now leaving school at 17

I have only two letters so you beat me Red-BA Hons English Lit. I am considering a return to continue but it is so expensive so may just leave it yet.

I am for the age rising to 17, I just wish they would make the first 5 yrs a bit more effectual, maybe we won`t need it.

 

Its not that I am wishing the plague on them (the young ones). Its that I wish I knew then what I know now, or had someone to guide me. You really need to stay in school, it will truly go fast and you will be proud of yourself and be able to command a higher salary. Look at the other nations what will you be competing with. Even today America is starting to be known as the "service nation". What do you think that means young ones. Here is the challenge, if you think your so smart and your getting bored with high school, then you can just breeze by in college and get that degree. Go for it.

 

"and be able to command a higher salary"

Not so,

A lot of students who arent academicly gifted are staying on and doing meeningless degrees then ending up either strugling to find employment or doing warehouse type work etc. They also (in this country) have to pay off a student loan.

My parents are teachers and they find it shocking to see some of the students who now stay on.........

Ive used the example before of my mate who did a degree in agricultural managment (or some sutch), He now aged 25 works as herdsman/ tractor driver at the same farm i worked at aged 16, he earns an extra £2 per hour more than I did, he also has a student loan to pay off.

 

But, you do not know what the future will bring.

 

Well the same thing for me ie self employment, Id never go back to being an employee.

As for my mate, there arent that many agricilture jobs around so he will probably be there for a long haul. Its the sort of job were folk tend to stay put.

 

Paul that is wonderful. And this will be totally opposite of what I have been saying. I do know of agriculture folks who make it, and the person who started the trash pick up, in this county lives in a better house than I and in Florida I know the people who exterminate bugs live in a wonderful house with a 5 million dollar Yacht parked in front of it. But, But, But, that is an extremely small percentage of people who will achieve that. To give the delusional thinking to the young that they can be one of them, will be very frustrating for them in the future. The bottom line, and here it is , you need to arm yourself with what ever you can to make yourself marketable.

 

Red, im not talking millionaire types here, these are not the norm.

My point is very simply that there should be no stigma atached to starting in employment and working up. It doesn't need to negate a life of poverty.

The bloke who has started at the base of a company and worked up will be the better manager than the guy who is fresh out of uni with a degree in business managment and no real life experience.

 

Well i know a bloke whos worth a couple of million an he made most of it without being able to read or write :eek:

i think everyone should start at the bottom really :thumb:

 

Paul,



That is also not entirely true. The best person for the job doesn`t depend on education or lack of it sometimes, but there are some cases where it is essential. A flexible approach and a open mind usually sees most people through

 

Paul ----wrote--"The bloke who has started at the base of a company and worked up will be the better manager than the guy who is fresh out of uni with a degree in business managment and no real life experience."

Paul that is very true, and I also believe in starting at the bottom and working your way up, I did it. But, But, there came a point in the up ladder, that if I did not get the degrees, I could not go up any higher." And in many management situations, the they's of the would and you can count me in as one, I want to see the hands on experience, but I also want to see the education which arms them for management issues.
I have worked with young people fresh out of college without experience, and it is not picnic, I call them the powder puff folks, they have no clue of the real life. They are not my staff, (thank goodness) but a branch of the system, I have to deal with.
Also, I was in a position a few years ago, where I was part of a team hiring interns for the behavioral unit on the psych unit. We reviewed, resumes and grades, guess what, anyone who made straight A's did not get a second thought. We seriously looked at interns who made, a few A's, lots of B's and a few C's, why you ask, because in this position, with the unknown interactions and demands they would face, we knew failure would happen, and that was part of the learning experience for the interns. Interns used to making straight A's were not used to failure, so those interns would have issues handling failure.
Presently I have a young lady, which I hired to a position three years ago, she was then 18, just out of high school. As, I went through the training of her, and I spend a lot of time. After about 9 months, I would say to her, that she needs to attend this training or that training, she would say, "oh I don't need that, I know that stuff". I would say to her, dear, there is so much out there, I want you to experience in your field, finally she went to an assigned training, she came back so eager to tell me the new stuff she learned. She is now attending college, making great grades, still working in her position. And, I don't have to worry, she gets the job done perfect.
As Claire says, "A flexible approach and an open mind usually sees most people through" And that I believe Paul is through education.

 

Right, I'm probably going to upset some people now. It annoys me that students at college or university say they don't know what they want to be at the end of their courses. I know there may not be a specific job but surely going to study for that amount of time must mean you want to do something at the end of it???

I agree with the members on here who have said that academic qualifications aren't everything. I've known people from both ends of the spectrum and they all have a lot to offer society, whether it's realised or not by the 'top knobs' or the 'workers'.

I find it sad that it is now thought of as the way ahead to go to college & uni, when at the end of it, it needen't mean too much. Why have to own your own home? Have at least one car, wear designer stuff etc. Much better to enjoy your job. Very lucky if you can. Apprentices should be brought back - proper ones, not lacky ones.

cheers

 

When my son asked for advice about his options at the end of last term as he didn`t know what he wanted to do when he was older, I told him to think about what it was he was good at firstly, and what iti s he enjoys doing now, whatever it may be, but he didn`t know what job qualifications in the chosen subjects would get him. At 14 yrs he is far far far too young to have to make that decision, so I told him not to worry about that yet and to remember that if you end up doing a job you love, you never have to work a day of your life. Not strictly true but a hell of a lot more worthy than a life spent trapped under a ceiling you don`t realise is there until you come up against it. The brighter you are the more intensely frustrating this will be.

It is a fact of life that some are successes and some are failures but the overwhelming majority of people just plod along in life doing whatever it takes just to get to keep the wolf from the door and to have as many laughs as they can during that time.

I don`t think either side of the discussion is correct-in fact they are both seriously flawed. And one size doesn`t suit all, if any thing you would be hard pressed to get it to fit 20% of schoolchildren.

 

And just a quick aside; this is a very interesting and well formed discussion, very satisfying to be reading some intelligent points of view on both sides.

 

lolli - isn't that what I was saying? Doesn't matter at the end of the day (yes I know it does in many respects) but get a job you like - blimey that's hard. It doesn't matter if you are a bin man (or whatever they're called these days), a factory worker or the head of a big organisation. To know you are doing a job is good.

You are obviously a good mum there, not making your child worry. My son, at nearly 18, now wants to have an apprenticeship - hard to find. But at least he knows now what is more important, getting a skill not loafing about.

cheers

 

Why are the smile wavy things in here???? I think some of them left.


Anyway, I did say this earlier: thats why there is something for everyone, and everyone for something.

And I said, that you have to make yourself Marketable, The majority of folks have to work to keep the "wolf" from the door,
and you want some laughs along the way (Lolli) So you want to find what does make you happy, which makes working at that job easier.(again--Lolli). It is important to keep your mind open to new thoughts and ideas that can help you along this path.
Yes, Lolli, a nice discussion.