UKC

I've just graduated from university and am subsequently finding it difficult to get a job, not really sure what I want to do which doesn't help. The post is pretty self explanatory really, what do you do? Do you enjoy it and how much time does it allow you to get outdoors and go climbing?

In reply to The Bouldering Badger: I left uni, went to work for an outdoor retailer, moved to another, bigger outdoor retailer, found a job related to my degree, did that for a year before being made redundant, did some freelance work for a bit then did a teacher training (PGCE) course now just freelancing again til the start of the new term whence I shall become a supply teacher.

In reply to The Bouldering Badger: What was your degree in? What do you like doing/are you good at - numbers/words/science/IT etc. What other people enjoy isn't necessarily what you will enjoy.
Generally it is said to be easier to get a job once you are already in work so to some degree, getting almost any job for 6 months will help in applying for others. Also consider volunteering - gives you an idea of whether you will enjoy that sort of work etc.
Good luck.

In reply to higherclimbingwales: Ah, you sent that as I was typing!

In reply to The Bouldering Badger: Day job- climbing bum. Night job- renewing railway signalling equipment. I enjoy it and when I'm not staying away it gives me loads of time to climb nearly every day

In reply to The Bouldering Badger:

Day job for 10 years : Site Engineer (civils/structural) for a major UK contractor. Interesting work, but it was a full time job and not sure I could have handled another 40 years of it.

Now I run a small construction company (4 lads) and make the same wage. Less hours, more freedom and a lot better quality of life. The harder and smarter I work, the more money I make. Immediate returns, not waiting for an annual pay rise or promotion etc.

Not sure I would have been particularly successful at the latter without the experience of the former though......

Steve

In reply to The Bouldering Badger:
I design shiny things for the pharmaceutical industry, I don't really use my degree (Chemistry) very much; most of the stuff I do is more engineering and project planning. I work full time and it does get in the way of climbing but the job is loads of fun.

In reply to The Bouldering Badger: Start somewhere, wherever, try it, however lowley paid, have fun, keep looing out and learning, change when and if something better comes up, as it will. Remember much of work is crap but your paid for it and it in tern pays for a lifestyle, so be grateful and when its good revel in it.

I wanted to be a police man from about 5, due to family issues started working in a computer shop servicing and sales, as soon as i was old enough, took promotion, got offered a police job but turned it down, by then I was already earning more 9-5 and too much going on socially. From then on, Charity Admin Assistant, Accounts Assistant, Assistant Chief Accountant, Internal Auditor, Systems integration consultant, Business Consultant, Business Development Manager, Account Manager, Sales Manager, Senior Key Account Manager, and now Fuel & Convenience Manager with a global remit.

Whatever find reason to enjoy whatever you do, look for positives!

Good luck

Cheers guys, some good points and they're all much appreciated. My degree is in zoology but my real talent and passions lie in sport and language. The main problem I'm finding is that almost all the positions seem to be in London and in recruitment. I'm not especially against either of these but they're not my first choices really.

In reply to The Bouldering Badger: If you don't have any skill easily marketable in the UK (zoology and languages are far from it, unfortuantely), the only way these days seem to start with a crappy minimum wage job and then try to work you way up, but it will take time and may not succeed.

IMHO the best option these days for graduates like you is to go and find a job or traineeship that you like abroad. Not only it will be easier but can be a really good personal experience.

In reply to John Lewis:

Shit-shovelling?!

In reply to The Bouldering Badger:

A degree in zoology is probably your worst bet for getting a degree related job outside university. When I started studying biology, the professor of zoology giving the opening lecture predicted that 3 of the 168 people in the room would go on to a biology related job afterwards. I am one of those three, but it has been a struggle, and at age 44 I still don´t have tenure.

I wouldn´t really worry, though: In the end, everyone I am still in contact with managed to get some interesting degree level job in the end.

Two fileds that I could think of immediately are teaching (one of the most honest and important professions in any modern society, even if is not generally appreciated as such), and statistics (at least if your degree was ecology oriented).

