h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

or even...

http://www.search.ask.com/videos?q=it+says+here+billy+bragg&o=apn10373&gct=kwd&tpr=2&ts=1409494523500

"Well that sounds like you aspired to something"
Well yes; I aspire to use my hard-won (environmental) degree. Despite being told degrees are ten a penny and virtually worthless nowadays, I've failed to use all my previous tertiary education qualifications so I have been adamant that this one would be put to use.

Reason I chose an environmental degree is that I wanted to change sector entirely from my previous jobs in retail and customer service. I want to work out of doors, non-standard hours and in non-standard locations (an office), because in general, I'm a non-standard kind guy

But I am to-date finding the experience-gap an insurmountable problem in changing sector. Transferable skills appear to be of little interest to my potential future employers .

The only occasional times I've seen adverts for trainee positions which require little or no relevant work experience, I have been ruled out because I'm not unemployed or within a certain age-group.

'kinda guy'.. not kind guy though i can also be kind.

Yes I agree that most careers advice was utter tosh. I was asked what I enjoyed at school/didn't enjoy, then the 'careers advisor' choose jobs with some key words in the title. The results were so wide of the mark that I can't remember what I was told (and probably forgot within seconds). Also, at no time were non-academic routes mentioned or the possibility of doing an apprenticeship in something. I was too old to do apprenticeships by the time I found out of their existence -why are apprenticeships exempt from age discrimination legislation?

"Frankly if one has been employed at a job of some sort most of one's life then one is a success..."

Well I have only been unemployed/not in education for a handful of months over my 25 years or so since school, so I don't doubt that I can get a job doing stuff I've done before; that's not really an issue. Fact is I really really really don't want, ever again, to do what I've done before. A job which doesn't stimulate me every second of the day I can handle, but one that frustrates, saddens and stresses me daily is what I would like to avoid.

Sorry, but I do not feel like I am a success, just because I can get jobs doing what I've reluctantly done before.

I have always wanted to have a job that I would actually enjoy doing, and envy folk who have achieved that.

I've had some really crappy jobs and worked in some countries which I would have never gone to, if it wasn't for the job?

I've held staff positions and been a sub contractor, both if which have their good and bad points, but they both came with really long hours, as well as a lot of stress?

I don't think I would like to go back and do it all over again, apart from the reason that the people I did it all for, didn't really appreciate it, and being away from home for most of it, caused it's own problems?

Smudger.

Well you are more of a success than someone who has never got off their rear and got a job of any sort.

However you seem to be thinking that we live to work rather than work to live.Can't you do the latter and do the environmental issues as an added interest?

I am also one of those people. However I have sadly little to offer you but moral support.

Quote.........."Well you are more of a success than someone who has never got off their rear and got a job of any sort."

Well I'm from the generation where if you wanted anything you had to go out and work for it, and if you started a family you had to work hard to support them.

I suppose that is classed as being old fashioned these days?

Smudger.

It's the educator in me.I'm always looking to find the positive slant to a situation and to make someone who feels and thinks less of themselves and their efforts/achievements actually feel better and more positive about themselves..to provide encouragement basically.

It's not, for me, so much about success or failure, more an immense feeling of wasted potential. I know with certainty that with my experience skills and education, I could be doing so much more with my working life and I could easily do or quickly learn to do the jobs I'm applying for. It frustrates me no end when I see others doing jobs I know I could do. It is especially frustrating that I do my low-level admin job in an organisation where I am academically qualified to be at a higher level. It's a bit like having studied 10 years (or whatever it is these days) to be a doctor but only being able to get a job as a hospital cleaner.

But in today's job market it's a vocation or calling in itself to be able to cross the dual pits of fire which are getting an interview and getting the job. I've successfully crossed enough of these pits over the years to know I can do it, but again, it's that much harder now I'm trying to change sector. I just need to get that first break in a job unrelated to what I've done before, then I'll have the experience to gain future jobs.

Trouble is, despite the alledged end of the recession I'm still being given feedback (occasionally) that I was 'one of 70ish applicants for the role and others had more relevant experience'. From the employers point of view, why should they take a chance with my transferable skills and theoretical knowledge when they have a vast pool from which to choose those with relevant experience?

