Wanna tell me about your life?

[purpleduck]

Hi!
I am doing a paper for my careers guidance course....

Do you lot mind telling me about your employment/ career path?

Are you doing something you love doing?

How did you decide when making big career decisions? Did you make the right decisions?

And last but not least, do you feel you received adequate careers advice?

Obviously you don't have to answer all these questions, but I would reallly appreciate hearing your stories.

Thanks!

Purpleduck

I wanted to be a human rights lawyer but fucked up my A-levels, managed to get to university but dropped out as discovered I didn't like law after all. Did various office jobs then had a blinding flash of realisation that I really wanted to a. get a degree b. become a journalist. So I did. It was a very powerful urge, almost as powerful as the drive to have a baby!

I really loved my job when I was a magazine editor on a title I lived and breathed. And am reasonably happy as a freelance (went f/l after having ds). Feel as if I am under-achieving though.

Not sure I've ever had any formal careers advice - vaguely remember sitting in a broom cupboard at school with someone waving a book at me showing what quals you needed to be a vet or a lawyer or whatever. Lots of informal advice from friends, colleagues etc. etc. which has been very helpful.

Oh, and my impression is careers advisers don't know the first thing about journalism - used to get a lot of teenagers saying they'd been told they had to study English at university which is completely untrue. There are no formal requirements for journalism.

As long as you are a good writer, a science subject probably makes you stand out a bit more. Nothing wrong with arts grads, I am one, but journalism could do with a few more people who understand science and logic, IMO.

V interesting reading. An edited version:

Comprehensive.
University - science degree.
Half a PGCE.
2 years research.
One year of a PhD.
Got careers advice - which was to try publishing (good advice at a difficult time).
12 years in publishing (5 years overseas - didn't intend to come back) and 4 years TEFL (2 years overseas).
Got married and (insert long story) had to move back to UK. Found this very boring.
Spent about 2 years looking into going back to grad school and convincing dh this was a sound idea and not a passing whim.
Did MPhil.
Now doing PhD - but had dd end 2nd year. Would like to carry on but anxious not to do a heavy academic job while dd is so young. Hoping I can go PT.

edam - it's the same in publishing. Science grads are in reasonable demand (since fewer apply) compared to arts grads.

O and Alevels at comp.
Law degree at Uni.
Trained to be a lawyer in the city then moved into legal aid work.
Represented a lot of kids in care.
Had twins.
Wrote a book, had it published, and am now an author.

I've noticed a few of us on this thread (myself included) whose initial intention was to do law but when it came to it, just didn't enjoy it.

Purpleduck, I think if careers advice showed kids the various range of options open to them from studying something they enjoy then there wouldn't be so much confusion.

Personally I think degrees in this country should be more like those in the States whereby the first year in semi generic with students taking a whole range of subjects before deciding which they enjoy. IMO, you views and your understanding of life changes so dramatically in that first year that choices you made halfway through the 6th form aren't always relevant.

We need far better career advice for kids who aren't academic too. We can't just give the lads some info on trades and suggest to the girls they might like hairdressing!

cushioncover, I agree. It is so disheartening to hear about all the people who - despite fabulous grades were pushed into traditional gender roles.

I was looking at the connexions website, and what career do they have highlighted...? the Army. While that is a valid, and often rewarding occupation, I think most students ALREADY know about it!! Maybe information on more obscure careers would be beneficial.?

I originally wanted to be a journalist. Went to university and did a joint honours eng. lit/film & TV course. While there, temped at the local planning department and decided I wanted to be a town planner. Finished my degree and got a job at my local council in the parking dept (saw it as a start, a foot in the door).
One year later, had an interview to be a receptionist in the planning department. INterviewer (Chief PLanner) said I was overqualified and what did I really want to do. To which I answered that I wanted to be a planner. So he took me on as a planning assistant, and the Council paid for me to do a post-graduate course.
It was such a fantastic break for me - felt like being auditioned for the corps de ballet and being plucked to centre stage. Great.
Now freelance as a planning consultant. Am very happy and lucky to be where I am.
Careers advice: we had some at 15. Not great - involved filling in a form and then a computer generated possible jobs. I got diplomat, forester , barrister and journalist.
But at that age I knew was going to go to university and do an arts course. I don't think I was of an age and level of maturity to be thinking about potential careers.