My wife has a zoology degree and worked for a while as a statistician for a big non-university agricultural research institute. In the end she switched back to a teaching position at university, but could have gone to many places in the private sector as well.

CB

In reply to The Bouldering Badger:
I have just finished my degree as well in physical geography and geology and wanted something outdoors.
I have just landed myself a job as a trainee outdoor instructor teaching kayaking, climbing and caving over in Wales doesn't pay brilliantly but enough to live on plus all my accommodation and food are provided for.
Have a look on outdoor learning institute

In reply to The Bouldering Badger:
I'm a software engineer / R&D type. It's fairly renumerative and mentally stimulating, but it tends to be London / South East based. It's possible to get into it from more or less any educational background if you're motivated enough, have the aptitude for it and have enough time, but to pull that off you do have to enjoy arsing around with computers enough to spend a lot of your spare time on it before you're likely to get a job.

Have you thought about doing a ToEFL course and teaching English abroad for a bit? As far as I can tell from friends who've done it, it's hard to turn it into a stable long-term career, but it's not too hard to keep yourself afloat while you spend a few years doing cool stuff / living in interesting places / figuring out what you want to do next and how to get there.

In reply to The Bouldering Badger: Have you considered sports physio? I like sport and science, am a vet now but sports physio was something I might have considered and by the time you work for yourself, you can choose your days/hours.

In reply to The Bouldering Badger:
Cheers for all the input guys. Sports physio is something I've considered. However, I'm not overly enthused with heading back to university to pay extortionate prices for a post-grad degree. The TEFL option is definitely something I'm considering at the moment - a great opportunity to experience living abroad and travelling it seems.

In reply to The Bouldering Badger:

I didn't go to uni, instead I started a technical apprenticeship in the aircraft industry. Quit after 2 years to go and work as a motorcycle mechanic, that wasn't what I thought it would be and I quit that after 6 months. After that I worked in a bicycle shop for 6 months, quit that and got a job working as a driver for an electrical repair company. I quit that 11 years later as the mechanical site services foreman and started work at the company where I am now as a shift maintenance technician. After 4 years on shift I was promoted to shift team leader and after another 4 years was promoted to a salaried technical support role. Another promotion followed 3 years after that and for the last 4 years I've been the engineering and projects coordinator. As for whether I enjoy it and the time it allows, yes, I enjoy it, it doesn't really stretch me technically any more and it's easy when you have that much experience to fall back on, but I work 7.30 to 3.30 Monday to Friday so evenings and weekends are work free. However, for my first 8 years here I was working rotating shifts and overtime, I used to have 3 days off out of every 42.

Haven't really got any advice for you other than that given above, it's easier to get a job when you've got a job so take anything to get started.

In reply to The Bouldering Badger: I know people doing sport physio by working as an assistant 2/3 days a week and going to college some days....

In reply to The Bouldering Badger:

Depends on what you're looking for. TEFL is OK for what it is if you want to spend a couple of years travelling but there's not much of a long-term career out of it. In the end the pay isn't that good. Even in places where they pay well, there's a ceiling at 20 - 30 k a year. That sounds a lot when you're leaving university but as a career ceiling it's pretty low. But the good thing about TEFL is you can often get as many or as few hours as you want so would be a good option to help pay your way through to study in a foreign country.

I have a corporate job and have worked in the same company for 11 years now. I really like it because you can move around quite a lot and do a range of different jobs. So I've done marketing communications (press releases and websites etc), commercial strategy and now I'm in sales. It's long hours], though & does get in the way of enjoying the outdoors..

Possibly your best option is to move to a country where the economy is booming and get a good job there. 2 options immediately spring to mind: Norway is crying out for people and Australia has a good economy too.

In reply to The Bouldering Badger:


In the foreseeable future, a majority of graduates are going to have to lower their expectations, career-wise. Why not forget the whole idea of a career and just do want you fancy on the moment ? Often openings appear where you least expect them ! Your interests and aspirations will also change, better to enjoy what you do whilst it lasts than get stuck in a rut with few prospects of advancement.