Anyone got the job they wanted?

Big_Wheels

Kajjal wrote:

I enjoy my job but from my experience the only way to a good job is hard work, planning and taking a few risks. I have moved round the country a few times to better my career but it is not an easy thing to do. The worst thing to do is continually complain and do nothing about it

Good advice Kajjal. That goes for me too. Had a job I hated, gave it up, went back to Uni, moved about a bit to get experience for a professional qualification and now very satisfied with the job. Without being smug about it, I've got that work/life balance thing pretty dialled now. Hopefully that's me on course for a while at least.

bennett_346

foxc_uk wrote:

I never really knew what I wanted to do and flunked my A levels, and the BTEC I did after them. So I signed up with an agency and started doing admin. Got my first permanent job a couple of years later at a popular (with geeks) tabletop gaming manufacturer, who then made me redundant. Since then I've done boring old admin jobs in recruitment and at a University. The good thing about my job? I can do it anywhere. The bad thing? It's always going to be a bit boring and I frequently feel like a bit of a lackey. Working at the Uni had great benefits - excellent salary, holiday and pension but I was really fed up of it, so this year I took a £5k salary cut, 5 days less holidays and moved to work in the bike industry. The work itself is still a bit tedious, but the people I work with are more fun, which makes a big difference. There are days I hate my job, but I'll feel like that no matter where I work. And don't think you have to be under 30 to make changes - I'm 35 in a few months. If you don't have any ties you have lots of options.

Sorry for the length!

I think most people will end up feeling like that once you narrow down what jobs there are realistically available and what actually pays a decent amount. I think my career is what i'd call just "acceptable" on the interest front, and i get to tell people what to do and when, it pays enough that i'm satisfied and wouldn't want to drop down too much in pay to do something else, but it'll never be "fun".

welshkev

Big_Wheels wrote:

Kajjal wrote:

I enjoy my job but from my experience the only way to a good job is hard work, planning and taking a few risks. I have moved round the country a few times to better my career but it is not an easy thing to do. The worst thing to do is continually complain and do nothing about it

Good advice Kajjal. That goes for me too. Had a job I hated, gave it up, went back to Uni, moved about a bit to get experience for a professional qualification and now very satisfied with the job. Without being smug about it, I've got that work/life balance thing pretty dialled now. Hopefully that's me on course for a while at least.

But why would I want to move around the country for my career? I like where I live. I think if I had to move just for a job then I wouldn't be happy doing that as all my friends and family would be elsewhere. Unless I was moving somewhere hot or with better riding

I can do my job pretty much anywhere, I've just chosen 'normal' hours and more of a desk job over 20 hour shifts, stress and fun

Big_Wheels

^^ But you already live in South Wales welshkev! I've had to go a round about route to end up here Better riding? Yes. Hotter? It's Wales!

All about setting and satisfying your own priorities I guess.

Northwind

I quite like mine. I'd like to move up a bit in the same field, lose some of the dull work (and get paid more!) but still, it's interesting and you're pretty much surrounded by good people.

I thought I'd made an epically brilliant career move last year, 70% payrise, big step up in seniority, but a bit of a change of work... Hated it, hated the people, ended up at war with the boss, 6 months paid sickleave, went back to the job I was doing before. Careers, you're doing it wrong.

bennett_346

What was it? Sucking c*ck? I hear that pays well.

Northwind

I wouldn't take money for that. Er I mean I wouldn't do that for money. Er...

TheNorthernTrain

Hate my job. Have good days but more bad days. Get on well with the people I work with which makes it bearable. At the moment it's a stop gap while I decide what I want to do properly. It pays fairly well and for the moment I still live at home, which has some massive downsides. But the upside is, I'm saving shitloads towards a deposit for a house. I could get one now, but it would completely skint me and I'd have no money for anything else. Need a back up fund incase the car/bike go wrong.

WindyG

Hate my job been doing the same line of work for over 25 years and just don't enjoy any of it now, so I am considering training to be a driving instructor and it will be a job I can do easily enough until I retire.

bennett_346

TheNorthernTrain wrote:

Hate my job. Have good days but more bad days. Get on well with the people I work with which makes it bearable. At the moment it's a stop gap while I decide what I want to do properly. It pays fairly well and for the moment I still live at home, which has some massive downsides. But the upside is, I'm saving shitloads towards a deposit for a house. I could get one now, but it would completely skint me and I'd have no money for anything else. Need a back up fund incase the car/bike go wrong.

Just wait, there's no rush to buying a house. At least wait until the economy picks up and wages rise to follow rising house prices a bit.

mini_death

I'm doing what I want to do, but unfortunately I work for a colossal prick who makes my every working day miserable.

Recently it has gotten worse (as things are generally bad in the bike trade at the moment) so one lad I know has found himself a new job working for audi and two of us are looking around.

If I can hold out to summer that'd be ideal, after that I'm moving back to london.

