Such is life

[cosmos]

I left school last year because I hated it.
I started college doing HND Computing. Ive changed so much since ive left school and stuff. Now I think im going to fail, but not because I cant do it, it's because I get bored doing work that isnt practical, essays etc. No matter how much time I set aside etc I just cant make myself do it.

Im wondering where life is going for me.
I currently have a part time job aswell as college and although it's shit I dont really mind doing it.

I dont think any course is for me, the only reason I even started college was because of pressure from parents.

I do not however, want a "stable" job thats gonna give me a pension. If god was good to me id be a talented musician but im not. Im not sure what options are open to "losers" like myself. I see lots of people doing the school>uni>job>marraige>kids>death thing but I just couldnt.
Currently im feeling hopeless and dont know what to do.

 

[Munkey-]

the solution, my friend. is never take ICT.


only 1% is computer work

the rest is art and DT cunningly disguised.


and. go see what your current career options are

 

[old.Devilfish2k2]

To do a HND course you must first do a ND,GNVQ or A/AS, So how the hell did u get onto the course just one year after school ?

 

[cosmos]

I believe in England you do college after GCSE's.
We have 2 more years of school instead.

 

[xane]

Originally posted by cosmos
Im not sure what options are open to "losers" like myself.

You could always try "optimism", that's quite a good subject.

 

[xenon2000]

Originally posted by cosmos
I believe in England you do college after GCSE's.
We have 2 more years of school instead.

Sort of... you can attend sixth form instead of college though, which is commonly reffered to as 'school' anyway.

And I am in a pretty similar situation as you, as it happens

 

[Moving Target]

You can do optimism now?

 

[old.Jas]

Originally posted by cosmos
I left school last year because I hated it.
I started college doing HND Computing. Ive changed so much since ive left school and stuff. Now I think im going to fail, but not because I cant do it, it's because I get bored doing work that isnt practical, essays etc. No matter how much time I set aside etc I just cant make myself do it.

I was exactly the same situation as you two years ago. I'd done nearly a year of an Advanced GNVQ IT and was bored out of my mind.

I quit, loafed for a while and then hit the job centre. 3 jobs, 2 quits, 1 redundancy and 2 years later I'm contracting from home and having great fun.

I do not however, want a "stable" job thats gonna give me a pension

Everyone thinks that when thier 12-20 years old

 

[xenon2000]

Re: Re: Such is life

Originally posted by Jas
I quit, loafed for a while and then hit the job centre. 3 jobs, 2 quits, 1 redundancy and 2 years later I'm contracting from home and having great fun.

After GCSEs I stayed on at sixth form taking a few AS levels, but failed the first few modules in two of them, and did pretty crap in the other, so I left and got a cheap job in a local garage for the rest of the year. I started college that September, and am now nearly a year through both a BTEC in Computing, and a maths A level (again). Both stink.
Basically, what sort of jobs did you apply for, and what qualifications did they ask about? (I got fairly OK GCSEs btw... ABBBBBBCC. The A is maths, but anything above gcse standard I'm shite with).

 

[old.Jas]

I've got AAAABBBBBCDD at GCSE, an RSA (Lvl 3) in Integrated Business Technology, and I was a UK finalist in the IBM IT User of the Year competition 1999 (link)

The first job I got was for a small CD brochure production company. They basically needed a guy to do web stuff, CD based presentations (using an obsure product that no longer exists), and a little audio/video editing.

I found it at the job centre - I was fairly sceptical about finding a techie job in a rural job centre (I lived in Devon at the time) - but they were really helpful.

After getting my first techie job I got my big break being offered a job at a multinational online recruitment advertising company.

The main thing that surprised me about job hunting is that people aren't interested in qualifications - they are more interested in you as a person. After all - you can train someone to learn the job, but you can't make them work in a team or get on with people.

 

[xenon2000]

Jas, If that's true, then it's probably the most useful thing I've ever read on an online forum

I'm starting to seriously think about quitting now, tbh.

 

[*charlton_thd*]

I've just applied for a job at Gamestation!!!

 

[old.Jas]

Originally posted by xenon2000
Jas, If that's true, then it's probably the most useful thing I've ever read on an online forum

I'm starting to seriously think about quitting now, tbh.

Its just what I have found, glad you found it useful

Get a new job before you quit!

I've just applied for a job at Gamestation!!!

But - hang on. Surely you have to be completely unknowledgeable regarding any video game to work at a video game store.

Or is that just EB stores?

 

[Summo]

Heresy!

Our illustrious leaders! :uhoh:

*sign up at GamesDomain forum*

 

[FatBusinessman]

Ah yes, EB, the fount of all lack of knowledge.

 

[Testin da Cable]

Originally posted by Jas
Surely you have to be completely unknowledgeable regarding any video game to work at a video game store.

this guy knows his stuff tho

 

[old.Jas]

Ohhh - that sites good! I like this one -

http://www.actsofgord.com/Vengeance/chapter03.html

 

[mr.Blacky]

ohhh thats good. hehe brings back memories when a stewardes was busted for shoplifting, poor lass she lost her job too

 

[old.ignus]

Originally posted by Jas


But - hang on. Surely you have to be completely unknowledgeable regarding any video game to work at a video game store.

Or is that just EB stores?

You should see our local Currys superstore, when I bought my playstation 2 I was telling the guy how many he had left in stock, were reserved, expected in next delievery etc. because he couldn't understand what was on the screen, but before that he nearly forgot his password.

First rule when dealing with customers I've found is to always make it look like you know what you're doing, whether you do or not.

 

[PR.]

I put up with my ND in computing, it was boring and covered in too much details pointless stuff while skipping some of the most important stuff (like networking, thats all of networking! If I knew nothing about computers when I walked in I would consider linking computers to be impossible ).

