How did you get there?

Backfire? You mean if it all goes wrong you end up living with your parents in a town you hate with no job, wait a sec... :p

Zurich, Toronto, New York - think about them when you've pulled yourself out of the little hole you've ended up in, dreaming about and waiting for the the perfect job and the perfect opportunity to land in your lap won't get you anywhere - opportunities present themselves to those who make themselves available and put themselves in those positions in the first place.

I only mean the other cities as it's something a little different. I'm pretty disdainful of our 'great' city if truth be told.

The reason I think this town is so awful is because the crap is filtered down from London.

Go read 'Yes Man' or something :p

Would you believe me if I told you it was on the 'list'? :D

I think Mr Wallace is a very interesting bloke.

Cheers man.
 
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Recovering from the former. As someone mentioned earlier: it has a habit of recurring and it hit me pretty bad not so long ago. I'm not mopey at the moment, but I'm not going to deny the fact that things don't quite smell as sweet as they should.

And work of any type is a good cure for that, it acts as a good distraction for the mind, especially work that involves expelling energy, it will honestly make you feel better, trust me, just take what you can get for now but don't ever give up on what you ultimately want to do.

Fake Edit -

Just read your above edit, that's good mate, I hope you get it.
 
Just read your above edit, that's good mate, I hope you get it.

In my friend's words "They're crying out for staff mate. Just put me down as a reference and you'll probably be starting in a couple of weeks."

Fingers crossed. It will certainly help to get things ticking over again at least. In the worst case, I knuckle down and save for that masters. :)

All I'm saying is, the opportunity (this is certainly just that) just hasn't been there for me for ages despite me really looking. I started off a little fussy about a year ago, but that died very quickly. Since before Christmas I've been after anything! This is probably why I'm getting a little defensive and annoyed at some responses because it feels like I'm being accused of simply not looking or trying hard enough. The reason I don't wish to gamble by moving to the city for example is just that: I don't wish to dig the hole any deeper. I'm looking for the practical, sensible option. For months the phrase "Get a job, any job." was thrown my way. For months is has also been exactly what I've been trying to do with the exception of McDonalds et al.

Thanks for the wishes though. Here's to hoping I update this with a little good news soon.
 
Think I'm in a very similar position to you; graduated in 2008 from York with a 2.1 in Philosophy and a view to doing PR and marketing, and have pretty much got nowhere. I had a 6 month internship doing marketing for an IT company down near London (got this through my dad - seriously, use any contacts available to you!) which finished in June, and have had a number of interviews following that, but haven't got my hands on a job yet.

I can't say a lot except for "stick at it". Are your parents willing to help you out a bit money-wise, at least in terms of living space and food? I'm seriously considering going out and finding myself a few months more experience in marketing, even if it's poorly paid or free; I found the 6 months I did earlier this year to be fantastic, and would jump at the chance to do something similar again.

Finally, with regards to the driving, do what somebody else suggested and go to a different test centre. I took my test 5 times at one test centre (which coincidentally has the 4th lowest pass rate in the country), twice getting 2 minors and a single major. I then went down to Newbury, had 6 hours straight of lessons with a test at the end of it and passed with one minor. If you have any money at all to spare, even if it means borrowing a few hundred from somebody, I'd seriously recommend doing it. It gave me a massive lift, and much more freedom to look for work in slightly more remote areas.

Good luck, and you're not alone :D
 
I know exactly how you're feeling Nix. I was a bright young lad with lots of hope, motivation and a good future ahead of me once, but it all seems to have disappeared and suddenly I'm a lot older. I know where I went wrong. When I was younger I had a dream, a vision of where and what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I didn't stick to that. Do a little of this and that too much and before you know it you're good at *stuff* but not specialised enough to get where you wanted to be. I hope that makes sense. Try and make a plan and stick to it as best you can. Look at what the consequences of your actions might be in the future.

Jonny, 30 is far from past it mate. :)

On the bright side: you're ahead of me in experience so when the economy does pick up again you'll have your pick of the litter. I really hope it works out for you mate. It's just as dangerous for you to stop trying as it for myself.
 
Currently, I am sort of where I wish to be - finished university with a 2:1 in Internet Tech & Business with views to do a masters when I get the cash together and move on from there.

Currently though, I am redundant from my last job with nearly all my fees saved - but not as much as I want (And being redundant has meant I have dipped into the savings slightly).

Not exactly in the best position at the moment - but I am happy (and have a job lined up hopefully, nothing great but its money and it pushes me toward the future goal). I am 23 and have the time and the power to make my life go where I want, and while I am working toward that goal and savings I can geek out along the way to make sure I don't grow old before my time :p

Rich
 
I left uni in 2004 and was working on a £6.53 an hour job 40+ hours a week. Was out one night talked to a girl who was doing "Town Planning" though that sounded interesting and the next day I applied to Univeristy to do a Masters in the subject. 3 years later I have had two promotions and now a Senior Planner earning 35k progressing steadly towards 40k.

I never thought things would ever go so well for me when I was stuck in that crappy job, I guess the key is not to give up and you will eventually get your break.

Borich
 
I just thought it'd be nice to have a little update on poster's situations?

Since this thread was made, I did get that job in the bookies I mentioned and I've now been working there for about 4-5 months. The pay's not great and I don't really feel like I'm going anywhere but it's allowed me to stand back up on my feet again.

I've cleared at least three debts since this thread began, and now - excluding my student debt - have a total of about ~£1300 left to clear which is easily doable. At the very least, I no longer have people banging on my door or trying to extort me.

I re-did my driving theory in November and I will be looking to passing the practical as soon as possible. At work, I will shortly be 'signed off' which means I'll be duty managing, and in turn this shall mean more hours, a litter higher pay per hour and I can whack something practical down on my C.V.

I'm currently still exploring all my options, and will be looking for 'proper' jobs within the next few months I imagine. Obviously, I can't really 'save' for any post-graduate courses with the money I'm earning, but it's still something I plan to do. There's currently talks with a friend about saving a couple of grand and backpacking for a year, working across the globe. We'll have to see what unfolds in the next six months though, as the whole thing seems so unpredictable.

So, all in all, I can guess you can say things aren't as bad as they were. They're still not brillliant, and in many respects have hardly changed - maybe I've just stopped fighting against the status quo? - but I at least feel like I'm taking a couple of steps forward, rather than rotting away as before. I still wouldn't say I'm 'content' with how things are, but I'm certainly not as miserable.

Anyway, it's a brand new decade now and it will be good to me. I've decided it will be. :p

How are you others getting on?
 
Brief update then. I'm now 6 months into my job as a trainee accountant and coincidentally had my quarterly PDR today, largely a formality as the general gist of it was "you're doing fine, keep going". Other than that life is just carrying on well enough, got some exams to sit, friends that I'll go visit in foreign places this year hopefully and see what else the year brings.

Nix: glad to hear that things are looking up a bit at least, well done on the steps you've taken so far.
 
after a year, I finally started my real job, so far so good, only been there 2 days, got a late start and early leaving on the first day, early leaving the second day (today) and probably won't have to go in tomorrow >.<
it's pretty laid back lol
 
I am now apparently a Business Analyst. I dont really know what I'm doing yet but I've only been there 2 days so I think thats allowed :D Seems like it's going to be pretty enjoyable. Got there by doing both undergraduate and postgraduate in businessy subjects but by far the biggest influence was my years finance placement in the public sector probably. The whole job hunting process went flukily well - it was the first job I applied for, a month after getting back from Oz and 3 days after handing in my Dissertation.
 
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