job at the minute and you probably will be able to do that for the next few years. There is nothing wrong with that. You should not feel guilty about that nor let others bully you into feeling guilty about that.

There are lots of careers out there for graduates from a good university. But one thing that a lot of people do not realise is that a degree is just a starting point for most careers. Most professions for example, will require three to five years experience combined with part time study after graduation to get a professional qualification.

You need to be looking at what you will be doing in about 5 to 10 years time at the minute. A few months considering your options now is nothing at this time. I hope things go well for you.

Mischa8

suicidebob wrote: »

I would ignore the people who say you should jump straight into employment. They act as if there's no jobs around. Sure, some people might have problems getting employment, but that's not the majority by any means.

These people aren't giving advice based on reality. They're giving the advice they think they should be giving. Advice they probably don't follow themselves.

You see, most people on MSE have have never taken a day off sick, never turned up late, never resigned, never had a credit card, never bought branded foodstuffs, they ride around on bikes, they haggle with bus drivers, they watch 12" TVs, they use PCs from the 80s, they wear shoes that have no soles, they stitch their own socks, they've never claimed benefits, they moved out at 16 to work down the pits.

Well, that's what they would like you to believe anyway.

Well actually I claimed UB40 last year for 3 months after working for over 20 years.

I think some of the advice is a bit harsh but the OP *is* asking for advice, on a message forum.

If he stated from the word go, that he had no uni debt etc then maybe that would wash well with others here.

However to say he's graduated from Oxford with *no* debt etc at all and just on a part-time job is a bit unbelievable in this day and age. I smell *parents' help* or grants/loans.

My half sister actually *did* graduate from a uni about 15 years ago with no debt and a part-time job because her single mother couldn't afford to help her but she was relying on an over-draft for a while afterwards. And cost of living now is considerably higher than it was then.

I sort of say *if you can't stand the heat* then why bother posting here?! And certainly not sniping back to others who only wish to help OP.

All we're saying is job market is tough etc - do we really want to hear the OP whingeing in a few months that he can't get a job because he passed up this opportunity?! and of course he shouldn't jump at the first opportunity but if you read rest of the employment board they'd sell their teeth for opportunities like he's been offered.

*steps down off soap-box*

claire16c

I dont think theres anything wrong with having some time out after uni, purely because you have your whole life ahead of you to work, and so you might as well take the chance now to spend time doing something different - if you can afford to.

However, I guess it depends on what you would spend your time doing if you didnt take up this possible job offer, probably not a good idea to laze around on the couch .

Some of my friends spent the summer after uni working and then went travelling, could that be an option for you? Ive just got back from 8 months away and it was the best thing I did (however I worked for 3 and a half years after uni to save up for it first). Or at least go on a holiday if you havent had one for years like you say, and celebrate the end of your degree!

Volunteering like you said, could be a good idea - but theres no reason why you couldnt do that and go for the interview anyway?

I always think interviews can be useful just interms of practising them? And you can also use it to find out more about the job and if its something you would really want to do? And if its not, carry on with your volunteering and look for something else? Or who knows you might go to the interview and love what they are offering?

claire16c

Mischa8 wrote: »

Well actually I claimed UB40 last year for 3 months after working for over 20 years.

I think some of the advice is a bit harsh but the OP *is* asking for advice, on a message forum.

If he stated from the word go, that he had no uni debt etc then maybe that would wash well with others here.

However to say he's graduated from Oxford with *no* debt etc at all and just on a part-time job is a bit unbelievable in this day and age. I smell *parents' help* or grants/loans.

My half sister actually *did* graduate from a uni about 15 years ago with no debt and a part-time job because her single mother couldn't afford to help her but she was relying on an over-draft for a while afterwards. And cost of living now is considerably higher than it was then.

If you live at home, then its a lot easier than if you live away to graduate with no debt so its entirely possible (although of course now with the fees increasing this will become a thing of the past unfortunately).

I clocked up about 10k of debt at uni, which was 3 years of student loans, to pay for my rent as I lived away from home, and I only worked in uni holidays so used my overdraft and help from parents for everything else. All of my debt was spent on rent.

However, if I had lived at home and had a part time job all year round, I would have had no need for the loans - as they all went on rent, and therefore shoud have been able to graduate with no debt.

Although, now Ive said all of that, I was at uni when the tuition was 1k a year, which your parents were technically supposed to pay - and mine did, but Im pretty sure anyone who has just graduated would have had to pay 3k per year which you pay back when you start earning around 20k ish?? Im not sure if you are able to pay that upfront or not?

Mischa8

claire16c wrote: »

If you live at home, then its a lot easier than if you live away to graduate with no debt so its entirely possible (although of course now with the fees increasing this will become a thing of the past unfortunately).

I clocked up about 10k of debt at uni, which was 3 years of student loans, to pay for my rent as I lived away from home, and I only worked in uni holidays so used my overdraft and help from parents for everything else. All of my debt was spent on rent.

However, if I had lived at home and had a part time job all year round, I would have had no need for the loans - as they all went on rent, and therefore shoud have been able to graduate with no debt.

Although, now Ive said all of that, I was at uni when the tuition was 1k a year, which your parents were technically supposed to pay - and mine did, but Im pretty sure anyone who has just graduated would have had to pay 3k per year which you pay back when you start earning around 20k ish?? Im not sure if you are able to pay that upfront or not?

I'm talking about tuition fees etc rather than living costs. Either way mum and dad paid for his food and other costs whilst he was at home.

Also, I think like others have said, regardless or not of whether he wants the job he should go along for interview purposes, experience.

Looking at OP's other post it seems as if this job would be *desk job* which he has stated in a previous post he does not want, or would not prefer.

Well we all know which we'd prefer wouldn't we? I'd love not to be a legal secretary stuck at my desk but there you are, I am.

The OP doesn't seem to realise that if even if he does take the job, if it doesn't work out then resign.

It seems as though his parents also may have a hand in him *standing on his feet* and progressing rather than hang around waiting for him to decide what drops into his lap.

And I'm not being harsh just realistic.