In many ways I may as well be starting out with my first job ever.

Well you have choosen a tough field to get into - I know it is what I do - it is not impossible though, my advice would be to do a year at an agricultural college on a conservation orientated course to get all the tickets you need - first aid, risk assessment, chain saw, herbicides, off road driving etc. - and some relevant hands on ecological management and volunteer volunteer volunteer. Unfortunately it is a field where who you know (or rather who knows you) counts for as much as what you know.

I went to a farm set for school visits mainly.
It´s a cooperative. Maybe you could start with the help and enthusiasm of others like you something similar, or at least something related with your abilities. A cooperative or a business of your own really needs a lot of "determination and sacrifice" but it will pay you off.

It's more environmental protection - science and enforcement/licensing/sampling that's my current area of qualification/potential career.

You are probably referring to the agriculture and conservation side of things, which whilst hard to get into, does at least have a well-defined volunteer ranger/warden route into eventual paid employment.
My degree included 2 years at an agricultural college so I don't need any more of that.

Unfortunatly there appears to be no such voluntary route into the sciency/sampling/lincensing side of things. Certainly in 5+ years of searching every environmental jobs board I've never come across any voluntary positions, except for the afforementioned 'back to work' schemes which I'm too employed to take advantage of.

As for 'who you know', well I do have contacts, not least of all in the organisation I currently work for but to be honest I've never understood how that mechanism works nowadays. Sure, in the past, an employer could just put in a good word for someone and the job was there's. But nowadays there are strict HR competancy based job advertising, selection and interview protocols. The only use I've ever found for 'contacts' is when they highlight that a job has become available; but strict rules prevent any further benefit to me or move me further up the (long) queue of candidates.

Maybe I'll have to re-assess what it is I want to do when I grow up.. again.

"But nowadays there are strict
HR competancy based job advertising, selection and interview protocols. "
NO... there really arn't... yes, there are meant to be... the only jobs I've ever had in my life, were non-advertised jobs, and I just happened to know the right person, at the right time... Never, ever got anywhere at all, with applying ofr jobs, as one is meant to do... well, got to interviews a couple times, via the 'proper' route, but never any further (though often that was more my then finding out, that behidn their nonscensicle 'biscuinness speak', visa the job add, that really, the job in question wasn't anything remotely like what I'd want, be suitable, or, indeed, have bothered applying for, )

I don´t know many people who work in the field they felt a call from when they were young or are working according to their studies. I know a variety of cases who what worked out at some point in their lives is that they had to pay the bills. If the job allows you time to live, not just exist , then great.

One of my brothers work as lawyer, but not in his specialty. Just by chance, doing someone else a favour, he found indirectly and without looking for it, the job he´s been for many years.

My sister studied History, teaching or research was her objective, but she didn´t find anything worthy or related, she finally started to work as a cleaner at the university, from that post, she moved and now she´s a librarian. Her aim now is to end in the library of the History or Fine Arts colleges. The job allows her free time to study.

My husband did vocational training, several degrees, he is doing a grey job that has little to do with his degrees and bright mind, but the job allows him free time, enough to devote it to music, he plays in a band , a group, sings, play drums... his grey job allows him to enjoy life.
That job is 400 km far from our hometown, he went there for just 3 months many years ago, then, I followed him...I leave my story for another moment, but I´ll tell you that at 14 years old I worked out that I wanted to study so that I could do something different to be a maid, which was what I was doing then.

I assume you want to work in the Environment Agency - you could useful experience working an environmental consultancy

A lot of environment-related work will be done by local and central government organisations - is that an avenue you have explored before?

Come to Germany - the environment is really big here.

I *do* work for an environment agency, but as alluded to in my doctor/cleaner analogy I'm doing low-level admin for them, of the sort I did 25 or so years ago when I left school, staring through an impeneterable glass ceiling at folk doing jobs I want to do. I have the wrong type of work experience though, so I am never even short-listed for trainee roles.