VWsurfbum

So today i'm going to turn down a job offer :shock:
I have to feel i want to do something, A few years ago i would of jumped at this chance but i know i would get bored of it quite quickly now :roll:
It would of been heading back into the motor trade with all the benifits of not being in the motor trade but i cant really take that much of a pay cut, which sucks :evil:

welshkev

anyone want my job? I've had a guts full and am nearly ready for a falling down moment :x

Penylope

Working in production at the moment.
Started at a local factory when i left school (with no quali) on the shop floor. worked my way round the factory doing diferent things when the need arose, now a Production Supervisor :shock:
Lots of chalenges and i quite enjoy the work and get to see some cool stuff (pre prod, usualy covered in camo paintjob!) and the people I work with are brill but,
some of the new top management are monumental arseholes which takes the shine off a bit

sheepsteeth

I love my job. I have good bosses who appreciate our efforts, i have gleaming subordinates who do as i ask, the money is good and i get a unique standard of living including heavily subsidised accommodation.

Ive been in my job for nearly 17 years and have a further 7 to go.

I am currently employed as a royal engineers search advisor(RESA) and my job is to plan and execute searches for IEDs and almost anything else you can hide. I spend a lot of time in operations rooms planning and advising others but when it comes to the cut, i deploy with my team on to the ground and carry out the physical searches for devices which the attached bomb disposal team deal with.

the other part of my job is to manage the lives and careers of a troop of blokes as well as delivering training and advice at squadron and regimental level.

I have travelled and worked in some cool places, had some amazing experiences and enjoyed a life i couldnt have had doing anything else.

in a few weeks i will do the course to become an IED operator (what we used to call bomb disposal officers)meaning i will deal with the things which have been found. there are not many people trained to do both but the number is climbing.

previously i have been a search team commander (subordinate to a RESA), a bomb disposal number 2 (subordinate to a bomb disposal officer) a plant fitter, a machinist and cnc programmer, a combat engineer and instructor and general dogs body.

god knows what i will do once i have to work for a living!

spongtastic

I've never really known what I want to do.

Went to school, went to Uni, failed uni, had a series of crap jobs paying about £100 a week - making battery chargers, grading chickens, bottling milk, clearing drains.

Started working in Environmental Health as it paid more than these. Hated it, sh*t, dead bodies, more sh*t, filthy houses and shops.

Moved into Facilities Management because it paid more. Liked it, never stuck in the same office, met loads of people, carried on moving up the greasy pole doing the same until now when I'm so bloody senior I have to fight to escape the office and endless meetings. Nearly had a nervous breakdown last year because my boss was such a cnut, but he's been dismissed for fraud so things have got better. The most important thing I've learnt though is to enjoy your job whatever you do otherwise it will drive you mental.

cubedean

Originally I was an aviation engineer, restoring vintage aircraft (WW2 mainly), the company I worked for went down the pan & everyone was left out of a job. Fast forward 6 months from then I found a stop gap as a sales engineer in the water industry for a very well known pump company..... nearly 4 years later i'm still here and really enjoying it. Good money, good benefits. Definitely too good to pass up.

VWsurfbum

sheepsteeth wrote:

god knows what i will do once i have to work for a living!

What a horrible thought!

bennett_346

sheepsteeth wrote:

god knows what i will do once i have to work for a living!

Take it you're a commissioned officer right now then

pinno

I wanted to be a professional sportsman of some descritption. Ha!. I flunked school, school was shyte. The problem was that I had too many interests and should have stuck to one thing. I wish some adult at the time had chanelled me down one path. Perhaps not the talent, but I had the determination and work rate far above my peers.
Back to the OP - yes. I bounced from one job to another for 15 years not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I did a diploma in engineering and later on, a degree in HRM. My job has been carved by myself and is mostly of my own doing. I am the boss and I have great staff. We have a good relationship and they work hard. It uses all of my skills from budgeting to engineering and people skills to logistics. I have now been in it for 8 years when the longest job I had was 18 months. It is badly paid but money has never been a motivational factor. Most of my time is organised by myself.
The only other downside (aprt from risk assessments and 'Elf 'n' safety) is that the environment is changing. It is an ill wind and the future is uncertain. Despite anticipating future changes and planning for it, nothing is certain anymore.

Mikey23

Drifted into the civil service straight from school while not having a clue what I wanted to do. Made my way up the ranks to junior management and became a benefit fraud investigator. Now that was an interesting and challenging job and I was pretty good at. Started to get fed up with the constant performance increases and the opportunity came to accept a package including protected pension rights. Was a house husband for a few years cos missus is full time primary teacher. Got into social care. Became manager of a local day centre working with physically and mentally handicapped folks. Got fed up with the politics and now work for a different company doing outreach work with a couple of guys with learning difficulties. Only work a couple of days a week although I could do more and I get to do cool things with them and switch off when I get home. Pension is quite generous, missus still works and mortgage is paid. I don't think I've ever done a job which I really hated. I'm always pushing my personal boundaries so I don't tend to get bored

kajjal

welshkev wrote:

Big_Wheels wrote:

Kajjal wrote:

I enjoy my job but from my experience the only way to a good job is hard work, planning and taking a few risks. I have moved round the country a few times to better my career but it is not an easy thing to do. The worst thing to do is continually complain and do nothing about it

Good advice Kajjal. That goes for me too. Had a job I hated, gave it up, went back to Uni, moved about a bit to get experience for a professional qualification and now very satisfied with the job. Without being smug about it, I've got that work/life balance thing pretty dialled now. Hopefully that's me on course for a while at least.

