The 5 year plan to £50k

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FoxEye

FoxEye

FoxEye

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OK, here goes. I want to start a career. The goal is to get to £50k p.a. in 5 years, starting with nothing. Only GCSEs. I'm not sure if this is even possible, but maybe you guys have done something similar.

Basically I'm 34 and have done **** all up to this point to take control of my life. I'd like to change that. Step 1 will be to get a career, and then move out of my parents basement. Feel free to mercilessly take the **** at this point. (Step 3 is to get a cat, btw. I need a cat in my life but my parents hate them :().

So today I'm looking at various job sites, but it's bewildering. Also the jobs I thought would be good earners (software devs, etc) aren't nearly as good as I thought (various people offering 20k for a software dev with experience :()

I keep wondering how people get started and how the heck they end up where they are. I mean, who leaves school thinking he'll be a crane operator, or a control room operator, working on an oil rig? Where do the opportunities come from? P.S. I'm not using them as example of my dream job, just decent paying jobs.

So anyway I just have GCSEs. Got A's in Maths/English/Science. But that's all! I've been to uni and dropped out, and in the process used all of my loan eligibility (I was at uni for 4.5 years, dossing around like a moron. I was a moron. I still am really, as my posts here attest to).

I have no money to fund going back to uni, nor do I want to unless there's no other way.

I currently earn 27k doing **** all for the local council (sorry, tax-payers). It's depressing because I don't learn anything, and there's so little work for me to do I spend most of my time here on OcUK :p I'm vaguely "in IT" if you could call doing nothing at all "IT". I have average IT skills for someone on OcUK. But nothing "skilled" because most 1st/2nd line stuff is child's play, and a monkey could do it.

So, imagine you are me. Where do you start? All I'm doing atm is looking on job sites but I don't think this is the smartest way of finding a good paying career. All I'm finding is work I'm not qualified to do.

What do?
 
Get another second job with the council doing the same thing, dont leave your current job. Bingo 54k a year and as you say you dont do anything so it should be manageable from a man hour POV.
 
yhhhmmm, 5 yrs? no qualifications and in cornwall. good luck lol

try to become a rastabout on the rigs, that will get u 50-70k may need to be a labourer for a few yrs first on onshore stuff first.
 
Easy way, try and get a job as a steward offshore (basically a cleaner and kitchen helper) if you want to go the roustabout route, you need to be physically able and most of them start young. Could try getting your rigging/welding tickets but all of those are expensive (You will be looking at around 10-20k in total in qualifications and travel) and you'll need to take a job at a moments notice, so kick your council safety net good bye now (when I say a moments notice, you'll have to make your self available for one days work as fill in when/if required to get it on your CV).

KaHn

/edit :- other way could be your ATC course, (if you manage to pass the tests)
 
IronWarrior said:
How do you start on that ladder? :eek:
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Be a labourer/plater/welder for an onshore module company, then get one of your contacts to get you offshore.

It isn't a cake walk and certainly isn't something I would want to do...

its back breaking hard graft but pays well if you have no qualifications and cannot get a welding or plater job offshore.

I couldn't do it, i'll stay in utilities for now then try get up to Aberdeen in a couple of more years.
 
LOAM said:
Get another second job with the council doing the same thing, dont leave your current job. Bingo 54k a year and as you say you dont do anything so it should be manageable from a man hour POV.
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I don't want to make a career from doing nothing whilst being a drain on everyone else :p I'd actually like to do something useful and valuable, eventually.

Thanks for the suggestions so far; keep em coming!

[edit: doesn't have to be Cornwall if the wage would cover rent, naturally. Nobody ever got rich in Cornwall, I don't think ;)]
 
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FoxEye said:
I don't want to make a career from doing nothing whilst being a drain on everyone else :p I'd actually like to do something useful and valuable, eventually.

Thanks for the suggestions so far; keep em coming!