Right now I'm working as a IT Tech at a small company, and learning a load of stuff off my senior partner, I've also become their unofficial web designer (which I knew nothing about). Right now I still wanna do an MCSE though I'm getting strangely interested in web design

Soo the moral is just keep going, lifes can be shit at times you just gotta move on

 

[Skyler]

Heh Jas, sounds like me basically, except I aint quit any jobs

I kinda hated GNVQ Adv Computing, was to much written work ffs, I hate written work so much. Systems Analysis is so much tripe, and bloody DFD's can liq my saq

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Originally posted by cosmos
I left school last year because I hated it.
I started college doing HND Computing. Ive changed so much since ive left school and stuff. Now I think im going to fail, but not because I cant do it, it's because I get bored doing work that isnt practical, essays etc. No matter how much time I set aside etc I just cant make myself do it.

Im wondering where life is going for me.
I currently have a part time job aswell as college and although it's shit I dont really mind doing it.

I dont think any course is for me, the only reason I even started college was because of pressure from parents.

I do not however, want a "stable" job thats gonna give me a pension. If god was good to me id be a talented musician but im not. Im not sure what options are open to "losers" like myself. I see lots of people doing the school>uni>job>marraige>kids>death thing but I just couldnt.
Currently im feeling hopeless and dont know what to do.

Being a talented musician isn't the only way of getting ino the music business if you are interested in such a path. There are lots of jobs behind the scenes as it were, from being a Roadie (carrying stuff and knowing what to plug into what socket) up to production work. 99% of the people who do these jobs started off by leaving school and applying to a studio or rehersal room offering their services. The industry still basically works on an apprenticeship system unless you are lucky enough to get a placement via a university course, so the best way to get into a job is to ring up every relavant business offering yourself as an intern. They won't be looking for any skills other than a willingness to learn and the ability to get something right first time. If you havea good attitude and are enthusiastic you shouldn't have any problems getting a job.

 

[xane]

Further education is a waste of time, with some exceptions

 

[WPKenny]

Originally posted by cosmos
I left school last year because I hated it.
I started college doing HND Computing. Ive changed so much since ive left school and stuff. Now I think im going to fail, but not because I cant do it, it's because I get bored doing work that isnt practical, essays etc. No matter how much time I set aside etc I just cant make myself do it.

Im wondering where life is going for me.
I currently have a part time job aswell as college and although it's shit I dont really mind doing it.

I dont think any course is for me, the only reason I even started college was because of pressure from parents.

I do not however, want a "stable" job thats gonna give me a pension. If god was good to me id be a talented musician but im not. Im not sure what options are open to "losers" like myself. I see lots of people doing the school>uni>job>marraige>kids>death thing but I just couldnt.
Currently im feeling hopeless and dont know what to do.

I know exactly where you're coming from and I'm here to ffer a little hope.

If you're sitting comfortably then prepare to be bored....

After I finished my GCSE's (and did rather well thankyou very much) I screwed up my A-levels totally. I tried them twice at different colleges and just couldn't motivate myself. I thought "what's the point?".

So I gave up trying to get edumacated and looked for a job. I ended up in bar work. I loved it for a time but kept looking at all the damn students coming in during the day looking like they were having the time of their lives.

So I looked into Uni courses and ended up getting onto a foundation year at Kent Uni doing Computer Systems Engineering.

This foundation year was also attempted by myself, twice. I just really couldn't give a fuck about the stuff I was learning.

I knew that eventually the course would become more relevant as I could pick my modules as the years went by but that still didn't keep me motivated.

In the start I was just plain lazy, staying in bed with a hangover, going out and socialising when I should have been in lectures.

As time went on I realised that I had to pull my finger out and get on with some work. So I turned up to pretty much all of my lectures. I got my pen and pad out and dated the page, headed up the topic of the lecture. And wrote nothing.

Despite the fact that I'd made all the effort to get there to study and actually really wanted to learn and get a degree, there was something lacking in my motivation to do the work involved.

So I had to deal with a few home truths, depression set in, life went tits up for a time, split up with my girlfriend after she fucked off with some other bloke. Life was crap.

But I still kept up a part time bar job. I ended up moving back in with my parents and working in a local fishing club at the weekends.

There I met a bloke who seemed to be a lot like Delboy. He promised me work despite the fact my degree was going down the pan. I kept working in the club and nudging the guy every now and again to check if he had that opening he promised me and he kept putting me off.

After much nagging, he eventually said he had a job for me doing quite a mix of secretary stuff, admin, and computer stuff.

I gave him my CV and told him what computer stuff I could do and he gave me a job.

That was well over a year ago and I'm still working for the same company. I've been promoted to a different role and had a pay raise and get bonuses every now and again. Life's pretty good now. I can buy myself widescreen TV's, I have been able to save up a deposit for a flat and move in with Damini. I've got a nice CD player I listen to on the train etc etc.

What I'm trying to say is that things are never as bad as they seem. Just when you think you're going to be doing crap jobs for the rest of your life, something good comes along.

I'm not saying abandon your degree/course. Stick at it and do it until they kick you off it or you manage to complete it.

Don't retire yourself completely. Talk to people, call in favours from people. Remember that mate who said he knew someone who knew someone who might have a job for someone doing exactly what you're interested in? Give them a call!

I've wandered off my point but basically, don't give up hope. Your degree might not be what you ideally want to do but don't shut yourself away. Something will come along as long as you keep your eyes and ears open.

 

[bigbb]

Kenny is certainly Mr Motivator. We're getting all the voices of experience here, tis good stuff, the trials and tribulations in the University of Life.

 

[Disco PhoolCat]

Originally posted by bigbb
the trials and tribulations in the University of Life.

...formally Life Polytechnic.