But why would I want to move around the country for my career? I like where I live. I think if I had to move just for a job then I wouldn't be happy doing that as all my friends and family would be elsewhere. Unless I was moving somewhere hot or with better riding

I can do my job pretty much anywhere, I've just chosen 'normal' hours and more of a desk job over 20 hour shifts, stress and fun

That's the trick getting the right balance. My job is at times very stressful and while based the UK does involve periods of European travel which while a good experience does get tiring at times. The upside is most of the the time enjoy it and am rewarded for my hard work unlike many other people.

Kitty

I'm a Children's Nurse, and some days are shit but I still love it and couldn't do anything else. Went straight into at uni from college, I was a lifeguard for 7 years too but I knew after two years I needed more to keep myself going.

peat

I sometimes wonder where I am heading with this job. I'm not the most ambitious chap in the world and my idea of hell is managing people so I've hit the ceiling of my discipline before the age of 30.

However, I'm in an industry that pays very well. I get to manage my own projects, design solutions to challenging problems, pick my own hours and take holiday at a moments notice. The Work/Life balance is pretty fantastic.

I went to dinner with a pal who works in finance yesterday, i picked him up from his office at 7:30pm (He'd been there til 11:30pm the previous night) and was bemoaning the fact that he hadn't been away properly in years because it was 'impossible' to get leave requests approved. But it was ok, because they pay him for the leave he doesn't take.......

What's the point of earning more if you don't get a chance to enjoy it? My time is far more valuable. I'll stay put.

bennett_346

Peat wrote:

I get to manage my own projects, design solutions to challenging problems, pick my own hours and take holiday at a moments notice.

Ditto.

Anonymous

sheepsteeth wrote:

I love my job. I have good bosses who appreciate our efforts, i have gleaming subordinates who do as i ask, the money is good and i get a unique standard of living including heavily subsidised accommodation.

Ive been in my job for nearly 17 years and have a further 7 to go.

I am currently employed as a royal engineers search advisor(RESA) and my job is to plan and execute searches for IEDs and almost anything else you can hide. I spend a lot of time in operations rooms planning and advising others but when it comes to the cut, i deploy with my team on to the ground and carry out the physical searches for devices which the attached bomb disposal team deal with.

the other part of my job is to manage the lives and careers of a troop of blokes as well as delivering training and advice at squadron and regimental level.

I have travelled and worked in some cool places, had some amazing experiences and enjoyed a life i couldnt have had doing anything else.

in a few weeks i will do the course to become an IED operator (what we used to call bomb disposal officers)meaning i will deal with the things which have been found. there are not many people trained to do both but the number is climbing.

previously i have been a search team commander (subordinate to a RESA), a bomb disposal number 2 (subordinate to a bomb disposal officer) a plant fitter, a machinist and cnc programmer, a combat engineer and instructor and general dogs body.

god knows what i will do once i have to work for a living!

I was attached to your Core on H16 good bunch off lads and still keep in touch with a few although they have recently left for pastures new. JP

Motley13

bg13 wrote:

Motley13 wrote:

Good luck mate, once you get through all the initial niff naff the wider airforce has lots of opportunities for biking, as well as turning you into a border line alky.

Haha as I say I cant wait to pass out and get on to the trade side of stuff. I know about the biking, one of my instructors is a mountain biker so been talking to him alot. Just got the second half of basic to get through and then I get to learn how to fix poorly aircraft, should be funn

You going to be a gaymm? heavy or light?

Haha yess im training to be an amm, havent decided what way to go yet got abit of time yet but sure that time will fly by

poah

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Any of you actually doing something that you really really enjoy as a job and how did you get into it?

no, I have a PhD and should be doing research in a lab but I'm working in a supermarket

bg13

Motley13 wrote:

bg13 wrote:

Motley13 wrote:

Good luck mate, once you get through all the initial niff naff the wider airforce has lots of opportunities for biking, as well as turning you into a border line alky.

Haha as I say I cant wait to pass out and get on to the trade side of stuff. I know about the biking, one of my instructors is a mountain biker so been talking to him alot. Just got the second half of basic to get through and then I get to learn how to fix poorly aircraft, should be funn

You going to be a gaymm? heavy or light?

Haha yess im training to be an amm, havent decided what way to go yet got abit of time yet but sure that time will fly by

Good luck mate, just don't listen to the old sweats like myself. There are still jobs/postings where you will have an absolute ball.