Job hunting

studentphil

peter999 wrote: »

How are the other Philosophy students doing ??

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

peter999

Building computer systems

They have not got them yet, but their lecturers say that they should earn about 100- 500 quid a day.

Woby_Tide

so they haven't got jobs either, yet they can get computer jobs and you can't


I can see why you did philosphy more and more


*goes to pitch 'Pontificating' degree to universities*

Savvy_Sue

studentphil wrote: »

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

So, comparing like for like, you're doing OK.

studentphil wrote: »

They have not got them yet, but their lecturers say that they should earn about 100- 500 quid a day.

My immediated response to that is that they (their lecturers) would say that, wouldn't they? When they've got those jobs, THEN you can come back and moan about how hard done by you are.

On second thoughts, no you can't. IF your friends get jobs paying that well, it would appear to be because they have technical skills (building computer systems) which are in demand. You do not. I will not say that any fool can do admin, because many fools make a complete pigs ear of it, and a GOOD administrator is worth their weight in gold. However, the skills required to make a GOOD administrator are not rocket science, and most fools can pick them up.

studentphil

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

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.

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.

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 ...

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

It is not that I don't believe you. I just have an awfully bad opinion of myself and I just naturally see the worst in me.

I think I have a lot of good points but until someone gives me a job and shows faith in me then I can not know all these good qualities are true and other people can see them.

I find the whole job application thing hard as it involves being rejected and being told you are not good enough and that compounds my bad self image.

I do try to believe that the future is bright and that everyone is right that it can be good.

I am sure there must be some jobs about that will train you and will take you on if you are not perfect, but all these job ad look like you have to be perfect.

I will try to worry less.
I think I am just a bit too negative.

studentphil

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

So, comparing like for like, you're doing OK.

My immediated response to that is that they (their lecturers) would say that, wouldn't they? When they've got those jobs, THEN you can come back and moan about how hard done by you are.

On second thoughts, no you can't. IF your friends get jobs paying that well, it would appear to be because they have technical skills (building computer systems) which are in demand. You do not. I will not say that any fool can do admin, because many fools make a complete pigs ear of it, and a GOOD administrator is worth their weight in gold. However, the skills required to make a GOOD administrator are not rocket science, and most fools can pick them up.

Sure the lecturers will just say it.

I do find it strange that they can hope to get a 40 000 a year job straight out of uni. It is not like their course requires good Maths(no more than grade C GCSE) they don't learn databases or programming.

It might be a load of junk their lecturers say, but I have nothing to disprove it, so I assume it is true.

Woby_Tide

If you are perfect for a job when you are applying then you are too costly for them and the job will be beneath you and help neither yourself nor the employer improve.

whilst I've little sympathy for you, your parents deserve the biggest slap for suggesting you not do something like surveying when you wanted to

and probably about 0.01% of graduates get £40k per year straight out of uni, the average leaving wage is under £20k

studentphil

I do not want to do Admin forever, I would want a job that was an officers post at university in the future(that is where I want to be). I know the difference between Admin and officers is not huge. But Admin is what I can get for now

[Deleted User]

There's a high chance that your first job won't be a 'graduate' job - it might be your 1st or second.. try not to plan out your life too much.

I worked in a surveyors office in the summer after my 1st year of uni - it looked like a cool job, it paid really well and had a direct vocation - your parents do need a slap for not letting your do that.

No one gets a 40K IT job out of uni, i knew a guy who did java programming for a bank in london, he'd been doing it 2 years and was earning just under 30K. IT pay has shrunk a lot in the last few years. The two people my age (27) that I know that make > 40K are both with big consultancy firms, have been doing it for 4 years and are both 'high flyers'

studentphil

ringo_24601 wrote: »

There's a high chance that your first job won't be a 'graduate' job - it might be your 1st or second.. try not to plan out your life too much.

I worked in a surveyors office in the summer after my 1st year of uni - it looked like a cool job, it paid really well and had a direct vocation - your parents do need a slap for not letting your do that.

No one gets a 40K IT job out of uni, i knew a guy who did java programming for a bank in london, he'd been doing it 2 years and was earning just under 30K. IT pay has shrunk a lot in the last few years. The two people my age (27) that I know that make > 40K are both with big consultancy firms, have been doing it for 4 years and are both 'high flyers'

My parents were right about surveying that it might have been too physical for me and I could not drive at the time.

So it was not like they put me off it for no good reason.

I thought 100 quid a day was a bit high for IT. my mates mightget a disappointment then.

peter999

studentphil wrote: »

Building computer systems

They have not got them yet, but their lecturers say that they should earn about 100- 500 quid a day.

These are hypothetical jobs !!

Who is handing out cushy £100/day jobs building computer systems ??
These are probably temporary jobs.

£10/hour jobs will be snapped up & are not handed out on a plate, as they're a lot more than minimum wage (£5.35/hour).

peter999