AIBU to refuse to do volunteering/unpaid internships/big society shit to get a job?

[underneaththelimetree]

I have a phd (biology area ) and have done volunteering in the past. I cant even get a paid internship as there's so many other people that have just been kicked out of a job in the same area of work/ done 1y+ of volunteering to get that specific job.

I dont want to stay in academia, it's not practical for most women and the vast majority of phd female friends are dropping out after theyve finished (but this is another rant topic).

Ive volunteered in the past, have a good c.v.and i really cant afford to volunteer for months on end without a job. My confidence is low and im wondering why i ever did a stupid phd in the first place. Im now mid/late 20s with nothing to show for it and no career at all. To make things worse there are no jobs in the public sector, where i think i could make a massive difference to conservation research.

I just feel like im getting nowhere and nothing will change unless the tories simultaneously suffer from sudden adult death syndrome the economy recovers

gggrrrrrrrrrr AIBU/ WWYD?

i dont think i have the (sorry cant think of another way of putting it) balls for academic life. I would love to stay if it wasn't for all short term contracts- dont know if i could cope with the stress of not knowing if i could get a job in 2 years time
-part of it is also wondering if im good enough for academia- it's so hard to get research grants- i also havent published yet, although im working on it, so id be luck to get a postdoc atm.

i would love to do (any sort of) research outside of academia though.

im not saying it's impossible for female academics- far from it- but the lack of job stability has put me (and most of my fellow female phd graduates)- off academia.

I think you need to get some sort of a job right now to pay the bills & regain your independance. You will probably need to be prepared to do something different & for which your PhD is not needed...

My sister graduated in the last recession with a degree & an MBA & had to take a job she could have got straight out if school after being out of work for months. Once she got in she managed to wangle her way onto a graduate programme & has worked her way up.

Is there anything else you have fancied doing apart from conservation? I did a degree leading to a very definite career path but a huge percentage of my classmates are doing totally unrelated work now.

Try not to look on your PhD as a waste of time - many companies are interested in recruiting staff who have demonstrated they have the ability to get a good degree, irrespective of what it is in...

I've sent you a PM - click on the envelope at the top of the page to read it.

Just to add, I took a fairly boring lab-tech job where I work to get my foot in the door. Strictly speaking, the job only needs an A-Level in biology but all of us working in that grade had at least a Masters, some even a PhD. But now I have my dream position. You just need that first break.

wow so much advice i really wasn't expecting- and following it up as we speak!

Here are what a few of my friends who were in the same position as you in 1990 are doing now:-

1. earning lots of money at Goldman Sachs
2. running their own print studio in New Zealand
3. lawyer for major public sector body in South Africa

If I was you and I was under 30, I would go to Australia on the Working Visa scheme. Either go work in an office & see what develops ( opportunities will come your way) or target a place that is relevant to your degree and take a menial position, with the aim of working your way in. Or I might take well paid casual work for a few months, then volunteer on an interesting project for a few months.

I think if you can't get a job you want, position yourself somewhere nearby. And you might as well try and get some fun along the way!

The job situation is really bad just now. I actually regret doing any degree at all. I would be better off if I had dropped out of school without even doing my exams there. I think YABU sorry. I do hope you find something soon, I know how demoralising it is to be job hunting.

I do feel for you OP as I am in a similar position- to get itno work I need to be able to get a job paying for a Nanny due to SN, but to get the training theyw ant lots of volunteering experience which I can't do unless I have a Nanny..... bloody merry go round!

AS an aside about volunteering I was a volunteer manager for a charity in a former life that was very big society- we recruited, trained and managed volunteer mentors who went into epople's homes and worked with them. Almost every one of our volunteers was a SAHM looking to do something in the school day; retired people did come our way but usually went to quieter charities, or ones where their friends were- shops etc. We loved it when theyc ame but they tended toweards a different sort of client group.

many of the welfare reforms seem to want SAHM-ship to be a thing fo the apst.

Which seems rather problematic!

xstitch, the job situation for those who dont have degrees or school quals is even worse - although those who got and kept their jobs do have a job I suppose.

OP, try listing all your skills and good qualities - there will be loads if you have done a Phd! Then apply for the jobs which match that set, and make sure you outline exactly how well your skills apply to that position.

Write a skills based CV, which shows how/when you have demonstrated each skill.

There are also programs such as prospect planner (iirc), which could be useful. Talk to your uni careers advisers.

Also, become politically active

I have been turned down for many jobs because I am over qualified. That's what made me feel that way.

Xstitch, there was a good thread a while back advising how to modify your cv if you wanted to apply for a job for which you ate overqualified. I'll link to it later when I can get on a computer.

I am about to start a new job which I am overqualified for. However it is in an area I haven't worked in before, though have done similar work in the past. I did downplay my experience on the application form & they still asked at the interview how I would feel about taking a lesser role than I'd done previously....

Incidentally, I'm pretty sure one of the factors in getting the job was the reference I got from my voluntary work!