well paulie I studied science majoring in biology and I don't think I have ever worked in that field.

now happily unemployed.

(oh I had 126 job rejections before I landed first real job.)

Research tends to indicate that going to uni and finishing your degree is worse for you in the short term, but over the next 10 years you'll probably be well ahead of those who didn't go to uni.

Once you get to about age 28 or so, you tend to hit this glass ceiling where you can't quite get to the next rung of the ladder because people with degrees come off as better qualified.

I'm not saying this is 100% the case, there are always exceptions to a rule. But it holds true more often than not.

The thing about uni is that it isn't what you learn that's most important. In fact, when you get your first job directly related to your studies, the first thing your employer will probably do is send you on a bunch of training courses. More important to a potential employer is the fact that you've learned to think in a certain way, and to be critical and questioning of the world around you. Also that you've had the dedication and temerity to stick around for 3-5 years of crappy lectures.

I'm probably a pretty good example of this, given that my degree (journalism) is completely unrelated to the job I've been doing for the last 2 years (data analysis and programming).

So the bottom line is, don't regret staying at uni

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Wot Webby said Took all the words right outta my mouth

A lot of employers don't look for a specific kind of degree, because they're more interested in the kind of generic skills that come with any degree....u learn a ton of stuff from studying at uni that is useful in pretty much any job situation - and it can often give u the edge over ppl who don't have that piece of paper - because an employer knows they don't have to start from scratch with u - u've already done the basic groundwork, meaning they can put their resources into giving u very specific skill training...

I double majored and did honours in psych......and I'm now working in the public service, kinda sorta in the financey/economy/service delivery field....so I'm using all the generic stuff from my degree, but not really the more specific stuff....it's not that I don't wanna work in psych - it's that I wanted to get out in the real world for a while and get established and earn good money before I go back and do my Masters....and all the stuff I learned how to do at uni is allowing me to do that Without having gone to uni, I doubt very much I'd be in as decent a position as I am now.....and I wouldn't have had somebody pay to move me the hell away from Tasmania *lol* So, for me, uni was definitely the right thing.....I haven't regretted it and I'm sure in the long-term u won't either Paulie

Yeah it can really suck when employers seem to be mostly looking for ppl with experience.....but, you have to kinda turn it around and make ur lack of practical experience seem like a positive thing. On the applications I sent out after uni, I made a point of saying things like "yes, I realise I don't have a lot of practical experience - but that's because I've devoted the last few years to really applying myself at uni so that I could acquire and develop the skills and personal drive which I know would enable me to be an asset to any employee. now that i've finished uni and acquired those skills, i'm eager to have the opportunity to apply them in practice. if your company gave me this opportunity, i know that i could be an asset to you and help in achieving your goals."

So, it's really a matter of selling yourself in the right way....if u don't necessarily have all the experience they say they're looking for, turn that around and express it in a positive way....don't hide it, and don't ignore it - if ur open and honest about it and tell the employer how ur willing to overcome it, then i bet in a lot of cases they won't dismiss ur application like they would if they just saw u had no experience and u hadn't even bothered to mention that fact in ur application.................that was my approach, and it landed me the first job i applied for after uni (i asked my boss after i'd been in the job a while why they hired me in the first place, and they said the covering letter in my application was so refreshing and honest and well-written that they knew it was worth takin a chance on me....so it DOES help!!)

Hang in there.......don't waste ur time sitting around regretting the things u've already done that u can't change now....work on selling the things u've done positively and using them to ur advantage

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life's over after uni. not enough time to drink and play pool anymore. as for a career path, i think the only people who are left in the field I studied in are the ones who took 6 years to get a 4 year degree. They put in so much time they want to make use of it.

i guess i'm one of the lucky ones who qualified when jobs in our field were plentiful. we had one guy who wanted to take a year off after finishing, and he was constantly getting calls from the head of the school cos they had a stack of jobs they couldn't fill.

getting started is always going to be the hardest, and the only real use for most degrees is to put it on your resume so some scanning program can tick the right boxes. on the other hand I cannot find a decent graduate or young un to work in software support for an ERP package. anyone out there think they can work in a prehistoric language like RPG? Any young comp sci graduates even heard of RPG these days?

lol @ tubby.