Cushioncover - I went to Keele and did a four year degree with the first year called the foundation year which sounds more like the US degree you were talking about. we had two lectures a day on a programme of subjects to which every department of the university contributed over the course of the year. On top of that we chose a range of 10 4 week long courses in different subjects in slightly more depth and then 2 more courses that we did in great detail for the whole year.

Once you had done it you could chose any two subjects for the remaining 3 years as your named degree. That is how I ended up doing a law degree - wouldn't have had the grades to get in a 'proper' university to do law any other way.

It was a great year and a lot people ended up doing different subjects to those they orginally applied for because they got the chance to do a taster.

Sadly, I think the FY was a victim of tuition fees and it was scrapped - people don't want to do a 4 year course because it cost too much.

It was a model worth copying though, if money were no object.

Comprehensive. A grade 'O' and 'A' Levels.
Head of 6th Form persuaded me to try for Oxford. Did Modern Languages. Hated course, but met DH there. Also enjoyed year abroad -working in France in community for adults with learning disabilities.

Parents were primary teachers - wanted to do this but they begged me not to. Instead did post-grad diploma in trans/interpreting. Very stressful. Did not have the balls of steel needed to be an interpreter. Worked as a translator for two years, but hated it.

Retrained as a psychiatric nurse. Course was shockingly bad, but enjoyed the work and might return to it when youngest of three children is in school.

Wish I had followed my own intuition which would have told me to go into teaching or nursing from the start. Don't remember receiving any careers advice at all.

Private prep school
Private Secondary
'Good' Russell group university
Year 'in the city' hated it - met DH though
PGCE
Teaching for 2 years
Left teaching for ever increasing young family. Now have 7 DCs and am blissfully happy.
In between DCs have done volunteer work for various charities and their schools.
Recieved careers guidance, told me to go into law, management, basically 'the city' eternally grateful though as otherwise wouldn't have met DH and after nearly 20 years we are still like honeymooners lol!

more significant to my career choices though was just the expectation I would go to university - my parents never even thought i might not...

haha have to laugh at my fantastic typo of 7 DCs... IT IS ONLY 6. Feels like 70 sometimes though lol

Never knew what I wanted to do. Decided on something that sounded good on paper. Meant a career specific degree. During the downturn at the beginning of the 90s the job changed beyond all recognition. But I was 3 years into a 4 year degree. Afterwards things were still depressed and I couldn't get a job doing anything else.
Two years on I got my professional qualifications (a diploma).
Another three years on I jacked it in to do (another) diploma in massage. Did several massage related diplomas that year.
Was totally the right thing for me. At last I'd realised what I wanted to do and was doing it. What tipped the scale was a really crappy 5-year-plan review at work and the promotion of some of my colleagues above me who were imo useless at their jobs but who kissed the right behinds / had the right education etc etc. Was then venting in the pub to my now dh and he said well if you hate it that much why not jack it in. Handed in my notice the next day. Totally liberating.
Five years after that started a degree in osteopathy. (So building on the massage.) The course was rubbish and I got pregnant in my first year, partly as a means of escape. Completed the year, but have not returned. The cost of it and the fact that I have to work full time for 2 years afterwards for barely any pay is stopping me returning. Plus the course is rubbish imo - for kids not mature students. I really wish I'd done this as my degree in the first place. But I'd never heard of it then.
Still looking after my boys full time (had another 3 years later). Would love another.
If possible will return to first "career" once the boys are at school since despite all its tediousness it pays well and that's my main concern now. I get my personal satisfaction from the boys I think. At the moment anyway!
The only career advice I had was when choosing GCSEs. At the time I felt it was totally useless in that it suggested something in medicine. But science was the only subject area I was hopeless at. Did end up doing biology and physics a few years later, but had to struggle to get Bs. The irony is that osteopathy is alternative medicine, so go figure!

I am reviving this as I think it was one of the most consistently interesting, profound & original threads this year ...

I was thinking further about life plans and skill sets and wondering: does anyone else do as I do, & woolgatheringly match their dc's personalities & talents to possible careers? And then think about how to (unobtrusively) develop their skills & stretch their horizons so as to make those things more easily available to them?

Eg - I think ds (9) would make the most fantastic maths teacher; while for dd (7), something much less beaten-track: I think, ultimately, set design is calling. So while if ds wants to be a teacher, the track is all there & he just needs to get on it; but if dd's going to do set design, well, she needs certain kinds of exposure & input, & chances to practice, all while she's little. (The V&A collection of set maquettes is divine, by the way - we've already spent a rapturous afternoon with those. But we need more.)

