• Registered: 2005-06-17

Topic: Career advice.

(Wrote this a couple days ago)

So here is my situation:
1. Took GCSE's, did ok. Took 3 A levels, did ok. Went to university, disillusioned and opted-out in March 2004
2. Went home, looked for a job. disillusioned again, took up a few badly-paid, life-sucking part-time jobs then quit them.
3. Discover online poker in September 2004, use  £100 to keep me out of work for 9 months.
4. Rent payments and such eat away at my pokerbankroll leaving me with only  £200 to my name.
5. Now looking for a job.....

But I need a little help, you see, as a general rule of thumb, The thought of working 40 hours a week in a bad job makes me shiver as all I've stumbled into are crap jobs (admin, cleaning, labouring etc) which I end up quitting or getting sacked after a month or so. Now I'm 22  and options are running out right now, I've got to get learning a trade as soon as possible imo. I'm in the process of enrolling in an AS Spanish (1 year long) course, with a view to maybe teach Spanish to English speakers or English to Spanish speakers, for reasons I'll explain later. I did a short course at uni and was quite proficient compared to my peers, although I can't roll r's smile

University is not an option for many reasons, the most important being the money required and the time required.

There are quite a few courses in my area that I could enroll in, ranging from bricklaying to carpentry to plumbing, for a small fee of about  £500, and I can even get the government to provide me with a loan aswell. What trades could I learn that will allow me to find employment at a decent wage (not the  £5/hr crap i see in the back of the local papers), will allow me to be creative, and possibly allow me to be self-employed?

Right now I'm thinking carpentry. I can create something! A table, a chair! People need something to sit on do they not? I could find me an axe and chop some trees down, get big and strong in the process (anyone tried wood chopping? damn hard work).

Am I insane or is this a good idea?

Back to the Spanish. I'm choosing this path because one, I'm quite good at it, and two, I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF THIS COUNTRY! It stinks, the system stinks, the government stinks, so does the weather, and we'll have ID cards and a police state soon. And if the sh*t really hits the fan and we get a WW3 and some natural disasters, the UK is one of the last places I want to be. I will not be buried in the UK, not going to happen. So perhaps South America is the place to go? I think so.

So I've got some money saved, got my plane ticket booked and land in Beunos Aires. What skills do I need? I'll have a little knowledge of Spanish to get me going (might even stop by in Spain on the way), and I'm going to learn to ride a horse as I still can't drive and have no desire to with 90p/liter for fuel and a grand a year in insurance costs. Will carpentry get me anywhere? If not, what will? As an added bonus I could biuld a house somewhere, choose a plot of land with a nice view, arrange the dimensions so I get the sunrise through my window and a sunset too. Aha sounds excellent. I could furnish the place with home-made bed, table, chair and all. Enough rambling.

(Update)
What about youth work? Anyone done it? There's a few jobs around here for a good wage that I will probably apply for, and they're part-time too which is great.

  • Registered: 2004-04-09

Re: Career advice.

What excites you the most out of all your options, without thinking about it first?

" Then it was, then again it will be. And though the course may change sometimes rivers always reach the sea." Robert Plant
  • Registered: 2005-06-17

Re: Career advice.

Hello Thook,

What excites me? Playing football, coaching football, playing poker, working with kids is quite rewarding too, most teaching jobs aswell. I've been far and wide through the job market, from customer service to cleaning with dishwashing, cold-calling, labouring, coaching football and kids playgroup assistant between, most have been complete $hite, kind of put me off working ever again. I might be able to get a couple hours coaching football which would suit me fine and a youth worker vacancy if all goes well (which it never bloody seems to do smile )

  • Registered: 2004-04-09

Re: Career advice.

As far as I can tell the way universe seems to work in relation to these things is by following what excites you is will what lead you to the thing that will support you the easiest and the best. It may require some work, but if you're excited about the process that aspect shouldn't bother you. It seems as though you know what you would like to do, so why not give it a go? Football is quite popular in South America as you probably know. I assume you refer to soccer as football.

