Valuable qualifications

jp_bl_68 · 27 Feb 2011 at 10:07

I'm 25 and I work a minimum wage job. I've got decent GCSEs (4 As, 4 Bs, 1 C) and A Levels (A, B, C) but I dropped out of uni in my first year and have done nothing worthwhile with my life since then. I've had a few health problems which I'm working through at the moment.

I've never known what to do with my life. At uni I studied English as it was always my strongest subject (this might not be apparent from some of my posts) but I've no interest in studying it anymore. I've never had even the slightest idea of what career I might like to have. I've given it plenty of thought but always come up blank.

I want to do more with my life. I want a job that's challenging and pays well (i.e. more than £6 an hour) but I have no idea what that job could be.

If you were in my position what would you do?

I suppose the obvious answer would be: figure out what you want. I've not had much luck with this so far.

I think I'd benefit from obtaining some kind of qualification. Something that would help get me a job that could become my career. What qualifications do you think are most highly valued these days?

bloodiedathame · 27 Feb 2011 at 10:11

If I were in your shoes I would seriously consider what you enjoy. What is your ideal job? There are so many opportunities out there, there is no reason why you can't live the dream.

Deadbeat · 27 Feb 2011 at 10:15

I'd advise apprenticeships or trainee courses - great way to get a degree qualification and get paid to do it. The only issue is that you'd almost definitely need experience in teh field to stand a chance of getting a place.

Zefan · 27 Feb 2011 at 10:20

I'd do what I did when I was in a similar position, join the forces. Getting paid to go to classes is what I did for the whole of 2009.

Do your health issues rule that option out?

jp_bl_68 · 27 Feb 2011 at 10:27

I'm currently on anti-depressants. I'm not sure if that rules me out.

Tbh, I don't think I'm army material.

semi-pro waster · 27 Feb 2011 at 10:31

Is there anything that you can see yourself doing i.e. do you have any sort of aim here beyond earning more than £6 p/h or whatever?

In your position if you don't mind doing office jobs then I might well consider temping for a year or two - it'll give you experience of a variety of different working environments so may help you decide what you want to do, it'll probably pay more than minimum wage and it should help your confidence in knowing that wherever you go you'll be able to fit in reasonably well and quickly. It's not something I'd recommend doing forever but it can on occasion be quite interesting and even if it just highlights what you don't want to do then you've achieved something.

Zefan · 27 Feb 2011 at 10:33

Probably best to count that one out! Still worth giving it some though if you change your mind, get to see the world (not just deployment), paid relatively well if you choose the right trade, and you are thrust into a community where there are so many opportunities to get involved. Definitely the best thing I did when I was in almost exactly the same position, although I realised that it was what I wanted to do, which I guess is where we differ

dannycivic02 · 27 Feb 2011 at 10:40

Zefan said:
Probably best to count that one out! Still worth giving it some though if you change your mind, get to see the world (not just deployment), paid relatively well if you choose the right trade, and you are thrust into a community where there are so many opportunities to get involved. Definitely the best thing I did when I was in almost exactly the same position, although I realised that it was what I wanted to do, which I guess is where we differ

Same for me best thing I did never had much else going for me, although theres always the RAF thats the way I wish I would have gone if I could do over.

HangTime · 27 Feb 2011 at 10:43

This probably sounds stupid but you could try just doing any old job that you see having a potential employment path with that employer, as this may help to shape the way you feel about things.

I was in a similar position to yourself (good GCSEs/A-levels plus a rubbish degree) at 21 and I just took a job paying £10k/year as a Print Technician. In hindsight I probably chose the wrong job as it didn't have much in the way of recognisable transferrable skills but eventually I moved into a different role within the company (Support Analyst). That then opened my eyes a bit in terms of what opportunities there were in the IT industry and I've now progressed through a range of roles into a relatively comfortable position.

The point I'm making here is that at 21 I didn't know that such a job as my current (or previous one) existed, it was only by working that I learnt about some of the opportunities out there.

jp_bl_68 · 27 Feb 2011 at 13:47

semi-pro waster said:
Is there anything that you can see yourself doing i.e. do you have any sort of aim here beyond earning more than £6 p/h or whatever?

No, not really.But I'm prepared to give most things a go.

HangTime said:
This probably sounds stupid but you could try just doing any old job that you see having a potential employment path with that employer, as this may help to shape the way you feel about things.

Actually, this sounds like a good idea.

dowie · 27 Feb 2011 at 14:03

jp_bl_68 said:
I suppose the obvious answer would be: figure out what you want. I've not had much luck with this so far.

I think I'd benefit from obtaining some kind of qualification. Something that would help get me a job that could become my career. What qualifications do you think are most highly valued these days?

Do something you enjoy - yes it is the obvious answer...

I think simply choosing something simply because you believe it will be highly valuable isn't necessarily a good idea. You're more likely to succeed in a field you're passionate about.

jp_bl_68 · 27 Feb 2011 at 14:05

The problem is there really isn't anything I'm passionate about.

britboy4321 · 27 Feb 2011 at 14:09

Most people arn't passionate about anything - they just do whatever is 'least bad'.

One of my mates (male) was in the same situation as you and he became a nurse. Best thing he ever did:
1) Amazing terms and conditions (he took 6 months off for 'depression' (as you have) and they paid full pay every single day and kept his pension going and didnt give him any grief whatsoever - seems they do not care that much about giving away money compared to a business). Also he takes sickies whenever he fancies (paid - I rckon average 1 day a week) - they let him off as 'he works so much with sick people no wonder he catches stuff'. Surreal - but cool ..
2) Not as bad paid as everyone thinks
3) It's about 85% girls, all fairly young who love going out getting hammered and having fun (!!) - so easy to meet girls
4) You can work the hours you want really. Fancy a new monitor? Ask for some extra hours - get them immediately they always need people, and you get the money!
5) Once qualified you can work just about anywhere in the world as nurses are needed anywhere. Fancy working on the gold coast in Australia? No problem ...

Also - like valium? cant get it? Trust me - become a nurse

semi-pro waster · 27 Feb 2011 at 14:09

jp_bl_68 said:
No, not really.But I'm prepared to give most things a go.

I thought that might be the case hence why I'd suggest temping for a while, it means that you should get exposed to a fair few businesses in a short range of time and you're not so restricted in terms of contracts if you don't think it is for you. Less security of course and holiday pay etc but that's just the trade off.

dowie · 27 Feb 2011 at 14:09

jp_bl_68 said:
The problem is there really isn't anything I'm passionate about.

Well I bet there's stuff you're not passionate about - why not at least eliminate certain options.

Would you be happy doing deep sea diving? Would you have an aversion to doing something manual - plumbing etc... Would you hate being stuck at a desk staring at a spread sheet.