Job hunting

Woby_Tide

studentphil wrote: »

Because it was local, the offer with the highest grades, at the best university I had an offer for.

that was the one question that had the least bearing on your thread


to paraphrase, why did you choose a degree with, in your words, no job prospects. Why did you not change earlier in your course to something else? What did you set out aiming to be thinking a philosophy degree was your best bet?

edit: cross posting whilst I typed, you thought philosophy was a good traditional choice? you didn't take general studies at A level did you?

Anold friend did a philosophy degree, he's an online travel agent travelling the world and advising on far eastern holidays. He graduated and got work where he could, he started off in their call centre as an evening job. It's not about what you have, it's about using it to its potential, and to not put to fine a point on it, stop being such a negative !!!! about everything. If an potential employer ever does find this thread and your others, you're probably right that you've stuffed most of your career options

studentphil

Woby_Tide wrote: »

that was the one question that had the least bearing on your thread


to paraphrase, why did you choose a degree with, in your words, no job prospects. Why did you not change earlier in your course to something else? What did you set out aiming to be thinking a philosophy degree was your best bet?

edit: cross posting whilst I typed, you thought philosophy was a good traditional choice? you didn't take general studies at A level did you?

Anold friend did a philosophy degree, he's an online travel agent travelling the world and advising on far eastern holidays. He graduated and got work where he could, he started off in their call centre as an evening job. It's not about what you have, it's about using it to its potential, and to not put to fine a point on it, stop being such a negative !!!! about everything. If an potential employer ever does find this thread and your others, you're probably right that you've stuffed most of your career options

I did not chance course because my Parents would have been heart broken if I had dropped out.
I thought Philosophy had reasonable openings in leading to library work and maybe a university job and even accounting or a big firm if i was lucky.

I thought philosophy would help me become a more rounded person.

peter999

studentphil wrote: »

If my degree and my skills are unless to an employer then I am just on the scrap heap.

Life's a slog.
There are lot more students nowadays & lot more competition for good jobs.

Many students have a tough time getting their 1st decent job after Uni.
It's normal.

peter999

studentphil

peter999 wrote: »

Life's a slog.
There are lot more students nowadays & lot more competition for good jobs.

Many students have a tough time getting their 1st decent job after Uni.
It's normal.

peter999

Except my peers and mates who have been told they can get jobs earning 100 quid a day when they graduate. Just my luck to have friends that will beat me really:o

peter999

studentphil wrote: »

I did not chance course because my Parents would have been heart broken if I had dropped out.
I thought Philosophy had reasonable openings in leading to library work and maybe a university job and even accounting or a big firm if i was lucky.

I thought philosophy would help me become a more rounded person.

How are the other Philosophy students doing ??

Are they getting jobs easily ??
What sort of jobs are they getting ??

peter999

peter999

studentphil wrote: »

Except my peers and mates who have been told they can get jobs earning 100 quid a day when they graduate. Just my luck to have friends that will beat me really:o

Doing what ??
Have they got these jobs ??

peter999

Woby_Tide

maybe make friends with the local paperboys if you base your career around envying what others do?

Savvy_Sue

studentphil wrote: »

I am useless to a business as I have no knowledge of any business function.

How do any of us get any knowledge of any business function? You said earlier you couldn't work in a bank because you know nothing about banking: you've got a bank account, haven't you? That's more than some people have when they start out ...

I temped through my university holidays at the local Polytechnic (showing my age here). One Easter holiday was spent in the photocopying room, copying exam papers. Interesting? No. But I made sure I did a GOOD job, and showed willing whatever I was asked to do.

After Uni I got a job as a Braille proof-reader before I could read Braille (they taught me); I went on to work for a local council's cleansing department when I knew nothing about refuse collection or bin lorries; I moved to a university where I learned how the UCCA system worked and then gained more theoretical knowledge about dance than anyone my shape has a right to ...

When we moved here I used the skills I'd learned through voluntary work to get a job with a Housing Association. What did I know about housing? Zilch. Actually I knew less about using Microsoft Office than all of my team, because I hadn't used it until then, BUT I had an attitude which said "I know there's a way of doing this, now I'll find out what it is" rather than one which said "Oh dear, I don't know how to do this, I can't do this job."

And now I'm working for a charity where our clients' experiences are mostly quite unlike mine. Does that matter? Doesn't seem to: I can still answer the phone, reply to letters, guard the door and make the tea.

My degree's in theology, dead languages my speciality, so stop whinging about how your degree has ruined your life. If you'd known then what you know now, you wouldn't have chosen to go to the 'best' university - best for what? - that made you an offer or to study Philosophy, but ANY subject would have been hard work so finish it and get on with your life. And please, stop threatening us all with doing a Masters until you KNOW it would be useful.

studentphil wrote: »

Local government- so many people want to work there that I do not have a cat in hells chance of a job there.

Except that local authorities are about the most politically correct employers in the country, so IMO you would have an unfair advantage over me, because most - probably all - local authorities GUARANTEE to interview any disabled applicant whose application DEMONSTRATES that they meet the MINIMUM requirements of the Job Spec and Person Spec. So as long as you fill the form in right - which you can often do online, I believe, so even your rotten handwriting won't disadvantage you - you'll get an interview. Whereas unless I declare my deafness (which I probably wouldn't because the loss is so mild), my application will have to look good compared to all the others.

Of course I've told you this before, but you probably don't believe me. Will you believe me if I say it's incredibly similar to working in a university? Hierarchical. Bureaucratic. Pay not fantastic. BUT annual pay rises, good training, AND you're serving the Greater Good. ALL the Greater Good, not just the elite 50% of predominantly young people who make it to University.

studentphil wrote: »

Probably a Library, semi- technical IT job or a university is the only place where my skills might be any good.

Tosh. Whatever skills you have, you can put them to use in a whole lot more places than that.

Oh, and DH has a degree in Maths and Philosophy. Not a good one, and not from a good university. Even with the maths, it's not a degree that fits you for any particular job, but learning to think rigourously ought to serve you well anywhere. Unfortunately you rarely show any evidence of rigourous thinking ...

studentphil wrote: »

No one is talking dream jobs like registrar of the university. I am only applying for jobs as a general dogs body at universities.

:rotfl:I worked in the Registry, and trust me, being Registrar was never MY dream job! :rotfl:

studentphil

peter999 wrote: »

How are the other Philosophy students doing ??

Are they getting jobs easily ??
What sort of jobs are they getting ??

peter999

Most of the ones I know are going into teaching or Masters, some going for gap years too.

doitmyself

Phil, is this, what you do on here, is this Philosophy? If so are you a good or a bad Philosopher? Or is it just vaguely amusing but largely pointless Phil-osophy?