I also heartily agree with the poster below who suggested a "careers advice" topic. I think that will probably come naturally, as the MN Old Guard advances in age (as do their children).

Do you lot mind telling me about your employment/ career path?
GCSEs (A*s, As and Bs) and A-levels (As and Bs)at a grammar school. University, MChem in chemistry, PhD in synthetic organic chemistry, various work in research both industry and academia. Then QTS through an employment based route and now a teacher.

Are you doing something you love doing?
Yes - absolutely

How did you decide when making big career decisions? Did you make the right decisions?
I followed what I enjoyed doing, chemistry, research, teaching and they all naturally followed on from each other. When I was feeling disaffected in a previous career I looked for new experiences which eventually leada me to teaching.

And last but not least, do you feel you received adequate careers advice?
Careers advice was pretty non existant at school although I remember filling out one of those multiple guess type surveys which said I should be a prison officer (secondary teaching is like that at times though!). As a teacher I find that careers advice is very good for the students who are going onto a trade, the army etc but awful for clever kids as the careers advisors are often completely unaware of careers in science etc.

State Comprehensive, good GCSEs
3 A A Levels and S level distinction
Read English at Oxford because I love literature - but was utterly clueless about what to do next.
Got place to do law conversion, panicked about getting into debt and turned it down.
Did PGCE, nearly dropped out halfway through but stayed the course and am a teacher.

I do love teaching sometimes, but not sure if it is 100% for me. When dcs were born I went parttime. Am now thinking of studying psychology with the OU and then doing a PHD so I can retrain as an educational psychologist.

I didn't receive very good careers advice, although it was my very good sixth form college who encouraged me to apply for Oxbridge - without that advice I doubt it would have occurred to me.

State comprehensive
Sat 7 gcses, only got 2 c's- the rest an assortment of d's e's and a g.
Left school at 15 (in the jan, but returned in the may to sit my exams).
Did a YTS in a wedding dress shop from age 16 to 17. Obtained NVQ level 2&3 in Retail
Left shop to join Army as a Military Clerk, did basic training and phase two training- fractured my foot and got a medical discharge after 7 months.
Got a job in a call centre for BT.
Left BT after a year to work for Cable & wireless in a 999 control room
Left C&W after 1 year to work for Airtours Holidays as holiday rep.
Worked overseas for 4 years.
Returned to UK to have ds1- worked for thomas cook for 6 years. Obtained NVQ level 2 and 3 in Travel retail.

Did a two year access to health course in 2004.
Started Nursing degree in 2006 which is where I am at currently.

It has taken a long time to get to my ideal career!!

Very boring path for me!
Girls private school, GCSE and A levels, medical school, 4 years of training, DS1, GP.
Now have DD and DS2 and work part time
DH works for Connexions - they are personal advisors now adays and can advise on all kinds of things as well as careers

O and A levels at a girls grammar.
Flunked grades needed to do Geography and Politics at LSE- thank GOD!
Gap year chamber maiding in Bavaria- excellent. BF at the time had a knee op, and I considered radiography for the first time. I'd been on a 'careers day' at a local hospital whilst in what's now yr 11, but I honestly thought you needed A level Physics to get in. Transpires you 'only' need a good (O level) grasp of maths, physics and chemistry SO I got a place at a School of Radiography.... 25 years later, I'm STILL doing it!
In the interim I upgraded my Diploma to a degree, spent 2 years backpacking (and XRaying) my way around the world in my 20s; now I work 20 hours a week sitting on my rear operating an MRI scanner!

It's a great job- you meet a lot of people, it's not really messy like nursing can be, it's not as misogynistic, grinding and demoralising as medicine can be (for a woman, anyway, imho, having seen 25 generations of female docs qualify!), you can so work part time (esp if you get into ultrasound) and, really, the pay ain't that bad!

Re careers advice- we didn't have a careers room- we had a 'university room' at school, but at a 1980 grammar, I guess that's what you'd expect. FWIW the local careers office in the town came up with 'Radio Officer in the Merchant Navy' as an idea for me....!

