24 replies to this topic

[Neon]

Morning everyone,

How did you all choose what you wanted to do with your lives? I'm in my last year of A-levels and will probably get B-C-C in Product Design, Maths and Physics. I want a job/career in construction and at first I was interested in Construction Management (Project Management). Ideally, I would like to be sponsored through a part-time degree course whilst working and learning the practical skills but so far I have found no companies willing to help.
The only possibility of a job offer is in surveying and estimating, a completely different job and sat behind a desk 95% of the time which I can't see myself enjoying.

Part of me is now thinking to forget uni and just learn a trade, but would that be a waste of my A-levels?
Whatever happens I am going to finish my A-levels.

Someone give me a kick up the ass and sort me out!

[stickycreambun]

erm. I did AS levels, then a B-Tech. then left it for a year, didnt know what to do. Then decided if I didnt want to find a proper job, that I may as well go to uni, because it cant hurt to a) get a degree, b) drink yourself stupid and c) give yourself the best opportunity to get out, meet people, enjoy life and work out what you want to do. Im sick of uni now mind, but only 4 months left.

[wolfys_mini]

i choose what i did because i had a real interest in it, knew what i was talking about, thought that was the way i wanted to go with life. 3 courses and 6 years later im nearing the end of becoming "qualified". over the last few months i have become fed up of doing my degree, fed up of the people in it. but getting to go out on a friday and learn from people who know what they are talking about and try to teach you, instead of making you seem stupid. given me a smidgen of confeidence and made me realise why i enjoyed it in the first place.

companies are not that helpful in sponsoring people thorugh degrees, it seems only the lucky few get that kind of chance. i would say go and look round a few universitys, and do a course that enables you to know what your talking about in the project management side of construction. you can do degrees in project management, which might be a bit more useful? then you would be able to apply for jobs in other industries, but doing the same job.

[Pie]

Morning everyone,

How did you all choose what you wanted to do with your lives? I'm in my last year of A-levels and will probably get B-C-C in Product Design, Maths and Physics. I want a job/career in construction and at first I was interested in Construction Management (Project Management). Ideally, I would like to be sponsored through a part-time degree course whilst working and learning the practical skills but so far I have found no companies willing to help.
The only possibility of a job offer is in surveying and estimating, a completely different job and sat behind a desk 95% of the time which I can't see myself enjoying.

Part of me is now thinking to forget uni and just learn a trade, but would that be a waste of my A-levels?
Whatever happens I am going to finish my A-levels.

Someone give me a kick up the ass and sort me out!

There is two ways you could look at it.

1. Youve now got A-levels in maths and physics which will certainly give you brownie points if you choose to going into a trade. Especially Electiacal Installation, possibly plumbing etc but i know they like you to have at least a C in GCSE maths, any higher and your laughing. Physics is also a great bonus again for Electrical Installation, it helps you understand it all a hell of a lot more.
Getting a trade, such as a plumber, carpenter or electrician opens up a lot of other doors;
You can go independant after 4 years of working with a qualified company.
You can also move abroad a lot easier if you have a qualification in a trade. Maybe something for the future

2. Yes you could go to uni and finish what you started. After all, trades are dirty jobs.

If i could go back two years i would complete my Electrical Installtion course and be working now as a qualifies Electrician (hopefully).

Hope that helps somewhat.

[minili]

Pie, I don't like the phrase "you must go to uni", Neon at the end of the day it's your choice!

I got told by everyone that I must go to uni because of my A-levels (Maths B, Further Maths B, Physics C), but I couldn't stand the thought, got very depressed with the whole application stage and picking what to do, chose the wrong course and luckily realised before taking up one of the offers and declined everything.

You are allowed to not know what to do!

Being in your last year, have you applied to universities now? You can always take a gap year to decide what to do and apply in that year, by which time of course you will know what results you've got so have a better idea of where to apply to based on your grades. Or you might decide not to at all.