[edit: doesn't have to be Cornwall if the wage would cover rent, naturally. Nobody ever got rich in Cornwall, I don't think ;)]
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Discover a tin mine?
 
KaHn said:
No offence, but at 34, I'm really skeptical that you'll actually change.

KaHn
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Let's pretend, OK?

Honestly in other threads there's plenty of people saying "If you aren't happy, do something about it, don't moan about it." Which is fair enough.

But then when you want to do something, and ask for a little help, you get this kind of reply? You honestly think that helps, KaHn?
 
FoxEye said:
Let's pretend, OK?

Honestly in other threads there's plenty of people saying "If you aren't happy, do something about it, don't moan about it." Which is fair enough.

But then when you want to do something, and ask for a little help, you get this kind of reply? You honestly think that helps, KaHn?
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Prove me wrong, I've given help in this thread, but I am skeptical, I give the same advice to loads of people asking how to "get offshore". The end of the day you have to make the change in your life, people will always doubt you.

The main point is why now? Why not 10 years ago? or 5years ago?

KaHn
 
£20k sounds a bit low. What type of software/coding did it need? (Or was that just in the immediate area?).

Only reason I ask is I was looking to see what my skills were worth if I packed in my electrical business. Average wage for a mobile app dev is £42k according to total jobs.
 
KaHn said:
Prove me wrong, I've given help in this thread, but I am skeptical, I give the same advice to loads of people asking how to "get offshore". The end of the day you have to make the change in your life, people will always doubt you.

The main point is why now? Why not 10 years ago? or 5years ago?

KaHn
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I guess whys? are kind of irrelevant now.

He has admitted to wanting to try and change and that's the first step.

Let the guy at least try
 
Look into it courses you can be put onto (via company) that improve your skills? (and thus command higher salary)

The current easy job sounds like it suits you (why not!?) Just try work upwards?

Why the need for more money? Why 50k? Working from the bottom up in a new industry I doubt you'll make that amount. Also could be a case of "the grass is always greener"
 
The only way you'll get to 50k in 5 years in your position is working for yourself, imo. It's the only job you'll get where nobody will look at your grades, experience or CV, which could quite easily be viewed negatively. It's also not capped in as such as there's no ladder to climb, no waiting for the person above to leave/retire, etc.

In a normal job, you'll be hard pushed. Most people don't even make it to 30k doing the same job for their entire life, and I'm not sure what % of the UK population are on 50k+ but it can't be many.

Edit: 1.68m people are on 50k+ according the Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_in_the_United_Kingdom), or 2.6% of the UK population.
 
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Kahn, is it realistic to jump from a Water company as an Asset Planning Team Leader to the oil industry as an Asset Planner?

I dont use P6 directly but the company does, is it worth going on a course?

I have some certificates in Asset Management and am looking at a couple of masters but not sure it will benefit me given my experience.

There is a chance I may be able to go to a "sister company" for a time and work onshore/off in India on a contract out there, maybe its best I do that first?
 
No but you're basically asking what the easiest way to improve your life with no qualifications, to the point of earning double the average wage. As I've said in other threads lots of people will complain about not having something than actually changing.

If you're going to change then great, but trying to tell me I'm trying to put you down when I've given pretty decent advice is a bit wrong, I just want you to actually go out and start working your backside off to get to where you want to be and not just ask for advice or sympathy from a forum.

KaHn
 
craptakular said:
Kahn, is it realistic to jump from a Water company as an Asset Planning Team Leader to the oil industry as an Asset Planner?

I dont use P6 directly but the company does, is it worth going on a course?

I have some certificates in Asset Management and am looking at a couple of masters but not sure it will benefit me given my experience.

There is a chance I may be able to go to a "sister company" for a time and work onshore/off in India on a contract out there, maybe its best I do that first?
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Depending on what your background is you could look at things like this.

http://www.newenergyjobs.co.uk/

See if anything you could apply to on that or one of the other conversion courses offered by some of the major contractors (subsea7, technip and saipem).

KaHn
 
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