Comprehensive school in a sink estate, one of the few who managed to get 5 O-levels, our school had a ceremony for it and we all got a kicking from the less able pupils.
Went on to do A-levels in French, Biology and English, passed.
Was going to go to University but my Grandma died and my Mum had a breakdown, so had to stay at home.
Applied to become a Nurse, but got cold feet.
Was on the dole for 6 months, this was in the late 80's when there was quite a lot of unemployment.
Did some kennel work, my dream when i was a kid was to be a Vet or vetenary nurse, but my carreers advisor said i should do office work.
Got a job in an insurance office as a postal clerk, they really pricked up their ears when they found out i was fluent in French.
Stayed there for 2 yrs and did translations for their French claims section, run by someone who hardly knew any French!
Also, translated for the boss when we sometimes had French people in the office who did not understand English.
Of course, this did not make me very popular with the other workers as they thought i was getting paid more, when i wasn't.
Left that insurance company when i was 20yrs old and worked for a much nicer employer and stayed there for 12yrs until my DD1 was born.
Never actually had a career path as such, just go with the flow and will try anything once.
I would love to know what i'm supposed to do and one day wake up with a clear idea of what i want to do.
But for now i'm very happy being a SAHM and looking forward to now training to be a childminder.

First year of school in Uk
years 2-6 in single classroom rural French school after we emigrated
years 7-9 French collège (junior high) in SW France
yr 10 junior high in Normandy
yrs 11-13 lycée

Decided only way to get away from parents was to do well baccalaureat and get me to a university. (am bilingual in French and English by this stage, can pass for French in France and English in England).

year out- worked in a cutting edge digital mapping company

University- Cambridge, law. Worked at digital mapping company in first long vacation. Worked as English in TEFL school in Cambridge for next two vacations. Put me off teaching for ever.

Graduated into 1990 recession with a Third. blush and a fairly unremarkable CV, but now my own person.

Year at very nasty merchant bank that never makes anyone redundant. Just sacks them on weird and made up charges. Get sacked on the charge of being a "square peg in a round hole" (actual quote from HR and boss).

Unemployment for a year punctuated by short spells of temping and depression.

Worked for a year at political umbrella organisation, doing bilingual admin stuff. Getting serious with boyfriend from university by this time.

Fall pregnant (seems to be a theme on this thread).

Deliriously happy time of birth, marriage, moving.

Back to work for ten months when son is 10 months old. Working for headhunting firm set up in weird and evil boss's children's bedrooms.

Leave to have second child. Decide to stay at home with them.

Have third child.

Go back on previous decision never ever to teach ever again and go to do PGCE when 3rd child is just 2.

Complete 2 year PGCE. Teach for two years at nearest school to home. Have very interesting time, but completely burn out, just in time for husband's job to move to Devon and for him to go on sabbatical to Canada.

Spend year at home in Canada recovering from 2 years teaching and considering options. decide best way to synthesise all my experiences and pathway is to translate.

Return from Canada at end of sabbatical and begin Ma in literary translation (first time I have really chosen something to study that I wanted to study rather than be pushed towards the sensible alternative).

Have been working as a freelance translator now for three years. Never been happier in my work. It is flexible, can be fitted in around other things at times- ie making jam, walking dog, going to school events, etc... I can do 12 hour days if needed to get things finished without disrupting my children or family life too much.

Earns decent money in a way that would not be possible in Devon- since I am not working for Devon companies, the low-wage economy does not affect me. Also I am not a corporate animal. I'd rather look back on my life later and know that I spent enough time with my family.

Wasn't sure what to study, wanted to study psychology, but thought there were too many professionals in that area already

Did an Engineering degree

Worked implementing IT systems in various countries first as a technical consultant and then as a project manager

Loved it, loved it, loved it. But lots of long hours and too much travelling

Thought I would never want be a SAHM

Then had DS. Decided to stop working. DS turned out ot have SN.

Now wondering if I'll ever be able to go back to my career. Cannot bear the thought of not being there for my kids when they return from school. Would love to study again, something related to special needs.

Career advice was not useful in the least.

Have namechanged for this as info will identify me!

Private school, straight A's at A'level, Russell Group uni then into big flashy management consultancy. It was the kind of job all my peers wanted.

Did it for 9 years for different companies and loathed the long hours and having to sell my soul.

Changed career five years ago. Became a freelance journalist. Absolutely love it.
Pay is shite but that's ok.

First book comes out in the Autumn, am working on a second for which I have a deal already.

I'm pretty sure one of the careers the computer careers advice thingy came up with for me was Journalist.

I don't regret having done the City thing for a while although I wish I had jumped ship earlier.