If what you really want to do involves you having to have a degree then go for it, if it's something you enjoy, I'm told university is a great experience (not convinced I'd have liked it myself but I'm odd, lol) and if you get into a good uni (and by good I don't mean league tables) there is often a chance to change or adapt your course part way in if you find that what you are doing is not quite what you want (I have a couple of friends who changed).

I wouldn't worry about sponsorship, uni is expensive but you get lorryloads of money off the government and everyone else will be in the same debt as you

[Juju]

Morning everyone,

How did you all choose what you wanted to do with your lives? I'm in my last year of A-levels and will probably get B-C-C in Product Design, Maths and Physics. I want a job/career in construction and at first I was interested in Construction Management (Project Management). Ideally, I would like to be sponsored through a part-time degree course whilst working and learning the practical skills but so far I have found no companies willing to help.
The only possibility of a job offer is in surveying and estimating, a completely different job and sat behind a desk 95% of the time which I can't see myself enjoying.

Part of me is now thinking to forget uni and just learn a trade, but would that be a waste of my A-levels?
Whatever happens I am going to finish my A-levels.

Someone give me a kick up the ass and sort me out!

Is there another way you can combine Uni & industrial placement? Can you do a degree with a year in Industry?
You can in science.
Alternatively, how about a Foundation course & then see if you want to go on to do a degree?
Uni isn't all it is cracked up to be. I did a BSc, then an MSc, then worked for a year & then went back to college & did a PhD. It doesn't mean I get paid any more than a graduate, or even a school leaver with job experience. If I had my time over again, I think I would just go straight into a job, especially with the debts that Universities now incur.
A foundation year would help you decide, though. It's only a year. Good luck wiv it!!

Edited by Juju, 02 February 2008 - 01:39 PM.

[mini93]

i went to college (doing to same course as wolfy) after that i didnt know what to do so i did nothin for 6 months, i then found a full time job, iv been there just over a year now...absolutly HATE it! really really absolutly hate the place and the people suck! its not really that technicle, i remanufacture startermotors i did do turbo chargers for a few months but they suck so decided to move me back
due to that, iv decided im not qualified enough yet so i want to go back to uni to do motorsport technology course, its what im really interested in and hoping it will lead my to th start of a motorsport career or maybe some design stuff

[Pie]

Pie, I don't like the phrase "you must go to uni", Neon at the end of the day it's your choice!

Yeah didnt mean it in the way it sounded. Willl edit it so it reads better.

[Holly]

I kinda just happens in my opinion..

unless you have a specific career in mind like "ive always wanted to be a doctor etc"

I went to six form and just chose the subjects i was good at. My plans to go to uni we 0. My brother went but i was worried about money and my sister did an apprecntiship with the local council and was earning a good wage and working herself up the lader!

In the end i applied with everyone else to uni and thought what the hell i can change my mind! The thing is i applied for all English (which i wasnt particully good at) I got my results and got a D in english and a D in Physics but and A in IT i decided to go to uni not far from home because i proberly wouldnt like it... Turns out i didnt but stuck at it!

Over summer i worked in school on the off change and an easy monay job and loved it Just applied to train to be a teacher!

Just pic something you like doing uni isnt always the way foward But thats from my personal experience i have the mental age of a 40 year old

Itll work out

[miRon]

Now then, i have a mate who was really clever and i mean really ,any way all A*'s etc in his school and college
,went to york uni did some subject which confused me as much as fuel injection any way he was there for 4 years or so passed and all that
He now has worked at star bucks for a year because he cant even get a job in his subject anyway
What a waste oftime and money,now this is only ONE case

i didnt do well in school,or college,but i have very good and well paid job
now own a house and have a kid ,i was the last person in my class who would have anything

life experiance counts.......