" Then it was, then again it will be. And though the course may change sometimes rivers always reach the sea." Robert Plant

5 Reply by lyra (edited by lyra 2005-07-18 13:47:21)

  • lyra
  • lyra
  • Naked Emperor Pointer Outer
  • Offline
  • From: my own private idaho
  • Registered: 2004-03-25

Re: Career advice.

Zarathustra, you gotta talk to Ayahuasca, (Andy)  NR member, dude, lives in the UK, wants out, is looking to move to South America.  That's all I could think about as I read your post... and your description of yourself as a young male from the UK, disillusioned with the system, who wants to learn Espanol and move to S.A.   

Talk to Andy! 

As far as career advise goes, my situation is so screwball that I'm probably not in a place to be giving out advise to anybody.  wink   I'm 30, disillusioned with work, feebly attempting to start my own business although self doubts are holding me back, and meanwhile, I'm back to temping because it's the safest alternative to being trapped permanently at some job I know I will eventually loathe.

It's a predicament.  And I'm just blindly stumbling along, because I just don't know what else to do anywhere.  Oh well.  !    Stumbling blindly worked in my 20's, may as well keep doing it.   

j/k

btw you cracked me up with the whole, "I can create something! A table, a chair!"  big_smile

Good luck to you........honestly, your plan sounds awesome.   Moving to Buenos Aires, learning practical skills like carpentry and horse back riding, and teaching Spanish, which you've already got a knack for?  You go!   Sounds awesome to me.   I LOVE the idea of the nomadic gypsy lifestyle of roaming free, free from the system, and forging an unusual path.  Keep us posted on how it all works out.  Maybe others will read your story and follow your lead.

"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy shit ... what a ride!"  - Anonymous
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"I get by with a little help from my (higher density) friends."
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lyra's Website

  • From: Peru
  • Registered: 2004-08-06

Re: Career advice.

If you like the idea of teaching, and you like Spanish, and also football coaching then I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to combine all three by working at a school, although I think you would need to attend uni again for teacher training, at least for teaching in the UK.

Another thing you might want to consider if you're looking for somekind of trade skill is plumbing. I know it's not glamorous and probably not hugely interesting, however I definitely remember reading fairly recently that there is a huge demand for plumbers in the UK (and no doubt many other countries of the world). I read that many plumbers are making a small fortune right now because demand for their services far outstrips supply, so they are able to charge a lot for their services. And as a qualified plumber I'm sure you would easily find work in almost any country in the world, particularly in some of the more developing countries in South America. This site has some of those newspaper snippets on the homepage http://www.becomeaplumber.co.uk

Anyway, best of luck with whatever you decide, and I think you've got the right idea about South America, that's exactly where I want to end up if everything goes to plan. It's an incredible place!

Andy

Join me in Peru to celebrate December 21st 2012 - Visit: http://2012awakeningretreat.com/

Ayahuasca's Website

7 Reply by impatiens

  • impatiens
  • Guest

Re: Career advice.

South America? Vamanos y via con dios!

Carpentry? A noble and satisfying (financially and otherwise) trade if ever there was one.

Good luck with all, smile

  • Registered: 2005-06-17

Re: Career advice.

Thanks for the replies all, where to start?

Impatiens, sorry I have no idea what you are saying. We will go and something with something? Not even close I expect I've got to do some catching up.

Ayahuasca. Not sure about the plumbing it isn't a job that interests me. The football coaching, well there are a couple hours a week available to coach kids football where I live and gain a coaching qualification in the process, so I've rang them up and they're getting back to me. As for south america, I'll probably end up in Patagonia or thereabouts, no idea when I'm leaving but I'm quite confident that it'll be within the next 3 years at the latest. This place isn't going to be worth staying, expect race riots and all sorts of crap. What you doing about going to SA?

Thanks for the encouragement lyra, I'll let you know how it all goes down.