In all seriousness thanks for the advice everyone, didnt expect to get such a serious response. I apologize for making it look like in my first post that ive just quit looking, and ive had enough. Anyone that knows me knows that im a persistent and annoying ****** and i shall continue in my pursuits.


In the meantime i might do what erratik said and be productive, and keep my skills in check, no point me sitting around and feeling sorry for myself. HOpefully i wont be at BP for long, cause this trooper is ready to snap. lol


Once again thanx for everyones advice, much appreciated and its something i needed

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Oh, life is bigger ,It's bigger than you,And you are not me,The lengths that I will go to, The distance in your eyes ,Oh no, I've said too much, I set it up

That's me in the corner, That's me in the spotlight, I'm Losing my religion, Trying to keep up with you ,And I don't know if I can do it, Oh no, I've said too much,I haven't said enough, I thought that I heard you laughing, I thought that I heard you sing, I think I thought I saw you try.

But that was just a dream, That was just a dream, But that was just a dream, Try, cry, why try? That was just a dream ,Just a dream, just a dream, Dream

awww...feel the luv

on a side note.....paulie how long r u gonna have 'tiesto withdrawals' under ur name?? every time i see it i get terrible pictures in my head of tiesto practicing a certain contraceptive method *lol* that's the last thing i want in my head!!!!

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hehehe ill change it for you. Gotta admit theres still some withdrawals from that nite. Was a bumper nite, even armin was a great nite, cant say it wasnt.

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Oh, life is bigger ,It's bigger than you,And you are not me,The lengths that I will go to, The distance in your eyes ,Oh no, I've said too much, I set it up

That's me in the corner, That's me in the spotlight, I'm Losing my religion, Trying to keep up with you ,And I don't know if I can do it, Oh no, I've said too much,I haven't said enough, I thought that I heard you laughing, I thought that I heard you sing, I think I thought I saw you try.

But that was just a dream, That was just a dream, But that was just a dream, Try, cry, why try? That was just a dream ,Just a dream, just a dream, Dream

quote:

Originally posted by Paulie hehehe ill change it for you. Gotta admit theres still some withdrawals from that nite. Was a bumper nite, even armin was a great nite, cant say it wasnt.

gimme ur mobile number and i'll sms u when i'm seein tiesto in europe....or when i'm at sensation white....then u can vicariously be there

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Yep, i think we all been down this road, and if not, u shall come across it soon enough... Paulie, dont forget 2 bend the truth a little in your resume... ohh, and enjoy the extra free time while u can, once u get full time job, its your 2nd wife... if not 1st...

I didn't know what I wanted to do when i finished school, i'd had enough studying so didn't want to do uni. I worked in entry level positions for about 3 years in finance companys, before heading off to London for 2 years and Canada for 1 year. Got back last September from Whistler and applied for uni. Did ok in the STAT exam, but still didn't get into my business course. End result is, i now have to study my first year through correspondence.
If your stuck on what to do, I can't recommend travelling enough. Going to London was the best thing I ever did, and employers look highly upon you if you've travelled, as you have shown independence, initiative etc. I found it fairly easy to get work in London as well, and they never seemed to mind that I turned up every monday a dribbling wreck from clubbing all weekend!
I wouldn't trade my London or european travelling memories for anything, not even the uni degree I'm now attempting.

To be honest I was a little disconcerted about going to uni for the same reasons you have mentioned, I spent 1 year and a half looking for work in what is unfortunately a very specialised field so Im probbably a little different. But in the end I had to move to a regional town to get work, it really ate dogs balls but as it turned out the position was a government one and whilst i was working there I was getting great training and applying for positions back in civlisation. After a year I got work back in town and was much better for it.

All said and done I think it really depends on what field you are involved in, I have a friend that has a degree in Botany but works as a sparky earining far more money that he ever would in his studied field, and as a sparky a degree means zippo. On the other hand I see another one of my friends who never went to uni but has 8 years experience behind him, yet by next year I will surpass his pay and responsibility levels with less than half of his experience. As Webby mentioned he now has to turn around and consider study simply coz he doesnt have a degree.