[wolfys_mini]

juju, i find myself in the last year of my foundation degree, only now have i realised its not worth the bit of paper its written on, the only way forward for me is a degree, im too qualified for some stuff but i have no experience so most places wont look twice at me.

companies seem to like the "i have a degree" bit in your cv. no matter what it is

[cap'n crunch]

As other have said only go to uni if you are really interested in a particular subject or to head into a certain career doctor,teacher etc. If you are going just for the "experience" and do a course in "media studies" or some other pointless degree then i personally think it is a waste of time. Personally i did not go to uni due to the money and the fact i had no grand plan to what i wanted to be.

I ended up applying for anyjob that sounded interesting from Accountant to Surveying and ended up as an I.T Technichan.

[Neon]

Cheers...most of you have confirmed what I was thinking...I would only go to uni for the sake of it, and what I really want is to learn the job practically. Is anyone here in the construction industry? I think I can see myself enjoying surveying and estimating as looking at the degree I would do as part of a job, it still focuses on project management and is fairly versatile meaning I could branch out into project management at a later date..i think!
I've spoken again with the company who may be offering me a job, and I'm going in for some work experience with their estimators, getting my expenses paid just to see if I like it. He also said (the MD) that he started out in a trade, then moved to project management and then on to management/directing, so it appears there are many paths to take. I'm sure it will just fall into place in the next few months, and I'll keep you all updated!

[Dog]

I ended where I am now due to the learning I have done in the past along with the skills I have "self-taught".

Basically, my job is area fitter. This intails me going round most of the west-mids round different branches, and giving a hand getting the hire kit up to scratch (I am a Tool Hire Fitter)

This might not sound much, obv theres more in it than just turning up at a branch and fixing kit that the house fitters cba to do. My job is to go along, fix anything that is "deamed" scrap, if it end up being un-repairable, then its me that makes it scrap.

I am also in charge of organising training to the fitters if they request or I think they need it.

Basically, this is a job I kinda "walked" into. I never set out to become a Tool Hire fitter, I mean, my job I've always wanted would be a RAF Weapons Tech, but I have no chance, as I am deaf in one ear

But this didn't stop me going to college and studing some random subjects as I thought they were interesting.
In total I did 3 years at college, 1st year was motor vehical technology, basically mechanics... I complered that and was set on becoming an apprentise, but unfortunatly the Mini Metro Centre I was going to be placed at never completed the deal we had, so I went back to college and studied Public Services. This was great, basically learned about hte army, police etc etc, also leadership, law and other such C**p.

So I have a rather wide and varied knowledge of "academic" studies, but then I have a large ammount of non-academic.

My personal veiw of Uni etc, is its a waste of time, unless you are truely aiming to go high or start off on your own, if you can afford it. I think Uni is the single most quickest way to get into Debt, and you've not even done anything. If a job you fancy really NEEDS/States you need uni qualifications, then I'd think about it hard, as I have found with some jobs, they sound interesting and "for you" then you start it, and find its really really not for me. If you have gotten into serious amounts of debt to "train" for the job you thought was for you, then it becomes a waste of time.

If your think you just want to learn abit about a trade, have a look at what the colleges have, they really have quite a large amount of coarses now, and least that way, its free, and if you don't like what your doing, you can drop it.

[stickycreambun]

fair enough mate I can see your point, and agree with most of that. Except:

I think Uni is the single most quickest way to get into Debt, and you've not even done anything.

that really is a load of rubbish, and I get fed up hearing it. Along with the 'students dont do any work'. As I point out to people, its only the people who have not been to uni that come out with that one. If your serious about it, then uni is pretty much the same as a full time job.
And then you have to support yourself financialy. True, you can get into a lot of debt, and the way the student loans are worked makes it quite easy, but at the same time its up to you. My gf completed her degre, and also worked enough to only need a £600 student loan over the 3 years. Im sure a lot of non students are in far more debt than that.

But like you say, it would be of far more benefit if you know what it is you want/need to study.

Edited by stickycreambun, 02 February 2008 - 05:08 PM.