Thook, I am referring to what you'd call so*cer but I can't bring myself to write it as that smile Why call a game football when the ball rarely gets kicked? Ridiculous! Perhaps 'Sumorunball' would be better?

Well I made it to the local college to enroll on the AS level Spanish, only for a woman to mention that I need to pay  £120 upfront before I can register, and to get hold of any books and cassettes I might need I must be enrolled! I don't have  £120 right now and my dad wants  £350 out of me asap while my jobseekers allowance gets to me on the 27th, so I'm up shit creek in a leaky canoe right now.

  • Registered: 2004-04-09

Re: Career advice.

How 'bout 'breakmybodyintwofornoreasonball'?;o There are good online Spanish lessons I have heard. Arkansas has a large Latino migrant population. I will ask. I always try to find things for free or very inexpensively. Makes no sense to pay the going over-inflated prices for most things these days. I believe there is more economical route for you. On a job note, my boss' son is getting payed to go to China for a year to teach English and he has no degree in education or any qualifications pertaining to teaching other than knowing the English language. It is through the University of Arkansas. Maybe there is something like this at your local Uni. or some online program you could apply for. It would get you out of the UK, into SA, and get you paid in the process. I suppose I am grabbing at straws for you, but anything is possible.

" Then it was, then again it will be. And though the course may change sometimes rivers always reach the sea." Robert Plant

10 Reply by impatiens (edited by impatiens 2005-07-19 12:04:02)

  • impatiens
  • Guest

Re: Career advice.

Zarathustra wrote:

Thanks for the replies all, where to start?

Impatiens, sorry I have no idea what you are saying. We will go and something with something? Not even close I expect I've got to do some catching up.

Z,

my bad, i misspelled "vaya".

Vamanos = let's go.  Vaya con dios= go with god [a very popular expression in Spanish]

Hasta luego amigo smile

Thook,

Great suggestion. Teach English (ESL) in a Spanish-speaking country (usually get paid which covers room and board), and learn Spanish in the process via immersion, which imo is the bestest way to go wink

11 Reply by Krazor

  • Krazor
  • Guest

Re: Career advice.

Major construction carpentry, like forms and floor reinforcement is covered up by Latino's. The pay is kept down by the relative poverty of these men, and they are happy with what they can keep, and what they can send home. Same for labor, most resturant jobs, and landscaping. Down in Venezuela oil is king, and it's very corrupt and the wells are manned by outside specialists who must hire military men as security. These camps are free of all sense of morality. Care about that. S.A itself is home to some of the most intense poverty I have ever witnessed. Been to 14 foreign countries, and those down south were incredible. Again it was the smell.                                    What you need is a license to make money world wide that doesn't depend on the turn of a card. Go to a dealer school in Las Vegas Nevada. Then your ready to work every casino in the world.  Anyway, good luck.

  • Registered: 2005-06-17

Re: Career advice.

Well I've managed to conjure up $800 out of nowhere to pay for  the course, for  £250 I'm not put off, as i'll get a legit qualification which may open up some doors later on. And regarding the online course, the only ones I know of cost a fair whack anyway. I've got to teach myself up to GCSE level by early November, which shouldn't be much of a problem as GCSE's are a multiple choice joke. And I've a cunning plan to start betting on the Argentinian and Spanish football leagues to pique my interest, getting all the team news from Marca.com and a few more sites.

So next year i'll be speaking fluent Spanish, and be rich! Then it's off to Spain for a Barcelona season ticket smile

  • Registered: 2004-08-19

Re: Career advice.

Zarathustra wrote:

I've got to teach myself up to GCSE level by early November, which shouldn't be much of a problem as GCSE's are a multiple choice joke.

An easy or hard exam won't make speaking Spanish fluently any easier or harder. Your ultimate goal seems to be to learn Spanish, the exam is just a hop on the route. If you focus too much energy on the sub-goal, you might lose sight of the ultimate goal. Don't fall in the trap of living from sub-goal to sub-goal forgetting the ultimate goals.